Batavia, OH (October 14, 2020) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is proud to announce the 2021 schedule, with a lineup that hosts 62 feature events, at 32 different venues, across 21 states. The news all race fans have been waiting for, all 62 events will be live streamed in conjunction with four live on the MAVTV Motorsports Network. There will be 37 original events televised on MAVTV, three events televised on CBS Sports Network, one event televised on CBS, and 14 events televised on NBC Sports Network. 

In 2021, the tour will launch with thirteen feature events during Georgia-Florida Speedweeks, at four different venues. The Series kicks off the season January 22nd – 23rd at Golden Isles Speedway; January 25th – 30th at East Bay Raceway Park; February 1st – 2nd at Bubba Raceway Park; and February 4th – 6th at All-Tech Raceway. In traditional fashion, the 2021 championship battle will conclude October 15th-16th at the 41st Annual Dirt Track World Championship at Portsmouth Raceway Park. Next year’s schedule is highlighted by a generous number of increased purses throughout the season. The richest Crown Jewel events of the tour’s schedule includes: Lucas Oil Speedway’s Show-Me 100 ($30,000 to win); Smoky Mountain Speedway’s Mountain Moonshine Classic ($20,000); I-80 Speedway’s Silver Dollar Nationals ($53,000); Florence Speedway’s North/South 100 ($50,000); Batesville Motor Speedway’s Topless 100 ($40,000); Port Royal Speedway’s The Rumble by the River #3 ($30,000); Tyler County Speedway’s Hillbilly Hundred ($30,000); Knoxville Raceway’s Late Model Nationals ($40,000); Brownstown Speedway’s Jackson 100 ($20,000); Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway’s Pittsburgher 100 ($20,000); and Portsmouth Raceway Park’s Dirt Track World Championship ($100,000).

2020 was a challenging year for many, including all of us in the racing industry. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series would like to thank all of our team owners, drivers and crew members, our event promoters, our loyal fans, and our tremendous marketing partners for your continued support. It is because of each of you, along with the hard work and determination of series officials and the unwavering support of Lucas Oil Products, the series will be able to complete 46 feature events, during the 2020 season, after this weekend’s $100,000 to win Dirt Track World Championship at Portsmouth Raceway Park in Portsmouth, OH. 

2021 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Schedule:

Date	Track	Event	Location	To Win	A-Main Purse	Laps
1/21	Golden Isles Speedway	Super Bowl of Racing	Brunswick, GA	Practice
1/22	Golden Isles Speedway	Super Bowl of Racing	Brunswick, GA	$12,000	$47,050	50
1/23	Golden Isles Speedway	Super Bowl of Racing	Brunswick, GA	$15,000	$54,550	50
1/24	East Bay Raceway Park	45th Annual Wrisco Winternationals Presented By Lucas Oil	Tampa, FL	Practice
1/25	East Bay Raceway Park	45th Annual Wrisco Winternationals Presented By Lucas Oil	Tampa, FL	$5,000	$23,050	30
1/26	East Bay Raceway Park	45th Annual Wrisco Winternationals Presented By Lucas Oil	Tampa, FL	$5,000	$23,050	30
1/27	East Bay Raceway Park	45th Annual Wrisco Winternationals Presented By Lucas Oil	Tampa, FL	$7,000	$30,775	40
1/28	East Bay Raceway Park	45th Annual Wrisco Winternationals Presented By Lucas Oil	Tampa, FL	$7,000	$30,775	40
1/29	East Bay Raceway Park	45th Annual Wrisco Winternationals Presented By Lucas Oil	Tampa, FL	$12,000	$47,050	50
1/30	East Bay Raceway Park	45th Annual Wrisco Winternationals Presented By Lucas Oil	Tampa, FL	$15,000	$54,550	50
2/1	Bubba Racway Park	Winter Nationals	Ocala, FL	$10,000	$43,575	40
2/2	Bubba Racway Park	Winter Nationals	Ocala, FL	$10,000	$43,575	40
2/3	All-Tech Raceway	Winter Nationals	Lake City, FL	Practice
2/4	All-Tech Raceway	Winter Nationals	Lake City, FL	$10,000	$43,575	40
2/5	All-Tech Raceway	Winter Nationals	Lake City, FL	$12,000	$47,050	50
2/6	All-Tech Raceway	Winter Nationals	Lake City, FL	$15,000	$54,550	50
3/19	Atomic Speedway	Buckeye Spring 50	Chillicothe, OH	$12,000	$52,800	50
3/20	Brownstown Speedway	Indiana Icebreaker	Brownstown, IN	$15,000	$57,050	50
4/9	411 Motor Speedway	Tennessee’s Action Track 50	Seymour, TN	$12,000	$52,800	50
4/10	Talladega Short Track	E-Z-GO 50	Eastaboga, AL	$15,000	$57,050	50
4/17	Hagerstown Speedway	Nininger Tribute	Hagerstown, MD	$15,000	$57,050	50
4/18	Port Royal Speedway		Port Royal, PA	$10,000	$48,575	40
4/23	Tri-City Speedway	Bullet Race Engines 50	Granite City, IL	$12,000	$52,800	50
4/24	Macon Speedway		Macon, IL	$15,000	$57,050	100
4/30	Ponderosa Speedway	17th Annual John Bradshaw Memorial	Junction City, KY	$12,000	$52,800	50
5/1	Florence Speedway	35th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial	Union, KY	$15,000	$57,050	50
5/21	300 Raceway		Farley, IA	$12,000	$52,800	50
5/22	34 Raceway	Triple 777 Trucking Lucky 50	Burlington, IA	$15,000	$57,050	50
5/27	Lucas Oil Speedway	8th Annual Cowboy Classic	Wheatland, MO	$6,000	$26,750	45
5/28	Lucas Oil Speedway	The Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson	Wheatland, MO	$6,000	$26,750	40
5/29	Lucas Oil Speedway	29th Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100	Wheatland, MO	$30,000	$128,700	100
6/17	Magnolia Motor Speedway	Clash at the Mag presented by Big River Steel	Columbus, MS	$5,000	$25,000	25
6/18	Magnolia Motor Speedway	Clash at the Mag presented by Big River Steel	Columbus, MS	$5,000	$25,000	25
6/19	Magnolia Motor Speedway	Clash at the Mag presented by Big River Steel	Columbus, MS	$15,000	$63,450	60
6/25	Deer Creek Speedway	NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50	Spring Valley, MN	$12,000	$52,800	50
6/26	Deer Creek Speedway	NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50	Spring Valley, MN	$15,000	$57,050	50
7/2	Portsmouth Raceway Park	Independence 50	Portsmouth, OH	$12,000	$52,800	50
7/3	Muskingum County Speedway	Freedom 50	Zanesville, OH	$15,000	$57,050	50
7/8	Cherokee Speedway	23rd Annual Grassy Smith Memorial	Gaffney, SC	$10,000	$48,575	50
7/9	Smoky Mountain Speedway	Mountain Moonshine Classic	Maryville, TN	$12,000	$52,800	40
7/10	Smoky Mountain Speedway	Mountain Moonshine Classic	Maryville, TN	$20,000	$73,400	60
7/16	Tri-City Speedway	NAPA Know How 50	Granite City, IL	$12,000	$52,800	50
7/17	Lucas Oil Speedway	15th Annual Diamond Nationals	Wheatland, MO	$15,000	$57,050	50
7/22	I-80 Speedway	Dirt Track Bank Go 50	Greenwood, NE	$12,000	$52,800	50
7/23	I-80 Speedway	Imperial Tile Silver Dollar Nationals	Greenwood, NE	Prelim
7/24	I-80 Speedway	Imperial Tile Silver Dollar Nationals	Greenwood, NE	$53,000	$181,350	80
8/12	Florence Speedway	Sunoco North/South Shootout	Union, KY	$10,000	$48,575	50
8/13	Florence Speedway	39th Annual Sunoco North/South 100	Union, KY	Prelim
8/14	Florence Speedway	39th Annual Sunoco North/South 100	Union, KY	$50,000	$160,050	100
8/19	Batesville Motor Speedway	29th Annual COMP Cams Topless 100 Presented by Nutrien Ag Solutions	Batesville, AR	$5,000	$25,000	30
8/20	Batesville Motor Speedway	29th Annual COMP Cams Topless 100 Presented by Nutrien Ag Solutions	Batesville, AR	$5,000	$25,000	30
8/21	Batesville Motor Speedway	29th Annual COMP Cams Topless 100 Presented by Nutrien Ag Solutions	Batesville, AR	$40,000	$129,275	100
8/26	Port Royal Speedway	The Rumble by the River #1	Port Royal, PA	$10,000	$48,575	30
8/27	Port Royal Speedway	The Rumble by the River #2	Port Royal, PA	$12,000	$52,800	40
8/28	Port Royal Speedway	The Rumble by the River #3	Port Royal, PA	$30,000	$118,650	50
9/4	Portsmouth Raceway Park	River Days Rumble Presented by Pepsi	Portsmouth, OH	$15,000	$57,050	50
9/5	Tyler County Speedway	53rd Annual Hillbilly Hundred	Middlebourne, WV	$30,000	$91,125	100
9/16	Knoxville Raceway	Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals	Knoxville, IA	$7,000	$28,230	25
9/17	Knoxville Raceway	Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals	Knoxville, IA	$7,000	$28,230	25
9/18	Knoxville Raceway	Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals	Knoxville, IA	$40,000	$180,250	100
9/24	Brownstown Speedway	Night Before the Jackson	Brownstown, IN	$10,000	$48,575	40
9/25	Brownstown Speedway	42nd Annual Jackson 100	Brownstown, IN	$20,000	$73,400	100
10/1	Raceway 7	Great Lakes 50	Conneaut, OH	$12,000	$52,800	50
10/2	Pittsburgh Motor Speedway	33rd Annual Pittsburgher 100	Imperial, PA	$20,000	$73,400	100
10/9	The Red Clay at Woodstock – Historic Dixie Speedway	Lucas Oil Dixie Shootout	Woodstock, GA	$15,000	$57,050	50
10/10	Rome Speedway	Lucas Oil Rome Showdown	Rome, GA	$10,000	$48,575	50
10/15	Portsmouth Raceway Park	41st Annual Dirt Track World Championship	Portsmouth, OH	Prelim
10/16	Portsmouth Raceway Park	41st Annual Dirt Track World Championship	Portsmouth, OH	$100,000	$191,485	100

Inside Line Promotions – HANFORD, Calif. (Oct. 13, 2020) – Dominic Scelzi will finish the 2020 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season driving the famed Roth Motorsports No. 83.

It begins this Friday at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., prior to the Jason Johnson Classic at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo., on Saturday.

“We won seven or eight races with Roth Motorsports last year,” Scelzi said. “We’ve been really good together and I’m really excited to finish the year out with them. This is a big opportunity to me. I’m excited to help them finish the World of Outlaws season and it’s helping provide me more opportunities.”

Scelzi ranks 18^th in the World of Outlaws championship standings thanks to four top 10s during limited starts with the series this year.

The big news comes on the heels of one of Scelzi’s most successful weekends of the season. He picked up a win, a pair of top fives and a trio of top 10s in four features last Friday and Saturday at Keller Auto Speedway.

Scelzi piloted a sprint car for Williams Motorsports for the first time in his career on Friday. He qualified eighth quickest, won a heat race and finished fourth in the A Main after leading early.

“I took the lead on Lap 5 and led until Lap 11,” he said. “I was running around the top and it laid rubber on the bottom. I didn’t know it and went from first to third in the same corner. I tried to get back to second and slipped out of the rubber, which dropped me to fourth.”

Scelzi also led laps on Saturday during the 360ci sprint car feature. After setting quick time out of 31 drivers during qualifying and advancing from sixth to fourth in a heat race, Scelzi, who was driving his family car, won the dash to garner the pole position for the main event.

“We were really good and we led the first 15 laps,” he said. “I was running the bottom in turns one and two and the middle in turns three and four. Bud (Kaeding) got the top cleaned off and was able to rip around us so we ended up second.”

Scelzi also drove for Williams Motorsports during the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series portion of the night, which began with him qualifying eighth quickest. A third-place outing in a heat race lined him up eighth for the first of two, 20-lap features.

“I was running between sixth to eighth,” he said. “I biked up on the cushion in turns one and two. We slid to a stop and I had to restart at the back. We drove up to ninth. Then we made some changes during the 10-minute stoppage since we were too tight.”

The changes worked perfectly for Scelzi, who lined up on the inside of the sixth row for the final feature.

“We worked the bottom in turns one and two and the middle in turns three and four,” he said. “There were a couple of times when I’d pass two cars off turn two. People were struggling to stay on the bottom. We were able to slide them into turn three or we could roll the middle to the outside. The track was really, really slick and I feel like we were really good in the slick.”

Scelzi led the final handful of laps en route to his third triumph of the season. The win also came during the Morrie Williams Memorial – named in honor of the man who owned the team Scelzi drove for during the 410 races last weekend.

“It was so neat,” he said. “What was so cool about it was Friday, my first night in the car, we led laps and we were really fast. Kyle (Hirst) getting around me was a bummer, but Kyle was in the other Williams car. On Saturday Kyle won the first feature and I won the second. If you wanted to win a race you had to be in a Williams car. It’s something very special and I’ll never forget it.”

QUICK RESULTS –

Oct. 9 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 4 (4).

Oct. 10 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. (360 sprint car) – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 4 (6); Dash: 1 (1); Feature: 2 (1).

Oct. 10 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. (410 sprint car) – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature #1: 9 (8); Feature #2: 1 (11).

SEASON STATS –

59 races, 3 wins, 17 top fives, 29 top 10s, 42 top 15s, 4 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., and Saturday at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo., for the Jason Johnson Classic with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series

BATAVIA, Ohio (October 13, 2020) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is set to cap off the whirlwind 2020 season with one of the most anticipated events of the year. The 40th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship – Presented by Optima Batteries – will take place October 15th-17th, at Portsmouth Raceway Park in Portsmouth, Ohio. The weekend will get underway on Thursday night with preliminary events for the Open Wheel Modifieds. On Friday, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will Hot Lap, Time Trial, and compete in a single set of 15-lap Heat Races. Additionally, the Limited Late Models will have their preliminary events, along with the main event for the Open Wheel Modifieds. A complete program for the Legend Cars is also on tap for Friday night. Saturday’s festivities kick off with a Dirt Racing Outreach Service at 3:30 PM EDT, with hot laps at 6:00 PM EDT, followed by the awards presentations for Eibach Springs Rookie of the Year and National Champion. Consolation events for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series are set to begin at 7:00 PM EDT, followed by the 100-lap, $100,000-to-win Dirt Track World Championship. After that, the Limited Late Models will compete in their 25-lap feature event, followed by the 25-lap, $3,000-to-win Jim Dunn Memorial Non-Qualifiers Race. For more information on the 40th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship – Presented by Optima Batteries, visit: www.thedtwc.com; www.portsraceway.com; or call (740) 354-3278. For fans unable to make it out in person, Friday and Saturday night’s events will go live on LucasOilRacing.tv at 6:00 PM EDT for yearly subscribers.  

