From Calder Park to the Bathurst 12 Hour

Baggsy is back in Australia with the GTR

From Calder Park to the Bathurst 12 Hour

Baggsy is back in Australia for the second round of events with the GTR, and the team has already had a strong start.Last Friday night, Baggsy attended Keep It Reet Friday Night Drifts at Calder Park in Melbourne, putting on multiple demos in front of approximately 3,500 drifting fans. He also gave passenger rides to competition winners, and the overall event was a great success. Thank you to the guys at Keep It Reet for the invite and their hospitality.Next on the calendar is the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race weekend. Baggsy will be heading from Melbourne to Sydney, then out to Bathurst, where he will take part in the Scuderia Autoart drift sessions, performing in front of more than 50,000 fans across the weekend. Driving the GTR on Bathurst, one of the most famous and iconic tracks in the world, is a dream come true for the team.The GTR will first feature in the parade through the streets of Bathurst on Thursday, lined by fans, before taking part in three on-track demo sessions on Friday and Saturday. Baggsy and the SB Motorsport would like to give a big thanks to Monster Energy, Scuderia Autoart, and ST Suspensions for making this happen, and to all our sponsors for supporting the team and helping make events like this possible.

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 12, 2026

Rick Hendrick, Jeffrey “JB” Brown, Kyle Larson and Cliff Daniels met with the media following the announcement of the long-term contract extension for the reigning NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Kyle Larson; majority sponsor HendrickCars.com; and crew chief, Cliff Daniels.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:   You said in the press release this decision was a no-brainer.  What made your decision so clear?  Jeffrey J.B. Brown, President of Hendrick Automotive Group: “Good afternoon, everyone, so great to have so many people here that are fans of racing and we are so excited for the start of the season and Daytona being here. Back to the quote you heard in the press release. First, I am going to start with – Reigning NASCAR Champions. And so, what that does to our brand, to the traffic that we get to our sites on a daily basis, you couldn’t have two better representatives than Kyle (Larson) and Cliff (Daniels). And so, as we explored during the last several months with Mr. Hendrick about continuing this partnership, again, it was really a no-brainer. You know, for our organization last year, we sold 213,760 cars. And while you can’t necessarily attribute that to the direct numbers to what Kyle and Cliff do on a weekly basis, we see over 1 million visitors to Hendrickcars.com every single month. And you see the surge in that traffic after a win and certainly after a championship like these guys delivered.  So, when we come back and think about what it does for the brand, it’s just an incredible representation. Just for a moment more, I just say what more fantastic leaders they are. It really galvanizes the Hendrick Automotive Group when we get our partnership and our partners at Hendrick Motorsports coming together. I think back to a leadership summit that we had in January, where Cliff, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Andrews came and spoke.  And that partnership of bringing our organizations together is just fantastic.  So, for us again, we feel very fortunate and grateful that Mr. Hendrick allows us to deploy capital in this manner and these guys are simply the best.” Mr. Hendrick, as you think about the # 5 team, what do Kyle, Cliff, and that group represent as the kind of people that it takes to win championships? Rick Hendrick: “When I think about both of these guys, I think about excellence and that is the part that rings true for me. I have watched Cliff in a leadership position, and everybody knows Kyle’s talent on the track. Just the way he builds his team, the way he leads his people, and they are there to win every week.  And that is what, if you are on a car, sponsoring a car, or you own a car, you want to go out and have an opportunity to win. With these guys, we know every time we show up to the racetrack we can win.” For a fan-building perspective, how big is it to have 35 of 38 races to have that distinctive scheme in an era where everyone is switching sponsors every single week? Rick Hendrick: “Well, we have had a lot of people as you can imagine want to sponsor that car and I go to J.B. and to Brian and I say, ‘we can replace you’ and (they say) ‘no, it works too well for us’. The consistency when we tie the advertising together and see that we are getting 3-4 times the return on the investment and the fans see the same paint scheme and the same car every