NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYS FEBRUARY 14, 2024

ZANE SMITH, NO. 71 SPIRE MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes   Would this step have been possible without all the work Justin Marks has put in? “It’s been very busy since Bristol and our announcement. What’s been awesome is Trackhouse is doing so much in this sport and so is Spire. For me, landing at Spire for this year and getting this Cup experience I think will go a very long way. I just have a great group of people around me and the people that Spire is acquiring from their management side and the people who put in the work behind the scenes is very high. I’m excited to see what we can do.” When did conversations start on this deal?“It definitely came out of nowhere. Justin and I have stayed in touch from when I was possibly going to end up at Ganassi and he had taken that over. He has always been so down to earth and so cool to talk to. My racecar is not out of that building but I do have meetings and it’s great to be back. It’s cool to see all the Trackhouse touches on that building.” Has this hit the timeline you expected, or has it been a bit of a whirlwind?“It has hit the timeline, but it’s definitely been a crazy path to get here. There have been so many times where I didn’t think I would see a racetrack again, and to make it to Sunday is what every racer dreams of and is so special. I want to make the most of this opportunity and be here for a while.” What are the expectations given the gains that Spire has made?“They’ve accomplished a lot in just this offseason. Their goals are to perform and nothing short of that. For Carson (Hocevar) and I, this is our rookie season, and we hope to learn and progress throughout the year. We know how crazy rookie seasons can be, but that’s where we’re at. On Corey (Lajoie) side, I know he’s looking for his first win as Carson and I are, but he’s had a lot more experience and have seen the old Spire days so it’s cool to hear him and Ryan Sparks’ stories of where it once was and to see it now. I’ve just experienced all the stuff that they’ve gotten through this offseason, and it’s been a lot. It’s cool to be a part of.” What does it mean to you to know this is the start of a 36-race process?“That’s the most exciting part. Last year I got to race in the Daytona 500 and didn’t get to sit in it for a few weeks and then would race and would wait a couple months and back in one, so to be able to race week in and week out is awesome. I feel as if I’m going to learn so much. I learned so much in just one Cup race last year. It’s been crazy the path to this point but excited for this year.” What’s it been like this offseason working with both teams?“It’s been a lot throughout this offseason just with me doing double everything. Double competition meetings, double pre-race meetings not only the Trackhouse side but the Spire side. My racecar is out of Spire, so I’d say I’m there a little bit more, but it’s just been a lot of trying to soak it all in learning every bit I can. It’s been great so far but ready to get this year going.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYS FEBRUARY 14, 2024

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes   Last year was tough, physically, and some disappointments along the way. Were you 100% after that? “Yeah, I was fine. My injuries were not why we struggled, for sure.”  Can you pinpoint some reasons and some things from the offseason you looked into to move past that? “I just think I have some bad habits that this car doesn’t like, and I have to address it ultimately.” As in…“Things we talk about behind closed doors.” In the Duels tomorrow night, do you expect some to step over the line? If Fords are coming up behind you, are you expecting when pushed by a Ford or Toyota, do you know what the new car is going to do?“I don’t think so. Both of the noses they have designed are pretty flat. Our back bumpers are pretty flat, so I don’t think it’ll be anything super out of the ordinary, so we’ll see. I don’t think people will push too hard tomorrow night, but we’ll see.” Is that something where you expect those teams (Ford, Toyota) to practice?“I don’t know. I’m on Team Chevy. We’ll worry about Team Chevy.” It’s been 20 years since the inception of the Playoffs. From your point of view, do you think it’s the best way to find out who has been the best driver all year?“I think 2014 was when we started having the rounds, right? That, to me, is when things really changed because at least with the other way, you had 10 weeks and I feel like it all kind of came out in the wash in those 10 weeks, really. I’m not sure at the end of those 10 weeks if it would have looked a ton different versus a full season. Seemingly, the guys that ran good all year over the course of 10 weeks, that amount of races inside the Playoffs gave it enough time for things to come out in the wash. The people that belonged up front stayed up front. They got there. One bad race didn’t take someone out of ruining a really good year. That’s the only bad thing I see with the way we have it is, you know, whether it’s me or someone else. I’d just hate for somebody to win 10 races and not win the championship. To me, that would be a little bit of a black eye for the integrity of our sport.”  Would you put wins above championships at this point?“No. I think at this point, when you get a number of championships, it’s going to trump that. Certainly, winning more is going to mean you had probably more fun over the course of the entirety of your career. It means you had some good weeks. More often, having good weeks is a good thing.”  What’s one of your fondest memories here?“We ran second here one time, so that was kind of cool, I guess. I would have liked to have won, but that was a decent finish. The rest of them we’ve pretty much crashed, so there hasn’t been really a lot of good outside of that day, unfortunately.”  How do you feel about the changes that have been made to your home track of Atlanta?“Heck, we’ve had two years of what it is now. I don’t think it’s going to change much from what it’s been to what you’ve seen. I do think it’s going to age a bit at some point. It’s hot summers and can be kind of cold in the winter, so that’s typically tough on a track surface. I think the track aging is a good thing, and we’ll just see what happens when it does.” How have you adapted to changes to the track (Atlanta) over the past few years?“I’m in the middle of the road. I understand why they did it. The old track had a lot of character, and it was a lot of fun from a drivers’ perspective. I think it was time for a change. We had rode that horse for a long time, and sold the narrative with how hard it was to drive and people weren’t just on board with it anymore. They wanted to try something else and I applaud them for trying it. It’s got a new look. It’s produced some pretty good racing. People that have gone down there that I’ve talked to personally, spectators really enjoy it and they really enjoy the drafting aspect of Atlanta. If they’re having fun with it at the end of the day, that’s kind of all that matters, truthfully. Folks that come and support us and support this sport are what drives it.” Do you like this style of racing that it is now? “I don’t love… I think we really had a good speedway package with the old car, kind of worked out towards the end where you could have some big runs. It seemed like there was more energy transfer, and the cars weren’t so draggy as to what the cars are now. I just think we had a pretty good situation going on. It has changed quite a lot, and I think you’ve guy have seen the way races look, it’s changed a lot. They’re always adjusting little things here and there, getting back to what it was. It might take some time. Things certainly don’t happen overnight. Some stuff takes a little effort to get it perfect.”   Winning the Daytona 500 is a huge accomplishment regardless of the year, but especially this year being Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary. What’s the mindset coming in here?“Obviously, it’s a big year, a 40th year for HMS is a big deal. I’m super proud to be a very small piece of that puzzle. I think it’s a great honor. Look, (Mr. Hendrick) always wants to win. I don’t think it would matter if it were the second anniversary or whatever. He wants to win, and we do too. I don’t necessarily think just because it’s the 40th year of HMS, that doesn’t make me want to win the race any more. I wanted to win it pretty bad before. I don’t think it changes it from that standpoint.”  Did you and Ryan (Blaney) come up in the garage growing up?“We did. Ryan’s kind of a few years older than me. I saw him around the garage as a kid. We never really hung out when we were super young, like that age when our dads were racing. We both took a similar path through grass roots short-track racing. So, we started seeing more of each other then. That’s when we became good friends.” Regarding Ryan (Blaney), winning the championship, it’s an opportunity to have their voice amplified. When you won the championship, what were the opportunities the things you could do or opportunities presented to you?“I can’t really think off the top of my head. There are certain traditions that come with winning a championship that I think are really cool – the champions’ book, all of those things that last forever. That is what makes it really special, the tradition, and that it lives on forever. I think that it should at least earn you an opportunity to be heard a little more behind closed doors by people who make decisions. I do think that does earn you that right slightly a little more than it would otherwise. There is also guys who haven’t won a championship that I feel have been around long enough and enough success to have that type of voice, too.”  Do you spend more time at the shop in the offseason to try to “rally the troops” before coming down here to Daytona?“I spent a good bit of time at the shop. Obviously, we had a lot of prep and whatnot before the Clash, too. I feel like our team is in a good place. When you have a year like last year, it is really easy for a team to blow up from the inside. Really easy. You don’t know how easy. When I look at where our team is at mentally, our drive and our will, and our willingness to fight and not quit, I think it’s at an all-time high to be honest with you. My relationship with Alan (Gustafson) is as good as it’s ever been. I’m just super proud of those things regardless of how the season goes, because I work with a group of guys who don’t want to give up on me. I don’t want to give up on them. That, to me, means a lot when you go to war every week that have no desire to quit. It speaks volumes. That, in my opinion, is a huge hurdle in trying to get back to where we think we can be and where I feel where we belong.” Do you feel you’ve grown more into the role of cheerleader or the quarterback?“I definitely think as I’ve gotten older, Alan (Gustafson) and I share more of that. I think when I started, he probably had most of that role, because I kind of stepped into his team. I do think as I’ve got older, there is a responsibility there to at least try and make our team better through the experiences that I’ve had.” When you were going through that, did you truly fear it would blow up?“No, I truly didn’t. I’ve just watched enough of that happen over the years, and people jump ship on each other, and think the grass is greener elsewhere, I’ve seen enough of that to know how it works. But, no, that was not the case for us and has not been through the winter.” “We always want to do good. Our fire shouldn’t be in question. We might be frustrated or in a bad mood some days, but it’s because we want to do well, not for another reason.”  What responsibilities did you feel as champion in the 2021 season after winning in 2020? “Mine had such a different feel because it was COVID year. We didn’t do a banquet and some of those traditional things that the champion would typically do. It just had a little bit different of a vibe. When we fired off in 2021, everybody had kind of regrouped, and all the win stickers were off the car, and they were making a trophy for that year. You’ve just got to reset and get ready to go again, that’s how I looked at it.”  LA was kind of a weather nightmare, and this weekend looks to be a high chance of rain. What does that do to your psyche?“it doesn’t do anything to my psyche. I don’t know what it does to anybody else’s other than just being here for another day or two. It’s Wednesday, and we’re in Florida. So, I think, the biggest things it changes are the spectators based on who wants to come and whether or not they want to sit in the rain. For me, I don’t think it changes a whole lot, really at all. I’m here until we get this thing done whenever that is.”  All four Hendrick drivers have won the pole at least once for this race. How do you balance, and has that balance changed in the NextGen with the race and how it takes to be successful tonight compared to Sunday? “I don’t think so. I think that’s a pretty similar approach than with the old car too.” Do you feel you have to give something up for the race in order to qualify for the pole here in Daytona?“No, because you have practice after the Duels, so you can adjust after that.” But how much pride is there in qualifying on the front row for the Daytona 500?“To me, it’s a testament to the guys at the shop in the engine department, and to all of the staff for the work put in more so than what the drivers are doing. We’re not really doing a whole lot to contribute to that. That, to me, is where the recognition deserves to be, and that’s where I’ve always tried to lead it when it was me that had won a couple of poles. But listen, I want to win the race. Poles are great, but I want to be good on Sunday. I think we can do both.” Are you surprised it’s been 10 years since a Hendrick car won this race?“Nope. I’m not surprised by a whole lot. To be candid, that’s just the way it goes sometimes. It’s a hard race to win. You have to quite a few things go your way. Unfortunately for HMS, it’s just been a while, but I think it’ll come back around.”  With Fords and Toyotas having new bodies, do you expect anyone to be any more aggressive to figure out if a move works or how it reacts?“The races have been so calm the last couple of years, I just don’t see that changing a whole lot. I think everybody wants to race the car that they unload with down here on Sunday. So, no. You might get a little pushing here or there, but it’s not to the level it’ll be on Sunday.”  You’ve got Trey (Poole) coming in now as your spotter, and you race together in Legends cars. When you made the decision to go with him, what was that process and what type of comfort level does it give you?“I haven’t been missing any comfort, so I don’t want that narrative to get misunderstood. When we were looking at doing something different, Trey has been around our team, and he understands how we operate. He’s spotted at the Cup level for me before. He’s spotted quite a bit of short track racing events for me before, so we felt like it was the right fit. At the end of the day, you just want a team that has performance at the top of mind all the time, and genuinely wants what’s best for us. Trey is that way, just like Eddie (D’Hondt) was. I don’t want that to be misunderstood either. It was just the right fit for our group, and a guy I know very well, and someone I think will contribute at a high level.”  Now that we’re in February, how does it feel that now you’ve been able to reset after last year?“There is a sense of a new opportunity and I’m appreciative of that. There’s also realistic understanding that your problems don’t disappear because of the calendar change from ’23 to ’24. We know that we need to be better, and I need to be better, and intend on continuing to build on what we were working on at the end of last year, and just keep our heads down and keep pushing.”  Are you a guy who looks through a bunch of analytics and data? What works for you?“I look at a little bit of everything. It’s probably not as much data for speedways as I would for a downforce track. Certainly, tendencies, watching old races in the past, a little bit of everything.”  When you say tendencies, what do you mean?“A little bit of (other drivers’ tendencies) or how a late-race restart might unfold, which lane might be the better lane to be in, who gave a good push when. Was there a third lane involved? Why was there a third lane involved? Was it two lanes? Did people who rode around in the back have good finishes? All of the above, we’re thinking of all of it.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYS FEBRUARY 14, 2024

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes  If a Ford or Toyota is behind you in the Duels, are you going to get nervous because they have a new car? “Yeah, I think those are just situations we have to learn from. Talladega (Superspeedway), for example – I could accept pushes really well from Chevrolet’s, and then when I tried to lead the top lane and accept pushes from the No. 4, I was out of control. So it’s kind of the opposite of what you would think with how flat that nose was versus ours.  I think with new cars from other manufacturers, you just have to get pushed to learn and know how our cars are going to react. So it’s just things we’re going to have to learn through the Duels, through practice and then through the Daytona 500.” Obviously winning the pole is a big thing here and you have several of them. Do you guys have any internal bets or fun stuff going on that we don’t know about on who gets the next one? “Obviously it’s really important for Mr. Hendrick and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. It’s bragging rights, right? They can show who built the fastest car coming down here. So yeah, looking forward to hopefully having a shot at it. Obviously have no clue what to expect, but we want the pole for Mr. H and everybody at Chevrolet.” You talk about how important that is, as far as the process of switching over from the qualifying to the race. With standardized parts with the Next Gen car, do you have to give up something for the race in order to maximize qualifying, or is it case where practice afterwards lends you to make the changes that you need to make? “Yeah, I don’t think you give up anything for the 500, but you do give up things for the Duel, for sure. I think last year, I thought my car was going to drive OK. I made it to like turn four on the first lap before I realized my car was not going to drive OK. You definitely give things up for the Duel, but you can get that all back out of it for the 500. Hopefully we’re on the front-row tonight, but if not, we’ll go from there.” It’s been quite a while that a Hendrick Motorsports car has gone to victory lane in the Daytona 500. How much have you heard about that, if at all, within the organization? “It’s been 10 years, right? So definitely want to change that. I want to be the guy that changes that, but want to put Hendrick Motorsports in the best position with all four of our cars to get there. The Daytona 500 is a huge deal and we want to go get a trophy.” With this being Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary, obviously every season you want to win and do the best you can, but how especially important would it be to go out and have a great season this year? “Yeah, I think after last year, I selfishly want to go run well for me. The 40th anniversary season, it’s awesome to be a small part of it and I know it means a lot to Mr. Hendrick, Jeff (Gordon) and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. But for me, I just want to go win races and run well for me and my team.” Joey Logano just said – what’s good about this sport is that there’s an end point and a start point, so if things didn’t go well, you have to stop and try to regroup and come back. Is that the benefit of being able to sweep away last year and hope improves this year? “Yeah, for sure. We had a lot go on last year throughout the year, so kind of being able to reset from that I think is good for us. I think our team is in a great spot – a couple of changes and I’m in a really good spot heading into this year. Looking forward to getting to work. These first two races are a bit interesting – a lot can happen that’s outside of your control. But we’re going to go control the things we can and try to make the most of those things and move on.” Did your accident change your perspective – are we going to see you, at least for a while, be away from racing your dirt cars and focus on being a team owner? “Yeah, for me, it just came down to – sprint car racing was kind of a hobby for me and something that I really enjoy. I love winged sprint car racing, non-wing sprint car racing, midget racing.. all of it is great and obviously have great support from Ally on that. My hobby started to get in the way of my job, which was not optimal. So for me, I can’t just sprint car race – financially, it doesn’t make any sense to do something that is getting in the way of your job. So just trying to be smart about it. Obviously I want to be a part of sprint car racing for a long time, just not driving them right now.” Do you physically feel fresher and better than you did, say, at the end of the year last year? “Yeah, I think so. With how my injury worked, it’s still something I’m going to feel forever. But I think the reset was good. I think being able to kind of catch back up on things was good. Get back into the gym and kind of physically catchup to where I was at pre-injury was super important. I feel really good. I worked super hard this offseason and overcame some things throughout the offseason even and I feel like I’m in a really good spot.” You’re entering your second year with Blake Harris (crew chief). What are the things that you feel like you learned from him in year one and what are you looking forward to doing with him in year two? “Yeah, I think just knowing that we were able to continue to work well together through a lot of adversity and work through all of those things were really important. I’m looking forward to just having a complete, full, clean season with him this year in our second season together.” Is there any one specific track that kind of stands out to you as a place where you’re looking to make a mark? “I think going back to Las Vegas is really important for us. It’s been one of my better racetracks throughout the course of the years, and just looking forward to trying to make up for last fall, for sure.” What do you hope to learn in the Duels tomorrow night? “Last year, Blake (Harris) said my car would probably drive pretty good in the Duel and I made it to turn four before I realized it was not driving pretty good.. it was driving pretty terrible (laughs). And it is the No. 48 car down here in Daytona on qualifying night, so I kind of have an idea of what tomorrow night could be like if we’re not on the front-row. Hopefully we end up on the front-row and don’t have to worry about it much because I don’t think it’s setup for tomorrow night, but we’ll get it dialed in for Sunday. Honestly, if we’re not on the front-row, we’re going to do all we can throughout the race to start as far up as we possibly can.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYS FEBRUARY 14, 2024