(10/10/20) Jim Allen, Hanford, CA …  Kyle Hirst and Dominic Scelzi each drove matching Williams Motorsports team cars to exciting victories in the twin-20 NARC King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Car Series main events in the Morrie Williams Legends Tribute races at Keller Auto Speedway.  Tim Kaeding, on the basis of a second and fourth place finish, was crowned the overall champ of the inaugural event in the Bates/Hamilton Maxim.

Hirst started on the outside of the front row of the first feature and spent the first seven laps tailgating Iowa visitor Austin McCarl.  After mounting a several challenges, Hirst finally managed to motor his way into the lead going down the backstretch a lap later.  However, he had to survive three caution flag restarts and a barrage of attacks by Blake Carrick, 10th starter Sean Becker and Mitchell Faccinto before claiming this hard fought victory.

Carrick actually took the lead away twice, but was unable to make it stick at the flagstand as the four-time King of the West champion kept battled back.  A caution flag on the final lap set the stage for a green-white-checkered shootout.  With the leader running the low groove, Mitchell Faccinto rode the cushion around Hirst to steal away the on the 19th circuit.  The two swapped lines on the final lap and Hirst ended up beating Faccinto to the checkered by a few feet while also making contact with both the front straightaway concrete and Faccinto in a wild finish.  Becker filled out the podium finishers, chased by Tim Kaeding, and Carrick.  Hirst’s 30th career King of the West victory was worth $3000.  Becker was named the Swift Metal Finishing hardcharger.

The second feature was lined up totally inverted based on the finish of the first race.  In this one, Polesitter Ryan Robinson set the standard at the green, leading a freight train that included JJ Ringo, Stephen Ingraham and Craig Stidham.  Robinson grew his advantage to a healthy 12-car lengths as the field sliced and diced for positions behind him.  The caution appeared on lap eight for Sean Watts, which changed the entire dynamic of the race.  Eleventh starter Dominic Scelzi had the fastest car on the track and had already negotiated his way into third behind Tanner Carrick and the leader for the restart.  Scelzi would pick off Carrick four laps later and claimed a drag race down the front to take the top spot away on lap 13.  At that point, Scelzi put his sprint car in cruise control and went on to claim his ninth series win of his career.

Kaeding, who began the second 20-lapper in the 16th spot, methodically worked his way through the field to finish second, ahead of Robinson, Becker, McCarl, and Tanner Carrick.  Kaeding’s effort earned the $400 hardcharger award and ultimately the overall points title for the night, worth another $1000.

McCarl set the standard aboard the Roth Motorsports sprinter to set quick time at 14.573 run around Peter Murphy’s 3/8 mile dirt track.

FUJITSU FEATURE EVENT #1 (20-laps):   Kyle Hirst, Mitchell Faccinto, Sean Becker, Tim Kaeding, Blake Carrick, DJ Netto, Bud Kaeding, Austin McCarl, Dominic Scelzi, Andy Forsberg, Kurt Nelson, Jake Hagopian, Tanner Carrick, Sean Watts, Kyle Offill, Craig Stidham, JJ Ringo, Adam Kaeding, Stephen Ingraham, Ryan Robinson, AJ Bender, Burt Foland Jr.

LAP LEADERS: McCarl 1-7, Hirst 8, B. Carrick 9, Hirst 10-18, Faccinto 19, Hirst 20.

FUJITSU FEATURE EVENT #2 (20-laps):  Dominic Scelzi, Tim Kaeding, Ryan Robinson, Sean Becker, Austin McCarl, Tanner Carrick, DJ Netto, Mitchell Faccinto, Bud Kaeding, Blake Carrick, Andy Forsberg, Stephen Ingraham, Jake Hagopian, Kurt Nelson, JJ Ringo, Kyle Offill, Adam Kaeding, Craig Stidham, Kyle Hirst, AJ Bender, Sean Watts, Burt Foland Jr.

LAP LEADERS: Robinson 1-15, S

Brenda’s article on Stock Eliminator Driver, Bobby Devine was published in the August 28th issue of National Dragster. This is a feel good story and Bobby was excited for his story to be told. An inspiration to many drivers, Bobby’s story is heartfelt and includes how he came to own his car thru the contributions of numerous racers. His story shows what the sport is really about. Brenda is currently working on another article which should be submitted in the coming weeks.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Time Slip

Volume 9, Issue 2

Race Update

October 2020

New England Dragway

With Denver, Brainerd, Topeka and Atlanta cancelled, the race rig headed to New Hampshire to capitalize on Bill’s preplanned vacation time. Since Brenda grew up in NH, it was a great opportunity to visit family, eat lobster, and race.

Arriving in New England, the rig headed north to spend a
few days in Freeport, Maine to enjoy the weather and
wonderful food. After Bill ate his weight in lobsters and
steamers, the rig headed to New England Dragway (NED)
to compete in the Divisional and SportsNationals. As a
teenager, Brenda worked in the tower at NED and watched
her Dad race. Several friends came to the track, along with
Brenda’s Dad. Her Dad was looking forward to watching the Super Stocker run, unfortunately extremely high oil pressure kept the car from competing. Brenda went several rounds at the Divisional race in Stock and lost first round in the SportsNationals. Plans to hit the Bowling Green race on the way home were cancelled due to the hurricane forecast and a broken Super Stocker.

Dallas Double Divisional

The Dallas Double Divisional saw more round wins in Stock and chassis challenges in the Super Stocker. Affectionately named “the problem child”, since putting in the powerful Line motor, a few

chassis challenges continue to plague the car. With the help of Jason Line, the car has a set up to help eliminate tire spin off the line allowing the car to complete the season. Once the season is over, the issue will be addressed; and fixed.

Gator Nationals

The rescheduled Southern Nationals held at the rescheduled Gator Nationals secured a final round finish for Brenda in Stock. Unfortunately, at the start of Sportsman final rounds, the rain came, in buckets. The drivers in each class were given the choice of where to complete their final. Stock will be completed at the Houston National event later this month. This is the second final round for the Stocker at the Gator Nationals. Brenda secured the Stock runner-up at the 2006 event.

Dallas Open & National Event

Houston National Vegas National

Oct 14-18

Oct 23-25

Oct 29- Nov 1

www.BrendaGrubbsMotorsports.com

www.BrendaGrubbsMotorsports.com bdgrubbs@aol.com

October 11, 2020

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team were fast early in Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway but after being involved in some chain-reaction crashes wound up with a 22^nd-place finish.

Sunday’s 109-lap race started in rainy conditions, but the sun soon began to break through. Sensing the rain was ending, crew chief Greg Erwin was among the first to bring his driver in for regular, treadless racing tires.
 
As the track began to dry, DiBenedetto, who started 20^th, was able to motor by his competitors still running grooved rain tires and take third place in the first 25-lap Stage.
 
At the start of Stage Two, DiBenedetto continued to race among the leaders until Lap 34, when he had to stop to avoid contact with Brad Keselowski, his Ford teammate who spun around backwards ahead of him.
 
That evasive move cost him 12 positions and set the pattern for the remainder of the race.
 
One incident damaged the right front of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang. The crew made repairs and got DiBenedetto up to speed only to see the left front damaged in another incident. 
 
DiBenedetto was able to briefly rejoin the top 10 in the third segment of the race, but the incidents on restarts caused him to lose track position he was never able to regain.
 
“We had about everything go wrong,” DiBenedetto said. “We just couldn’t dig ourselves out of the hole we were in. It was just a long, rough day.” 
  
Eddie Wood, who joined his son Jon and brother Len in watching their first race in person since attendance was strictly limited due to the coronavirus, said it was good to be back at a race track.
 
“I wish we’d had a better day,” he said. “We did get some stage points, and Greg made good calls all day, but racing on the Roval is tough.”
 
DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are 15^th in the Cup Series points standings heading into the next race, at Kansas Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