week with no confusion. So, I think I really like it and these guys probably want to change the paint scheme sometimes, but I love the paint scheme. I just think when you see Kyle Larson, you see him in that car, with that uniform and I think that makes a big difference.” Kyle Larson: “Just echoing what he said, I think for me, I love having that brand identity of me being attached to the blue Hendrickcars.com 5 car. It’s hard to kind of relate a driver to a brand I feel like anymore, but when you look at us and our team, there is that connection and identity. I love it and I feel a part of the family with that too, so hopefully we can continue on and on forever.” For Rick and Kyle, was this a straightforward, simplistic negotiation considering that the team feels like such a good fit for everybody? Rick Hendrick: “Well, it was expensive. (laughter) No, I wanted these guys in place, and I didn’t want to race against them, and they are part of the family and the fabric of Hendrick Automotive and Hendrick Motorsports.  And when you are that involved, and I look at Jeff Gordon standing over here, or Jimmie Johnson. I remember Jeff and I had a lifetime deal, and I know what he meant to our company, and I know what he still means to our company as Vice Chairman. I think Kyle….I wanted to make sure that we were going to have a long, long future together. I would have gone more than that if he wanted to, and I think with these two guys, I want them to retire with me. I wanted to get something on paper so it would take all the questions away.  So, for the next five or six years, we could put that in a drawer. We are going to race to win championships and win races.” Cliff, it’s rare for a crew chief to have a part in an announcement like this and even more rare to have a multi-year deal like this. What does it mean for you to be part of all of this? Cliff Daniels: “First, thanks for the question.  And like J.B. said, thanks to everyone for being here and it’s great to be back in Daytona. Kyle has mentioned it, and Mr. Hendrick has mentioned it, the honor that we have to be a part of the Hendrick family, the brand of Hendrickcars.com, Hendrick Automotive Group and what we do at Hendrick Motorsports, for me, it’s really special and just an honor. Very humbling to be part of such a great group of people that strive for excellence for the brand that we put in dealerships and the brand that we put on the racetrack. To be the leader of the group that is at the racetrack, for me, it’s a lot of fun and to know that J.B., Mr. Hendrick, Kyle and myself, we all have belief in what we are building with the 5 team. Its inspiring and fun to be a part of and certainly happy to keep it going now and into the future.” Rick Hendrick: “I want to say one thing about Cliff too. He had his guys reading books and we have Hendrick University. And we have management by strengths and how we evaluate how you work with each other. He took his whole organization, and I think most everybody in motorsports has gone now. But the integration of the two and the leadership that Cliff has shown in standing up in front of 100 dealers, and actually teaching, is impressive.  I have never seen a crew chief with that talent, drive and enthusiasm.  So, we are very lucky to have him not only on the racetrack, not in motorsports, but what he has done as a spokesman on the automobile side.” Cliff, we have seen occasions where very talented drivers and very talented crew chief combinations just don’t work for whatever reason. What is it about you guys that has really made this click? Cliff Daniels: “I think it starts with the bedrock of trust. And really, Kyle is so talented behind the wheel, and he is so dedicated and passionate to racing.  We see it that he races 90-somthing times a year between Cup and dirt and all the series that he does – that I know his dedication to be excellent and to be great. I think in our relationship together, he has learned that I always want to make myself better, our team better and the journey that we are walking evolve every year. Every year you may have accomplishments, but those are in the rear-view mirror, and the rear-view mirror is small for a reason. You have to look out the windshield. So I think our common pursuit of racing and being really good at it, brings us together and we trust that we are going to do our job, and do it right.” Cliff, what does this sort of extension do for you as a leader of this group that as long as you achieve what you aim to achieve together, that this can be a longstanding place of stability within the garage? Cliff Daniels: “I would honestly go back to how Mr. Hendrick leads the companies.  