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 TRACKHOUSE RACING CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes   I don’t know if you’ve seen it yet, but as someone who has been coming here since a kid, what’s it’s like to have a giant picture of yourself in the Fanzone?“I’ve looked up at that banner for so long. We would get the Fanzone access pass added on to our ticket. We did it a couple of times when we were kids. My parents would take us down in there and I remember ordering a Shirley Temple or something at the bistro there. I’ve never looked at it other than just as a place where you walk by. Now today I walk by and I see it… it’s stuff I’ve seen for so long but now it has more meaning. That big ol’ banner with my face on it is wild.” You’re up to four Cup victories now and have contended for a championship. Is the next step this year to add one of the big races to get you into that next phase?“I don’t know what the next step is. Competing is top of mind for me. It’s really all I focus on. I focus just as much for the Daytona 500 as I do any track in Cup. They are all so important and so pivotal. I never know when the last one is going to be. That’s just the way the world works. One of these will be my last win. I’m fortunate to have a couple now but we’ll see. Obviously the World 600, Southern 500, Daytona 500… those are big ones but I can’t prepare any more than I do for them because I’m preparing as much as I can, or as much as I know how. There’s probably always more I can do but it’s as much as I know how to do.” What’s your reaction to your role in the Netflix series?“It’s cool to show me, and that’s what I told Justin (Marks) and that’s what I told Trackhouse when we were negotiating my contract… and the Netflix group. I told them ‘Hey, I’m not going to give you the soundbites that you’re looking for.’ There were times when we would be talking with the producers and the cameras would be rolling and they’re asking me questions and they’d say ‘Is that all you want to say?’ and I’m like ‘Yes that’s my honest answer. I’m me.’ So when we were planning out stuff for them to capture, I told them I’d be out at the farm if they wanted to come see it, and they did. I’m glad they showed that because it’s really me.” How would you look at the racing at Atlanta since the reconfiguration?“I think the track knows what it wants to be, and it wants to be different. Because it is. As the pavement wears out, it’s getting wild. The first race we went to with the Gen Seven car and the repave, it all lined up together. I couldn’t even make laps in practice by myself. They were out there drafting and pushing each other. We were so loose and out of control that we had to make a ton of adjustments and ended up second in that race. Then as it’s evolved, we’ve gotten our car better but the track is losing grip. So last year in the second race, I couldn’t be aggressive. I was just trying not to crash by myself. We’ve had to put some work into it, so we’ll see. And that was only two years’ worth of racing. If in five years or 10 years.. we’d never think about repaving a track in 10 years if everything is ok with it. If they want superspeedway racing in 10 years, they’ll have to repave it again. With the current horsepower and aero package, we’re going too fast and sliding. At least I am. We gotta get some more grip built in the 1 car.” When we were here last year, the talk at Trackhouse was managing expectations with how you finished the 2022 season. What is the expectation level now?“Keep working. We definitely took some time and took some days, weeks and better part of a month to unplug, then we came back in January and it’s full speed ahead working as hard as ever and doing everything we know to do. We’re not going the same prep that we did for ’23 or ’22 and definitely not for ’21. As we’ve evolved and learned, we keep growing. What are the expectations? I don’t have any number-based ones or anything. Just go compete. Whatever we learn after the first two and the superspeedway stuff here and in Atlanta and then go out west and we evolve our packages for springs and shocks, that’s what gets me excited.” As a kid from Florida, what does the Daytona 500 mean to you and what would it mean to win it?“Why not us? I have to think that. Why can’t we win? There are no reasons why we can’t. From there, indescribable… I don’t know what it would mean. If it happens, you’ll get to watch us experience it for the first time together.” Not to suggest anything, but how do you normally spend a rain delay?“Trying not to eat. Even if I’ve eaten and prepared, and we go out and run 10 laps in the race and we get out, I’m looking for food. It’s just my natural nervous instinct. So I’ll eat more. Even though we aren’t racing, we’re still burning calories. The nerves and the adrenaline and the heart rate is up. It’s impossible not to need to take in more calories during these events.” When the forecast looks bad, do you dwell on that or do you plan that everything is going to run according to schedule?“We plan accordingly. We have rooms booked in case we need them. That’s a necessary insurance plan. I don’t dwell. I’d rather the rain be here than at the farm. We don’t need any more rain. A little bit is OK but not the two days of steady rain like they’re talking here. Farmer at heart here has been looking at different weather apps my entire life and listening to forecasts and meteorologists. We’ll see.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYS FEBRUARY 14, 2024

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes   Regarding the Daytona 500 pole – Is there an internal battle to try and get this next one? “It’s one of those poles that you would like to have. I would say the Phoenix (Raceway) pole is really important as well, but this one is up there. So, it would be nice to get this one tonight to start the season off on a good foot and to just give you some momentum, really.” Do you have inside bets with Larson or Bowman or anybody? “No, I don’t, and honestly don’t know what their mindset is. We will just try to go out there and do the best we can to see who has the fastest car, basically. As long as I do my job and get through the gears and everything, then its just up to that.” Did you have a good offseason and are you ready for this one?“I feel like this offseason, I took more time just away from racing and I feel like I came back more energized, and I feel like I am more excited for what is ahead now.” You had a great season last year and made it to the Final Four, but are there some areas you would like to see the team improve in or are there certain types of tracks that you would like to feel a little more comfortable with?“I don’t know – just try to get a little better at short tracks. That has been the goal for us for about a year. We started to struggle at the shorter tracks in 2022, and I feel like going into this year, that has been the big emphasis – to try and get better at Martinsville in particular, but a lot of those places.”  Were you surprised last year, especially what happened in the fall race, when you went there thinking you were ready for Martinsville and it just didn’t happen?“Yeah, I mean I was surprised. I thought we could easily run top-five or top-seven. I was anxious, though, because of our past performance, but I thought we would improve. But yeah – definitely surprised, but hopefully its different this year.” Did NASCAR go in the right direction with some of the changes that came out of Phoenix?“Yeah, I think so. We will see. I don’t really know because I didn’t do any of the testing, but hopefully so, yeah.” Daniel Suarez was talking earlier today about your six wins, and he said that he brought three cars to the track that were capable of winning and you brought 20. As far as preparation, how does that translate from the race shop to get those cars to the track to get you those numbers?“I mean, I really don’t look at it that way. I look at it that every time the guys bring a car to the track, it has a chance to win. That is the confidence I have in my team, and I never look at weekends and say – ‘man, this car sucks’, or ‘this car doesn’t have a chance to win’. It’s just fine-tuning and sometimes you win races with a third-place car and sometimes you win by being the best car all weekend. I think we had maybe two races last year where we had the best car all weekend and that was Vegas and Watkins Glen. So, yeah, it just depends, and they all come in differently.” Did you have a lot of fun in doing the documentary on Netflix and the behind-the-scenes stuff? “It was really cool, and I liked it a lot. I thought they did a good job editing it and really making everyone look good. It was good. I was skeptical going in of what it was going to look like, but it turned out better than I thought.” What about Iowa Speedway? Do you like having a new track every season, like Chicago last year?“Yeah, I do. We continue to spice it up and do new and interesting things that I think is good. Iowa is a known commodity for us; we have been there. It hasn’t been in the Cup Series, so I am excited to see how it goes.” Ford and Toyota have new noses this year. Do you feel like you are a little bit on your back foot at an aero track like this?“Yeah, I mean our car was good last year, so sometimes you don’t want to mess with something that is already proven and competitive. So, hopefully our car is really good this year.”

CONCORD, NC (Feb. 14, 2024) – It will now pay to be the fastest in Hot Laps at every World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models race in 2024 with Dirt King Simulator’s Hottest Hot Lap of The Night.

Dirt King Simulator has partnered with the World of Outlaws Late Models this year to provide a $100 bonus to the driver that sets the quickest time in Hot Laps at every event. Also, the driver with the most Hottest Hot Lap of The Night awards at the end of the 2024 season will receive a $500 bonus.

Dirt King Simulator’s racing simulators will be set up in the midway of every World of Outlaws Late Model event, giving fans the chance to see if they can beat their favorite driver’s best Hot Lap time.

The Dirt King Simulators Hottest Hot Lap of The Night award will debut with the World of Outlaws at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 15-17. Tickets are available at DIRTcarNationals.com.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYS FEBRUARY 14, 2024

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 JTG DAUGHERTY RACING CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes   The purse this year for the Daytona 500 is a record. How transformative can that be to you and your race team?“Yeah it’s definitely beneficial for both. Monday aside, we’re here to get into Victory Lane and get the trophy and all the accolades that go with it. On the money side, it takes a lot of money to make this sport go round and this race team. My wife and I are redoing our bathroom, our bedroom and now the nursery. So it would go a long way. It’s kind of already spent! I hope we win.” After winning this race last year, what were the emotions like coming back through the tunnel? Does that win take away pressure or does it add to it?“It’s really cool coming back to defend. Not many people get the opportunity to come back here as the defending champion of the Daytona 500. It’s something that I definitely recognize and definitely appreciate and look forward to that challenge of defending it. On the other hand it probably takes a little pressure off. We all put so much pressure on this race from the time we start. I ran my first Daytona 500 in 2012 and had been trying ever since then. Once you finally get it, I feel like you’re a bit more relaxed on the racetrack. You’ve already got one accomplished. Over time, it does seem like it makes it easier… not just the Daytona 500 but if you look at other races in other motorsports… for me the Chili Bowl Nationals, the Knoxville Nationals, the Kings Royal… it seems like once somebody wins that once, it seems like it is a trickle effect and you’re able to win it multiple times. I’m hoping we can make that happen this weekend.” With your history in the race, what does this Daytona 500 mean to you?“It’s our biggest race of the year. I’ve started this race every year since 2012 and as a full-time Cup Series driver since 2013. You want to kick your season off on the right foot. I’ve had really good runs, and even if you don’t win there are ways to kick off your season really strong down here. Winning last year changed our whole outlook of our season and our perspective. Then just the race itself, last year being the 65th running of the Daytona 500 and looking at the list of names that have won this race, and then talking to past champions that never won this race who would trade a championship for a Daytona 500. That kind of puts in perspective of how big this race is. Trying to win it is very difficult. It means a lot and it’s meant a lot to my career in the last year, and I look forward to hopefully adding to that.” Going into 2024, what has changed in your mindset compared to when you stepped into this building a year ago?“A lot has changed. 2022, there were a lot of issues; speed being one of them throughout the 2022 season. Coming into 2023 and Media Day at the 500, I was pretty upbeat and pretty positive and liked the direction of our program. It was mine and (crew chief) Mike (Kelley)’s first race back together and first season back together in a long time. So I felt really strong about that. But you don’t ever really know until you get out on the racetrack and see those changes. We made a lot of changes that offseason to our racecars and felt we were going to be better. We set out goals to start the season last year, and we accomplished all those. We set more goals this offseason. It’s definitely coming back as a champion, and this Media Day is totally different. I felt really strong about where our race team is. We made big strides from 2022 to ’23; it’s going to be tough to make those big strides again but it’s all about taking steps forward, and we’re prepared to do that.” You mentioned new goals for this year. Can you elaborate on those?“Our sport, to make the playoffs, is all about points. Obviously wins are wins and lock you right in. We have an idea of how many points we’d need per race and what we need to average over the first 26 races to make the playoffs. Those are the goals that we are setting. Last year we set a goal, and we accomplished that. Even without our win, we felt that if we did X amount of points per race, we’ll be in the playoffs, and we were able to accomplish that. This year we set a different goal of more points than we did last year per race, and that’s what we are looking at.” If you had to sell yourself to someone who is picking guys to make the playoffs, what would you say the strong points are for the season looking ahead?“Luckily I don’t really care if they pick us or not. In all honesty, I just feel like we are making strides in the right direction. In ’22, we were the 32nd-placed car at Gateway. We really focused on those types of tracks, and we went back there last year and ran in the top-six to top-seven the whole race but got crashed there late at the end. So we picked a few races this offseason to really focus on. I feel like we had enough speed at a lot of races last year to get the job done that we needed to do to make the playoffs. Some mistakes on the team side and my side of just not being clean enough throughout the race, whether it be pit road, speeding, restarts, you name it. Especially toward the end of the season. I feel like at the end of the season we had better speed than where we finished. I think I’d rather surprise people and bust their playoff bracket that they made today.” Inaudible.“Obviously the speedways are where I always feel comfortable. There will be some mile-and-a-half tracks that I think we’ll perform better on and we’ve always performed decently on. Bristol… I want to win Bristol so bad. We get two shots at the concrete now this year. That’s one that I definitely have circled. The way these races are, any of us can win at any given moment. These cars are getting closer. If you look throughout the qualifying sessions last year, the field just kept getting tighter. It was kind of frustrating for us in some aspects because we would close the gap to the leader but would stay in the same position. That’s just everyone getting tighter and tighter. Give any of us some track position, and we have a shot at winning. It’ll be about executing and coming up with the right gameplan throughout the race.” What are you curious to see tomorrow in the Duels?“I’m curious to see if I speed on pit road because I think I’ve sped on pit road the last three years in the Duel. We had our last meeting yesterday, and they all looked at me. For a lot of people, I think you saw the 48 last year was super aggressive in their qualifying package and qualified on the pole but was unable to really race it. For us, we were able to race but you only have half the field. It’s tough to get double-file. It’s more about executing on and off pit road with your groups of people and your manufacturers. So I think it’s a really good practice session for the 500 in that aspect. Knowing that normally you get one other drafting session from practice that you’ll have maybe one big drafting session and then all of a sudden you’ll have just five or six cars. For me it’s a good opportunity to get back in the groove of speedway racing and figure out what your car is doing. I’m assuming that everyone else has made changes as well to qualify better. So I’m interested to see how those changes affect our racecar in the draft and what changes we’re going to need for the 500. We know where we were last year in the Duels and what changes we made to go into the 500. Then we know what we did for qualifying this year. That’s one of your best scenarios to figure out how your car is going to be Sunday.” What is the challenge of remaining a playoff team as a single-car operation?“The old-style cars and the rules changes that would be made in the offseason definitely affected the smaller teams like ourselves, especially over a period of time. Now I feel like the parts and pieces as a whole really aren’t changing. We’ve got some underneath stuff that it’s not drastic for anybody by any means. We started 2022 with this car, and I felt like we were comparable to a lot of good race teams. But you saw a lot of mistakes, a lot of people were trying to figure things out, you saw a lot of blown tires… there were all these different issues that people were struggling with. As the season went on in ’22 is when we kind of started slipping away and is ultimately what made us feel like 2022 was a fail because by the end of the season we were really scratching our heads trying to figure out how they’re going so much faster. In ’23, we got more aligned with Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet and felt like we took a huge step forward. Now I feel like a lot of the info we have and the information that we’re gathering and not many rule changes… there’s no major parts or pieces that you’re going to bolt on your car or build or design yourself to go faster. Now that we know that these are the parts in the toolbox, it’s all about continuing to put them together the right way. I think we have enough data points now, and everybody is just closing in. I think we closed five-tenths away from the pole here in the second race, and position-wise I don’t think we were any different than we were at the 500. But we were eight-tenths off at the 500, so we’ve closed that gap but everyone is getting faster. I don’t think the leaders are getting further away. I think everyone is just getting closer. You see it within the organization. If you hit it this much better than your teammate, it seems like it shows really big on the racetrack. We’re all just looking for those little things. I think this car overall is better for us smaller teams in the grand scheme of things as far as trying to catch up. We’re not trying to design anything ourselves. We’re focused on the tools in the toolbox and the parts that they give us.” How much confidence does it give you in your career that you’ll always be a Daytona 500 champion?“It’s nice. The only way to make it better is to win another one and win a championship. For me it was definitely a huge accomplishment for our race team. There are a lot of people at our race team that have been in this sport for a long time and some never had a win in their whole career. It was really cool to bring that back to our race team and all our partners. We had a big blow-out summer party at the house and brought the families over and their kids and just enjoyed it and soaked it up last year. 2024 is a new season. We’ll remember those good times, but we have to make some more.” What can you guys in the Chevy camp learn throughout the Duels just in terms of how each car reacts to pushes or takes pushes?“The good news is the other manufacturers have made theirs easier to push people, so if they’re behind you I guess you feel a little more comfortable about that. I’m sure they’re probably a little nervous. Everyone is so equal when it comes to getting four or five cars in line. I feel like speed-wise is already really close. To me, there’s a lot of differences made in the drivers who are driving the racecars… when to push, how to push and what your line is doing. I’ve got friends in different manufacturers that I’ve worked really well with over the years and a lot in the Chevy camp that I’ve worked well with. For me on the Chevy side, we’re focused on what we need to do to make our Camaros fast. I feel really good about where we’re at. I think we’ll have more speed than what we had last year, which is never a bad thing.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYS FEBRUARY 14, 2024