NASCAR CUP SERIES CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT OCTOBER 11, 2020
 CHASE ELLIOTT, CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE SCORES VICTORY AT CHARLOTTETeam Chevy Takes Four of Top-10
CONCORD, NC (October 11, 2020) – Chase Elliott became a back-to-back Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course winner, taking his No. 9 NAPA Auto Part Camaro ZL1 1LE to victory lane at the 61st annual Bank of America ROVAL 400, his third points-paying victory and 19th top-10 finish in 2020. The win, his ninth career victory in 182 starts in NASCAR’s premier series, secured Elliott’s spot into the Round of Eight of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. 
Elliott’s impressive road course streak continues, as the victory made the Hendrick Motorsports’ driver just the 2nd driver in NASCAR history to win four road course races in a row. The victory at the 17-turn, 2.28-mile North Carolina circuit is Chevrolet’s seventh triumph of the season and the manufacturer’s 793rd all-time win in the NASCAR Cup Series. 
The win is the 20th road course victory and 261st all-time win for Hendrick Motorsports, which was also celebrated by Elliott’s teammates William Byron, who finished sixth in his No. 24 Hendrickcars.comCamaro ZL1 1LE, and Alex Bowman, who crossed the line in the eighth position in his No. 88 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 1LE. Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, took the checkered flag in the fourth position, giving Team Chevy four of the top-10 finishers in the race.  Joey Logano (Ford) was second, Erik Jones (Toyota) was third, and Ryan Blaney (Ford) rounded out the top-five finishers of the race. 
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Kansas Speedway with the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday, October 18, at 2:30 PM ET, kicking off the Round of Eight for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Live coverage can be found on NBC, the NBC Sports Gold app, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by our race winner, Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet.           Chase, we’ll start with questions for you.            Q. Do you enter these road courses just knowing that you’re going to have a great car? Do you enter these now with some sort of swagger? Does this success even surprise you? Because it’s so rare to rattle off this many road course wins.CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, no, we definitely don’t show up just expecting to be good. We show up trying to be better than we were last time. I thought we did that today.           I thought our car was better than it was here last year. I thought I was better than I was last year. Didn’t pile drive the barriers this time. That was good. Was able to finish it off the right way, which is always encouraging.           Looking forward to this next round, trying to make some noise.            Q. I think you were 12th at Texas and Kansas. Do you feel like you have improved on your program enough to be able to make some noise?CHASE ELLIOTT: I hope so. 12th certainly isn’t going to cut it. We’ve been working tirelessly to try to improve. Kansas has historically been a decent track for us. We struggled there the first race this year. We know we got to be better. Looking forward to the challenge.            Q. Two years in a row that you’ve had some type of issue about the halfway point of the Roval. Is this going to be a trend having to come from 28th or back to win?CHASE ELLIOTT: Hey, as long as the result stays the same, I don’t really care (laughter). It worked out. We’ll take it for sure. Those bonus points are big, can be a difference maker.           Like I said, just excited to have some momentum going into the next round. Wins are huge. Too hard to get to get picky with them. Looking forward to the opportunity, trying to make some noise and move on.            Q. With the road courses, tying Jeff Gordon, that result, have you talked to Jeff about the road course success? How do you feel in that portion of history with road courses?CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, to be honest, we haven’t talked all about it. I know he had a great run. I think we all respect his career beyond just that. Yeah, just trying to get better.           Jeff is a four‑time champion. We don’t remember him for his four road course victories in a row, although it was great. Being a champion and trying to have the next level of success that he had is certainly a goal. Just trying to improve.            Q. You came down with the loose wheel, you came out 38th or something, pretty far down there. At what point did you feel like you were still going to have a shot to win? Was it immediately you were picking through cars?CHASE ELLIOTT: I mean, you never know, to be honest. I was just focused on trying to move forward. Felt like our car was driving well. Certainly a setback. Got a caution I thought at a really good time, kind of bunched us back up. We had made our way through there some. That kind of allowed us to reset.           I felt like at that point we were in a position that we were kind of back to where we were or close to it with the way the strategy was working out. I felt like we just needed to be smart, try to keep our eyes forward and make the next right call, whatever that was. Putting on tires at the caution or not.           Alan made a great call, called a good race. I had a fast car. Things went our way. That’s all we could ask for.            Q. What is the level of frustration inside the car? You put the blame on yourself last year. This year, not your fault. What happens inside the car that you can rebound from that?CHASE ELLIOTT: It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. The end result is the setback. That’s really the bottom line. Blaming or being upset, as much as sometimes you might want to be, it’s really unproductive.           Looking ahead, those guys weren’t cussing me when I ran through the barrier. I wasn’t going to cuss them for a mistake either. I think we just needed to keep our eyes forward, heads down, focus on trying to get back up front and have a shot to win.            Q. Would you compare your dominance on road courses to Kirby Smart’s defense?CHASE ELLIOTT: They’ve had a nice run, for sure. Yeah, I don’t know. Hard to compare I suppose. Yeah, hope they can have a good game next week.            Q. (Question about the Braves and the Dodgers.)CHASE ELLIOTT: I can’t hardly hear you. Something about the Braves and the Dodgers.           Looking forward to watching for sure. I think they’re going to have to definitely be on their A game. I’m excited to watch.            Q. In the lead‑up to road course events, mentally is your preparation any different than other weeks considering your track record at them or is it the same?CHASE ELLIOTT: It’s honestly not. I feel like we approach every week the same, to be honest. There’s certainly areas that we want to try to improve on all the time. Like I said a minute ago, I don’t think you can just come to these places and be the same as you were last time and expect to have the same results.           I thought our car was better today than last year. I thought I did a better job today than I did last year. I think that’s why we were able to get a good result.            Q. Do you wish there were more road courses in the Playoffs?CHASE ELLIOTT: No, I don’t. I would just like to be good at all the tracks.            Q. You’ve got Texas, Kansas and Martinsville in the next round. Your thoughts on how you are going to perform, make it to the Round of 4?CHASE ELLIOTT: You never know. That’s why we go race, is to find out who wins and who loses. Just excited to have the opportunity. I think it’s going to be a really big challenge for us to move on, as I think it is for everybody in this round, unless you just have a bunch of wins.           I think today’s win is big. Getting those extra five points can be the difference. We just have to bring our A game, push ahead, really try to execute three solid weeks.            Q. What were the conditions like? Did watching what happened yesterday in the Xfinity race put you on edge for what might have come today?CHASE ELLIOTT: For sure. I mean, I was shocked it didn’t rain really at all. Feel like we got really lucky that that didn’t happen in a lot of ways.           Yeah, I tried to be as prepared as I could be for that if it happened. I felt like the biggest challenge today was that transition period when the track was wet, as it was drying out, understanding which areas were still damp and which areas weren’t.           The track kind of has like a sealer to it, when you see a fresh driveway or a big parking lot resealed. It’s kind of like it has that all the time, which makes it dark and kind of hard to differentiate what’s dry and what’s not. That was the biggest challenge, was just understanding where to be, where not to be, trying to stay on the road.            Q. A lot of drivers learn how to go racing schools to be a better road course racer or driving instructors like Boris Said. Where did you learn to drive on road courses?CHASE ELLIOTT: I feel like I’ve done all those things. I remember going to Bondurant out there as a kid, driving Corvettes. I remember going to Spring Mountain and spending a lot of time with Ron Fellows. Boris Said is a friend. I feel like dad was a really good road racer, too. I felt like there’s small things that he’s talked about over the years that have helped me, too.           I don’t know. I feel like I’ve had an opportunity to be around some guys who have really good knowledge. If you can just pick things from everybody, try to take small little tidbits there, small little tidbits there, put it into one effort I think it’s helpful.           I have been fortunate to have some good people to look up to. Still a lot of room for improvement I think on my end, but definitely a good day today. Want to enjoy it.            Q. It can be a bit premature to look ahead to 2021, but how thrilled are you to take on a brand‑new unknown with the Circuit of the Americas?CHASE ELLIOTT: Great question, man. To be honest, I’m so focused on this year right now, whatnot, I haven’t spent a lot of time going through the schedule for next year.           I think it’s a good addition. It’s a nice course out there. I feel like it’s been quite the spectacle from the F1 side. Obviously that’s a whole different ballgame.           Looking forward to going. I think it’s going to bring new challenges and things none of us have ever seen before. I look forward to it, see what happens.            Q. Given the race form that’s been implemented, how have you and crew chief embraced this challenge to keep elevating your performance and now be rewarded with the Round of 8?CHASE ELLIOTT: Just trying to get better. We’ve been fortunate to get to the Round of 8 the last couple years. That’s kind of been our stopping point. For us, we’re just eyes ahead trying to assert ourselves amongst that next group.           We tend to see the same guys make the Final 4 every year, the same group fighting for those spots. I think for us, we’re very capable of asserting ourselves amongst them. We just have to be a little better, a little more consistent, eliminate those bad racetracks, and I think we can run with whoever when we’re at our best. I’ve said that before. I really believe it. I’m looking forward to the opportunity and ready to move on.            Q. You’ve talked about the people that you’re around, good road racers that you’ve learned from, the schools. You’ve always been very smooth on the road courses. Has that been a natural for you? Did you ever struggle with the road courses when you first began?CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, I honestly don’t know. I didn’t feel like we did very spectacular on the Xfinity side when I ran over there. I feel like my first year in Cup, we didn’t run all that good on road courses. It wasn’t like it hasn’t been a work in progress. We’ve just been trying to chip away at it, get better. I think we have a package that works at some of these racetracks pretty good. We just try to improve that.           Like I said, I’m not sure that you can just do the same thing every time and get the same results. I think we improved today from where we were last year. I try to make my craft a little better, minimize mistakes. We were fortunate that things were in our favor today.            Q. Through today’s victory and being strong in the Playoffs, is there anything you feel you need to improve on as you inch closer to the Championship 4? What do you think your chances are of being in the Championship 4?CHASE ELLIOTT: Like I said, we made the Round of 8 the last couple years. That’s a great thing. That’s a great achievement. But we always want more. Like I said a minute ago, too, we see the same people make the Final 4 every year. We’ve been very close to asserting ourselves amongst that group. I think we’re very capable of it. I think when we’re at our best, we run with those guys. I think we’ve proved that in the past.           We just have to be a little more consistent, eliminate those bad racetracks, I think we can make some noise.            THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Chase. Congratulations on the win today and good luck with the Round of 8 starting next week in Kansas.            CHASE ELLIOTT: Cool, thanks.
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet.              We’ll get started with questions.            Q. Do you have something for road courses? Is there something you do that Chase takes advantage of that isn’t able to be replicated now by anybody, including your teammates?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, I think it’s him. I think we have Chase Elliott. That’s the difference. He’s really, really good. Yeah, I don’t know what else to say.              I think his performances speak for themselves.            Q. You were 12th at both Texas and Kansas earlier this year. Do you feel like you’ve gotten better? How much better will you need to be to have a shot at Martinsville to advance without a must‑win situation?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, both races were disappointing for us. I think we were slightly better than that at Texas, if you look at kind of average run, speed, whatever. We didn’t get great finishes either place. We just weren’t very good at Kansas which was extremely disappointing because that’s historically a pretty good track for us, a track that we enjoy going to race at, have had success in the past.              I think we have to be top five every stage and every finish. That’s the only way you’re going to get through that, or win. It just comes down to the number 4, right? You need to be really, really close to that or on that every time points are offered.            Q. This is the fourth year that the 9 car made it to the Round of 8. You guys have been good, but you haven’t gotten to the final step yet. What does it take to get you through this round? Where do you think this team ranks with the last three, four years?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, I feel like there’s always ifs and buts. I feel like there’s certainly a couple times that I think we could have advanced. Last year was pretty disastrous for us with the Martinsville parts failures and the issue with the tire failure at Phoenix.              Phoenix has been tough on us. That fall race for whatever reason, we were in a position to win it a few years back, spin on pit road. Had some trials and tribulations there.              Yeah, we got to find a way to get through. Certainly, winning one of these three, or as I mentioned before, running at the sharp end of the spear, is going to be what it takes. I think we can do it.              We’ve progressively gotten better and better and better. I think we were much better than our results showed last year, our performance in the Round of 8 showed last year. We just had really, really bad rounds.              Yeah, I think we can do it. We’re going to work really hard to do it. We have great support behind us. Everybody at HMS is doing a great job. Greg and Alex did a great job getting through. We have two with a shot to make it through. Certainly, we’d like to get them both through.            Q. Are you a Final 4 team?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, I think so.            Q. After watching yesterday’s Xfinity race, seeing the rain, what was going through your mind as far as planning for today’s race? Do you feel your car would have been just as good in the rain if it would have continued all day?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Man, it’s tough. That’s a tough one. I watched that race yesterday. I saw everybody making some error at some point in time that was detrimental to their finish. A.J. spun, Briscoe spun. Everybody who ran at the front had some type of issue. The 9 spun, the 7 spun. Everybody did.              If we were racing in that sort of downpour, the way the water can puddle, the way things can happen, it’s just really random.              No, I can’t tell you with any confidence that we could have performed the same way in those conditions. I don’t know that anybody can, to be honest with you. I think it’s just super tough circumstances I felt. I felt for those guys yesterday, for sure.            Q. Where do you feel the team’s weaknesses are right now that you need to improve on going into this next round?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, it’s just always the same things. You have to have faster cars, bring faster cars to the track, have faster pit stops, execute the race better. All the above. You just always are continuously trying to improve those areas. Certainly, never satisfied.              I don’t feel like there’s a glaring weakness in our team. I don’t feel like we have something that we can’t overcome. You just have to continuously improve. We have to have our four best races these last four races. That’s kind of what it comes down to. We have to operate at our maximum potential. Certainly, we’ll try to improve and do the best we can.              Right now, it’s probably about getting 100% of what you’ve got. The teams are going to be in a position that I think it’s going to be more about execution than developing something or coming up with some more performance.            Q. It wasn’t the smoothest of days, as you had the loose wheel. What was going through your mind at that point?ALAN GUSTAFSON: It certainly wasn’t good. We couldn’t take a chance on it. We had to protect our position in the Playoffs first and foremost. That weighed pretty heavy on us all day long. I think some of our early performance was, or lack of performance, based on us trying to protect that position.              We need a little better situational awareness in that case and shouldn’t have had that happen. That goes back to something that we’ve got to execute on and improve.              I was just trying to get video of it to know if I had to come back down. I should have just come right away. It took too long. You don’t get too many opportunities, the caution laps are so long, you get one shot to pit and then you’re coming to the green. That was a little bit of a rough patch, but everybody kept their wits about them and overcame it.            Q. You won a protest last week that gained you a lot of spots. How surprised were you to win a protest? How much did that impact any of your strategy or preparation for today?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, yes, yes on all accounts. I was disappointed we got penalized, for sure. I feel like if you watch that race over, that Chase threw the least amount of blocks and impeded anybody’s progress the least of any car on the track. Never once threw a block when he was leading, never once put anybody in a dangerous situation. Then when we get the penalty, I was kind of dumbfounded.              The 17 made a pretty aggressive move to the bottom. Certainly, yeah, we can probably slam on the brakes or crash him. I don’t feel like it’s good to put the drivers in a position where they have to decide if they want to take a penalty or they want to send a fellow competitor through the infield.              I was disappointed in the penalty. I was very appreciative of the way that NASCAR was willing to review it, the fact that they overturned it. Everybody has their opinions and their sides of the story. I feel like it was pretty obvious once you watched enough replays to see how that all transpired. We certainly didn’t deserve to lose all those points.              Yeah, as far as does it impact the way we come here? Certainly. That was a lot. I don’t remember exactly, but I think it was 16 points or something. Yes, it definitely impacted the way we came here.            Q. Does the Hendrick Motorsport track attack program help the organization on road courses at all or are they completely unrelated to what you do?ALAN GUSTAFSON: I’m not really sure what they do, so I can’t answer that question really.            Q. Does anything feel different this year about Chase specifically as a driver? Do you sense any more confidence from him?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, I think the experience, the trials and tribulations, the successes and failures, they all cumulatively add up.              He’s a great driver. He’s a really, really intelligent person. The more opportunity he has to race and go through these situations, compete and win, yeah, he’s just going to get better and better. I think with that brings some confidence.              There’s nothing quite like living through the different circumstances and the pressure of having to race your way in or having to protect a lead to get in. All that stuff’s really unique and really tough to manage. I think the more you go through it, the better you get.            Q. How does one go about an at‑track appeal? How do you make that happen at Talladega?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Well, that’s interesting. The way it transpired, I knew from Dustin Shoulders, my race engineer back at the shop, I asked him where we started. He typically calculates the starting positions for us. He told me he couldn’t give me the exact starting position because the results were under review, which I understood, as chaotic as it was.              I saw on the front straightaway we were very close to the line. I couldn’t see from my perspective if we crossed the line.              Long story short, I never heard anything, didn’t know. We were waiting on pit road to go through inspection. I was watching the Jumbotron. It had us only 20 something points above the cut line. I was like, there’s no way, there’s some bad math, but that’s really bad math.              I went to TV and they told me we were last on the lead lap. At that point in time I told Jeff Andrews, started calling everybody I knew saying, Man, we got to do something with this because that’s not right.              Jeff did a great job of knowing who to see, what to do. That’s all him. He took care of it from there.               THE MODERATOR: Alan, thanks for joining us. Good luck as the Round of 8 starts next week.               ALAN GUSTAFSON: Thank you, appreciate it.                

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 TRACKER Off Road/Bass Pro Shops/E-Z-GO Chevrolet Team Fight Their Way to Top-20 Finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL But Come Up Just Short of Advancing in the NASCAR Playoffs

19th   6th  9th

“We tried our hardest, but nothing fell our way today on this No. 3 TRACKER Off Road/Bass Pro Shops/E-Z-GO Chevrolet team. We were looking pretty good at the end of Stage 1. We took tires and got to fifth by the end of the stage, but an unlucky caution happened and that cycled us. We knew we were dead meat at that point because we didn’t have dry tires on, so we pitted at the end of Stage 1 to try and jump some people. That backfired on us because we had to go to the tail end of the line since pit road wasn’t open. We just had a lot of stuff happen to us today. Again, a caution fell late in Stage 2 while we were running 12th. We had no help from cautions. The race just didn’t play our way. I’m actually pretty happy with our performance as far as my road course racing has been. I feel like I’ve improved. I raced hard all day. We finished 19th, and that shows some progress. I think if we would have been up further in the field and had track position, we would have maintained just fine. I’m proud of this team, and even though we are no longer in the NASCAR Playoffs, we still have several races to go in the season and will do our best to get another win. We’re already looking forward to next season.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Team Earn Hard-Fought 12th-Place Finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL

12th   16th   19th

“Every time I come to a road course, I grow as a driver. We had a great No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet today, and I want to thank my team for working with me all day long. It wasn’t an easy day, but we all kept with it and improved throughout the race. It took a little bit of Stage 1 to re-familiarize myself with the course, so I spent a lot of that stage being careful to not overstep and wreck. After a pit stop and adjustment during the second stage, I was able to rotate a lot better all throughout the track, which helped me gain a lot of traction on the field. We had a couple cautions fall later during the race that helped us with some track position a little bit, overall, it was a really good effort by my No. 8 team today. They kept with it and remained patient with me throughout the day, while relaying information on areas of the track to continue to work on. I definitely learned more about this track today and will put that in the notebook for next year.” -Tyler Reddick