We are two years removed from celebrating the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports and this year is the 50thanniversary of the Hendrick Automotive Group and when Mr. Hendrick and I were on the phone talking about that, he just celebrated his 53rd wedding anniversary. Mr. Hendrick is the true leader of bringing people together, establishing great relationships, and keeping them for a long time.  And so what that does for us is just empower us to continue his legacy and the excellence of that. You know, we bring in new team members, and we teach them to do great things, but he has known how to do great things for a long time. And that is what Mr. Hendrick has established in business and family and racing, so for us, we get to continue that. What an honor and what an opportunity.” Kyle, what have you seen from Cliff not only as how he leads you as a driver, but in how he leads the guys that work on that 5 car? Kyle Larson: “Yeah, it’s a lot of I feel like the same. He holds everybody to a high level and like I have said before he is always evolving himself, but he is evolving us as individuals working with him. So, like Rick had mentioned, the book studies, the different things we did together as a team.  Last year flag football, paintball – which I wasn’t there for,  other events, go cart events, team bonding, sort of things that just unite us. I think it is important and helps us all work better together. I appreciate the work and the effort that he puts into not only building fast race cars, but I think all the other bits and pieces that it takes to be successful. I think that is why we have had the success we have had in a relatively short amount of time.” For Kyle, is there any reason you wouldn’t sign a lifetime contract if one appeared on your table and for Cliff is there any reason that would make you want to leave Hendrick Motorsports? Kyle Larson: “For me, I don’t need the contract to know that I will hopefully be there for the rest of my life.  I don’t ever foresee a reason for me to want to entertain being a part of another group. I know what I have at Hendrick Motorsports and I know what I have with a great leader with Rick, J.B., Cliff and everybody else – the Jeffs, Chad, you could go on and on. So, maybe a lifetime contract will be the next one. But I am not too worried about it. I am pretty confident in where I am at and don’t have any plans to think about going anywhere else.” Cliff Daniels: “Yeah and honestly a really similar answer for me. Very grateful for Mr. Hendrick, J.B. and everybody that helped put this together. And then we have Jeff Gordon, Jeff Andrews, Chad, and a whole leadership staff at Hendrick Motorsports.  We are trying to be excellent on the racetrack now, but we are also looking into the future of people, talent, and resources of what its going to take. Its really exciting to be a part of and to have a small piece of being able to build that in ways that they have included me in the conversation and looking ahead to the future for all the reasons that I just mentioned. Its inspiring and I am certainly happy to be a part of it and hope to be a big part of it for a long time.” Kyle, what is the benefit for you to have a five-year deal as opposed to a three-year deal?  Kyle Larson: “I don’t get too wrapped up in the duration or all of that, I really just….its nice to know that I will be here for at least five years and hopefully more. And that is kind of it. I just get to work on trying to win more races and win more championships in the time that I am there. So, yeah, grateful and I feel like it’s a very long-term contract compared to what you see these days. So, I am very happy with all of that and yeah, I think that gets me close to 40 and then we will see after that.” For J.B., what makes you happy to have these guys represent Hendrickcars.com every week? J.B. Brown: “On top of being a great driver and a great crew chief, they are great leaders and they are great people. And you heard both of the guys mention the family atmosphere and the trust that is inside our organizations, that is so critically important for us. So, these guys just represent the best of the best of the Hendrick family and of the Hendrick enterprise overall. So, for us we are just thrilled. And back to the leadership comments that we made, when Cliff and Jeff and Jeff and Chad came to our leadership summit, the power of what they talked about – even the perseverance. It’s back to their focus on this constant excellence. But you think back to the last two or three laps of the championship that they delivered, and what these guys went through, and what those lessons of perseverance and thriving under pressure, what that can bring back to the entire Hendrick organization is very, very powerful. So, again, just great representatives and we are just thrilled to have them for a long, long time.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYTEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTFEBRUARY 12, 2026