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SPIRE MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes   Going back to Atlanta last year, and the showings you’ve had in drafting style and superspeedways, to come here with a major sponsor and a big week. Do you feel this the best position you’ve walked in here this week?“For sure. The bar has been very low, and we keep continuing to creep that bar up each year. I remember sitting here in such a difference in perspective my first Daytona 500 we made in the No. 83 car. Marty Smith asked me a question and I started crying. I said I’d wreck my grandmother to make the Daytona 500. If I didn’t make that one, I promise you I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you.                We continue to understand what we need to do to put ourselves in the right spots. Someone told me this week that I’m second in average finishes here at Daytona behind the guy that just walked out, and that guy is pretty good. We know what to do. We know how to put ourselves in position to be in the hunt to contend for these races. I think we’re going to continue to refine that and do an even better job this year.”  A lot of talk about Spire (Motorsports) this offseason – the moves you’ve made. Do you feel like there’s pressure to perform, and what do you have to do this year to show you can handle this responsibility?“I’ve always had pressure. Pressure is different than expectations. I think that pressure, as a competitor, to continue to get better and you want to win. I’ve been successful and I’ve won at everything I’ve ever done in my life. Then you get here, you’re really aligned on opportunities and strength of teams, and that’s why that success in black and white on paper in terms of adding trophies to your trophy case, has really slowed down the last five years. The pressure I put on myself to get better is something I wake up with every day. That hasn’t change. Now, it’s just, having more potential to do that. Ryan Sparks has more tools at his disposal. The team has more resources coming in from super recognizable brands on my fire suit right now, like Chili’s. To be able to get our race team to a point where we can represent brands like this and start attracting talent from other race teams to our team, whether it’s on the floor or on a pit box, I take a lot of pride in having a part of that. The pressure is no different than what it was my first Cup race because you want to do good, and you want to be successful and win, but the expectations are what you really want to manage. That’s what really starts bogging a team down, when you try to start to reach and setting unrealistic expectations. The pressure is part of the job. You deal with it.”  Spire has made all these moves. Was there something that jumped out to you saying, ‘Wow. We’ve made this leap?’“Everything. The purchase of (Kyle Busch Motorsports), that was unbeknownst to me. I was told by Dickerson about a week before it happened. I’m like, “holy cow, man. We’re going to have to have a hell of a bake sale to pay for this building.’ Then you get the Truck team, those guys. I think the biggest thing I talked about in our team kickoff lunch last week was all the empty trophy cases. The guy that was in that shop before, they had trophies in the rafters of that place that had dust on them because they had no other place to put them. With all of Kyle’s (Busch) success, all of the Truck series wins, that place was full of trophies. Now, there are a couple of pictures and my kickball trophy in the trophy case. So that’s part of the expectations. We need to continue to build to a place where we can start filling these trophy cases up with legitimate trophies. I’m super hopeful of getting Ryan Sparks more depth in engineering, whether it’s some help from GM, help from Hendrick with their engines and pit crews. I’m set up for success more than I’ve ever been in the last seven years of my Cup career. Also, on the flip side, you talk and hear how Ryan Blaney approaches the sport and his preparation. You’re also racing against 30 of those guys with very high IQ’s, high level of high caliber teams. To be able to gain five spots, that means you have to outwit five of those teams, or five of those pairings. It doesn’t make my job any easier. It does make everyone’s job a little more equipped, so that’s what we’re going to do heading into the season.” With expectations lifted some more this year, with a last lap scenario sitting out there, do you take a little more of a chance than you did two or three years ago? Do you go to the edge more or not?“I think that winning the Daytona 500 can change your life. You will do everything you possibly can to do that. Now, there are moves you can make that are ill-advised and dumb, and I’ve made several of those. On the flip side, I know what I did back to Atlanta, which is a similar drafting track, and it didn’t work out for me there. I figured out how to lose one of these speedway races, so I’m going to figure out how to be on the other side of this come Sunday.”  A Chili’s executive has said that 60% of NASCAR fans have dined at a casual restaurant which is part of the reason why they’ve decided to get into motorsports. Is there an opportunity for this to expand?“I think there are always opportunities to grow a partner. I think this is that they are jumping into the deep end with the biggest race of the year, the (Daytona) 500. We did about a 14-hour production day with a couple of TV spots that are going to air. You saw the one on social media with me covering up the QR codes, but there is another one coming that’s going to play during the broadcast that’s pretty funny. For them to spend the money and budget and activate, as well as being on our car, I think really sets us up to really be able to start growing that partnership. They’re going to be an associate for four or five races, and I think their NASCAR-span is going to lead all the way up to COTA in March. They’re associate in Vegas, Atlanta, some other places, and then end of the program ends at COTA, but they’ve been pretty excited so far, and we haven’t even hit the racetrack yet. That’s when people really get excited. We’re going to get them on TV, get them in the mix, and try to get us a good starting spot in the Duels and kick off Sunday with a bang.”  You talked earlier about the challenge of gaining five more spots. As the perception of the team changes, how do you change the mindset? “That’s a great question. I think I may have talked about that on the podcast. It is a big adjustment. When we first started here, the reins were pulled so tight that you don’t engage. Don’t look at the front, don’t even think about going up there. You just need to have this car cross the start, finish line at the end. That sentiment has really changed and adjusted. For me, as a driver, it certainly has changed in how you approach the race, how you prepare, and how you make moves in the race with the intention of a changing goal as we progress the team. As we get more partners, you can afford to stick it up in the mix to try and punch your ticket to the Playoffs, because you can justify it. I think, for (Ryan) Sparks and I, this is our fifth year working together, and our relationship is now like a marriage. The first day you say I do, it’s not going to look the same in five, 10, or 15 years. Our relationship has definitely changed on what we expect out of each other. I’ve had kids since we’ve started working together, and that whole navigating, making the most of what he had, and where we’re starting to build towards a team with some assets to work together with, we’re helping each other grow up in a way. Him coming from (Richard Childress Racing), not working anywhere else, me coming from a lot of bottom-feeding teams to where we build now. As people continue to look toward the No. 7 car to be a contender at a speedway, that’s a big change. But, for me, I’ve always had the go get it, do whatever it takes mindset, that’s never changed for me. So to have that brindle in your mouth, the reins pulled back, that was so counterintuitive in how I’ve been growing up. I’ve started to have the reins loosened up a bit to go and attack the race how I see fit, I think it’ll start to pay dividends.” The trophy case you’ve mentioned, there’s no escaping it at the Spire shop. It’s built there. How do you keep that as a motivating factor and not something that becomes overwhelming?“We’re not going to take that step in a day. We haven’t taken that step to where we are currently in a week. It’s taken four years, three-and-a-half years to get to where it is currently. It’s going to take a significant amount of time in the future to go to the racetrack with the expectation to go for a win. Our expectation is still, ‘Alright, let’s run for more top-15’s consistently.’ Last year, we brought cars with top-10 pace probably four or five times. My mindset going there when I realized we had some pace was ‘Okay, if I’m 10th, let me try to go win this thing.’ I probably made mistakes, or we’d call a bit different race then what we generally would have. We’d take a 10th place car and run 18th with it. We’ve got really good at taking a 25th place car and running 18th with it. We need to start making the 10th place cars run 10th first, then start taking advantage of mistakes. If we start taking cars with more pace more often, I think the rest will fall into place as we get settled in. The air is different on that side of the garage. The expectations are different. I think we have the right parts and pieces, especially with Doug Duchardt being the president of Spire Motorsports now. He has seen every aspect of this sport, helped build Hendrick (Motorsports) to what it is today. That guy brings a lot of knowledge, and I guess, culture. Positive culture, positive expectations for what we can build. Having him in addition to (Ryan) Sparks, and Luke (Lambert), and Steve and the drivers we have over there, it’s going to be really good in the future. I go in the back door so I don’t see the trophy cases anyway (laughs). When we start putting some in there… There’s a grandfather clock in there from the Truck win, and some other stuff, but I’m always a back door guy. I don’t walk in the front door. If you need me, I’m probably sliding in the back door.”  Your dad is a hero or yours, and he drove in the Cup series for 15 years including a stint at Hendrick Motorsports. Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, second generation drivers. Among some of those guys, were any of them your heroes growing up?“I grew up coming to the track a lot. I was a Saturday kid, running around with Coleman Pressley, Austin and Ty Dillon, Ryan Blaney. Those guys would stick around for Sunday because their dads were racing on Sunday. My dad was content being a Saturday guy and got a couple of stints in and out, but never wanted to pursue that. He wanted to be home with us on Sunday. I think there could be a whole story written up as I have this theory on a drivers’ son, some sort of obstacle you have to overcome. Listening to Ryan (Blaney) talk about it, whether it’s Chase (Elliot) or any other second-generation guy, I don’t think you’ll ever be as good as your dad because your dad is your idol and he hung the moon. Driver-son complex was the word I was trying to think of. For me, I’ve raced more Cup races than my dad has. Certainly, my dad has a lot of success in the Xfinity series, but I’ve grown up wanting to be a Cup series driver. I grew up wanting to be a Cup series winner. I’ve continued to work towards that. I don’t think I’ll ever get to a point where I feel I can be measured against my dad. I think that Ryan (Blaney) and Chase (Elliott) would say the same thing no matter how successful they are. But it’s so cool, to answer your question about guys I’ve followed, I wasn’t really following those guys so much. Late 80’s, early 80’s, I was a Ricky Rudd, Dale Earnhardt, I had a couple of my favorites. Dale Jr. was when I really started to understand the sport, in the early 2000’s, when I’m 10-14 years old. Especially some North Carolina guys, for sure.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESbDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYS FEBRUARY 14, 2024

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TRACKHOUSE RACING CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes   New season, what’s your mindset with the new year?“This year, to me, feels similar to 2021. The reason is because 2020 was a very difficult year for me personally, and then 2021, we started with Trackhouse and it was like a fresh start. A lot of energy, a lot of hype and excitement heading into the year. This year feels that way and the reason is last year, we had a few spikes of good runs. We had a pole position, had a few top fives, but it wasn’t the year we were hoping for. We worked very hard in the offseason to make our team better. Maybe from the outside the team looks very similar, but from the inside, the team is different. I like what I’m seeing and I think we’re going to be able to move in the right direction with everything we have done.” Is there any additional pressure on you with others in the pipeline at Trackhouse?“No. There is always pressure, but I don’t have any extra pressure because of them. I know what I’m capable of and I know what we were lacking last year. I feel like as a group we made some adjustments to be better and we’re going to be fine. We have to be better. Good or average isn’t good enough. To be able to change that mindset to shoot to be great has to be an across-the-board mindset. In the offseason, we have worked very hard on that, and I can’t wait to see how it is reflected on track.” How much influence did you have in choosing your crew chief?“It was a little bit of influence, but really the team needed a change and they talked to me about different options. At the time, I didn’t know Matt Swiderski very well. He was one of the options. He wasn’t the only option. Last year, we were a good top-15 team. The last few races of the season, we finished 10th, 11th, eighth, but we were not good enough to win. I feel like the entire year, we only had winning cars probably twice, so to be able to win races you have to have winning cars more than twice to execute everything. We needed something different and the team way higher than myself decided that we needed to make a change in the leadership of the team.” What will it take for Trackhouse to break through?“There are a lot of young teams like Trackhouse that are getting stronger every year. I truly believe that this year Trackhouse is really going to be stronger than last year. I can’t wait to see that reflected on track and hopefully we can give them a run for the money.” What did you do in the offseason to make Daniel Suarez stronger?“Well, I did a lot of work with Matt Swiderski and the rest of the engineers in the simulator and analyzing myself what can I be better at. This is not just ‘we changed the crew chief’ that’s the solution. No, it has to be way more than that and I think we all need to change a few things here and there. Myself, crew chief, engineering department, pit crew department. With these changes, I believe we’ll be in a different place this year.” Do you look at open-wheel and say maybe one day? Do you ever second-guess yourself?“No, I never second guess and the reason is because I really wanted to be the first in NASCAR. Formula One is amazing but there is always politics in sports – some more than others. Here, in NASCAR, there is also politics. But Formula One is a different world. This is a little bit tricky. I’m extremely happy here in NASACAR. I feel like it was meant to be for me to be here in NASCAR and bring the Latino community more close to NASCAR and be successful here in NASCAR. Would I want to go to Formula One? I don’t think I would take it. My journey is to be here. I would love to try it because I’m a very curious guy, but I am right now where I want to be.” Are there any venues you’d like to see added next year?“I think Mexico City. I think that’s a no-brainer. You have to go to Mexico City, the heart of the country. The question to me is road course or oval. They have both options. I think that would be very special. There have been a lot of conversations about having a race in Mexico for a couple of years now, and I would tell you I would be the happiest person on this planet if that actually happens.” You ran second in the second race at Atlanta last year. Drivers call that track a hybrid and why are you so good at it?“I have good cars. I have good execution from my team, and it’s a lot about being patient. It’s a lot like here in Daytona. I think things have worked out a few times for us in Atlanta, and every time we go to a road course we are competitive. If you ask William Byron last year how many times he had a car capable of winning a race – 15, 18? – and he won six. I had a car capable of winning a race maybe three times last year. You have to have more shots than that because a winning car doesn’t mean you’re going to win the race. You still have to execute; it has to play out. If you want to win a couple of races, you have to have eight to 10 winning cars. So that is what we were lacking – consistency. One weekend we can show up to a racetrack and we were top five and the next weekend we were 20th. I feel like the 99 team is the most prepared it has been in years.” Is the 1 and 99 working closely together?“Last year, I would say we were working together a little, not a lot. I think that right now, we’re working together a little bit more. In reality, we’ll find out as we go. The 1 team has done a great job. They have a good driver, good engineering and they have a great crew chief. They have a great package. I feel like something the 99 team failed to do last year was learn from them. I was pushing them very hard. We have to learn from those guys. We failed a couple of times to do so. I think the relationships will bring the teams more together.” Are you and Trackhouse in talks for an extension?“I think it’s too early for that. My focus is on winning races and making my team competitive. That’s all I care about. If I take care of my thing and you take care of yours, things are going to work out. I have to focus on that. I cannot have my mind on an extension, what is going to happen in two years or whatever with my next contract. My mind has to be in performance. My mind has to be with the sponsors. How are we going to be able to make this team a winning team. That’s what I’m thinking right now.” If NASCAR decides to go to Mexico next year, what would be your involvement?“It would be a huge role – not just for me but for the whole NASCAR Mexico Series. I’m looking forward to it because it would be not only huge for myself but for the sport and the fans in Mexico. The sport is so good and so big to do more international stuff.” Who was your favorite driver and what did you like about them?“Jeff Gordon, I like a lot. When I started understanding the sport more, I became a huge fan of Tony Stewart. Then I started liking Jimmie Johnson a lot. I like his style; how smart he was and how calm he was. I thought if I like all these guys, why not make a combination of all these three, right? I always thought if I take this from him, that from him, I can build myself from that.” Is now the right time to do the international race in Mexico City?“In my opinion, we are making good steps in that direction. Maybe two years ago, I would have said we’re making baby steps. Right now, we are making good steps in that direction with the Chicago Street Race and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Right now, it doesn’t seem like a big move. We’re already doing a lot of big moves. I’m very excited with everything NASCAR is doing. I’m glad they are thinking outside the box to continue to grow the sport.”