NASCAR CUP SERIES CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT OCTOBER 11, 2020 KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference and discussed the weather and challenges of today’s race at the Charlotte ROVAL, upcoming races at Kansas, Texas, and Martinsville, mentoring his future teammate, Ross Chastain, and more. Full Transcript: IF YOU’RE GOING TO WIN THIS CHAMPIONSHIP, IT WILL BE YOUR SECOND TITLE, 16 YEARS APART. IF YOU EMERGE WITH THIS, IS IT YOUR BEST CASE FOR THE HALL OF FAME?“I feel like you’re going to have to win out in this Round of 8 and the championship race in Phoenix. This group, the elite eight, that will make it, are the best of the best; and can win each and every week. And so, with Kansas not being one of my best tracks, but it is a 1.5-mile, where we have won twice at Chip Ganassi Racing. Texas is a 1.5-mile that we’ve been very good at. And Martinsville has been a nice surprise since I switched to Ganassi. I’ve been running much better with the balance of the car that they have there. And then with Phoenix, if we can get there, that would be huge. It would give me an opportunity to win the championship for Chip Ganassi Racing, my second title. Those things and Hall of Fame talk will all handle itself after my racing career is done. I just keep plugging away and adapting. I’ve got a great sponsor with Monster Energy to help. YOU HAVE NOT WON AT KANSAS. HOW CAN YOU PULL THIS OFF?“It’s been a tough track for me. I’ve got a couple of second place finishes, I believe. And one of them was a set-up that (Kevin) Harvick happily agreed (laughs) to run when we were running with Furniture Row. We were at RCR together. And, that’s what it takes. It takes that comradery and balance of teamwork and also pushing the envelope. Kansas is one of those very aero-dependent tracks. And so, you’ve got to be on top of your game with the aero side of it to win there.” LOOKING AT THE CONDITIONS TODAY, THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF RAIN. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND AT WHAT POINT DO YOU SAY WE CAN’T KEEP DOING THIS AND WE NEED TO STOP?“We had the Daytona Road Course a month or so ago and I didn’t even send my motor home down there as far as pre-race or normal sequence, because I’m like, we have rain tires. We’re going to race. And so today, yeah, this is a little bit different with battling remnants of a hurricane. And if it’s consistent light rain, we’re good to go. If we have our downpours, we’re going to have to red flag the race. I think NASCAR learned a lot watching the Xfinity guys and calling that race. It’s still, again, whatever it takes to adapt and to be there to win. That’s what I’m doing today. I’m ready to race no matter if we’re hydroplaning or if the sun comes out and we’ve got to switch to the dry (tires). You’ve got to be ready for any condition change.” HOW MUCH IS YOUR MINDSET IMPACTED BY THE FACT THAT YOU KNOW YOU’RE GOING TO BE IN THE ROUND OF 8 REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS TODAY?“Yeah, I’m on easy street. Me and Denny (Hamlin) might be the happiest guys to talk to. Harvick is probably pretty good in points. This race was positioned on the calendar for this reason; to be a cutoff and to create all the anxiety and all of this stress. And so that’s what that win at Vegas did for us at Chip Ganassi Racing is that it gave us an ease of operation today; and hopefully that loose, fluid feel will stay with us and we’ll make the right calls to win this.” YOU SEEM TO BE A PRETTY HAPPY GUY RIGHT NOW. WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE KURT BUSCH AT THIS STAGE IN YOUR LIFE?“Just racing with Chip Ganassi Racing and a great sponsor with Monster Energy and a manufacturer with Chevrolet, and the teamwork. The team comradery is a different element for me now. I love to teach young engineers and young crew members how to evolve in this sport and to do it at a championship level. And so just being older and wiser, and still having that passion and that drive to adapt to the new technology and the new ways of winning, that’s something that my father instilled in me, that work ethic, from a young age. And with my wife, Ashley, she loves sport. She’s an athlete herself. And her support and her love has been a new direction for me these last five years.” ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MENTORSHIP YOU’LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TO ROSS CHASTAIN, YOUR NEW TEAMMATE NEXT SEASON?“Yeah, that will be a big part of how this season concludes and how the off-season progresses, and preparations for next year. Ross Chastain is a good kid. He’s worked hard. And he’s gone through some setbacks and he continues to persevere. And he’s put himself in position for a top tier ride at the NASCAR level. So, I feel like it’s a perfect fit to help mentor him, and to coach him, and to give to a driver that I think will have a long career in this sport.” YOU MENTIONED WHAT NASCAR LEARNED FROM THE XFINITY RACE LAST NIGHT. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THAT AND WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?“This track, even when it’s dry, is like a bull in a china shop. It’s a big heavy stock car with all this horsepower and there are tons of braking zones and tons of turning in and trying to accelerate. And the tires will only handle so much. Sprinkle in the rain, with the rain tires with having hardly any data at all; and then watching the race, you know how there were these slick areas of the track. There was water standing in certain spots that you have to avoid; the treachery of the oval section, it looked like. And our cars have way more horsepower than the Xfinity cars. We have the possibility of looping it on the oval if we’re not careful. Today will be one of the most historic days of NASCAR, with racing these big, heavy cars on a road course; and this isn’t just a normal road course. This is a ROVAL. So, there are lots of things to watch out for and hopefully we protect our car to put it in position to win it.” WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE HARDEST PART ABOUT TODAY’S RACE?“I think the toughest part will be visibility. Our cars generate a lot of heat. And the windshields are prepped as best as they can be, but this is our first time. And throughout Chip Ganassi Racing, we’ve relied heavily on the IndyCar guys to help us. Common sense is the key, as well. But then there are so many areas that these cars aren’t sealed off and I think visibility will be tough with the windshield wiper and the mist and the rooster tail from the other cars; and just how the water gathers in certain spots at this track. And also, the radar. The radar looks relentless right now. It’s not giving up. And so, we’ll see how that plays out.”

Fifth win for GTLM leaders, sixth for first-year Chevrolet Corvette C8.R

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Oct. 11, 2020) – Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor’s charmed season continued Saturday as they claimed another victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a victory in their No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Garcia passed John Edwards for the lead with 21 minutes left and held on despite a late-race caution on a tricky and treacherous night at the Roval – the first time for Corvette Racing at the venue.. The duo extended their GTLM Drivers’ Championship lead to 24 points over their Corvette Racing teammates Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin, who finished fourth in the No. 4 Corvette C8.R.  Chevrolet also saw its lead grow in the Manufacturers standings to 14 points. Garcia and Taylor have now won five of eight races this year and four of the last five in the first year of the mid-engine Corvette C8.R. Taylor began on pole position Saturday for the second consecutive race, but conditions were much different at the green flag with a steady rain having pelted the track since mid-afternoon. The first 16 minutes featured two full-course cautions, and both Corvettes came in at 20 minutes running for fuel, tires and driver changes – Taylor to Garcia and Gavin to Milner.  On the restart, Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette ran second while Milner made a big move on the inside of the first corner to move from fourth to third. He fell back a few laps later before the track began to dry somewhat, and the Corvettes grew stronger during a long-green flag run. It culminated with Garcia moving in front with a move on Edwards to the inside of Turn 8 just before the infield section rejoined the banked oval part of the track. Garcia pulled away quickly and led by as much as five seconds a handful of laps later. Milner, too, was making a charge back to podium position before part of the No. 4 Corvette’s right-rear suspension broke with 11 minutes remaining. Milner went hard into the outside wall but got out of the car under his own power and later was evaluated and released from the infield care center. The race began again with five minutes to go, and Garcia pulled out to a one-second lead with a lap to go and rain falling again. He crossed the finish line with a 1.474-second margin of victory. Corvette Racing heads back to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for next week’s 10-hour Petit Le Mans on Oct. 15-17.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – RACE WINNER: “It was super, super stressful. Even if it felt like I was just following the 24, I was really hanging on. I probably crashed four or five times, just like everyone else. Jordan gave me some very good indications before he jumped out and before we went green to give me confidence in following the BMW. They were really strong right away, but I didn’t really give up. As soon as I felt like we stabilized on lap times, I kept pressuring him and using traffic to close up. They were very strong as you saw with their sister car. As soon as I saw they were struggling a little bit with tires – especially the 24 – I stayed patient even when the 25 was coming. I saw my opportunity and went for it. I don’t know if it was risky move or not, but at that point I didn’t think about the championship. I wanted to win the race. As soon as I got past, I put my head down, tried to open a gap and it worked. I’m very happy for Corvette Racing and Team Chevy. I’m glad Tommy is OK. We have a very fast car but also a very safe car. That’s a magnificent combination of car here. It’s great to be driving for the best team out there and keep winning races. We need to keep this mentality and go all the way to the end.” DID THE TRACK IMPROVE FROM THE START? “The first two laps was close to how we finish. It was very difficult at the beginning. There was a massive river going across at Turn Three, and I almost lost it two or three times there. The conditions definitely improved, but lap by lap you know where to place your car, and following someone opens the water a little bit for you. Once we got into a rhythm, the track improved for sure but it started to rain at the end. Being in the wet in the dark also makes it difficult to spot standing water.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – RACE WINNER: “At the beginning of the race, there obviously was a lot of water on the track, and with the lighting it was hard to see where the standing water was. Considering our championship position, it was kind of damage control for me, trying to stay on the track and handing off the car in one piece. It was easy to get caught up in battling with people at that point of the race, but there was really no point. You weren’t going to win the race in the first 20 or 30 minutes. I was glad to get through that phase and hand over the car to Antonio and let him go for it. He did a great job of keeping the car out of the wall for those first few laps and putting the pressure on the BMW. We would have been happy leaving here with a podium given the championship position with three races to go. But he kept the pressure on, never put a wheel wrong and was able to get by. It’s really awesome to maximize the points when we didn’t expect it. We can go into the last three races and race for the win, as well. It’s another great day for Corvette Racing. It’s good to see that Tommy walked away from that big hit at the end. It says a lot about Chevrolet and Corvette Racing and how safe they build the race cars and how strong they are. It give us a lot of confidence when we strap in that we’re going to be safe.” ROLE OF THE CHEVROLET SIMULATOR IN RACE PREP: “If it wasn’t for the simulator, we probably wouldn’t have been able to put it on the pole and been able to stay out of trouble like that. So the simulator was a big tool for us. I’m glad this all worked out.” LOOKING TO PETIT LE MANS: “We’re already thinking about it. It’s at the top of Antonio’s list of races to win. The focus has already shifted. The guys are driving to Atlanta tomorrow to prep the cars, but unfortunately they’ll have a lot to prep on the 4 car. We did a test day there last week where Nicky (Catsburg) and Marcel (Fassler) were able to get some laps. At the Six-Hour, we struggled with a few things and I think we found a few things at the test for some long runs and working on the different compounds of tires. This weekend was good to get in some mixed conditions. We haven’t had a lot of rain and mixed conditions in a race setting other than Road America. It was good to get a bit of everything. Now no matter what we see at Petit Le Mans, we feel pretty well prepared.” DID THE ADDITIONAL INFIELD LIGHTING HELP? “Yes, we tested here about a month ago and the lighting was pretty difficult to see where you were going. They’ve definitely made some nice improvements. If it had been a dry race, the visibility would have been great. When you add in the water with the type of surface they have here, it’s very reflective when there’s a lot of water on it. It’s hard to distinguish what’s a damp section and what’s a deep section. It’s hard to pick out what’s what at night. It took some getting used to, but it probably made a good show on TV. It looked pretty spectacular when I got out and watched all the headlights reflecting off everything. This was definitely a cool event, and I’m glad we were able to win the first one back here.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FOURTH: “This whole weekend has been a massive challenge. The format of this race and the way it has happened made for some quite difficult sessions. Then you add in the extra element of the weather conditions, it just seemed like it was culminating in somewhat of a bit of a perfect storm for us. The  start of the race for me was crazy. There were massive amounts of standing weather everywhere. I was just hanging on, just driving the car around and trying not to crash. I had multiple moments every single lap thinking well I could finish the race by doing something daft, so I just got myself into a position where I could sort of survive. Others were spinning off and crashing, and we ended up in third when we came in for the pit stop and hand it over for Tommy to drive. It was looking okay for awhile and Tommy had pretty good pace. Then we had the issue at the right-rear. We still are trying to figure out what exactly happened. It just seems if something can go wrong, it will go wrong for us unfortunately. But I am very happy Tommy was able to walk away. It was a pretty high-speed accident so that’s a great testament to the guys at Chevrolet and Corvette for how well they’ve engineering the road car and the race car. That was a really big hit and Tommy was able to walk away on his own. And of course I’m happy for Jordan and Antonio in picking up another win. It’s another positive outcome for the team.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FOURTH: “I didn’t have any indication at any point that there was something going wrong. Everything felt totally normal up until it wasn’t. I had almost finished on the banking, which is more G-loading than Daytona. It doesn’t really explain the problem, it seems like. At first I thought I lost a tire, like it just overheated or something like that for how quickly it went around. The first indications were that wasn’t the case. The track had some pretty gnarly weeps in the seams of the race track that would get you a little bit loose sometimes, but it was never really a huge deal. Upon further inspection it looks like once the car got back to the trucks, we did have something at the right-rear and the wheel came off. Fortunately this is a really strong and safe Corvette that we have and it held up really well. Selfishly I’m glad it is nothing I did wrong, but that doesn’t change the outcome. There is still a lot of work for the guys to get the car fixed and get ready to go to Petit Le Mans in less than a week. I feel bad for the guys for the amount of work they have to do. Obviously the first thing we do as a team is figure out what the failure is, how it happened and make the necessary changes to prevent that from happening again. The guys will go through that in the next couple of days and come up with a good plan.”In the last part there, I don’t know if it was the BMW kind of fading or us getting better. I got a little bit unlucky at the start of my stint with traffic. I got balked pretty bad there going into Turn One and had a little moment and the No. 25 got around me. We knew that was going to be a big deal here. It seemed like the car was getting better toward the end. Once Antonio got around the No. 24, he was able to pull away with a little bit of a gap. I was just trying to put  a little pressure on the two cars in front of me and see if we could make them make a mistake again to get around. Passing is very difficult here, but it never quite got to that point unfortunately for us. It just wasn’t our day today. I felt like we had a pretty good car. We were fast in practice and it looked like we were making decent progress at the end, but we never got there.”

Alvaro Parente, Misha Goikhberg recover from qualifying crash to finish fifth
Late-race contact drops Acura of Mario Farnbacher and Matt McMurry to seventh

CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 10, 2020) – The #57 Heinricher Racing with MSR pair of Alvaro Parente and Misha Goikhberg led the way for Acura tonight with a fifth-place finish in a rain-impacted sprint contest on the “Roval” at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The 100-minute, GT-only sprint race, is the shortest on the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule, and the second of two GT-only rounds. Changing weather conditions throughout qualifying and Saturday night’s race contributed to multiple incidents on the 2.32-mile road course.

A crash in qualifying left Parente and Goikhberg 12th on the starting grid for the GTD field. Starting driver Goikhberg survived an early-race spin without contact and brought the #57 Acura NSX GT3 Evo up to ninth before pitting and handing the driving duties over to Parente. For his part, Parente made additional gains in the final hour, and took the checkers in fifth.

Teammates, and championship leaders, Matt McMurry and Mario Farnbacher started third and quickly moved up to second with McMurry at the wheel of the Meyer Shank Racing Acura. Typically-quick pit work from their Meyer Shank Racing crew saw Farnbacher emerge from the only scheduled stop of the night in the lead.

Late in the race, Farnbacher lost the GTD lead and served a brief stop-and-go penalty for missing the chicane, then was the victim of contact from Jack Hawksworth that sent the #86 Acura spinning, and an unrepresentative seventh-place result.