Rick Hendrick, Jeffrey “JB” Brown, Kyle Larson and Cliff Daniels met with the media following the announcement of the long-term contract extension for the reigning NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Kyle Larson; majority sponsor HendrickCars.com; and crew chief, Cliff Daniels.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:   You said in the press release this decision was a no-brainer.  What made your decision so clear?  Jeffrey J.B. Brown, President of Hendrick Automotive Group: “Good afternoon, everyone, so great to have so many people here that are fans of racing and we are so excited for the start of the season and Daytona being here. Back to the quote you heard in the press release. First, I am going to start with – Reigning NASCAR Champions. And so, what that does to our brand, to the traffic that we get to our sites on a daily basis, you couldn’t have two better representatives than Kyle (Larson) and Cliff (Daniels). And so, as we explored during the last several months with Mr. Hendrick about continuing this partnership, again, it was really a no-brainer. You know, for our organization last year, we sold 213,760 cars. And while you can’t necessarily attribute that to the direct numbers to what Kyle and Cliff do on a weekly basis, we see over 1 million visitors to Hendrickcars.com every single month. And you see the surge in that traffic after a win and certainly after a championship like these guys delivered.  So, when we come back and think about what it does for the brand, it’s just an incredible representation. Just for a moment more, I just say what more fantastic leaders they are. It really galvanizes the Hendrick Automotive Group when we get our partnership and our partners at Hendrick Motorsports coming together. I think back to a leadership summit that we had in January, where Cliff, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Andrews came and spoke.  And that partnership of bringing our organizations together is just fantastic.  So, for us again, we feel very fortunate and grateful that Mr. Hendrick allows us to deploy capital in this manner and these guys are simply the best.” Mr. Hendrick, as you think about the # 5 team, what do Kyle, Cliff, and that group represent as the kind of people that it takes to win championships? Rick Hendrick: “When I think about both of these guys, I think about excellence and that is the part that rings true for me. I have watched Cliff in a leadership position, and everybody knows Kyle’s talent on the track. Just the way he builds his team, the way he leads his people, and they are there to win every week.  And that is what, if you are on a car, sponsoring a car, or you own a car, you want to go out and have an opportunity to win. With these guys, we know every time we show up to the racetrack we can win.” For a fan-building perspective, how big is it to have 35 of 38 races to have that distinctive scheme in an era where everyone is switching sponsors every single week? Rick Hendrick: “Well, we have had a lot of people as you can imagine want to sponsor that car and I go to J.B. and to Brian and I say, ‘we can replace you’ and (they say) ‘no, it works too well for us’. The consistency when we tie the advertising together and see that we are getting 3-4 times the return on the investment and the fans see the same paint scheme and the same car every week with no confusion. So, I think I really like it and these guys probably want to change the paint scheme sometimes, but I love the paint scheme. I just think when you see Kyle Larson, you see him in that car, with that uniform and I think that makes a big difference.” Kyle Larson: “Just echoing what he said, I think for me, I love having that brand identity of me being attached to the blue Hendrickcars.com 5 car. It’s hard to kind of relate a driver to a brand I feel like anymore, but when you look at us and our team, there is that connection and identity. I love it and I feel a part of the family with that too, so hopefully we can continue on and on forever.” For Rick and Kyle, was this a straightforward, simplistic negotiation considering that the team feels like such a good fit for everybody? Rick Hendrick: “Well, it was expensive. (laughter) No, I wanted these guys in place, and I didn’t want to race against them, and they are part of the family and the fabric of Hendrick Automotive and Hendrick Motorsports.  And when you are that involved, and I look at Jeff Gordon standing over here, or Jimmie Johnson. I remember Jeff and I had a lifetime deal, and I know what he meant to our company, and I know what he still means to our company as Vice Chairman. I think Kyle….I wanted to make sure that we were going to have a long, long future together. I would have gone more than that if he wanted to, and I think with these two guys, I want them to retire with me. I wanted to get something on paper so it would take all the questions away.  So, for the next five or six years, we could put that in a drawer. We are going to race to win championships and win races.” Cliff, it’s rare for a crew chief to have a part in an announcement like this and even more rare to have a multi-year deal like this. What does it mean for you to be part of all of this? Cliff Daniels: “First, thanks for the question.  And like J.B. said, thanks to everyone for being here and it’s great to be back in Daytona. Kyle has mentioned it, and Mr. Hendrick has mentioned it, the honor that we have to be a part of the Hendrick family, the brand of Hendrickcars.com, Hendrick Automotive Group and what we do at Hendrick Motorsports, for me, it’s really special and just an honor. Very humbling to be part of such a great group of people that strive for excellence for the brand that we put in dealerships and the brand that we put on the racetrack. To be the leader of the group that is at the racetrack, for me, it’s a lot of fun and to know that J.B., Mr. Hendrick, Kyle and myself, we all have belief in what we are building with the 5 team. Its inspiring and fun to be a part of and certainly happy to keep it going now and into the future.” Rick Hendrick: “I want to say one thing about Cliff too. He had his guys reading books and we have Hendrick University. And we have management by strengths and how we evaluate how you work with each other. He took his whole organization, and I think most everybody in motorsports has gone now. But the integration of the two and the leadership that Cliff has shown in standing up in front of 100 dealers, and actually teaching, is impressive.  