Sent on behalf of RVR DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 14, 2024) – Ryan Varnes Racing LLC (RVR) is proud to announce thatCameron Smith will pilot the #34 Schaeffer’s Motorsports KTM 790 Duke in Mission SuperTwins competition for the 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season.  The Pennsylvanian is coming off an impressive ‘23 season in which he demonstrated his ability to compete with the world’s elite motorcycle dirt trackers in the premier class, logging a pair of late-season top tens, including a fifth-place finish at the Black Hills Half-Mile.  Smith has been racing since he was six years old, and the 2024 season will mark his tenth as a professional. During that time, he’s twice finished sixth in the championship standings – once apiece in the Mission Production Twins and Parts Unlimited AFT Singles  classes – while registering numerous top fives and multiple podiums along the way.  RVR is committed to campaigning the entire 2024 Progressive AFT season along with select test days and special events. The effort is backed by Rausch Fuel and Oil, Iowa City Brake, Dick Ford, Brian Willis, and Brush/Eaken Racing with Bart Addis.  Team Manager Kevin Varnes said, “We’re excited to have Cam aboard this season. Cam and my late son, Ryan, grew up racing together, and I was lucky to have the opportunity to watch Cam compete at every level throughout his career. He is a talented hard charger with the ability to ride anything he sits on to its fullest potential.”  Smith said, “Thanks to RVR, I feel like 2024 will be my time to show everyone what I’ve really got. The team gives 100% effort, and I’m ready to give them the same every time I ride. I’ve been training hard, eating right, and doing a lot of riding this winter to get ready. I can’t wait for Daytona.”  Stay up to date with RVR by following:  Instagram : 34cameronsmith Facebook :  Cameron Smith

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYS FEBRUARY 14, 2024

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 RICHARD CHILDRESS CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes  Being a defending winner of the Daytona 500, how does it feel coming back for another Daytona 500?“The events I think about are 2021 and last year, so the ones you didn’t win. Probably the most dominant race car I had here would have been in 2021 when (Michael) McDowell won. Won the Duel, ran inside the top-five all day and just were very close to winning that race and we finished third. That one was one that was everything, man. That was a magical weekend – to run the Duel, running top-three and close to winning another one. And then you come back last year and Kyle (Busch) and I find ourselves first and second coming to the white flag when the caution falls, and then you know, mayhem ensues after that restart and trying to push him around the backstretch. And then I get hit, and those are the ones you think of that got away. There’s potential of having three Daytona 500 wins by now in my career, so that gives you even that much more confidence. You know how to find that way, to be in that position in this thing, so it gets you excited.” “Losing definitely hurts, but it also gives you the confidence that there is a pattern here. There’s a reason why I’m able to get to the end of these things and be in a position to win. You lean back on that confidence.. that pattern you’ve been able to create as a driver here. You use that to your advantage.”  What do you feel has been your strength, particularly in the NextGen car, on these superspeedways?“I’d say even before the Next Gen car, I thought RCR and ECR has a bigger advantage. The Next Gen has really tightened up the field, so you have to be strategic about not making a mistake and putting yourself in a good position. I think transitioning on pit stops strategy, that’s become such a big part of these things now. Getting on pit road cleanly; getting in line and getting up to speed fast. ECR horsepower, I think, is a big part of that. We’ve always had strong engines at the speedways, and then Kyle (Busch) is a good speedway racer. He hasn’t won here at the 500, but he’s a dang good speedway racer. He puts himself in good position, and I’ve worked with him in past in Trucks, Xfinity, and Cup even when we weren’t aligned. Now, I think last year, the Talladega win for Kyle – that was a lot on him saying ‘Hey, I’m not coming down pit road for fuel’, and then he drove his butt off. Last year, it was just kind of a weird 500 with how it worked out. We found ourselves in a really good position there at the end. We’re linked up, and Kyle gave me a hand signal with five or six to go – went outside of the two most dominant cars and were in that great position we were in.”  What did you glean from Kyle (Busch) last year during his first full year at RCR?“I think just his competitive nature. He truly eats, sleeps, and breathes racing. When he’s not at a NASCAR track, he’s at a dirt track with Brexton (his son) and racing when Brexton isn’t racing. He is just a competitor, and he’s very good at explaining what he wants in the racecar. What we need to do to get better. He’s one of those people that at all costs, he’s trying to make things better.” With the hybrid that is Atlanta now, what did you have to learn to be successful at that track given the change in the track and change in the car?“I haven’t been successful at Atlanta, so I’ve got to go to work on that one. Truthfully, since we’ve gone to Atlanta… in the first race, we were pretty good. I got turned at the end of the stage, and if we didn’t, we would’ve finished second or third. That was probably one of the best cars I’ve had there. Past that, Atlanta has been… I’ve had some massive hits there.  I think this time around, it’s coming up with a game plan. When you don’t have a game plan going into one of these races that you can’t truly commit to, you kind of get stuck in the middle and you don’t know what you’re doing, and it usually doesn’t turn out good. You’ve got to be committed to strategy and stick to that strategy. That’s a part of speedway racing. I’m not going to go all day and try and lead every lap or am I going to ride around and make a charge. But you can’t just be in the middle like I’m just going to figure it out. Sometimes that works, but I feel like being decisive on one of the two places you want to be.” “Atlanta has been really weird, and it’s still changing. I think the track with another winter on it, it could be slicker. But we’re going to be there when it’s probably cold and we’ll have grip. You’ll be in between trying to take as much downforce as you can and drag out, and we’ll try to choose a path. We just haven’t been great there yet, but we’ve just got to figure it out.”  On Atlanta, you talked about it being a hybrid and taking massive hits at Atlanta, but is the crashing the same? Meaning, there’s usually not a single-car crash at Daytona. Is it the same way at Atlanta?“If you’re involved in a wreck, it’s going to suck either way. Atlanta is similar crashing to Daytona. It did spread out on the long green flag run in the summertime, or whenever the second race was when pit stops started happening. But it seems to kind of yoyo back together.” The Chevy bodies have remained, but in figuring out how Ford and Toyota draft, is that something that will change how we see racing in the Duels tomorrow?“I tried to talk to some of the guys in the Ford camp when I was on RaceHub, and just say ‘Hey, what do you think of the new car? Is it going to change the way you guys have drafted?’. The only thing I got was that they felt the nose might be a little more pointed, not as rounded as it has been. That’s kind of been our Achilles’ Heel from the Chevrolet standpoint, is being to successfully push at all times, whereas the Fords can kind of push us and push themselves very well. We’ve always had to be a little more strategic in how we push and communicate to each other the best way to push with our car. If that brings that in to play for them, I think there will be a learning curve, first of all. They will probably wreck a couple of cars, if it’s a little more pointed. And then once they figure that out, it will be normal. It’s a little harder when the nose doesn’t line up great.”  If one (a Ford) is behind you in the Duels, is it something you don’t feel comfortable with?“It’s hard. I think you’re going to just have to take it at the start if they’ve got a run and that guy is being aggressive. You can probably feel it right off. If you catch it quick, and it’s in the backstretch or in the tri-oval, the backstretch can sometimes be as bad as the tri-oval depending upon your setup. Hopefully you’ve built the car that it will receive a push as good as possible. The Duel is the time to test it. The racing in the Duels have been kind of odd the last year or so. It’s hard to be aggressive in the Duel because you have the one pit stop that really matters, and I feel like everyone plans around that one pit stop. So if you get yourself out of position before that pit stop, you’re kind of screwed. It’s hard to make a big gain, where it used to be where you could make moves and get yourself back to position. Now, it starts from the drop of the green flag that you’re positioning yourself for the pit stop and how you leave pit road. Definitely got to figure that out because you want to know how good your car is handling. Whenever everyone is running around the bottom in one line or everyone is splitting up, you’re not really getting that handling sensation. I remember leaving the Duel last year thinking my car is good. I mentioned handling was going to be an issue, but it didn’t… But in Sunday it was a big issue compared to the Duel. You’re running at night, you’re not running two- or three-wide as much, so when you go to say ‘Hey, my car is this or that,’ it’s got to be double the effect, usually, for the (Daytona) 500 because of the heat and more cars on track.  Is the dynamic going to change with three additional Toyotas in that camp?“You’ll see them out there, and you’ll see it… It’ll probably take the first time when a guy that was a Chevy and is now a Toyota, would have probably stuck with you, but now… They’ll just be stronger. It definitely helps when you have numbers, but we all find each other out there and having to work with each other at certain times – Toyota, Ford and Chevy. But, Chevy is who I’m going to commit to when it comes down to it, and they know that.”  Where do you see yourself now in the sport, and where do you see yourself in five years?“I feel like I’m at a place where I need to step up and take that next step, to try and get to a multi-win season. Go further than I’ve ever gone in the Playoffs. My ultimate goal since I’ve got to the Cup level is to be the first guy to win a championship at all three levels. That is still where my head is at. I’ve been able to see a lot of changes throughout my career, starting when Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Dale Jr. were in the Cup level and I got to race against those guys. Now, we’re at a whole new change of the car, a new racecar, new style of racing, so I’m going to try and do my best to put myself and my name back in that top tier of guys. Last year was one of those years where you just got kicked and kicked, and I was wondering when it was going to end. This year is a fresh start. Everybody is excited to go, my family, everybody being at the track to support us, so it’s going to be a good year. Just want to put myself where I feel I can be, and that’s in that top tier. I’ve been there before, and I want to be a multi-win guy at the Cup level.” How much is having Kyle Busch in the building, helped you push to elevate yourself that much more?“Kyle always shows the capability of the racecars, and that’s big. He pushes it, and if it’s not there, he’s going to push it past that. It’s good to see that. It gives you confidence knowing where we stand as an organization, and what you can accomplish.” Does coming back here as a previous winner (in 2018) take any pressure off coming into this week?“Once you’ve won it, you put the pressure on yourself because you want to do it again. You know what that experience is like. I don’t feel pressure from the outside, because I’ve already become a Daytona 500 champion. But, it’s more for me, because I enjoy this place, everything that it is, the victory lane here and what comes with it. Once you win here, it’s a game-changer. Not very often do you get to live in your dream, because everybody dreams about winning something, and dreaming about winning the Daytona 500 was one of those dreams for a long time for me. Then, you go and accomplish it, and you get to live in it. You taste it. It’s something you crave after that.”  What’s the sense you get from Kyle (Busch), who has won just about everything but this? Is there extra incentive over this one?“I think everybody at our shop knows it for Kyle this is huge, and we’d like to give him that opportunity. Kyle puts extra on this race. He wants it. He’s so good at driving a racecar that this race will never define his career, but I know the competitor he his. He wants it bad, and he will be one to reckon with this weekend.” Have you talked through strategies if it comes down to the last final laps with you two what to do?“Yeah, we’ll probably try and figure out what we did wrong last year. (Laughs.) Last year came down to the perfect situation, and the caution comes out. The perfect situation ended up changing quick. Our cars just didn’t take off well because we couldn’t push great. Our cars were fast once you got them going, but we had to get through that first lap to really have the shot we needed. It was green, and we needed it to go green. This year, if that situation comes, we’ve made adjustments to our cars that hopefully they will handle better in that position where we really have to push super hard. On top of the fact that, maybe, we decide to change up our strategy, not be in a line, and split ourselves up, and try and get back together once we get going. We’ll have strategy, for sure, for that same situation because we’ve experienced it now.”  Does Richard (Childress) poke his head in there to give advice, being experienced?“He gives us advice on the radio during the moment, usually. His opinion is always wanted, and when he talks, he usually has very good points, because he tries to cover them all.”  What conversations did you have in the offseason when trying to figure out how or what was more necessary to make improvements?“I think just having a set schedule for to meet each and every weekend to talk about… We’ve already talked about the races, but to sit down and go over video together, eating lunch together, there’s not a whole lot we can do, just be better as a group. We’ve added a couple of guys, but most of the guys have stayed. The biggest thing, I think, I’ve said in our competition lunch, we went through the hardest thing you can as a team. Last year was a struggle. We hit the wall a lot, a lot of crashes. And then by the end of the year, we started having some pretty good runs. We started ticking off some pretty good runs that were acknowledgeable. For those guys to fight through that, and for them to not leave us… First of all, it’s hard to keep a group of guys together in this sport, because there are always other opportunities in this sport. We were able to retain everybody, and they wanted to be there, and that shows me they believe in what we’ve got as a group. Now, we just got to be smart about how we pick and choose our battles this year, and attack when we’re hot.”  Are there ways that the 3 and the 8 can work closer together and are there things like that, that can be done?“Yeah, for sure. You know, I think you saw some improvement from us when we started following on the 8 more last year. We just want to bring more to the 8 more often. Last year we used them a lot and we need to do our part and give something back to them from time to time. But yeah, we are definitely going to work on trying to work together the best we can.” Are there things you have changed over the years to be a better race car driver? “Yeah, you know, for me I think it is doing as much road racing as I can in the offseason and working with Josh Wise and his program has been big. I have improved a lot on the road racing thing a lot and that was big for me, but even looking for ways for me to be better on the ovals. I have always thought that ovals come more natural to me, so I haven’t put a lot of extra effort into becoming a better oval racer, but now I look at it a lot more differently when I am working with Josh and those guys. Just trying to take everything I can and use it.” The 1.5-mile tracks with the Next Gen car…how has that racing changed and how do you think it’s improved?“I think the racing on the 1.5-mile tracks is probably the best racing we have now with this new car. It really seems to put on a good show, and you find certain times and tracks that race really (inaudible). The restarts are really pretty wild.” In the year since Kyle (Busch) joined, what has changed and what has improved with RCR going into year two?“Yeah, I think everybody is just putting in a little extra effort. Kyle really demands that and does a good job of pushing everybody in the shop to give us the best we can. Our communication is good and we are learning more about the simulator together and what tools we have and can properly use.” Talk about Ty (Dillon) racing in the Trucks and if it is disappointing not to race against him?“I think he is excited about the opportunity to go out there and be competitive each and every weekend. Obviously, it’s a bummer not seeing him on Sunday’s as much, but I think he’s got some opportunities there as well. I am seeing him in the simulator because he has been taking on some simulator time for our team. So, communicating with him like that is a little different because we haven’t been teammates at that level and that type of capacity, so having him at the shop and simulator like that is cool.” With there being five different champions in this series the past five years, how have you seen the parity change?“For sure. I was in the years where Jimmie Johnson was dominating, and you couldn’t touch him. So, definitely the Next Gen brought something to our sport and that was very competitive calibration. What would you call it? Brought everybody together.” You won this race in 2021 and your teams were close last year. Does it matter to have to have a bad or good run in the Daytona 500 to make a difference and how long does that last?“Yeah, I mean a great run here can carry you for weeks. Just because there are extra points to get in the Dual and then, yes, it’s just a huge momentum boost because every one of your partners and fans are going to be watching it.” Are there ways that the 3 and the 8 can work closer together, and are there things like that, that can be done?“Yeah, for sure. You know, I think you saw some improvement from us when we started following on the 8 (Kyle Busch) more last year. We just want to bring more to the 8, more often. Last year, we used them a lot and we need to do our part and give something back to them from time to time. But yeah, we are definitely going to work on trying to work together the best we can.” Are there things you have changed over the years to be a better race car driver? “Yeah, you know, for me – I think it is doing as much road racing as I can in the offseason, and working with Josh Wise and his program has been big. I have improved a lot on the road racing thing a lot and that was big for me. But even looking for ways for me to be better on the ovals. I have always thought that ovals come more natural to me, so I haven’t put a lot of extra effort into becoming a better oval racer, but now I look at it a lot more differently when I am working with Josh and those guys. Just trying to take everything I can and use it.” The 1.5-mile tracks with the Next Gen car…how has that racing changed and how do you think it’s improved?“I think the racing on the 1.5-mile tracks is probably the best racing we have now with this new car. It really seems to put on a good show, and you find certain times and tracks that race really (inaudible). The restarts are really pretty wild.” In the year since Kyle Busch joined, what has changed and what has improved with RCR going into year two?“Yeah, I think everybody is just putting in a little extra effort. Kyle really demands that and does a good job of pushing everybody in the shop to give us the best we can. Our communication is good and we are learning more about the simulator together and what tools we have and can properly use.” Talk about Ty (Dillon) racing in the Trucks and if it is disappointing not to race against him?“I think he is excited about the opportunity to go out there and be competitive each and every weekend. Obviously, it’s a bummer not seeing him on Sunday’s as much, but I think he’s got some opportunities there, as well. I am seeing him in the simulator because he has been taking on some simulator time for our team. So, communicating with him like that is a little different because we haven’t been teammates at that level and that type of capacity, so having him at the shop and simulator like that is cool.” With there being five different champions in this series the past five years, how have you seen the parity change?“For sure. I was in the years where Jimmie Johnson was dominating, and you couldn’t touch him. So, definitely the Next Gen car brought something to our sport and that was very competitive calibration. What would you call it? Brought everybody together.” You won this race in 2021 and your teams were close last year. Does it matter to have to have a bad or good run in the Daytona 500 to make a difference and how long does that last?“Yeah, I mean a great run here can carry you for weeks, just because there are extra points to get in the Dual. And then, yes – it’s just a huge momentum boost because every one of your partners and fans are going to be watching it.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYS FEBRUARY 14, 2024

DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 31 KAULIG RACING CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes  What’s it like having Josh Williams as a teammate and to see him get this opportunity?“It’s super cool for him to get a shot and to have a group of partners behind him that even led him to have a conversation with Kaulig Racing to get a deal done. That’s what it takes. So it’s cool to see him form those partners. He’s so much fun. He just brings a different feel, which is good. He fits right in, and it’s been good to see the respect he has for the race team, for the parts and pieces. I’ve known Josh for a long time, since we were kids. He’s had to work on his own stuff and build a lot of his own racecars, so he understands and appreciates every part of the dynamic that it takes to get a car ready for the racetrack and what it takes to fix and repair those cars. I feel like half that understanding gives you a sense of respect for the guys and girls that work on them. I’m looking forward to him having a really good year.” What’s it like coming back to this race having been away from the Cup Series for a full year from when you ran your first 500?“It’s something that you don’t take lightly. Once you’ve experienced this entire week of Daytona 500, it’s not like anything else. And once you experience it once and don’t know if you’ll experience it again, you learn not to take it for granted. Grateful to be here with Kaulig Racing. Excited to be part of the Great American Race one more time.” You saw it on the Xfinity side last year, but how do you feel like Kaulig has grown to be more competitive on the Cup side?“I think it kind of starts with the kind of moves that were made at the end of last year, into the offseason. We tried to build more depth in the company. Are we there yet? Time will tell. There’s always room for improvement and to grow, but I think we’ve taken the correct measures to give ourselves that chance to grow. You look at these huge organizations that have been around for 20, 30, 40 years and the depth that they have. They can pull from different parts. I feel like in the past we haven’t had that at Kaulig Racing and we’re super young. So we’ve been slowly but surely building that talent pool. There is a long way to go, for sure. But it’s cool to see them taking steps from the management side to gain that depth, give ourselves a chance to get better.” What’s a fair amount of time for you to get comfortable with this car and how it responds?“I feel like we prepare throughout the year to be ready when they drop the first green flag of the year. Even the limited starts I made when the Next Gen car came out, it was so new to everybody that everybody was sort of on a blank canvas starting off. Obviously, with me being away from these cars for a year changes the dynamic for myself. I think through this process of being in this car in ’22, not in it in ’23, the rules packages and stuff have changed pretty substantially. Obviously, the guys who ran this car last year have an advantage no doubt. But I feel like the car feel is so different that it’s something that you have to jump in and drive like a racecar. Your instincts will kind of take over and that’s the way I approached it when we all ran this car for the first time back in ’22 and it’s no different to me. I feel like we’ll go find the edge of the speed and work accordingly. The biggest thing for me is understanding as we go from a short track package to mile and a half to superspeedways just understanding what’s in the car, what are the rules, what’s different. It’s more of an adjustment from that side. I’d like to think that once we get through this first swing of races, we’ll have a good idea of where we stand.” What’s your favorite part of the Daytona experience?“Honestly, just the stage itself. Once you have the opportunity to run the Cup level and you’re out and about away from the racetrack, there’s a certain thing that comes with being a Cup driver. Even if you go on to win the Xfinity championship, a lot of the folks that know racing, they know NASCAR, they know the Cup Series, but when you start talking about lower series, they don’t really follow that part of it. You’re a driver and they ask what do you race and they look at you. When you say Cup Series, it gets their attention. It’s no different than a kid playing Pop Warner football and playing in the NFL one day. Just having that stage, that platform. And then this particular weekend — Daytona 500 weekend — there’s nothing else like this. There’s not another race; maybe Coke 600 for me that even gives you those feelings. This stage is super special.” When you look at the experience you gained and how your career has matured, do you think you came up to Cup a little too early the first time?“For me, it’s timing and it’s exactly what it’s supposed to be. I went through that season of life the exact time I was supposed to, and it sure brought its challenges. But I feel like how I grew through that whole process will kind of – and it did – define me as how I can handle those situations and I’m grateful for that time. Would I have been content to race another year in Xfinity in 2019? Possibly. But there were changes in the company that year and I got the call. End of the day, you want to be needed and wanted.” When you come up to Cup now, where do you think you’ve progressed as a driver?“For me, so much has changed. I think more has changed on the personal side of life that kind of changes you. I had my first Cup opportunity as myself and my wife, and we were kind of living this crazy thing of a racecar driver at the Cup level. And five years later, we have two kids. Just in life in general, I have a different perspective. But back in 2019, I came with so much expectation. You get a shot at Cup for the first time and you think you’re going to be there for a long time. And to see the way things turned out six months later – out of a job, a baby on the way, it for sure changes how you view things. I think through that process I’ve become a better person, better father, racer because of my mental state where I stand right now. I come into it with not maybe the expectation I had in 2019. Just come into it with a bit of a thankful kind of grace. Just come in here with a blank canvas and something to enjoy.” What does it mean to you to get a second chance?“I’m really trying to grasp and make the most of it. The story is to be told. Having a shot again is something I don’t take lightly. I just look forward to living in the moment of this opportunity.” What’s the hardest part of your daily life managing two kids?“I think it was time allocation. Whether it’s morning, lunch or dinner, once you’re with them you’re with them. Do I have it figured out yet? By no means. But, over time, you kind of develop some habits that help you manage that. In season between the training, having a really good plan I think has helped me. Learning how to say no is important. Certain things just don’t matter. Our kids need our attention and that’s where it’s at.” How did you work through going back to Xfinity?“No matter what your profession, there are people who will take that as a life loss and they may never find another win. For me, not finding another win was not an option. I’m just going to keep my legs moving and know that one particular bump in the road or life lesson as I like to call it was just that. What’s next? That’s all there was to it. Just continue to figure out how to make this work. I’m still trying to figure out how to make it work. Just because you’re back here doesn’t mean it’s going to work. In my mind, it was not proving people wrong, it was proving yourself right. Everything you put your life into, I’m doing it to prove myself right. That’, I think is a big motivator.” Where does that mindset come from?“There’s a lot to that. You feel defeated, for sure. You still have to figure out how to pay your bills. You still have to figure out how to eat. When I lost my deal, there was one point I flipped a house with a buddy to try to make some cash. My point is you just figure it out, keep things going. As a racecar driver, the best that we’ve seen do it lost 90 percent of the time. I think there is some lesson that comes with it that doesn’t come with other businesses in general. You go to school, get your degree and it doesn’t guarantee you anything, but you do that because you see there is a need for that profession. There isn’t necessarily a need for racecar drivers. There are hundreds of thousands that want to do this and only a select few get a chance to call it a living one day.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYSFEBRUARY 14, 2024

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 KAULIG RACING CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes  You’ve won at Daytona in the Rolex 24 numerous times. As big as that is, can you imagine would it be like to have a Daytona 500 victory?“For sure. It’s the reason I’m doing this race, not being in Cup full-time. You want to be part of the biggest race in the sport… the prestige of it, the history. It’s such a tough race to win. There is so much luck that is involved with this type of racing and putting yourself in the right position. Heck, last year we led with nine to go and took the lead. We’ve had opportunities to be up front. I’d be lying to you if I said that during the offseason, you’re working out and stuff like that and you’re kind of letting your mind wander. My mind carries off to what it would be like to win this race. But you know there’s a lot that goes into it. You’re part of a legacy once you win this race, no matter what you’ve done.” It’s kind of the same thing when you won at Indianapolis on the road course. It wasn’t the Indianapolis 500 or the Brickyard 400, but it was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Reflecting on that, how big a deal was that?“Indy was my dream. I had always thought about drinking the milk but never thought I’d be in a Cup car to begin with and on the road course. But you’re still part of what that racetrack means to the motorsports world. I drive in there and at Turn One and Turn Two, my banner was hanging there. It gives me chills every time I drive by it. Daytona is the same thing.” What’s your mindset going into this year chasing the Xfinity championship this year. Does it feel any different when that’s your full-time goal?“My mentality going into every season is just trying to prove that I can drive a racecar to myself, first and foremost. You spend the offseason and you think maybe it’s disappeared or maybe I wake up and I get in the racecar and I can’t drive the racecar anymore. It’s probably not the most healthy way living in the offseason every year, but it’s what I do in that way and how I push myself. No matter if I’m full-time Xfinity, full-time Cup, part-time driving racecars, it’s still about trying to prove to myself that I’m at an elite level. If I’m not, then I have to make decisions in my own self. It doesn’t change anything.” You are still at an elite level, how frustrating does it get knowing you’re not full-time (in Cup)?“At the end of the day, my preference was to stay in Cup if we were going in the right direction. At the end of the day, what Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice and all the men and women of this race team have done for my life over the last six years and hopefully more years down the road of believing in me to drive their racecars – whether it’s Xfinity or Cup of if we ever go Truck racing… whatever it is that they believe in me to drive their racecars, that means the world to me. There’s no frustration at all. I’m still so fortunate in my life that they still want me to drive their racecars. They’re paying me to drive their racecars. At the end of the day, I told them ‘This is my preference but I’m going to live off what you want me to do.’ I keep hoping they want me to drive their racecars because they have really saved my happiness of my racing career with what we’ve been able to do over the last six years.” What can Kyle Larson expect doing The Double. What do you think the challenges will be for him at both?“How you celebrate both wins during that day in that amount of time! Seriously, Kyle Larson to me is the pinnacle of what we have as a racecar driver in the world – not just in NASCAR, not in IndyCar, not in North America… in the world. I haven’t experienced doing both in the same day, but I’m sure in the mental aspect of it. Physically, I think racing 340-something races during the year somehow in 365 days, he isn’t going to have to worry about stamina in that way. But the mental side of it of griding away for two to three weeks in that process and that timeline is going to probably be the most challenging part of it.” What about acclimating to the traffic and the aero portion of that?“You don’t really experience it until they drop the green and you’re three-wide on the start, you roll down in the corner and all of a sudden all that turbulent air becomes something completely different than what you knew in practice. But I keep going back to him being the most talented guy we have in motorsports when it comes to driving. He’ll figure it out real quick.”

February 13, 2024

After a disappointing outing in the non-points Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum a week ago, Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging team are fired up heading into this weekend’s Great American Race – the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

“The Clash is one thing, and I know it’s the first race on the schedule, but there’s something special about loading up to head to the Daytona 500,” said the team’s crew chief Jeremy Bullins, who won the 500 two years ago with Team Penske’s Austin Cindric as his driver and was runner-up in 2017 with Ryan Blaney in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford.
 
“It’s the obvious race on the schedule that everyone wants to win,” Bullins said. “While it’s changed a lot over the years with different cars and rule packages, you never stop getting excited about it.”
  
“We can’t wait to see how competitive our Mustang Dark Horse is and look forward to having some practice sessions to get the handling dialed in and try to kick the season off with a great finish for this Wood Brothers Racing team.”
 
The Wood Brothers have a long and storied history in the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest race. They have five 500 victories beginning with their win in the 1963 event with Tiny Lund at the wheel of the iconic No. 21 Ford. Trevor Bayne delivered the Woods their most recent 500 victory in 2011.
 
In between were 500 triumphs with three giants of the sport – Cale Yarborough in 1968, A.J. Foyt in 1972 and David Pearson in 1976.
 
Preliminary events prior to the start of Sunday’s 66^th-annual Daytona 500 kick off with pole qualifying on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 8:35 p.m. Only the top-two starting positions will be determined in this session.
 