Despite tonight’s result, Farnbacher and McMurry still lead the GTD Drivers’ Championship standings with 200 points to 196 for Aaron Telitz, Pat Long and Ryan Hardwick [a three-way tie]. Acura is second in the GTD Manufacturers’ title chase, three points out of first, with three races remaining.

A strong seventh-place qualifying effort from Gradient Racing’s Till Bechtolshiemer came to naught, as the #22 Acura pilot spun exiting Turn One following an early-race restart, and made solid contact with the barriers. The resulting damage ended the race for Bechtolshiemer and co-driver Marc Miller.

Next
The Meyer Shank racing team will next be in action next weekend, October 17, at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the Petit Le Mans 10-hour endurance race. Contesting only the shorter, Sprint Cup rounds on the schedule, Gradient Racing will return to competition for the November 1 Monterey Sports Car Championship event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

Acura Team Penske
IMSA’s Prototype category was not a part of this weekend’s race at Charlotte, which featured the GTD and GTLM classes only. The Acura Team Penske ARX-05s will return to the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the next weekend’s Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Oct. 10, 2020) – Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor won another round in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday with a victory in their No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Garcia passed John Edwards for the lead with 21 minutes left and held on despite a late-race caution. The duo extended their GTLM Drivers’ Championship lead to 24 points over their Corvette Racing teammates Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin, who finished fourth in the No. 4 Corvette C8.R. Chevrolet also saw its lead grow in the Manufacturers standings to 14 points.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – RACE WINNER: “It was very stressful right away. The BMWs were really fast when there was a ton of standing water. But the C8.R ran again perfectly in the end. I got up to the 24 and he started to lose pace. We gained some time and I saw my chance. He was struggling with tires, but so was I. I stayed calm and knew the section at Turn Five, Six and Seven was going to be my chance. As soon as he made a little mistake, I went for it, kept my head down and it’s another victory for Corvette Racing.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It wasn’t easy. It was the same for everyone in that situation. For us leading the championship, it was all about minimal risk at that point. You weren’t going to win the race in those 20 or 30 minutes. It’s all going to be about survival, handing off the car to Antonio and waiting for it to dry out. Thankfully it did, the track conditions came to our Corvette, and Antonio never put a foot wrong to bring home another win. It’s an amazing year for the new C8.R and we’re going to Petit Le Mans with some nice momentum. Six wins for a brand new car, no one would have ever expected this. Hats off to Corvette Racing. I’m sorry to see what happened to the No. 4 car, but I was glad to see Tommy get out.”

31st    12th  9th

“What a crazy race today at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. I’ve never raced a stock car in such wet conditions, and it definitely made for an interesting day in the No. 21 Ruedebusch.com Chevrolet. We started out the race 12th and drove up and won Stage 1, which was really cool. That was my first Stage win. I feel like we had a lot for these guys today, and they all certainly knew that we were there. Unfortunately, at the beginning of Stage 2 we caught a puddle the wrong way and ended up catching the wall at the wrong angle, which broke a bit of the suspension. That eventually ended our day. I hate it for everyone at RCR, because I really wanted to end the year on a strong note. However, I think we can leave the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL with our heads held high. We earned a Stage win and we were a solid contender for the win. It wasn’t our day, unfortunately, but I’m hopeful for the future and appreciate everyone’s support.”-Kaz Grala

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Oct. 10, 2020) – Jordan Taylor captured his second consecutive pole position Saturday afternoon ahead of tonight’s 100-minute, GT-only race for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Taylor set a best time of 1:14.278 (112.442 mph) in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R that he shares with Antonio Garcia in the 15-minute session for GT Le Mans (GTLM) competitors. It was Taylor’s third pole of the season – Sebring and Mid-Ohio were the others – as he and Garcia look to extend their GTLM Drivers Championship lead. Oliver Gavin was the early pace-setter in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R before a red-flag stoppage halted his momentum. He will start the race fifth and shares his Corvette with Tommy Milner; they sit second in GTLM points heading into tonight. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s race at Charlotte is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET on Saturday with live television coverage on NBCSN and live streaming via TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold. In addition, IMSA Radio will broadcast the race on IMSA.com, which also will host live timing and scoring. The race also will air on XM channel 202 and SiriusXM Online 972.

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “It was a stressful session. Everyone was kind of waiting and knowing that it was only going to take a couple of laps to maximize the tires and then you have a small drop-off. Most everyone was waiting toward the end to go out. We waited one or two minutes and then the red flag came out on our first timed laps. It was very poor timing for us. The 4 car had put in a quick lap; putting a heat cycle in a tire like that can take a knock on the performance. No one knew what they had going back out. Our Corvette performed really well. We haven’t done much light-fuel running; most of it has been race prep. So it really came alive. It’s been good all weekend no matter if it’s dry or wet, so whatever the weather brings tonight, we should be alright.” DIFFICULTY OF MANAGING THE CHANGING CONDITIONS: “It’s tricky, especially here at the Roval. There is no room for error. Everyone has been talking coming into the weekend how it feels like a street course and you’re on the edge everywhere. When you mix in rain and those conditions being on slick tires, it makes it pretty hectic. This morning’s practice gave us a little bit of a warm-up for the race to get an idea of what it will be like. It’ll definitely be tricky. With it being only 100 minutes, I still think it will be about execution and minimizing mistakes to maintain track position. I’m happy that we have the pole and can have some clear track at the beginning and hopefully control it from there.” DO YOU WANT IT TO FULLY RAIN, FULLY DRY OR IS THE CAR IS GOOD IN THE MIXED CONDITIONS? “I think any driver, and they may not admit it, is a little stressed if it’s a little rainy or mixed. I think our Corvette suits all the conditions pretty well. As a driver, I’d rather it either rain or be dry to minimize the risk of being out on slicks in mixed conditions. We had a little bit of running this morning to understand what it would be like. Thankfully the track grip level is pretty good in those conditions, so it should be an interesting race no matter what we see.” DO YOU EXPECT THE TRACK TO CHANGE MUCH AFTER THE XFINITY RACE? “I think everyone has a big question mark of what it’s going to be like. We haven’t run after Goodyear has put rubber down on a track in awhile, so no one knows what to expect. The difference from last night when we were putting our own Michelin rubber down to this morning when it was all washed away, the track was completely different. When you mix the rain with two different types of rubber, it’ll be something new to learn as well.”

It’s hailed as the greatest Ford motorsport spectacle EVER and it returns to Beech Bend Raceway Park in 2021. The Holley NMRA Ford Nationals will once again complete its season with the blowout bash known as the NMRA World Finals + Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival the weekend of September 30 thru October 3, 2021. The NMRA World Finals + Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival combines NMRA championship drag racing, QA1 True Street, and the UPR Products Car Show together with the biggest party in the Ford world including celebrity drifting and special appearances, Grand Champion competition, autocross, legendary burnout contests, and much more. This destination event is a must-attend festival for any Ford or Mustang fan with record-breaking action and the biggest crowds.

“Our partnership with Holley has been awesome feeding off each other’s energy and excitement to bring NMRA and Holley events to another level. Holley’s been a great partner and the record-breaking attendance proves it,” said Rollie Miller, General Manager and National Event Director of the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals. “Beech Bend Raceway’s been NMRA’s home for over 20 years and it’s the perfect location and facility to host the biggest and baddest race on our schedule.” NMRA kicks off its season in grandeur with the Spring Break Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park the weekend of March 4-7. The tour heads north to Atlanta Dragway (Commerce, GA) April 8-11 for the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals. The new home of the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing is World Wide Technology Raceway (Madison, IL) as the team challenge continues May 13-16! In a glorious move for 2021, the NMRA Ford Nationals makes its return to the legendary Summit Motorsports Park (Norwalk, OH) the weekend of June 10-13. US 131 Motorsports Park is once again on the schedule with the NMRA/NMCA Power Festival, going down July 22-25. Racers and fans have a two months to prepare for the finale at Beech Bend Raceway September 30th thru October 3rd with the NMRA World Finals + Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival.

October 9, 2020

With their deal to keep Matt DiBenedetto in the 21 for ’21 signed and sealed, the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team now turns its attention to the Roval, the part-road course, part oval-track layout at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 will be contested on the three-year-old layout, a 2.28-mile course that features 17 turns. In it’s first two races, the Roval has seen a 14-car crash in the inaugural event in 2018 and four multi-car crashes last year plus one caution in which the eventual winner ran into a tire barrier. 

That brief history has caused the race to be considered a “wild card” event, but it’s one that DiBenedetto looks at as an opportunity to excel.
 
He’s yet to compete on the Roval in the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang, but he ran well there for two previous teams, with finishes of 11^th and 13^th. And he had finishes of sixth and fourth last season on the road courses at Watkins Glen and Sonoma before joining the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team.
 
“I love road racing,” he said. “The Roval is always cool and challenging. Not much room for error there.”
 
DiBenedetto, who will start 20^th on Sunday, also is thinking about a potential wild card within a wild card brought about by the uncertainty surrounding the possible path taken by the remnants of Hurricane Delta. That could mean continuing the race in the rain, with rain tires and windshield wipers employed.
 
“I think it would be interesting if rain gets thrown in the mix since it’s possible in the forecast,” he said.

There will be no practice or qualifying prior to the start of Sunday’s 109-lap, 252.88-mile race. The green flag is expected just after 2:30 p.m., with TV coverage on NBC.
 

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CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA OCTOBER 11, 2020