I have never seen a crew chief with that talent, drive and enthusiasm.  So, we are very lucky to have him not only on the racetrack, not in motorsports, but what he has done as a spokesman on the automobile side.” Cliff, we have seen occasions where very talented drivers and very talented crew chief combinations just don’t work for whatever reason. What is it about you guys that has really made this click? Cliff Daniels: “I think it starts with the bedrock of trust. And really, Kyle is so talented behind the wheel, and he is so dedicated and passionate to racing.  We see it that he races 90-somthing times a year between Cup and dirt and all the series that he does – that I know his dedication to be excellent and to be great. I think in our relationship together, he has learned that I always want to make myself better, our team better and the journey that we are walking evolve every year. Every year you may have accomplishments, but those are in the rear-view mirror, and the rear-view mirror is small for a reason. You have to look out the windshield. So I think our common pursuit of racing and being really good at it, brings us together and we trust that we are going to do our job, and do it right.” Cliff, what does this sort of extension do for you as a leader of this group that as long as you achieve what you aim to achieve together, that this can be a longstanding place of stability within the garage? Cliff Daniels: “I would honestly go back to how Mr. Hendrick leads the companies.  We are two years removed from celebrating the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports and this year is the 50thanniversary of the Hendrick Automotive Group and when Mr. Hendrick and I were on the phone talking about that, he just celebrated his 53rd wedding anniversary. Mr. Hendrick is the true leader of bringing people together, establishing great relationships, and keeping them for a long time.  And so what that does for us is just empower us to continue his legacy and the excellence of that. You know, we bring in new team members, and we teach them to do great things, but he has known how to do great things for a long time. And that is what Mr. Hendrick has established in business and family and racing, so for us, we get to continue that. What an honor and what an opportunity.” Kyle, what have you seen from Cliff not only as how he leads you as a driver, but in how he leads the guys that work on that 5 car? Kyle Larson: “Yeah, it’s a lot of I feel like the same. He holds everybody to a high level and like I have said before he is always evolving himself, but he is evolving us as individuals working with him. So, like Rick had mentioned, the book studies, the different things we did together as a team.  Last year flag football, paintball – which I wasn’t there for,  other events, go cart events, team bonding, sort of things that just unite us. I think it is important and helps us all work better together. I appreciate the work and the effort that he puts into not only building fast race cars, but I think all the other bits and pieces that it takes to be successful. I think that is why we have had the success we have had in a relatively short amount of time.” For Kyle, is there any reason you wouldn’t sign a lifetime contract if one appeared on your table and for Cliff is there any reason that would make you want to leave Hendrick Motorsports? Kyle Larson: “For me, I don’t need the contract to know that I will hopefully be there for the rest of my life.  I don’t ever foresee a reason for me to want to entertain being a part of another group. I know what I have at Hendrick Motorsports and I know what I have with a great leader with Rick, J.B., Cliff and everybody else – the Jeffs, Chad, you could go on and on. So, maybe a lifetime contract will be the next one. But I am not too worried about it. I am pretty confident in where I am at and don’t have any plans to think about going anywhere else.” Cliff Daniels: “Yeah and honestly a really similar answer for me. Very grateful for Mr. Hendrick, J.B. and everybody that helped put this together. And then we have Jeff Gordon, Jeff Andrews, Chad, and a whole leadership staff at Hendrick Motorsports.  We are trying to be excellent on the racetrack now, but we are also looking into the future of people, talent, and resources of what its going to take. Its really exciting to be a part of and to have a small piece of being able to build that in ways that they have included me in the conversation and looking ahead to the future for all the reasons that I just mentioned. Its inspiring and I am certainly happy to be a part of it and hope to be a big part of it for a long time.” Kyle, what is the benefit for you to have a five-year deal as opposed to a three-year deal?  Kyle Larson: “I don’t get too wrapped up in the duration or all of that, I really just….its nice to know that I will be here for at least five years and hopefully more. And that is kind of it. I just get to work on trying to win more races and win more championships in the time that I am there. So, yeah, grateful and I feel like it’s a very long-term contract compared to what you see these days. So, I am very happy with all of that and yeah, I think that gets me close to 40 and then we will see after that.” For J.B., what makes you happy to have these guys represent Hendrickcars.com every week? J.B. Brown: “On top of being a great driver and a great crew chief, they are great leaders and they are great people. And you heard both of the guys mention the family atmosphere and the trust that is inside our organizations, that is so critically important for us. So, these guys just represent the best of the best of the Hendrick family and of the Hendrick enterprise overall. So, for us we are just thrilled. And back to the leadership comments that we made, when Cliff and Jeff and Jeff and Chad came to our leadership summit, the power of what they talked about – even the perseverance. It’s back to their focus on this constant excellence. But you think back to the last two or three laps of the championship that they delivered, and what these guys went through, and what those lessons of perseverance and thriving under pressure, what that can bring back to the entire Hendrick organization is very, very powerful. So, again, just great representatives and we are just thrilled to have them for a long, long time.”