The twin Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races that will determine the remainder of the 500 starting grid will be run Thursday evening, with the first 60-lap, 150-mile race getting the green flag at 7 p.m. The second race will start at approximately 8:45.
 
Two practice sessions are scheduled, the first on Friday at 5:35 p.m. and the second on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
 
The green flag for Sunday’s 200-lap Daytona 500 is set to fly just after 2:30 p.m., with Stage breaks planned for Laps 65 and 130.

FOX Sports 1 will televise the preliminary events, with the coverage switching to FOX for the 500.   
 

February 13, 2024

After a disappointing outing in the non-points Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum a week ago, Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging team are fired up heading into this weekend’s Great American Race – the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

“The Clash is one thing, and I know it’s the first race on the schedule, but there’s something special about loading up to head to the Daytona 500,” said the team’s crew chief Jeremy Bullins, who won the 500 two years ago with Team Penske’s Austin Cindric as his driver and was runner-up in 2017 with Ryan Blaney in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford.
 
“It’s the obvious race on the schedule that everyone wants to win,” Bullins said. “While it’s changed a lot over the years with different cars and rule packages, you never stop getting excited about it.”
  
“We can’t wait to see how competitive our Mustang Dark Horse is and look forward to having some practice sessions to get the handling dialed in and try to kick the season off with a great finish for this Wood Brothers Racing team.”
 
The Wood Brothers have a long and storied history in the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest race. They have five 500 victories beginning with their win in the 1963 event with Tiny Lund at the wheel of the iconic No. 21 Ford. Trevor Bayne delivered the Woods their most recent 500 victory in 2011.
 
In between were 500 triumphs with three giants of the sport – Cale Yarborough in 1968, A.J. Foyt in 1972 and David Pearson in 1976.
 
Preliminary events prior to the start of Sunday’s 66^th-annual Daytona 500 kick off with pole qualifying on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 8:35 p.m. Only the top-two starting positions will be determined in this session.
 
The twin Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races that will determine the remainder of the 500 starting grid will be run Thursday evening, with the first 60-lap, 150-mile race getting the green flag at 7 p.m. The second race will start at approximately 8:45.
 
Two practice sessions are scheduled, the first on Friday at 5:35 p.m. and the second on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
 
The green flag for Sunday’s 200-lap Daytona 500 is set to fly just after 2:30 p.m., with Stage breaks planned for Laps 65 and 130.

FOX Sports 1 will televise the preliminary events, with the coverage switching to FOX for the 500.   
 

CONCORD, NC (Feb. 13, 2024) – BILSTEIN is providing World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model drivers with an extra incentive to draw the pole during each re-draw.

The driver that draws the No. 1 pill during the re-draw will receive the BILSTEIN Pole Award, which includes a $100 bonus.

“We express our enthusiasm in establishing a partnership with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series as we embark on what we anticipate being another exceptional year for BILSTEIN Motorsport,” said Aaron Morey, director of motorsports for BILSTEIN. “The World of Outlaws Series stands as a testament to excellence, and we are eagerly anticipating the 2024 season alongside.”

BILSTEIN manufactures high-quality shock absorbers and suspension systems, which spans from road cars to race cars. The company operates at 10 locations worldwide with over 4,000 employees.

Several Late Model drivers have already benefited from BILSTEIN’s support for multiple years and won some of the World of Outlaws’ biggest events with BILSTEIN shocks and suspension.

Fans will see the debut of the BILSTEIN Pole Award when the World of Outlaws Late Models return to Volusia Speedway Park for Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 15-17. Tickets are available now at DIRTcarNationals.com.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEDaytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida Feb. 16-18, 2024

ONE AWAY FROM 100Already the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR history at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), Chevrolet has the opportunity to add yet another monumental feat to that legacy – entering the 2024 season-opening weekend with 99 points-paying victories across NASCAR’s three national series at the “World Center of Racing”.  Chevrolet made its presence known early at DIS courtesy of Bob Welborn, who drove his 1959 Chevrolet to the win in NASCAR’s first-ever race held at the Florida superspeedway (Feb. 20, 1959). Throughout the series’ more than 60-year history at the track, the Bowtie brand has earned 50 all-time NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) victories. Exactly one-half of those triumphs have come in the Daytona 500, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. delivering Chevrolet its 25th victory in the crown jewel event last season.  The manufacturer’s success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) at DIS is unmatched – earning 46 victories in 64 races held at the track; a winning percentage of 72 percent. Chevrolet has posted a near-dominant performance in the series at DIS in recent years – collecting the victory in 12 of the series’ past 13 races at the track.  Having a much shorter history at the Florida superspeedway, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) joined the DIS scene in 2000. Three of Chevrolet’s series-leading all-time DIS victories have come in the NCTS – all of which were recorded in consecutive seasons (2016-2018).

DEFENDING THE CROWNOne of the most prestigious events in motorsports, the Daytona 500, carries a rich history dating back to its inception to NASCAR in 1959. To date, 18 different drivers have delivered Chevrolet a combined 25 Daytona 500 victories – most recently one year ago with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1 team. Stenhouse Jr. and fellow Chevrolet driver Austin Dillon are among just the seven active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with a Daytona 500 victory to their name.

Chevrolet’s Daytona 500 Victories:  Date                           DriverFebruary 19, 2023        Ricky Stenhouse Jr. February 18, 2018        Austin DillonFebruary 23, 2014        Dale Earnhardt Jr. February 24, 2013        Jimmie JohnsonFebruary 14, 2010        Jamie McMurrayFebruary 18, 2007        Kevin HarvickFebruary 19, 2006        Jimmie JohnsonFebruary 20, 2005        Jeff GordonFebruary 15, 2004        Dale Earnhardt Jr.February 16, 2003        Michael WaltripFebruary 18, 2001        Michael WaltripFebruary 14, 1999        Jeff GordonFebruary 15, 1998        Dale EarnhardtFebruary 16, 1997        Jeff GordonFebruary 19, 1995        Sterling MarlinFebruary 20, 1994        Sterling MarlinFebruary 14, 1993        Dale JarrettFebruary 17, 1991        Ernie IrvanFebruary 18, 1990        Derrike CopeFebruary 19, 1989        Darrell WaltripFebruary 16, 1986        Geoffrey BodineFebruary 19, 1984        Cale YarboroughFebruary 20, 1977        Cale YarboroughFebruary 16, 1975        Benny ParsonsFebruary 14, 1960        Junior Johnson

FRONT-ROW FRONT-RUNNERSChevrolet has set an unrivaled bar in what is arguably the most important qualifying session of the NASCAR Cup Series season – to claim the pole position for the Daytona 500. A Chevrolet-powered machine has led the field to the green-flag of the “Great American Race” 31 times in the event’s 65-race history – a record more than double the next highest manufacturer competitor. One year ago, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman extended Chevrolet’s active Daytona 500 pole win streak to 11-straight. Taking it one step further, Bowman’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson posted the second-fastest qualifying lap to give the Bowtie brand its 21st all-time front-row sweep for the crown jewel event.

CELEBRATING AN ANNIVERSARY SEASON In 1984, Rick Hendrick took his passion for automobiles and auto racing and turned it into a business venture by starting Hendrick Motorsports. Now 40 years later, Hendrick Motorsports has become the sport’s most successful organization, with every win and championship recorded in partnership with Chevrolet.  Geoffrey Bodine put Hendrick Motorsports on the map in its founding season – giving the organization its first NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville Speedway in April 1984. Fast forward 39 seasons, the Chevrolet organization leads NASCAR’s top division in nearly all major statistical measures with 14 championships, 301 points-paying wins, 246 poles and 1,318,526 laps led. Hendrick Motorsports earned the title as the winningest organization in NCS history in May 2021 when Kyle Larson’s victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway took the team’s all-time win count past the record previously held by Petty Enterprises for more than 60 years. The organization reached its most recent milestone victory last season with William Byron’s playoff win at Texas Motor Speedway giving Hendrick Motorsports its 300th all-time NCS win.

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Camaro ZL1Charlotte Motor Speedway – May 30, 2021 Hendrick Motorsports breaks Petty Enterprises’ all-time NASCAR Cup Series win record – becoming the winningest organization in series’ history. William Byron, No. 24 Camaro ZL1Texas Motor Speedway – Sept. 24, 2023 Hendrick Motorsports’ most recent milestone victory – the organizations 300th all-time NASCAR Cup Series win.

One of the most successful manufacturer-team partnerships in NCS history, Hendrick Motorsports has been a pivotal part in making Chevrolet the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR’s premier series. With 851 all-time victories in the series, a Hendrick Motorsports driver has delivered Chevrolet its past five milestone victories in the NCS: 400th NCS win: Sept. 9, 1994 – Terry Labonte (Richmond Raceway)500th NCS win: Aug. 12, 2001 Jeff Gordon (Watkins Glen International)600th NCS win: March 25, 2007 – Kyle Busch (Bristol Motor Speedway)700th NCS win: Nov. 4, 2012 – Jimmie Johnson (Texas Motor Speedway)800th NCS win: May 23, 2021 – Chase Elliott (Circuit of The Americas)

BUSCH’S CONTINUED QUEST FOR DAYTONA 500 TRIUMPHKyle Busch, one of the most accomplished drivers in NASCAR history, still has one crown jewel win left to add to an already storied career – the Daytona 500. The two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion is on the horizon of his 19th career start in the “Great American Race” this weekend, making Busch even hungrier to earn his spot on the prestigious Harley J. Earl trophy.  The 38-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada, native came oh-so-close to the crown jewel win last season. Despite sitting in the top position on lap 200, Busch got caught up in a crash during a double overtime finish, relinquishing his hopes of becoming the Daytona 500 Champion for another year. Another former Richard Childress Racing driver shared the same anguished pursuit for the Harley J. Earl trophy – Dale Earnhardt Sr., who finally captured his first and only Daytona 500 victory in his 20th attempt.  Busch has won every other crown jewel event in NASCAR’s top division, including the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2015 and 2016), the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (2008) and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (2018).

FACES IN NEW PLACESComing off yet another stellar season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Chevrolet looks to continue that momentum with an even more bolstered driver lineup for the 2024 season.

New to the Team Chevy family, Sammy Smith will take over the driving duties of the No. 8 JR Motorsports Camaro SS this season. At just 19-years-old, the Iowa native has already been a proven force in the NASCAR national ranks. In his rookie NXS season (2023), Smith claimed his first-career win in the series at Phoenix Raceway – becoming the series’ youngest winner in the track’s history. Securing a berth into the playoffs, Smith wrapped up his rookie campaign with six top-fives, 15 top-10s and a sixth-place finish in the final points standings. Smith joins Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer and Brandon Jones to complete the four-car JR Motorsports lineup.

Also new to the Bowtie brigade is Jesse Love, who will pilot the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Camaro SS for his rookie season in the NXS. The 18-year-old California native competed full-time in the ARCA Menards Series in 2023, where he notched 10 wins in 20 races en route to the series’ championship title. Love also holds the title as the youngest champion in NASCAR history with his two ARCA Menards Series West Championship (2020, 2021). Love will be joined by the 2023 NXS Regular-Season Champion Austin Hill, who will return to the RCR stable to drive the No. 21 Camaro SS.

Kaulig Racing will field three full-time NXS entries this season. Series’ veteran AJ Allmendinger will make his return to full-time NXS competition this season – returning to the wheel of the No. 16 Camaro SS. The 42-year-old California native was a winner in two of NASCAR’s top series last season – earning two NXS victories (Circuit of The Americas, Nashville Superspeedway) and one victory in NASCAR’s premier series (Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course). Allmendinger’s NXS resume includes back-to-back NXS Regular-Season Championships, 17 wins, 50 top-five and 68 top-10 finishes. Completing the Kaulig Racing trio will be Shane van Gisbergen and Josh Williams. Van Gisbergen took the NASCAR world by storm when he claimed the checkered-flag in the NCS’ inaugural Chicago Street Race – becoming the first driver since 1963 to win in his first career start in NASCAR’s top division. Josh Williams will make the transition from DGM Racing to drive the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS. All three drivers will also make select starts in the NCS this season – sharing the seat of the organization’s No. 16 Camaro ZL1 entry.

CARRYING CONSISTENCYChevrolet’s drivers and teams put the manufacturer back on the map in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series last season. Five drivers from five different Chevrolet teams recorded a combined 14 NCTS wins in 2023 – a record nearly triple its win count from the previous season. Limited changes to the Team Chevy NCTS driver lineup during the offseason will provide for a sense of consistency to carry the momentum into the new season.  The 2024 NCTS field will see a former NCS regular make a run for the series’ title, with Ty Dillon taking over the driving duties for the No. 25 Rackley W.A.R. Silverado RST. The 31-year-old North Carolina native brings experience to the table with three wins, 20 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes in the series to his name. This will mark the first time in over a decade that Dillon will compete full-time in the NCTS, with his last title bid in 2013 bringing the Team Chevy driver a pair of wins and a runner-up finish in the points standings.  As a part of Spire Motorsports’ expansion in the NASCAR national ranks, the Chevrolet organization will field two full-time NCTS entries this season – tabbing Team Chevy’s Rajah Caruth (No. 71 Silverado RST) and Chase Purdy (No. 77 Silverado RST). The 2023 NCTS Rookie of the Year, Nick Sanchez, will return to the seat of the No. 2 Silverado RST for Rev Racing, with the organization now in a technical alliance with Spire Motorsports. After a runner-up finish in last season’s title hunt, series’ veteran Grant Enfinger has a new home with CR7 Motorsports to pilot the No. 9 Silverado RST. McAnally-Hilgemann Racing has also expanded its lineup to field three full-time entries with Christian Eckes, Tyler Ankrum and Daniel Dye, as well as a part-time entry with Jack Wood.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·       Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – two wins (July 2017 & Feb. 2023) Austin Dillon – two wins (Feb. 2018 & Aug. 2022) William Byron – one win (Aug. 2020)Kyle Busch – one win (July 2008) ·       Active Chevrolet drivers with a Daytona 500 victory: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – one Daytona 500 Win (2023)Austin Dillon – one Daytona 500 Win (2018) ·       In 153 NASCAR Cup Series races at Daytona International Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded a series-leading 50 wins, with 25 of those triumphs coming in the “Great American Race”.    ·       Chevrolet has 99 points-paying wins at Daytona International Speedway across all three NASCAR national series, making Chevrolet the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR history at Daytona International Speedway.  ·       Chevrolet has captured the Daytona 500 pole a manufacturer-leading 31 times, including an active streak of 11-straight (most recent: Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman – Feb. 2023).  ·       Chevrolet has swept the Daytona 500 front-row 21 times in the event’s history, including 11 of the past 13 years (most recent: Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson – Feb. 2023).  ·       Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman is the only driver in series’ history to sit on the front-row of the Daytona 500 for six consecutive years (2018-2023). ·       All behind the wheel of a Chevrolet-powered machine, Hendrick Motorsports has won a series-leading 16 Daytona 500 poles: Ken Schrader (1988, 1989, 1990), Jeff Gordon (1999, 2015), Jimmie Johnson (2002, 2008), Mark Martin (2010), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2011), Chase Elliott (2016, 2017), Alex Bowman (2018, 2021, 2023), William Byron (2019), Kyle Larson (2022).  ·       Since the debut of the Next Gen Cars in 2022, Chevrolet has won eight of the 12 superspeedway-style races in the NASCAR Cup Series – recorded by six drivers from four different Chevrolet teams.  ·       With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 851 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