ROVAL: RACE #32The anticipation and unpredictability heightens as the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) has reached the elimination race for the Round of 12 of the NCS Playoffs. NASCAR’s premier series makes its third visit of the season to its hometown track for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET. The event marks the third time in NASCAR history the series has held a race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. Located in Concord, North Carolina, the 2.28-mile road course is comprised of 17-turns, combining the track’s high-banked oval with a road course through the infield. The 109-lap, 248.52-mile race around the North Carolina circuit marks the 32nd race on the NCS schedule and the last chance for Playoff drivers to secure their spots into the Round of Eight of the NCS Playoffs.
The action-packed weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course also features a Saturday doubleheader with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series for the Drive for the Cure 250 gets underway on Saturday, October 10, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Playoff implications are on the line as the 67-lap, 155.3-mile event will be the first-round cutoff race for the series, reducing the Playoff field from 12 to eight drivers. In addition, for the first time in the series’ history, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series will make its debut at the ROVAL for a 100-minute race under the lights Saturday evening, October 10, at 8:00 p.m. ET.
A limited number of fans will be allowed to enjoy the action in-person for both the Saturday and Sunday events, adhering to all safety measures and protocols in place. With approval for up to seven-percent capacity for outdoor sports venues, Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 has been sold out at ‘socially-distanced capacity’.
ROAD COURSE DOMINANCEHendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet driver, Chase Elliott, is no stranger to success at road course events. Elliott is coming into the race weekend as the defending winner of the annual ROVAL event, after rallying from a wreck while leading the lap-64 restart and working his way back through the field to take the lead with just six laps to go.  Elliott’s most recent road course win came during the inaugural race at the Daytona International Speedway in August. The trip to victory lane was his fourth career road course win and third in a row. Elliott, the youngest road course winner in NCS history, is now just the sixth and most recent driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win three or more consecutive road course races. He also leads the way in active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in road course wins with four, tying previous NCS Champions Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. In addition, Elliott is only one of three to win at more than two different road course venues.  ROUND OF 12: THE CUT-OFF RACEFor the first time in NASCAR history, the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course will be the host of the sixth race of the Playoffs, serving as the elimination race for the second of four rounds, cutting the championship contenders field from 12 to just eight drivers. The Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course is the fourth different track to host the sixth race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, joining Martinsville Speedway (2004-2010), Talladega Superspeedway (2011, 2013-2016), and Kansas Speedway (2012, 2017-2019).  Heading into the ROVAL race weekend, four Team Chevy drivers remain, battling to secure their spots in the Round of Eight and get one step closer to their chance of being named the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, has already captured his spot in the Round of Eight after his recent victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Here are where the Team Chevy drivers currently sit in the Playoff standings, as well as key statistics heading into the Bank of America ROVAL 400: 
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE – Round of 12 win (3,048 points)Victories: 1 (Las Vegas Motor Speedway)Top-Fives: 5; Top-10’s: 16; Laps Led: 140; Average Finish: 13.5Stage Wins: 1 At the ROVAL: Top-Five’s: 1; Top-10’s: 1; Poles: 1; Average Finish: 12.5 Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE – 4th in Standings (3,097 points)Victories: 2 (Charlotte Motor Speedway and Daytona Road Course)Top-Fives: 12; Top-10’s: 18; Laps Led: 783; Average Finish: 12.6Stage Wins: 8At the ROVAL: Wins: 1; Top-Five’s: 1; Top-10’s: 2; Average Finish: 3.5 (second-best) Alex Bowman, No. 88 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 1LE – 7th in Standings (3,075 points)Victories: 1 (Auto Club Speedway)Top-Fives: 4; Top-10’s: 11; Laps Led: 394; Average Finish: 15.9Stage Wins: 4 At the ROVAL: Top-Five’s: 2; Top-10’s: 2; Average Finish: 3.0 (series best) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Camaro ZL1 1LE – 10th in Standings (3,053 points)Victories: 1 (Texas Motor Speedway) Top-Fives: 4; Top-10’s 9; Laps Led: 135; Average Finish: 16.1Stage Wins: 0 At the ROVAL: Average Running Position: 23.555; Average Finish: 31.0 BOWTIE BULLETS·       There have been a total of 124 NASCAR Cup Series points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, 122 races on the oval track and two races on the road course. Current Chevrolet drivers that have recorded wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway include: Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, has eight wins (May 2003, May and October 2004, May and October 2005, October 2009, May 2014, October 2016)Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1, has one win (May 2010)Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Camaro ZL1, has one win (May 2017)Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE, has two wins (ROVAL September 2019 and Oval May 2020)
·       Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet driver, William Byron, is the most recent pole winner at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course when he scored his first-career road course pole at the 2019 ROVAL event. 
·       Chip Ganassi Racing and Chevrolet driver, Kurt Busch, captured the pole at the inaugural ROVAL event in 2018, setting the current qualifying record of 106.868 mph, with a lap time of 76.805 seconds. He also leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in career road course poles with three, all being captured at different tracks on the NCS circuit. 
·       Career Chevrolet driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer, Jeff Gordon, leads the NASCAR Cup Series in overall road course wins in his NCS career with nine (five at Sonoma; four at Watkins Glen).  ·       Since the integration of the Playoffs into the NASCAR Cup Series, there have been four times in which the winner of the sixth race of the 10-race Playoff stretch went on to win the Series’ Championship. Three of those four times were done by Team Chevy’s Jimmie Johnson, when he won the sixth race of the Playoffs in 2006, 2007 and 2008 to go on and capture three consecutive NASCAR Cup Series titles. 
STARTING LINEUPFor the remainder of the 2020 NCS season, the starting lineups will be determined by a competition-based formula, combining the following metrics from the previous race event: 15% of a fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s final race finish position, 25% of the owner’s final race position and 35% of the Owner points position.  Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters for Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400: 2nd     Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE5th      Alex Bowman, No. 88 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 1LE6th      Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Camaro ZL1 1LE10th    Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE13th    William Byron, No. 24 Hendrickcars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE16th    Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Camaro ZL1 1LE17th    Ty Dillon, No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE18th    Ryan Preece, No. 37 Maxwell Houses for Heroes Camaro ZL1 1LE  TUNE-INNBC will telecast the 109-lap, 248.52-mile Bank of America ROVAL 400 live at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 11th. Live coverage of the Round of 12 cut-off race can also be found on the NBC Sports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.  QUOTABLE QUOTES:CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGS“I don’t know why the road courses have been good to us thus far. I came from short-track racing, I did a little bit of road course racing in go karts, but I don’t know how much that translates. Most of my years coming along were short tracks around the country, asphalt racing – very different from road-course racing. I do think a lot of the credit should go to Jeff (Gordon). Jeff was a fantastic road racer, as we all know. I really think he and Alan (Gustafson) had a very good understanding of what was important at road races and what they really wanted in the cars and what mattered. As a young driver coming into a situation like that, having a good foundation has really helped me learn and learn faster because that foundation was already close. I think when you step into a situation that is good like that, as a guy that is learning, it does nothing but help you and make you better.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 7th IN STANDINGS“This is a very stressful week. I mean the Roval is one thing to be stressed about, but then add a cut off race to it. One of my main goals for the 2020 season with Greg and the team was to make the Round of 8. We are so close and need to put together a solid race on Sunday and capitalize on stage points and a good finish. It is hard to believe that we have the best average finish at the Roval, but we definitely need to put a solid race together this weekend.” “I am excited to move over to the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet next year with Greg (Ives). The support that we have been given by Mr. Hendrick and everyone at Ally is humbling to say the least. I am proud to be the driver Hendrick Motorsports chose to represent the Ally Financial brand and 48 nation. It has been an exciting week, but our focus from now until the end of the year, is making the final four and bringing home a championship to Hendrick Motorsports.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE IVES ON BECOMING THE CREW CHIEF OF THE 48:“It’s pretty special to be able to represent a number that gave me a lot of success early on in my career and actually built my career. (It) allowed me great opportunities to become (a) crew chief and, for a number that has affected my life so much, a team, a way of living, performing – I think it’s going to be hard to exactly put into words what I felt, other than to say it was a lot of emotion.” IVES ON THE LEGACY OF THE 48:“I feel like when it comes to the 48 team, it represents a young kid working hard, going through the ranks of racing, ultimately getting a shot, and that’s the 48 team. Hard work, dedication, being true to yourself, having good character, good on and off the racetrack. That’s somebody who you can look at Jimmie and say, ‘Alex is very similar to that’ and his performance on the racetrack will prove itself. The few wins that we have are quickly going to turn into more.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 10th IN STANDINGSEVALUATE YOUR NASCAR PLAYOFFS PERFORMANCE IN THE ROUND OF 12 SO FAR. “At Talladega Superspeedway, I got into every wreck possible. It was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for most of the day. The week before that, we had a mechanical issue. But through both of those races, my Richard Childress Racing team has been amazing. The communication is unbelievable. They’ve been able to jump right in and fix the damage the last two weeks. At Talladega Superspeedway, we changed the oil cooler and only lost two laps. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, we knocked the belts off and only lost eight laps. I don’t know how you can make either of those repairs so fast. The communication is great with this team. Even though the last two weeks have been unfortunate, we’re still in the hunt and have a chance to advance to the Round of Eight. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEXT RACE IN THE NASCAR PLAYOFFS, THE ROVAL? “We have the ROVAL left in the Round of 12. We just need some help from some of these guys who are higher than us in the point standings, and we have to be in the position to help ourselves some, too. We’re going to rely on our notes from the Daytona Road Course a lot. Kaz Grala was a fill in driver for me that week, and he did a great job. We will try to use that same setup moving forward. The ROVAL has never been the greatest track for us, but we’ll see what we can do. We’re going to try our hardest.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 14th IN STANDINGSBYRON ON THE NO. 24 TEAM AT ROAD COURSES: “With road course racing, we’ve been a solid top 10 team every time we’ve gone to those races. We really just have to figure out that gap between us and guys like Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch. How they run at the road courses is phenomenal. I think really trying to close that gap to the top three is key as we’re about a fourth to seventh-place team on road courses right now. We just have to figure out those little things to take it to the next level.” BYRON ON WHAT HE STUDIES TO PREPARE FOR A ROAD COURSE RACE:“I think I may attention mainly to the way the other guys use the brakes and small details like how they approach each corner. I like to know what they’re looking for to make speed out of those corners. I think for me, road courses have been good overall. I’m honestly probably better in qualifying than in race trim right now. It’s just about me figuring out those details to make me better and have a shot of winning.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CHEDDAR’S SCRATCH KITCHEN CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 19th IN STANDINGSIS THERE ANY COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROVAL AND THE DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE YOU COMPETED ON EARLIER THIS YEAR?“I really thought the two were going to be pretty similar, but they are really nothing alike. The Daytona Road Course is a really challenging track. The chicane we added to the frontstretch has some similarities to what the nature of the Charlotte ROVAL can be like, but to me, the Charlotte track feels a lot more like a street course. I’d be curious what drivers of other divisions would say to that if they ran the ROVAL. To me though, if I imagine running a street course, this is what I imagine it being like. I really enjoy both tracks even though they are nothing alike other than being two ovals we’ve turned into road courses.” 

Fan-Favorite Driver Looks to Build on 2020 Playoff Performance Next Season 
STUART, VA (October 8, 2020) – After a successful first season driving for NASCAR’s longest-running team, Wood Brothers Racing announced today that Matt DiBenedetto will return to compete in the famed No. 21 Ford Mustang in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series.

Since joining Wood Brothers Racing earlier this year, DiBenedetto has earned three top-five finishes and eight top-10 results this season as he qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the first time in his six-year career competing in NASCAR’s premier series.  DiBenedetto finished as runner-up in both Cup Series races at Las Vegas this season, including in the Playoff round at the 1.5-mile track on September 27. He also came within a few feet of earning his first Cup Series victory in last weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. 

“It’s such an honor to be able to continue to drive for Wood Brothers Racing and have another year to grow with this organization,” said DiBenedetto. “I am excited to learn from our 2020 notebook and I’m confident that with a full season under our belt and working together as a team, we will produce even better results. I also want to thank Ford Performance and Team Penske for their efforts in making this happen. These types of decisions take a lot of time, as we all know there are a lot of factors in play. All three groups want to make the best decisions for everyone involved and I’m appreciative to have the opportunity to continue to compete for such a legendary race team.”

Wood Brothers Racing, the oldest active NASCAR team and one of the winningest teams in series history, has enjoyed considerable success over the last couple of years. The team has produced 99 victories at NASCAR’s top level as legendary drivers including David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Neil Bonnett, Dan Gurney, AJ Foyt and Buddy Baker have all visited Victory Lane with the team. The organization will continue its technical alliance with Team Penske in 2021, along with significant support from Ford Performance. 

“Matt has been able to find success this year under very difficult circumstances,” said team President and Co-Owner Eddie Wood. “Since he joined our team, he only had limited time working with our group due to the pandemic. While it’s been an entirely new organization, he found a way to consistently run up front and make the Playoffs. We have learned a lot together this year and we look forward to continuing to build with Matt in 2021.”

DiBenedetto, the 29-year-old Grass Valley, California native, is one of the most popular drivers in the Cup Series and he’s finished inside the top-five in fan voting for both the Most Popular Driver award and the All-Star Race Fan Vote the past several seasons. On the track, he’s earned six top-five and 19 top-10 finishes over the course of his career. 

ELKHART, IND (October 7, 2020) – After 19 years together, Terry McMillen Racing and the AMALIEⓇ Motor Oil company have mutually agreed to suspend their sponsorship relationship. Amalie Oil has suspended all motorsports sponsorships effective immediately. The move comes as the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, now Camping World Drag Racing Series, wraps up with three final races in Dallas, Houston and Las Vegas. McMillen informed his racing team of the decision this week and he will be evaluating the future direction of the organization in the coming weeks.
 
“I can’t thank Amalie Motor Oil enough for the support they have shown me over the past 19 years,” said McMillen, the 2018 U.S. Nationals Top Fuel national event winner. “It is not a cliché, this company was part of my family. They stuck by us as long as they could and we are agreeing to suspend this sponsorship with no hard feelings. They have gone above and beyond to be fair with my team financially. We just reached a point where it didn’t make good business sense for either of us to move forward. They are a great company and I can’t say enough nice things about how they have treated me and this team over the years. Starting today we are exploring new opportunities. Right now it is key to keep Amalie employees working and making product so when the economy turns around they will be ready.”

The move was directly related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the global economy. According to a research study conducted by consultant KPMG International, working from home and online shopping have become the new normal and will reduce driving in the U.S. by up to 270 billion miles a year. Additionally, 64 percent of Americans who are not driving said they’re working from home, which equates to 259 billion miles not being driven over the course of a year, dramatically reducing motor oil sales. Moving forward, KPMG is predicting as much as a 10% permanent reduction in the nearly three trillion miles typically traveled every year which has already and will continue to adversely affect the motor oil business and automotive industry as a whole.

“I certainly understand why this happened and I remain very hopeful that we will be back sometime next year,” said McMillen, a two-time national event winner.  “My crew chief Rob Wendland and my entire team have done an amazing job giving us a car that can compete with anybody on any given day.  Anyone that has followed my racing career has seen the struggles I have had over the years.  What Rob has done to turn things around is something that I will never take for granted. Rob, his family, and my entire team mean the world to me.  This certainly is a setback, but I am not going to say it’s the end.”
 
“Amalie has supported us through the good, the bad and certainly the ugly. When other teams were laying off their crew during the height of the pandemic, Amalie made sure that I was able to keep my team intact and employed. I know that this decision was extremely painful for Amalie, as it is for me, but I look forward to what the future has to offer, and I won’t give up hope that I will be back on the track in a competitive fashion again one day.”
 
Terry McMillen Racing based in Elkhart, Ind., is a Top Fuel drag racing team competing in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The team was founded in 2007 and has shown remarkable determination and dedication. McMillen won the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in 2018 and has qualified for the NHRA Countdown, the end of season playoffs, in 2017 and 2018. Throughout his career with longtime sponsor AMALIE® Motor Oil McMillen has raced to eight final rounds including a career best five finals in 2018.

NASCAR CUP SERIESTEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTOCTOBER 7, 2020