CONCORD, NC (February 12, 2026) – Championships require time.

Only 11 drivers through 48 seasons of World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series racing can call themselves a champion. It’s the sport’s toughest mountain to summit.

David Gravel is the latest to add his name to that exclusive list. It took commitment and patience. The Watertown, CT native made his presence felt on the national scene in the early 2010s. Rides with some of the sport’s most elite organizations like Roth Motorsports, CJB Motorsports, and Jason Johnson Racing pushed him toward the pinnacle.

But it wasn’t until he teamed with Tod Quiring that he was finally able to hoist the trophy at season’s end. In 2024, Gravel’s fourth season driving the Big Game Motorsports No. 2, he claimed an elusive title. Bricks laid in the foundation of what’s shaping up to be a historic run.

Gravel wasn’t done there. A dominant 2025 led him to standing atop the World Finals stage for the second year in a row. Along with the two titles, Gravel and the Big Game crew have racked up 62 wins, 155 podiums, 229 top fives, and 309 top 10s in 354 Features together.

They’ve shown no signs of slowing so far in 2026, clocking the quickest time in their Qualifying Flight all three nights during the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals last week and picking up a pair of podiums.

Longevity has proven to be a vital piece of a championship. The record books seldom show a driver and team meshing right off the bat to the point of beating the best the sport has to offer. After several years of switching rides, Gravel found the comfortable home he sought. Everything has come together, and now he’s ready to go after a three-peat.

“Early in my years I didn’t want to bounce around, but it was just kind of the cards that I was dealt and the situations I was in,” Gravel recalled. “I think when you’re a very young driver you don’t get the respect from certain people while you’re there because you’re young and there’s always that potential to be better or more mature, stuff like that. I felt like I raced for a lot of great car owners with great equipment, and we accomplished cool things with nearly every single one of them.

“But it’s great to finally get somewhere. Look at the World of Outlaws champions. Daryn Pittman is like the only one that I can think of that the first year he came to a team he won the championship. Other than that, it’s like these guys have been with their team a long time before they won championships. Even though Donny (Schatz) won with Tony (Stewart) there, it was the same equipment, same mechanic, same engines, very similar. That just shows you’ve got to be consistent and work on the small things, and it seems like championships come.”