FOR THE FANS•          Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway, Chevrolet Injector and Chevrolet Experience Center at Daytona International Speedway.  •          Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles at each display location including: Chevrolet Racing Display in Fan Midway: Traverse Z71, Corvette E-Ray 3LZ Convertible, Silverado EV RST, Blazer EV RS, Colorado ZR2 Bison, Silverado 1500 Trailboss, Silverado 2500 Crew ZR2 Bison Diesel, Camaro ZL1 Convertible, Trax Activ, Equinox Premier.  Chevrolet Injector: Blazer RS, Camaro ZL1, Corvette 3LT Z51 Convertible, Corvette Stingray Coupe, Equinox RS, Silverado 2500 HD ZR2 Bison Diesel, Silverado 1500 ZR2, Tahoe RST, Trax 2RS, Blazer RS, Corvette Stingray Coupe 1LT, Silverado 1500 Crew 2LT Trailboss, Suburban Z71, Tahoe High Country.  Chevrolet Experience Center: Blazer RS, Colorado ZR2, Corvette Z06, Silverado EV RST, Firebird 1.  •          Fans can also view William Byron’s No. 24 Camaro ZL1 show car at the Chevrolet Racing Display in the Fan Midway.  Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:Thursday, February 15•          Nick Sanchez: 3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. •          Rajah Caruth: 3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  Friday, February 16•          Ty Dillon: 12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. •          Grant Enfinger: 12:45 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. •          Christian Eckes: 1 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. •          Chase Purdy: 1:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. •          Tyler Ankrum and Jack Wood: 1:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. •          Austin Hill & Jesse Love: 1:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.  Saturday, February 17: 8 AM – 5:30 PM •          Josh Williams: 1:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. •          Dawson Cram: 1:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. •          AJ Allmendinger: 2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. •          Sam Mayer: 2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. •          Justin Allgaier & Sammy Smith: 2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. •          Brandon Jones: 2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. •          Jeremy Clements: 3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.  Sunday, February 18•          Zane Smith: 10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. •          Daniel Suarez: 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. •          Ross Chastain: 10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. •          Carson Hocevar: 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. •          Alex Bowman: 11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. •          Chase Elliott & William Byron: 11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. •          Kyle Busch: 11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. •          Shane van Gisbergen: 12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. •          Kyle Larson: 12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: Thursday, February 15: 3 – 7:30 p.m. Friday, February 16: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday, February 17: 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Sunday, February 18: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tune In: NASCAR Cup Series66th running of the Daytona 500Sunday, February 18, 2:30 p.m. ETFOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 NASCAR Xfinity SeriesUnited Rentals 300Saturday, February 17, 5 p.m. ET FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250Saturday, February 16, 7:30 p.m. ET FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

QUOTABLE QUOTES: Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1How does the Daytona 500 make you feel?“Daytona has all of this buildup but as soon as you hit the track, it all goes away. Once I’m on the track, it’s just another race to me that I’m trying to win. The introductions for the Daytona 500 are unique because you have that long runway that goes out in between the fans and you walk out with another driver past the Daytona 500 trophy. I remember walking out for my first Daytona 500 introduction and every one since. The fact that I’m one of the 40 drivers who has a shot to win the Daytona 500 is an incredible feeling. I was a kid sitting in the grandstands not that long ago. Now, I have a shot to win it. There’s only 39 others. I haven’t won it yet but if I do, it will be incredible.” What is your 2024 season outlook?“Sustaining what we’ve accomplished but we also want more. We’ve been able to sustain in 2022 and 2023. So for 2024, we’ll need to evolve. We’ve added more employees, more engineers, Daniel has a new crew chief and we continue to evolve in the Cup Series.” Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Larson on racing on superspeedways: “We’ve run well but we just don’t have the results to back it up – whether it was running out of fuel or getting involved in an accident late in the race battling for the win. I watched a lot of video to see what others are doing to make it to the end and hopefully I can do that and battle for the win on Sunday.” Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1“It’s the granddaddy & we’re ready to race our Chili’s Chevy Camaro ZL1. It’s really a track position game all day. The cars don’t punch as big of a hole in the air as the old ones, so the runs don’t come as quickly. You can see them coming from further away with the rear-view camera. So, if someone wants to make a move on you, you can cover it easier than with the old mirrors. Spotters can see energy building. That’s why you don’t see a whole lot of moving and shaking, because everyone knows how we’re trying to get positions. We need to have the same mentality about the track at Daytona as we do Martinsville. We want good track position early and need to maintain it all day long. If you happen to be in a position where a wreck catches you up, that’s just part of the deal. We will put our Camaro in position to win the race from the first lap.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1How special is the Daytona 500?“Obviously the Daytona 500 is the biggest race of our season, our Super Bowl, so it’s a huge deal. It’s certainly a race that’s high on my bucket list. We were leading last year at mile marker 500 but it didn’t work out. I’ve been so close to winning that race. Maybe one of these days we can check the box and bring home the Harley J. Earl trophy.” What can you learn in the Duel that will help you in the 500?“I think one of the biggest things you can learn in the Duel for the 500 is just how fast your car is, working on the balance making sure it’s not too tight, it’s not too loose, and that it drives good. But I think the other thing is working around other cars, seeing how well your car drafts, how well it sucks up to others, how well it pushes, how well it does getting pushed, all of those things. You’re just trying to build the notebook and build the confidence in the car for Sunday.” Is out front the best strategy to avoid the Big One at Daytona?“I don’t know if you’re safe anywhere. I think the biggest thing is to just build that confidence in your car and build that camaraderie with other drivers around you to give them the confidence that you’re fast and your car is fast, that they can work with you and that sort of helps you as the race closes. Where opposite of that, if you’re a guy who hangs out in back all day and then you’re there at the end, nobody knows anything about you so they don’t want to hang out with you. It’s like you’ve got to be one of the cool kids and sit at the cool kids table but if you’re not in the cool kids club then they will not work with you as well.” Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Elliott on what it would mean to win the Daytona 500: “It would be awesome to check that box. We’ve had a couple of opportunities, but my biggest reason for really wanting to win the (DAYTONA) 500 is because Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) has never won it. He’s from down there (Ormond Beach) and I know it’s a big deal to him. I just think it would be a really cool thing for him. Being a hometown guy like that, he’s come so close, so many times. When you work with a guy like that who has had a lot of success, it is kind of rare to be able to help him achieve something he has not already achieved. That would be a big one.” AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1“The Daytona 500 is obviously the biggest race we have in our sport. The emotions, the nerves and everything that come with that as you do all the prerace events and everything the week leading up to it. Last year, we had a great chance to win. It would be a dream come true to win that race and stand in victory lane. We aren’t racing for driver points, so I can be aggressive and hopefully put ourselves in position to win.” William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Byron on his excitement to start the season: “Technically the season started with the Clash (at the Coliseum) but I’m ready to get to Daytona (International Speedway) and really get the season going. Usually, we start the season with a couple of bad races and then pick up the pace a few races in. This time the goal is to hopefully get off to a better start. We want to be around at the end of the DAYTONA 500, going for a win and then back that up with a solid run at Atlanta (Motor Speedway). I know the team has been putting in the work to have us ready to get going, I’m just ready to go execute.” Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1“Anytime you get a chance to go down and be a part of the Daytona 500 weekend, it’s a dream come true, no matter how many times you do it. I’m excited to have an opportunity to do something special with this No. 31 group to kick the season off, and I’m honored to welcome Cirkul to the sport as a majority Cup primary sponsor with our race team. We’re looking forward to what this season will bring.” Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Bowman on racing at Daytona International Speedway:“I feel like I learned a lot last year at (super) speedways in general. The Daytona 500 is tough. It’s a long day. There’s a lot of ways to crash and I feel like I’ve shown a lot of those ways to crash. Last year, obviously we finished well (P5) and had a good day with a good result. We’re hoping to improve on that just a little bit and continue to learn, execute and have a good day. I want to put myself in the right position and know what moves I need to make- and not make- so that our No. 48 Ally team can be in contingency there for a win at the end. I’m looking forward to getting back to it at Daytona (International Speedway).” Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Camaro ZL1You are heading back to Daytona to start the NASCAR season with the Daytona 500, and this year you are getting a second chance at The Great American Race. What has it been like getting ready for this week?“Talk about a gift. Any opportunity to race in the NASCAR Cup Series – especially the biggest race of the year – is an incredible blessing. To have the chance to go race in the Daytona 500 is huge. It’s one I have always wanted another shot at since 2021, when we got caught up in that early big one. To do this with Beard Motorsports is really cool. I’m so thrilled about this opportunity and very thankful to the Beard family. I have always watched them at all of the superspeedway races and have respected what they do. They bring really competitive cars to the track. To know that I not only have a shot to go race in the Daytona 500, but to actually have a chance to run up front and compete for the win, is something that I’m really pumped about. I want to go down there and be competitive and I know I can do that with them. Their crew chief, Darren Shaw, has assembled a really good group of people. I don’t take this chance for granted and can’t wait to get to work.” Will you talk a little bit about this partnership with Beard Motorsports and the opportunity to race with them at Daytona, and even later in the season at Talladega?“To be able to work with Beard Motorsports is really exciting to me because they have been a part of NASCAR for many years, now, and a lot of people pull from them at the superspeedway races. The Beard family does this as a way of carrying on Mark Beard Sr.’s legacy, and to be a part of that is very special to me because he was the one that really loved racing and they do it to honor him. Getting to know Amie and Linda Beard during these last couple of months has been really cool. They have great Chevrolet Camaros, and to be able to climb behind the wheel of one is an honor for me because they have worked with some talented drivers and provided them the chance to showcase that talent at the Cup level. To be able to do that in the Daytona 500 – our biggest race of the year – is huge. The Beards are very clear on their goals – we are going down to Daytona to have fun, but we have a job to do. We want to qualify into the Daytona 500 and race for the win. I’m very thankful for their family, our partners, and Beard Oil, their family business.” Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1“I went to the Daytona 500 as a kid in 2014 when Dale Jr. won and knew then and there that I wanted to race a cup car on this track. Now, behind the wheel of my Chevrolet, that dream becomes a reality, and it’s still surreal. Time to learn from the best, push myself, and see what this car and team can do.” Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1Are you ready for the Daytona 500?“Yes, of course. You can’t be a driver in NASCAR and not think about the Daytona 500. Every time you go into the tunnel you get a thrill. This is our most important race of the year. It’s not about points or where you finish. It’s about being a Daytona 500 winner.” What would a victory in Daytona mean to you?“Think about it. It’s the biggest race in our sport. It would be my first, Justin Marks first, my friends at Freeway Insurance are going to be our primary sponsor in this race, Pitbull is going to perform the pre-race show, I can go on and on. This would mean a lot to a lot of people. Freeway has been with me a long time and to win a race with Freeway, let alone the Daytona 500 would a reward for all the faith they have shown me over the years. They celebrated with us winning the Mexico race in Los Angeles and that was a blast. I can’t imagine the Daytona 500 win party.” Are you ready for a return to the Xfinity Series?“Looking forward to going BIGGIE with Wendy’s on the track Saturday. I’m excited by Xfinity Racing. I’m with a good team at Kaulig Racing and it marks our first race with Wendy’s who is joining Trackhouse Racing this year. I love the Xfinity Series and it’s always fun to get back and race with them.” It’s been more than a weeks since the Mexico Series victory, how do you feel?“That was really a great moment for me. I am so proud of the race the Mexico Series put on at the Coliseum and we had so much fun in victory lane. That was really a big deal. I hope one day those drivers get their shot in America like I did.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2023): 42First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest 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): 33First 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)                CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 851 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 743Laps led to date: 249,175Top-five finishes to date: 4,298Top-10 finishes to date: 8,861                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,185           Chevrolet: 851           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 828                                                                      Ford: 728           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 180

The World of Outlaws go at it Feb. 15-17 after the DIRTcar Late Models on Feb. 12-14 

BARBERVILLE, FL (February 12, 2024) –

The annual hunt for a Big Gator title ramps up at Volusia Speedway Park with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models returning for the 53rd Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 15-17. 

The Series makes its second and final stop of the season at “The World’s Fastest Half Mile” with more money on the line between an increased purse and a new Big Gator points fund. 

The World of Outlaws start the week on Thursday, Feb. 15, with a 30-lap Feature paying $12,000-to-win, followed by a 35-lap, $12,000-to-win Feature on Friday, Feb. 16. Saturday’s 50-lap finale will pay $20,000-to-win and crown a Big Gator champion. 

Before the Outlaws take over the Big Gator hunt, the DIRTcar Late Models will kick off the Big Gator championship chase for the Late Models, Feb. 12-14. 

Also featuring the World of Outlaws stars, and other big names in Late Model racing, the DIRTcar Late Models will open the week with a pair of 30-lap, $7,000-to-win Feature races on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 12-13. Wednesday will see the field split into three Features, each paying $5,000-to-win – giving three drivers the chance to kiss a gator trophy on Valentine’s Day. 

BUY DIRTCAR NATIONALS TICKETS HERE 

Here are the storylines to keep an eye on: 

SHEPPARD’S HERD: After two races to begin the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models season, Brandon Sheppard holds the early lead in the points standings. 

The New Berlin, IL driver picked up two top five finishes at Sunshine Nationals and holds a six-point lead over reigning champion Bobby Pierce. 

The pilot of the Sheppard Riggs Racing Longhorn Factory Team #B5 is hoping to set a new benchmark by winning a record-breaking third Late Model Big Gator title in 2024 – his first two came in 2019 and 2020. He has eight Feature wins during DIRTcar Nationals – two with the DIRTcar Late Models and six with the World of Outlaws, which were also six straight wins from 2018 to 2020. 

SUNSHINE STATE OF MIND: In 2023, Tim McCreadie wrote his name into the history books as the first driver to win a Big Gator title in two divisions, previously winning with the Super DIRTcar Series in 2018. 

The Watertown, NY driver put on a remarkable run at Volusia in 2023, earning an average finish of 2.1 and finishing outside of the podium once through Sunshine Nationals and DIRTcar Nationals. 

A second Late Model Big Gator will see him join a club that features Devin Moran, Brandon Sheppard, Shane Clanton, and Josh Richards as multi-time Late Model Big Gator winners. 

BOBBY’S BACK: Bobby Pierce used DIRTcar Nationals as a springboard for his championship and looks to do so again after finishing fourth and sixth at January’s Sunshine Nationals. 

The Oakwood, IL driver enters DIRTcar Nationals off the momentum of picking up wins at New Zealand’s Waikaraika Family Speedway in January. 

Pierce won 14 World of Outlaws Features in 2023, the first of which was a gator at DIRTcar Nationals – also his first World of Outlaws win at Volusia Speedway Park. 

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED: Volusia Speedway Park has become one of Devin Moran’s favorite tracks to race at, winning January’s season opener at Sunshine Nationals and clinching his second Surfboard trophy at the event. 

The Dresden, OH native rides into DIRTcar Nationals with previous success, winning two consecutive Big Gator titles in 2021 and 2022. 

The Double Down Motorsports #99 could continue shining bright in Florida at the 1/2-mile track, looking to become the first three-time Big Gator champion. 

THE REAL DEAL: Hudson O’Neal begins 2024 trying to win his first Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals after picking up two gators at the event in 2023.

He has two wins with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models – both at Volusia Speedway Park. The first came during the DIRTcar Nationals where O’Neal became the 100th different winner in Series history.

His second win came at the 2024 Sunshine Nationals finale – a moment of redemption as the pilot of the Rocket1 Racing machine missed the same race the year prior.

GATOR TRIUMPHS: Florida in February attracts the best drivers in dirt Late Models to Volusia, with eight races for drivers to claim victory Models – Feb. 12-17.  

Last year saw Hudson O’Neal, Tim McCreadie, Brandon Overton, Chris Madden, and Bobby Pierce earn Feature wins between the DIRTcar Late Models and World of Outlaws CASE Late Models, respectively, at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.” 

This year, another stout field is expected to chase the coveted gator trophies. And many standouts will be chasing their first with the Late Models. 

Cade Dillard began his 2024 season to a strong start – earning two top 10 finishes at Sunshine Nationals and sitting third in Series points. The Robeline, LA driver hopes to claim his first career gator trophy in the next six days.