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS’ DRIVER ALEX BOWMAN AND CREW CHIEF GREG IVES, ALONG WITH ANDREA BRIMMER, CHIEF MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER FOR ALLY, met with media via teleconference to discuss the recent announcement of Alex Bowman taking over the No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE for Hendrick Motorsports in 2021. Full Transcript:  MODERATOR: We’re joined this morning by NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Contender, Alex Bowman. It was announced yesterday that Alex will drive the No. 48 Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports beginning next season. We will be joined very shortly by Crew Chief, Greg Ives, and he will move to the No. 48 with Alex next season. He will be returning to the team where he started his career at as an engineer.
Alex and Greg have earned Cup Series Playoff berths for three-straight seasons and have posted a win in each of the last two. Alex is one of just nine drivers in the Series to have done that, five of those being former Series champions. This weekend, he will be looking to advance into the Playoff’s Round of Eight this Sunday at the Charlotte ROVAL.
We’re very pleased to also be joined by Andrea Brimmer, the Chief Marketing and PR Officer for Ally. Ally, as everyone knows, has been a full-season primary sponsor of the No. 48 team since 2019 and, last year, extended its relationship with Hendrick Motorsports through 2023. 
To get start, Alex, congratulations on the announcement. When you got that call from Mr. Hendrick that you were going to moving to the No. 48 next year with a full-season primary sponsor in Ally, how did you react?
ALEX BOWMAN: “I’m excited. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. My initial reaction was just being excited and honored to drive the No. 48 car. Jimmie (Johnson) has meant a lot to me throughout my entire career and everything he’s done for me, whether it’s being a friend off the racetrack and just somebody to get advice from or a great teammate. It’s been awesome to get to work with him and to get to know him. To get to drive that car is an honor and I just want to go get it in victory lane and have a lot of fun doing it.”
MODERATOR: Greg Ives has joined us. Greg, I’m going to jump right in with you. You won five championships as a No. 48 engineer. You’ve gone on to be a championship and race winning crew chief yourself. You have a ton of history with the No. 48. What does it mean to have a chance to be a crew chief for the team where you started? 
GREG IVES: “It’s definitely really special for me. The 48 number is pretty close to my heart, just because it’s something that’s helped my career and opened doors for me. The success that Chad (Knaus) and Jimmie (Johnson) have together allowed me to grow, not only as an engineer, but also how to lead a team, how to truly have character on and off the race track. It allowed me to understand what it takes to have a good team around you and great people. And also, it helped build my relationship with the driver. So, I think that’s something that I’ve used over the course of my career since leaving the No. 48 team, starting my own career going to JRM and working with different drivers and coming back to Hendrick Motorsports. I think that team, that number, has built a pedigree that’s known for greatness and known for their competitiveness on the race track. But I know Jimmie is also known for what he does for his teammates and his people. It’s something that’s truly special, kind of full-circle for sure. I still remember that first day when Chad asked me to be his race engineer, so connecting all these dots and connecting what Hendrick Motorsports has meant to me, and the numbers along the way, have truly defined different times in my career. But, all-in-all, as a whole, Hendrick Motorsports has done a lot for my career. It’s truly special and I’m honored to be able to represent Ally and also represent the No. 48 again.”
MODERATOR: Andrea, what is Ally’s approach to this new chapter of the No. 48 Team with Alex as your driver? And, what do you see as Ally’s objectives for sponsorship as we go into 2021?
ANDREA BRIMMER: “First, I want to say I think Greg and Alex both look good in Ally gear. I’m excited to see that. Alex is somebody that I think represents the future of what NASCAR is about. And, he’s an unbelievable driver. We want to win championships. And we know with Greg and Alex that we have great ability to be able to do that. I mean, the No. 48 is a special car. It needs to be honored and the legacy of it needs to be carried forward, and we think that with Greg and Alex we have the best ability to carry that legacy forward in a really strong way. 
“When we entered the sport two years ago, our aim was really to do things differently and to disrupt and to really bring fans a whole new level of engagement and to tell a different side of the sport and the story behind what goes into getting that car on the track every day. And then really working closely with the driver to make sure that, in Jimmie’s case, that he felt really comfortable behind the wheel of the No. 48 and that he really felt like he had a big say in what was happening with everything that we were doing. We want to do the same thing with Alex. We want to make the car his own. We want to let his personality shine through. And, we want to make sure that he knows that he’s got us on board with him so that he can be the best that he can be on the track.”
QUESTIONS FROM THE MEDIA: 
FIRST, CONGRATULATIONS ALEX. YOUR THOUGHTS – YOU TAKE OVER A CAR FOR DALE EARNHARDT JR. AND YOU THING TO YOURSELF, WELL THAT’S KIND OF HARD TO TOP. WELL, NOW YOU’RE TAKING OVER JIMMIE JOHNSON’S CAR. JUST YOUR THOUGHTS ON FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF TWO DRIVERS LIKE THAT AND WHAT MADE JUMPING INTO JR.’S CAR WILL HELP YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS OF JUMPING INTO ANOTHER CAR WITH SUCH A GREAT LEGACY. ALEX BOWMAN: “Yeah, I think for sure the experience of the first one helps for the second one. The biggest thing is I just want to be myself. I didn’t try to be Dale (Earnhardt Jr.), I didn’t want to be Dale. And the same with Jimmie (Johnson), I don’t want to be Jimmie. I mean I want to win seven championships and do all the great things that he did, but I’m my own person. So, I’m just going to approach it like another race car. I’m really excited to work with Ally. The biggest thing for me is I want to go win races and win championships. I think, for me, I’m kind of quiet and reserved, and I want the on-track stuff to speak for me the most and I want that to be wins and championships. So, I’m excited about that. I’m excited about the opportunity to go and do that. And to work with Ally, getting to know everybody over the last week-and-a-half or so has been really neat. The way they do things is really cool and how they disrupt and do things differently is really special. So, to have the same partner on the car for the whole year, to get to kind of grow with them and make it my own with them is going to be a lot of fun, and hopefully, there’s a lot of wins along the way.” 
TO FOLLOW UP, JUST YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE PLAYOFFS, GOING INTO THE ROVAL THIS WEEKEND AND THE FINAL RACE IN ROUND TWO.
ALEX BOWMAN: “Yeah, I’m glad we’ve had so much going on this week. It’s kind of kept me from thinking about the Playoffs as much as I probably would, at least getting stressed out about it as much as I normally would. There’s never a comfortable spot going into a cut-off race unless you’re locked in. So, we have 22 points, but it’s not comfortable by any means. I’m still as stressed out as ever. We just need to go out and have a solid day. The ROVAL has been good to us over the last couple of years, even though it’s been some really hard days, we’ve had some really good finishes. Hopefully, we can just have a good, solid day and not have to worry about it too much and move onto the Round of Eight.”
I HAVE ONE FOR BOTH GREG AND ONE FOR ALEX. LET’S START WITH ALEX. YOU’RE STILL AT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS, JUST A NEW NUMBER, NEW PAINT SCHEME AND NEW SPONSOR. HOW DIFFERENT IS 2021 COMPARED TO 2020? 
ALEX BOWMAN: “I think the biggest difference is the opportunity to work with Ally and to grow with them. I’m excited about that. As far as the on-track stuff, the number is different, like you said, the paint scheme is going to be different. But, still working with Greg (Ives) and still have a lot of confidence in our relationship and what we can bring to the table. So, I don’t think the on-track stuff is much different. Obviously, we’re trying to improve each and every week and get better. But I’m just excited to work with Ally and to try to make that my own.”
FOR GREG, OBVIOUSLY WITH CHAD (KNAUS) TAKING AN EXECUTIVE ROLE, THERE NEEDS TO BE A NEW CREW CHIEF AT HENDRICK. OBVIOUSLY, THAT OPENS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR POTENTIAL CHANGES. I’M CURIOUS, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT YOU CREW CHIEFING ANYONE ELSE? AND, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WHAT MAKES IT RIGHT FOR YOU TO STICK WITH ALEX?  GREG IVES: “There were changes with Chad (Knaus), but never was there a discussion about Alex and I losing that relationship that we’ve built over the last three-and-a-half years. Him coming in initially and filling in for Dale (Earnhardt Jr.), I think we hit it off right off the bat. We went to probably one of his least-favorite race tracks at New Hampshire and he had a great showing. I think he showed a lot of poise and comfort back then of coming in and filling in for Dale. We haven’t had a perfect relationship. We’ve had one or two ups and downs, here and there, but the nice thing about us working together is we work through those. You’re going to have that in every serious relationship. There was no question in my mind of who I wanted to be the crew chief for and that was a mutual thing on Alex’s side. For me, one hundred percent no thoughts of anything other than going to Ally with Alex and continuing on our progress of doing great things on the race track, but also looking forward to doing things off of it, as well.”
ALEX, WHEN YOU KNEW YOU WERE ON THE LIST, SO TO SPEAK, AND BETWEEN THE TIME YOU ACTUALLY GOT THE PHONE CALL THAT OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED IT, I’D LIKE TO KNOW HOW YOU FELT DURING THAT TIME? WAS IT NERVOUS ENERGY, NERVOUS ‘I HOPE I GET IT’ AND THEN ACTUALLY GETTING THE PHONE CALL, WHETHER IT WAS MR. HENDRICK OR SOMEBODY CALLING SAYING ‘HEY, GUESS WHAT, YOU’RE IN’. HOW DID THAT MOMENT FEEL FOR YOU AS A PERSON? 
ALEX BOWMAN: “There really wasn’t an in-between time there. I obviously signed a contract extension earlier this year that I was going to continue to drive for Hendrick Motorsports next year. I didn’t know that there might be a number change and all that. I really didn’t know what was going on – as far as I knew, I was driving the No. 88 car and everything was staying the same. I got a phone call to go meet with Mr. Hendrick. That was the first thing he said was ‘you’re going to drive the No. 48 next year with Ally and Greg is going to be your crew chief’. So, there wasn’t any nervous energy because it hit me out of nowhere. But, it means a lot to me that they have confidence in me to take over a car like that and to work with a partner like Ally. It means a lot that Ally has confidence in me to do that. It was really special and I just want to go win for them, really.” GREG IVES: “I’d like to add something to that. Performance adds opportunity. I get to see first-hand what Alex does on a weekly basis. How hard he competes not only on the race track, but in his regimen to get ready every week, whether it’s the DiL, willingly spending four hours every week in the DiL; whether it’s working out every morning and every afternoon. I see that from the side of putting in the work, putting in the right effort and that leads to performance on the race track. I always say performance equals opportunity. That’s Alex’s hard work and dedication to his career and trying to make my job a little easier.”
IT USED TO BE THE NORM TO HAVE A FULL-SEASON, FULL-TIME SPONSOR, BUT NOT SO MUCH ANYMORE. WHAT WAS ALLY’S ATTRACTION TO COMING INTO THIS SPORT AND SIGNING ON AS A FULL-TIME SPONSOR? ANDREA BRIMMER: “From our lens, it didn’t make a lot of sense for us to share the car. We just didn’t feel like we would be able to have the presence that we wanted to have if we didn’t come in as a full-time sponsor. And we wanted to have that continuity. We liked the direction that NASCAR was going in. We feel like they’re bringing in a lot of new fans and that there was a big opportunity for us to start to reach a new audience of really loyal fans. Obviously, having a driver like Jimmie for the last couple of years was a really a unique opportunity to be a part of that legacy. And we just felt like if we came in halfway, that we really wouldn’t be showing our best selves. And so, we wanted to come in full-time. And, we also felt from the driver perspective, that it would give Jimmie peace of mind that he didn’t have to worry all season about who the sponsor was on the car. And we wanted to continue with that same theme for Alex so that he and Greg don’t even have to think about it and that they know they’ve got a partner is present that’s with them 24/7 and that we’re on the car and that we’re committed to this long-term. It’s actually why we extended even prior to the driver announcement because we wanted to make sure that the sport, the fans, Hendrick Motorsports, and obviously, Alex and Greg knew that we were in it for the long haul.”
ALEX AND GREG, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE PROMOTION, IF YOU WILL. I JUST WANTED TO GET YOUR FEELINGS ON HAVING THIS NEW DEAL TAKE PLACE AND HAVE IT COMPLETED BEFORE 2021, ESPECIALLY THE YEAR BEFORE YOU GUYS ARE SUPPOSED TO TRANSITION TO THE NEXT GEN CAR IN 2022. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO BE DONE NOW SO YOU HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO PLAN AHEAD FOR THE FUTURE?
ALEX BOWMAN: “Greg, you want to take that first?”
GREG IVES: “The last question to Andrea was having the full-time sponsorship all year long and the interaction between the sponsor and the team has to be based around performance and based around a relationship that is able to grow, flourish and have the ability to show not only what happens on-track, but the relationship off of it. Getting that start, understanding and knowing – I’ve worked with Ally over the last two years as a competitor, somewhat, in the same stable, and seeing that car and that team, how they work and operate, and the flexibility they have in performance. So, that’s been really great to see and I’m looking forward to it.”
“As far as the future goes, to go back to performance creates opportunity, that’s going to create our future. Every stepping stone, every door that opens along the way, is based on a team’s performance – not only just Alex, but the team we’ve built over the last few years. This is an opportunity for us to come in, be a part of a great organization like Ally, and grow as a team. I don’t think you’ll find a better group of guys to work with that makes a sponsor feel like they’re at home. For us as a group, it’s going to help solidify just that identity that we have to create and we have to build together. Like I said, performance equals opportunity and with this announcement, with this change, with this adjustment – we know the group of people we have behind us, supporting us, are putting us in the right direction.”
I JUST WANTED TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS AS WELL ALEX ON HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT THIS IS DONE NOW, ESPECIALLY WITH THE TRANSITION PERIOD FOR NASCAR COMING TO 2022 FOR THE NEXT GEN CAR? 
ALEX BOWMAN: “Yeah, for sure. I think a lot of what Greg said is how I feel. 2020, in general, brought a lot of nervousness to a lot of people. Whether it was anybody throughout any organization, it’s been a hard time for everybody. For our race team, for our group of guys to know that we have Ally behind us – Mr. Hendrick, Ally, and everybody has faith in us as a group to continue to work together. I feel like that enables people to not worry about things and just focus on the task at hand. Whether it’s the guys in the shop, just not having that little bit of nervousness, not having to worry about that and just being able to go do their jobs and do the best job that they can. I think that’s a really important thing. For me, I’m a race car driver. Everything is immediate, in a sense. I’m focused on this weekend and next week, I’ll be focused on the following weekend. The 2022 car seems forever a way, to me, but as an organization at Hendrick Motorsports, the 2022 car probably seems like it’s going to show up tomorrow. So, there’s a lot of work that needs to happen between now and then. I think just having the confidence, not having to worry about anything, and just being more sure about things helps people prepare for that a little bit better.”
EVEN THOUGH WE’RE TALKING PRIMARLY ABOUT NEXT YEAR, YOU STILL HAVE A JOB IN FRONT OF YOU RIGHT NOW. LET’S THINK OPTIMISTICALLY THAT EVERYTHING GOES OK AT THE ROVAL. FOR BOTH OF YOU, TAKE A LOOK AT THAT NEXT ROUND, IF YOU WILL, AND WHERE YOU FEEL LIKE THE TEAM IS AS A WHOLE AND WHAT YOU’D LIKE TO IMPROVE ON GOING INTO THOSE THREE RACES. 
ALEX BOWMAN: “Yeah, I think we’re in a really good spot. We’ve been really strong over the last month or so. It’s not secret that this summer was rough on us. But our guys worked extremely hard and continued to work well together throughout some tough circumstances. I feel like we grew as a race team because of that and we were able to start the Playoffs really strong and we’ve been strong each and every week. I think going into the next round, there’s a few opportunities to win, between Kansas and Texas. And going to Martinsville, we improved there. We were pretty strong there in the spring, but there’s still things I can learn there and do a better job of. I’m still figuring out the short track thing a little bit. I feel like it’s probably going to take a win to make it to the Round of Four, just where we are in Playoff points and everything. It’s not impossible to point our way in, but we’d have to be perfect each and every week. It would be a heck of a lot easier to win one of the first two. So, I feel like we can do that. We’re very capable of doing that. Our mile-and-a-half program is really strong and I think we have a shot at it, for sure.”