It’s not enough to simply pair a driver with a powerful organization. There are other important pieces to put in place. For Gravel and Big Game, one of the biggest is crew chief Cody Jacobs. Quiring hired the Ohio native in 2020, and he’s turned the wrenches on the No. 2 ever since. Zach Patterson filled a gap as the Tire Specialist in 2022, and that’s where he remains today.

The one position on the road crew that’s been slightly inconsistent is car chief. While they’ve always had a capable set of hands, the name has changed over each of the last several years. But they won’t have to worry about introducing someone new in 2026 as Pete Stephens will continue to operate in the role. And on top of that, they’ve added Luke Vaughn full-time. Vaughn came to lend a hand over the last month of the 2025 season after departing Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing.

“It’s definitely a good feeling. It’s the first time we’re going to bring back the same three guys that we had in the previous season in my six years here, so that’s a comforting feeling,” Gravel said. “I feel like Pete grew into his role very well. He’s done this a long time, but he didn’t do it for five or 10 years. Within the first month, it was like riding a bike. It’s a great feeling, and then adding Luke adds a young, fiery guy.”

They’ve won the last two. They’ve built a proven core. But that doesn’t mean they can get complacent. Names like Michael Kofoid, Carson Macedo, Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, and more are all hungry to dethrone Gravel. He was once in their position. The 33-year-old knows he’s got to stay on top of his game.

“It’s tough to say,” Gravel said of how he fends off the challengers. “I feel like there’s times you have to be that championship driver and do some amazing things to bring some things out of the car that maybe aren’t there sometimes. And then there’s times where Cody’s going to step up and give me an unbelievable car in a long race to be able to get the job done in the last five or 10 laps. You’ve just got to stay levelheaded and cool.

“I think when you haven’t done it before, it ups the nerves a little bit. Leading and being the champion is still nerve-wracking, but you have that confidence that you’ve done it before and you know how to do it. It’s hard to say, but I just think the champion is leading the pack, so everybody wants to beat the champion. Those guys are going to try really, really hard to beat you night in and night out. You’re the hunted. It’s just do your job and stay focused on what you’re doing. You’ve got to be consistent to be a champion.”

History is within reach for Gravel in 2026. Only a trio of competitors – Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz, and Brad Sweet – have ever been able to string together three straight championships. Like any competitor, the latest triumph fuels the hunger for the next. The No. 2 team wants this run to be remembered for generations to come.

Gravel’s settled now. The years of moving around are far behind him. He’s found a home with Big Game Motorsports and is well within his prime. The rest of the roster won’t make it easy, but the champion has given little reason to doubt him in 2026.

“It would be very cool,” Gravel said of a potential three-peat. “I think there’s a lot of good guys gunning for us. For only three other people to do that in the history of the sport is pretty damn cool. I look back at the history books, and Donny is a 10-time champion, but I think he only had a big streak one time. Brad did five in a row. And obviously Steve has every record.

“It’s a cool thing, and we’d be super proud to do that. We know it’s not going to be easy. We just keep trying to build and build our program. I truly think we’re still getting better. Take away a couple things last year like me crashing on the final night, I think we had a pretty remarkable season barring two parts failures and me crashing on the last night. You take those away it was a pretty unbelievable season. Our goal is to eliminate those, try to run just as good as we did in the previous year, and see where it leads us.”

Gravel and Big Game Motorsports continue their hunt for a third consecutive World of Outlaws title at Volusia Speedway Park’s Bike Week Jamboree on March 1-2 in Barberville, FL. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.

Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.

FINDING A HOME: Gravel’s Big Game Longevity Leading Toward Historic Tenure

CONCORD, NC (February 12, 2026) – Championships require time.

Only 11 drivers through 48 seasons of World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series racing can call themselves a champion. It’s the sport’s toughest mountain to summit.

David Gravel is the latest to add his name to that exclusive list. It took commitment and patience. The Watertown, CT native made his presence felt on the national scene in the early 2010s. Rides with some of the sport’s most elite organizations like Roth Motorsports, CJB Motorsports, and Jason Johnson Racing pushed him toward the pinnacle.