Nick Hoffman earned seven consecutive DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator titles from 2016-2022 in a DIRTcar UMP Modified. This year, the Mooresville, NC driver looks to join McCreadie as the only other driver to win a Big Gator in multiple divisions in his Tye Twarog Racing #9.

Florida native Kyle Bronson shines bright at Volusia, finishing in second at January’s Sunshine Nationals and two Series wins. Bronson enters his home track looking to add a gator to his mantle aboard his #40B Longhorn Chassis.

LATE MODEL BIG GATOR CHAMPIONS

2023 – Tim McCreadie

2022 – Devin Moran

2021 – Devin Moran

2020 – Brandon Sheppard

2019 – Brandon Sheppard

2018 – Chris Madden

2017 – Shane Clanton

2016 – Josh Richards

2015 – Shane Clanton

2014 – Scott Bloomquist

2013 – Josh Richards

2012 – Dennis Erb Jr.

WHEN AND WHERE 

Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL 
TICKETS:  www.DIRTcarNationals.com 

ABOUT THE TRACK 

Volusia Speedway Park is a 1/2-mile dirt oval 
Track Record: 15.100 sec. by Bobby Pierce on Jan. 19, 2024

ONLINE 
Volusia Speedway Park: www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com

On the Internet 
World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Series 
X – Twitter.com/WoOLateModels – @WoOLateModels 
Instagram – Instagram.com/WoOLateModels – @woolatemodels 
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries 
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws 
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

Around the Turn: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models travel to Thunderhill Raceway for Tennessee action on March 22-23. For Tickets: CLICK HERE. 

FEATURE WINNERS: (2 Drivers)  
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins  

1. Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1 
2. Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1 

HEAT RACE WINNERS (10 Drivers) 
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins 

1. Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 2 
2. Dale McDowell – Chickamauga, GA – 2 
3. Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 1 
4. Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 1 
5. Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 1 
6. Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – 1 
7. Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1 
8. Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – 1 
9. Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – 1 
10. Garrett Smith – Eatonton, GA – 1 

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (6 Drivers)  
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins  

1. Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – 1 
2. Dustin Sorensen – Rochester, MN – 1 
3. Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1 
4. Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 1 
5. Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 1 
6. Boom Briggs – Bear Lake, PA – 1 

PODIUM FINISHES (5 Drivers)  
Rank – Driver – Hometown – Podiums  

1. Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 2 
2. Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1 
3. Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 1 
4. Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – 1 
5. Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1 

FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER (2 Drivers)  
Rank – Driver – Hometown – H.C.  

1. Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1 
2. Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – 1 

SIMPSON RACING PRODUCTS QUICK TIMES (2 Drivers)  
Rank – Driver – Hometown – QTs  

1. Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 1 
2. Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1 

CASE FEATURE LAP LEADERS (4 Drivers)  
Rank – Driver – Hometown – Laps Led  

1. Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 29 
2. Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 21 
3. Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – 13 
4. Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 6 

2024 World of Outlaws Schedule & Winners 

1. Friday, Jan. 19/ Volusia Speedway Park/ Barberville, FL/ Devin Moran (1) 
2. Saturday, Jan. 20/ Volusia Speedway Park/ Barberville, FL/ Hudson O’Neal (1)

BARBERVILLE, FL (Feb. 10, 2024) – Lining up 17th on the starting grid, Kyle Strickler said he thought he had “no chance” in winning the Gator Championship Feature Saturday night.

Thirty trips around Volusia Speedway Park later, he had passed every car in front of him, led the field back around to the checkered and pulled into Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar NationalsVictory Lane to claim his $5,000 grand prize and the fourth Gator Championship trophy of his career.

In his post-race interview on DIRTVision, the 39-year-old Strickler was visibly out of breath, stunned and nearly in tears as he uttered some words to describe one of the deepest-starting Gator Championship wins in DIRTcar Nationals history.

“I can’t believe this happened,” he said.

Strickler, a winner on Tuesday night, did not get the Feature result he was looking for in the Gator Qualifiers on Friday, swiping the third and final transfer spot late, which meant a 17th-place spot on Saturday’s starting grid. And once he got on-track for Saturday’s main event, more issues arose during the race.

“I told everybody that – I said it’s gonna be impossible to win this thing from 15th, and then I forgot that they were doing it with [three Friday transfers], so that put me 17th,” Strickler said. “I’m like man, it just keeps getting worse. Then, my Raceiver wouldn’t work, so I had no clue what was going on.

“Of all the bad luck I’ve had through Speedweeks, it all came back to pay me back today.”

Crossing the finish line second after Strickler came Tyler Nicely, who clinched his first career DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator points championship after a drive from the 10th starting spot. In six starts throughout the week, Nicely collected four Feature wins and no finishes worse than sixth, earning him enough points to capture the weeklong points title – worth the giant golden gator trophy and a $1,000 bonus check.

Nicely will take the big gator back home to Owensboro, KY, as the 12th different UMP Modified driver to win it and the first from the state of Kentucky.

“When they put up the added points fund and all that, it gives us drivers an incentive,” Nicely said. “I really was gonna be disappointed if we didn’t come out of here with the big gator for the points after winning four (Features) this week.

“It feels good. Maybe gives me a bit more motivation to come back to try and get that big gator on Saturday.”

Before their crowning moments on stage, both drivers had several opponents to pass in their way.

Polesitter Dustin Sorensen showed the way in the opening laps while Strickler and Nicely began mounting their charges. By Lap 10, Strickler had already cracked the top-10, and from there used the cautions to his advantage to pick-off multiple cars on the restarts.

He worked his way up into the top-two with a pass for second on Michael Leach on a Lap 13 restart and began mounting a charge for Sorensen as the laps clicked off. When Leach and Strickler were racing for second in the final 10 laps, Leach went around, handing third over to Nicely for the ensuing restart.

When the green came back out on the final restart, Nicely tried to get a run on Strickler around the top but was unable to match his speed down low.

“I thought I had a good enough run coming off the hill that I could’ve made it interesting,” Nicely said. “But everybody was fighting for the bottom over here in Turns 3-4, so you couldn’t really poke your nose down in there unless they knew you were actually all the way at the bottom.”

Meanwhile, Strickler had leader Sorensen in his crosshair after getting a good takeoff on the restart. They came back around to complete Lap 26, and that’s when Strickler pulled the trigger with a full-throttle charge into Turn 1.

“That first lap when I caught Dustin, I could see he was getting really tight,” Strickler said. “I just said I’m gonna hold [the pedal] to the wood and never check it until I got to the grip coming off of (Turn) 2 and it all worked out.”

Strickler raced into the lead out of Turn 2 and turned on the jets, racing back around to collect the checkered ahead of Nicely, who also moved past Sorensen for second.

Strickler’s fourth Gator Championship Feature win ties him with Nick Hoffman for most all-time.

“To have four Saturday wins and add to my gator count, it’s huge,” Strickler said. “I like the history of it. Trying to catch Nick here, if he doesn’t run the Modified any. I think I’ll be coming down here with the Modified for a while.”

Sorensen, winner of two Features during the week, crossed the stripe in third but knew his mistake on the final restart.

“I saw Strickler coming on the board and I knew he started deep,” Sorensen said. “I figured he was running the top. Then I saw Michael Leach get back by him on the scoreboard, so that kinda got in my head. I just changed my line too much, and they got around me.”

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 8S-Kyle Strickler[17]; 2. 25-Tyler Nicely[10]; 3. 19-Dustin Sorensen[1]; 4. K9-Will Krup[8]; 5. 18L-Michael Long[11]; 6. 5-Jonathan Taylor[3]; 7. 777-Trevor Neville[23]; 8. 96M-Mike McKinney[15]; 9. 5CS-Curt Spalding[13]; 10. 36-Kenny Wallace[32]; 11. 10Y-Trent Young[21]; 12. 95-Michael Altobelli[16]; 13. 77-Ray Bollinger[22]; 14. 49-Brian Ruhlman[20]; 15. 3-Josh Sanford[34]; 16. 114-Jordan Koehler[26]; 17. 21CZ-Cole Czarneski[33]; 18. 23Z-Austin Self[24]; 19. 09-Michael Leach[2]; 20. 97-Mitch Thomas[14]; 21. 35-David Stremme[12]; 22. 24-Zeke McKenzie[5]; 23. 4TW-Tim Ward[4]; 24. 6-Ryan Ayers[29]; 25. 17N-Dillon Nusbaum[18]; 26. 114B-Clayton Bryant[28]; 27. 13-Charlie Mefford[31]; 28. 18K-Brandon Kinzer[19]; 29. 12L-Lucas Lee[7]; 30. 17T-Tyler Evans[9]; 31. 11X-Tom Berry Jr[6]; 32. 90-Jason Beaulieu[27]; 33. 3F-Rob Fuqua[30]; 34. 9-Ken Schrader[35]; 35. 7-Justin Allgaier[25]

Photo credit – Tyler Carr

Haudenschild puts on a show with late charge to victory while Gravel wraps up record-tying third Big Gator championship

BARBERVILLE, FL (February 10, 2024) – Sheldon Haudenschild can’t help but make any race he wins exciting. Whether he’s leading the whole race and slicing through traffic or he’s working his way through the field, Haudenschild never fails to send thrills through the stands. And Saturday night at Volusia Speedway Park with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars was no different.

The 30-year-old started third, slipped to fourth early, and then pieced together a ferocious charge in the second half of the 30-lap Feature to arise victorious. Haudenschild sealed the deal with a Lap 24 slider on Anthony Macri to top the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals finale and bank $20,000.

The fans roared for one of their favorites as Haudenschild rose atop the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink #17 machine in Victory Lane. His smile was ear to ear as he and the team bounced back in the best way possible from what had been a rough week.

The win marked the 35th of Haudenschild’s career with The Greatest Show on Dirt and third at “The World’s Fastest Half Mile.”

“Hats off to (Kyle) Ripper, Steve (Kinzer Dussel), and Luke (Vaughn),” Haudenschild said. “We had a hell of a week and a lot of work. They never gave up. We never give up and just keep on ripping.”

A little way behind Haudenschild, David Gravel had to make some moves of his own. The Big Game Motorsports driver entered the main event with a 14-point lead over Giovanni Scelzi in the Big Gator standings. But Scelzi started on the pole and led early while Gravel got stuck in eighth. If they finished in those two spots, Scelzi would’ve snatched the title and extra $3,000 prize.

But Gravel rallied as Scelzi faded late in the main event. The Big Game Motorsports driver worked his way up to sixth while Scelzi slipped to fourth when the checkered flag flew. The results gave Gravel his third Big Gator title, which equaled him with Daryn Pittman for the most. Consistency carried the Watertown, CT native. He finished no worse than sixth in four nights and highlighted the week with a win on Thursday.

“We battled hard. That was an intense Feature,” Gravel said. “I nearly got passed in the beginning by Sunshine (Tyler Courtney) and Donny (Schatz) but was able to get in front of them. My car really came to life there at the end of the Feature. I wish it was a 40-lap race.

“It was a really good week. Started the week off with a third and a first. Obviously, couldn’t ask for much better than that. And then last night with a fifth and tonight with a sixth. It was a very strong week and good way to start the year.”

Before Haudenschild and Gravel made their moves forward, the race’s opening half was highlighted by plenty of action from other competitors up front. 

Giovanni Scelzi led from the pole through the opening laps and held firm control of the top spot until a caution 10 laps in bunched the field together. 

On the restart the outside-pole starter – Anthony Macri – powered by “Hot Sauce” on the outside to take the lead. Only a few laps later Michael “Buddy” Kofoid drove around Scelzi to grab second and began to reel in Macri. 

Then the race moved beyond halfway, and it’s as if that was Haudenschild’s cue to go as he went to work on Scelzi for third. On Lap 17 he took the spot to climb into a podium position. A lap later Kofoid surrendered second to the Wooster, OH gasser.

Behind Haudenschild a fast-approaching Brad Sweet made his presence felt. He followed Haudenschild through the top five and claimed third on Lap 19. He even managed to drive by Haudenschild on the 20th circuit, but Haudenschild countered and was able to keep back around him – a move he knows was crucial.

“I was more worried about Brad than anything,” Haudenschild admitted. “I knew if he cleared me, he was probably winning that race. Me and him had a great race.”

After reclaiming second from “The Big Cat,” Haudenschild knew he needed to go and set the leading Macri in his crosshairs. On Lap 24, Haudenschild delivered the winning move with a slide job exiting Turn 4. He cruised through some lap traffic over the final six circuits and took the checkered flag on what was a tricky track to conquer.

“The #39(M) just missed the bottom a couple times, and I was able to get under him,” Haudenschild explained. “I was a little nervous of it (the cushion) in (Turns) 3 and 4. It’s gnarly up there. It’ll eat you up over there and the same over here. For the first five laps. I struggled in (Turns) 1 and 2. The bottom is just so much easier to run, and it was faster tonight.”

Macri made the Pennsylvania Posse fans proud with a valiant effort of leading 13 laps before finishing second. The Dillsburg, PA native thought the closing laps were a prime example of why it can be better to be running second in a Sprint Car race as he struggled to handle traffic.

“Obviously, he’s in the better position there running second,” Macri said. “I knew I needed to be on the bottom, but I didn’t want to risk following lapped cars on the bottom and have somebody blow around the top of me. I’m pretty sure I tripped on the curb the lap Sheldon got by me. He hammered it in there on the bottom and got by us, and that’s pretty much all she wrote.”

Brad Sweet completed the top three, notching his third podium of DIRTcar Nationals week. The five-time World of Outlaws champion thought he might have a shot at the win, but a slight hiccup in traffic allowed Haudenschild to put himself in a better position.

“I love coming here. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a high-speed chess match out there,” Sweet said. “Sheldon did a great job. He moved around, found some lines, and kind of kept me behind him. I finally got by him and thought we were going to have a chance at Anthony there. And I just got held up with a lapped car. I don’t know if I made a bad move there or what, but it opened the door back up for Sheldon, and he got really going there and was able to get through the lapped cars. Hats off to him. He drove a great race. We gave it our all, but sometimes you just don’t get it done.”

Giovanni Scelzi and Buddy Kofoid rounded out the top five.

Carson Macedo earned his second KSE Racing Hard Charger of the week with a drive from 23rd to 14th.

Brent Marks claimed his second straight Simpson Quick Time Award in Sea Foam Qualifying and the fifth of his career.

NOS Energy Drink Heats One, Three, and Four were topped by Sheldon Haudenschild, Rico Abreu, and Buddy Kofoid. Milton Hershey School Heat Two belonged to David Gravel.

Giovanni Scelzi won the Toyota Racing Dash.

Kasey Kahne claimed the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars take two weekends off before returning to Volusia Speedway Park for the Bike Week Jamboree (March 3-4). For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps): 1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[3]; 2. 39M-Anthony Macri[2]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet[8]; 4. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[1]; 5. 83-Michael Kofoid[4]; 6. 2-David Gravel[7]; 7. 15-Donny Schatz[9]; 8. 24-Rico Abreu[5]; 9. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[10]; 10. 26-Zeb Wise[15]; 11. 19-Brent Marks[6]; 12. 1S-Logan Schuchart[11]; 13. 13-Justin Peck[16]; 14. 41-Carson Macedo[23]; 15. 5-Spencer Bayston[18]; 16. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[25]; 17. 9-Kasey Kahne[21]; 18. 14-Corey Day[12]; 19. 24D-Danny Sams III[24]; 20. 8-Cory Eliason[17]; 21. 21-Brian Brown[14]; 22. 7S-Landon Crawley[13]; 23. 1-Brenham Crouch[20]; 24. 17B-Bill Balog[19]; 25. 6-Bill Rose[26]; 26. (DNS) 48-Danny Dietrich