GREG IVES: “Based on what Alex said, I feel like each round, we’ve had our strengths and we’ve had our areas where we need to continue to work on. I wouldn’t say they’re a weakness, but they’re areas that we know we have to improve. We have to run solid, we have to gain points and not beat ourselves. I think we’ve been able to do that over the course of the first five races. Going into the ROVAL as well, you look on paper, we have a great average finish, but that came with a lot of adversity throughout the race – whether it was starting in a backup car, whether Alex wasn’t feeling well at the time. There was a lot of things we had to overcome and that’s the true character of a team. It’s not so much when the average finish looks great and the expectation of winning is there, but on those days, like we’ll probably have when we get to Martinsville, digging down deep, figuring out ways to make that improvement and get the spots that he needs. And that’s what we’re going to have to do when it comes to the ROVAL. Kansas and Texas, like he said, I feel like there’s no doubt in my mind that we can go out there and win the race. Martinsville just has to be one of our best days. Like Alex said, we’ve been improving at Martinsville. Our short track game at Phoenix is pretty stellar, so looking forward to that when we do make the Round of Four. Just continuously improving and continuously building each other up to take on the next challenge and that’s what we’re looking forward to doing.”
ALEX, THIS WEEKEND, THE WEATHER AT THIS POINT LOOKS LIKE THE POTENTIAL FOR RAIN ON SUNDAY. HOW CHALLENGING IS THE ROVAL AND WHAT WOULD BE THE EXTRA CHALLENGES WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR RAIN?
ALEX BOWMAN: “Oh man, that’s going to be interesting, for sure. I like things that are different, whether it’s going to new race tracks or new things. The rain would be pretty different, so maybe I’ll like it (laughs). It’s going to be interesting. It’s definitely a difficult thing to adapt to and a challenge. I think the particular challenge about the ROVAL in the rain is it’s so narrow through the infield that there’s not a lane to run off groove, right? A lot of race tracks you go to, you run off groove to stay out of the rubber because obviously rubber, oil and the rain gets very slick. The ROVAL, there’s not really room for that. There’s a lot of painted sections, which paint in the rain gets really slick. You’re always using a lot of curbs through the infield and curbs in the rain get really slick. In the simulator yesterday, I was kind of just looking at it and trying to figure out where you’d run through each corner, and there’s not a great place run anywhere. So, it’s going to be really interesting. I think it’s going to be very difficult if that does happen. Some of the road course racers that have some rain experience – I think Michael McDowell is probably the most excited person in the world right now. But, I just have to go and try to do the best job that I can. I feel like I’ll be able to adapt to it, it’s just going to be a challenge, for sure.” HAVE YOU EVER RAN IN THE RAIN? I DON’T RECALL THAT YOU HAVE.
ALEX BOWMAN: “No – I ran some practice laps at Road America in Xfinity that was like half-dry, so that was different though. It was really patchy, it was not currently raining. Other than that, I think we all raced at Bristol in the snow that year, but I don’t that you can really count that.” YOU TALKED ABOUT THE ADVERSITY AT THE ROVAL LAST YEAR AND YOU WENT THROUGH A LOT OF THINGS. BUT, TYPICALLY, ON ROAD COURSES YOU WANT TO PIT UNDER GREEN MOST OF THE TIME AND HAVE AS FEW STOPS AS POSSIBLE. IS THE ROVAL DIFFERENT WITH PIT STRATEGY? WHY DID IT WORK SO WELL LAST YEAR? GREG IVES: “Ultimately were in a position of battling for different points. I think that little bit of difficulty that we had early caused us to kind of get off our plan a little bit. That’s where your ability to adjust to the environment that you’re given really comes into play. And we knew that those guys that were having good days in the Playoff points, we had to do something different to take advantage of that in the final Stage. We just adapted to the race that was given to us and we just took advantage of different opportunities. It was a gamble, for sure. Not every gamble plays out and doesn’t always work, but if you don’t take it, you’ll never know. And that’s the confidence I have in Alex to execute when we’re not right on game plan. That’s the confidence on the guys that surround me that make me look good on Sundays, to give me the best information and allows me to make decisions. So yes, it was unconventional. It was effective. And, I think sometimes that’s what it takes when your day is not going perfect. You’ve got to make the most of it.
“To add to what Alex said about driving in the rain, you can say what makes a good driver driving in the dry, right? So, it takes the ability for a driver to understand the limit of the race car and understand the limit of the race track and the scenario. So, we’re going in there with a decent point lead, but nothing that’s comfortable by any means. So, our job is to take the day if it’s raining and get all we can out of the race car, but not take ourselves out of the race. And ultimately, that’s where Alex does a really good job of doing and making the best out of every scenario; just like we did with a 6-stop strategy at the ROVAL last year. So, whatever weather gives us, we’re going to take advantage of whatever it is, whether it’s slowing down a beat just to make sure we’re there at the end of the race and like Alex said, he’s going everything he can, whether it’s the DiL to prep for it, to just mentally understanding what he needs to do to get to the next round.” YOU’VE TALKED PRIVATELY ABOUT SOME OF THE ATTRIBUTES THAT ALEX HAS THAT MAKE HIM A GOOD FIT FOR ALLY. COULD YOU TOUCH ON A FEW OF THOSE? AND, YOU’VE ALSO DESCRIBED ALLY AS A ‘DISRUPTER’ FROM A MARKETING PERSPECTIVE. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW THAT FITS IN WITH YOUR NASCAR PROGRAM? ANDREA BRIMMER: “One of the things that we love about this relationship is that Alex has a lot of the same values that we do. And that’s really important to us. We really only align our brand with people that share the values that we do, both in terms of giving back; around being a good citizen of the world. You heard Alex say it at the onset of this, which is he lets it all speak for itself on the track, and we love that about him. And we want to bring that forward. We want the fans to get to know Alex a little bit better to understand the things that he’s passionate about (like) his passion for cars and his passion for animals, especially dogs, and just the hard worker that he is in the time that he puts in and I think the quiet confidence he and the team with Greg have. We love that. And, I think it reflects a lot of what our brand it about. So, from that perspective, that’s a big part of the story that we want to tell as we go into next year and let the world get to know Alex a little bit better. 
“In terms of the disruptive piece, for us, whether it was having a hundred people from Ally fly out and cheer Jimmie on as he ran the Boston Marathon, or doing things like introducing Ally Fuel and Futures, where we brought in kids from schools before every race and taught them the technology behind what goes into a team and really got them to know the sport from that perspective, to help bring those casual fans in kind of from the sidelines, to all of the different things like even just the way that we introduced Jimmie’s car with the Easter eggs when we launched. We’re always looking for different ways to get people interested and intrigued. And I think we’re going to do some fun things with Alex as well, really leaning into those passions and really kind of getting people to think differently about the sport. So, that’s really going to be our focus as we go into 2021.” ALEX, YOU’VE HAD A RELATIVELY SHORT, BUT VERY EXTENSIVE, TENURE AT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS. STARTING OUT RISKING STAYING THERE WITH NO GUARANTEE OF A JOB AND DOING ALL THE SIM WORK. I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE A LITTLE BIT YOUR JOURNEY AT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AND DID YOU EVER FATHOM IT WOULD COME SO FAR SO FAST? ALEX BOWMAN: “Yeah, it’s been really interesting, for sure. To start in 2016, to get a phone call from Kenny Francis to come drive the simulator because every other driver was in Daytona and I got fired on Twitter, so I wasn’t there (laughs). To go through that, I drove the simulator for them quite a bit that year. And then, ended up filling in for Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) when he was hurt – kind of splitting that car with Jeff Gordon. To going back to the simulator in 2017 and then full-time in 2018, it was definitely a whirlwind. Everything happens for a reason and to have 2016 go the way that it did and to end up driving for Hendrick Motorsports because of it is pretty amazing to me. I definitely never would have thought that any of that would have happened. Since 2018, I’ve just been focused on trying to win races and perform the best that I can and represent our partners the best that I can. But those couple of years were definitely a whirlwind and very life-changing. I think to look back at it all is pretty crazy, for sure.” DO YOU THINK THAT YOUR JOURNEY IN MOTORSPORTS, IN GENERAL, MIGHT HAVE LED SOME HOPE TO OTHER YOUNG GUYS THAT THERE ARE PATHS UP THE LATER BASED ON WHAT KIND OF PERSON YOU ARE AND YOU’RE PERFORMANCE, NOT JUST ALL ABOUT MONEY?
ALEX BOWMAN: “Yeah, for sure. That’s the biggest motorsport’s problem right now, right? That it’s so hard to make it without a bunch of money behind you. Obviously, my family did absolutely everything they could and sacrificed a lot to try to get me opportunities. In the end, it ended up being enough, but it didn’t look like it was going to be enough for quite a while. Hopefully, my story provides some hope to people. I think the moral of the story is to never give up. There were times in 2015 and really 2016 where I was like ‘man, I need to go to college, get a degree and find something to do’ because it’s just not working. I was close, but I never gave up and to end up here is really cool, for sure.” IN TUCSON, WE HAVE AN AUDIENCE THAT AREN’T EXACTLY HARDCORE NASCAR FANS OR EVEN HARDCORE SPORTS FANS, SO MY QUESTION IS, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEBODY WHO’S NOT THAT FAMILIAR WITH THE SPORT WHO MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND WHY NUMBERS AREN’T RETIRED IN NASCAR THE WAY THEY ARE IN OTHER SPORTS?
ALEX BOWMAN: “Yeah, that’s an interesting question. I feel like the number becomes really important as a brand to the organization, the partners, kind of everybody involved. You put so much behind a number and obviously it means a ton to the driver. So, the No. 88 meant a ton to Dale Jr. The No. 48 means a ton to Jimmie Johnson. Obviously, Jimmie made the 48 what it is, but Hendrick Motorsports was also a big part of making the 48 what it is. And Ally for the past couple of years has become a big part of what the 48 is. The 48 means a lot to everybody and it’s definitely necessary to keep it going. From my side, it’s an honor to get to drive that car and I want to go win races, do that car proud and make it my own. I’m never going to be Jimmie Johnson, but I think we can definitely add to the legacy, add to the wins column and hopefully the championships column, as well.” GREG, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT? 
GREG IVES: “What Alex said is definitely spot-on. It takes such a group of people to make success on a race track and just because they’re not in the headlines doesn’t mean that they’re support and what they do day in and day out, doesn’t contribute to the legacy and the meaning of that number. For me, like I said, that was a career-builder for me to work under the No. 48 banner and to be able to come back to it has definitely come full circle for me. But if not given that opportunity, potentially, you know, it definitely would be something that I would want to continue to try to achieve. So, yeah, retiring numbers, I think it’s something that we’ve got to continue to honor, the history of the sport and the history of the number; and then that way it’s about going out there and doing that number proud and also the sponsor and the team that it represents.” FROM A SPONSOR PERSPECTIVE, WHY IS THE CAR NUMBER IMPORTANT IN STAYING WITH THAT CONSISTENCY WITH THE NO. 48? ANDREA BRIMMER: “For us, there’s a huge fans base that comes along with the No. 48. Granted, you have people that are fans of the No. 48 because of Jimmie, but there’s a legacy with the car itself and with the number. And as a sponsor, you invest a lot of time and money and energy into building the fandom around the car number. And so, making sure that carried on with Alex and Greg was important from our lens, just given how much effort we’ve put into extending, like I said, the fan base around that in the last couple of years. So, I think that piece is important. To me, I think the best honor you could do it is to continue the legacy and to win and to get additional championships behind the No. 48 and make sure that we’re doing everything as a sponsor to enable that.” HOW CHALLENGING WAS IT TO PUT THIS PROGRAM TOGETHER DURING A PANDEMIC? THERE’S PROBABLY A LOT OF FLYING BACK AND FORTH, FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING AT CANDIDATES FOR A ROLE AS LARGE AS THIS. WE ALL KNOW ALEX’S PASSION, BUT I’M JUST KIND OF CURIOUS, WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WERE FACED TRYING TO GET THIS DONE AND JUST IN GENERAL DURING THE PANDEMIC, THE CHALLENGES FOR SPONSORS IN NASCAR?
ANDREA BRIMMER: “Yeah, it’s definitely been a challenging year across every aspect of marketing, not just NASCAR. There were a lot of phone calls with Rick (Hendrick). We started early-on. We have a great relationship with Hendrick Motorsports and a great relationship with Hendrick Automotive; we have for a long time. I’ve known Rick for a long time. He picked-up the phone very early on, this year; and we started having driver conversations. And, we have a lot of faith in him and just given the history of the relationship, really leaned in heavily into Rick’s recommendation and Rick’s bias toward Alex right from the beginning. And so, there really wasn’t flying back and forth or any of those things necessary. I think I had two or three conversations with Rick. My boss, Jeff Brown, had a couple of conversations. Our CEO had a couple of conversations with Rick. And, that was it. We agreed that Alex was the right driver for us. Obviously, we did our homework to make sure that we knew Alex and that his values aligned with our values. And see Alex, all this stuff was going on without you even knowing it in the background. And it became an easy choice for us. And the more we watched him kind of grow on the track all season long, the more and more excited we got about it. 
“In terms of the challenges, yeah, huge pivots. We are used to engaging fans, literally, at every race. And so not having the ability to be on track; we’ve got all of our people working from home, so we certainly aren’t going to send our folks out to the track to do things. So, we really had to get creative in terms of how we could use things like iRacing to bridge us when the guys weren’t on the track and then really do a lot content to interest people and keep people engaged. We just did a big content play with Danny Koker with Count’s Kustoms, where he designed a car for Jimmie, and we filmed a lot of that and put that out there. We’re doing a lot of different things in terms of trying to engage people just in social and online, as opposed to being on the track. And so, from that perspective, it’s definitely been a challenge. But I’ve got to give kudos to NASCAR. I think they have led, really, of all the sports’ platforms that we work across, in terms of the way that they’ve approached making sure that the sponsors really get the value and it’s been pretty impressive; and I think we’ve actually seen our numbers grow quite a bit this year. Rating have been up. So, it’s been great from all of those aspects.” ALEX, FOR YOU, ANDREA KIND OF SET UP MY QUESTION PERFETLY – WHEN YOU HEAR YOUR SPONSOR TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH SUPPORT YOUR SPONSOR HAS FOR YOU, HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL KNOWING YOU WERE CHOOSE FOR THIS POSITION IN THE ORGANIZATION? ALEX BOWMAN: “Yeah, it’s definitely a big confidence booster for me. To know that Mr. Hendrick has faith in me and our partners at Ally have faith in me as well, it means the world to me. I think obviously getting the No. 88 back in victory lane was a big part of that and I feel like being able to show my work ethic. And I had to earn that, it wasn’t given. To have Mr. Hendrick have that much faith in me and have noticed everything that I’m doing is really special and I’m very appreciative for it.” THAT PHOTO THAT WENT OUT IN THE RELEASE YESTERDAY, THERE LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS SOME ATTITUDE IN YOUR POSE AND YOUR STANCE THERE. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN EXPECT – THIS TAKE CHARGE TYPE OF ATTITUDE GOING FORWARD?
ALEX BOWMAN: “Yeah, I’m here to win races. I’m not here to hang out, make friends, hang out in the bus lot and do all that. I’m here to win and that’s really all there is to it. So, whatever it takes to get that done, I’m willing to do and I’m really excited for the future.”  JUST REPRESENTING ARIZONA, ESPECIALLY JUST TO HEAR YOUR STORY ABOUT ALMOST CALLING IT QUITS AND GOING BACK TO COLLEGE, WHAT’S IT MEAN TO REPRESENT ARIZONA THROUGH ALL THAT?  ALEX BOWMAN: “Yeah, it’s really cool. There are a lot of racecar drivers from Arizona over the course of the years that were extremely successful. Maybe not particularly in NASCAR, but throughout open wheel stuff and other forms of racing. I feel like there were some really big names and I don’t want to take away from that at all. I think I’m the first driver from Arizona to win a Cup race, so that’s something that means a lot to me. It’s something that’s really cool, just considering everybody that’s come from there and how many great racecar drivers have. It’s cool to represent Arizona. Obviously, there are some more Arizona guys in the Cup Series with (Michael) McDowell, but it’s really cool, for sure.”