But it wasn’t until he teamed with Tod Quiring that he was finally able to hoist the trophy at season’s end. In 2024, Gravel’s fourth season driving the Big Game Motorsports No. 2, he claimed an elusive title. Bricks laid in the foundation of what’s shaping up to be a historic run.

Gravel wasn’t done there. A dominant 2025 led him to standing atop the World Finals stage for the second year in a row. Along with the two titles, Gravel and the Big Game crew have racked up 62 wins, 155 podiums, 229 top fives, and 309 top 10s in 354 Features together.

They’ve shown no signs of slowing so far in 2026, clocking the quickest time in their Qualifying Flight all three nights during the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals last week and picking up a pair of podiums.

Longevity has proven to be a vital piece of a championship. The record books seldom show a driver and team meshing right off the bat to the point of beating the best the sport has to offer. After several years of switching rides, Gravel found the comfortable home he sought. Everything has come together, and now he’s ready to go after a three-peat.

“Early in my years I didn’t want to bounce around, but it was just kind of the cards that I was dealt and the situations I was in,” Gravel recalled. “I think when you’re a very young driver you don’t get the respect from certain people while you’re there because you’re young and there’s always that potential to be better or more mature, stuff like that. I felt like I raced for a lot of great car owners with great equipment, and we accomplished cool things with nearly every single one of them.

“But it’s great to finally get somewhere. Look at the World of Outlaws champions. Daryn Pittman is like the only one that I can think of that the first year he came to a team he won the championship. Other than that, it’s like these guys have been with their team a long time before they won championships. Even though Donny (Schatz) won with Tony (Stewart) there, it was the same equipment, same mechanic, same engines, very similar. That just shows you’ve got to be consistent and work on the small things, and it seems like championships come.”

It’s not enough to simply pair a driver with a powerful organization. There are other important pieces to put in place. For Gravel and Big Game, one of the biggest is crew chief Cody Jacobs. Quiring hired the Ohio native in 2020, and he’s turned the wrenches on the No. 2 ever since. Zach Patterson filled a gap as the Tire Specialist in 2022, and that’s where he remains today.

The one position on the road crew that’s been slightly inconsistent is car chief. While they’ve always had a capable set of hands, the name has changed over each of the last several years. But they won’t have to worry about introducing someone new in 2026 as Pete Stephens will continue to operate in the role. And on top of that, they’ve added Luke Vaughn full-time. Vaughn came to lend a hand over the last month of the 2025 season after departing Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing.

“It’s definitely a good feeling. It’s the first time we’re going to bring back the same three guys that we had in the previous season in my six years here, so that’s a comforting feeling,” Gravel said. “I feel like Pete grew into his role very well. He’s done this a long time, but he didn’t do it for five or 10 years. Within the first month, it was like riding a bike. It’s a great feeling, and then adding Luke adds a young, fiery guy.”

They’ve won the last two. They’ve built a proven core. But that doesn’t mean they can get complacent. Names like Michael Kofoid, Carson Macedo, Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, and more are all hungry to dethrone Gravel. He was once in their position. The 33-year-old knows he’s got to stay on top of his game.

“It’s tough to say,” Gravel said of how he fends off the challengers. “I feel like there’s times you have to be that championship driver and do some amazing things to bring some things out of the car that maybe aren’t there sometimes. And then there’s times where Cody’s going to step up and give me an unbelievable car in a long race to be able to get the job done in the last five or 10 laps. You’ve just got to stay levelheaded and cool.

“I think when you haven’t done it before, it ups the nerves a little bit. Leading and being the champion is still nerve-wracking, but you have that confidence that you’ve done it before and you know how to do it. It’s hard to say, but I just think the champion is leading the pack, so everybody wants to beat the champion. Those guys are going to try really, really hard to beat you night in and night out. You’re the hunted. It’s just do your job and stay focused on what you’re doing. You’ve got to be consistent to be a champion.”

History is within reach for Gravel in 2026. Only a trio of competitors – Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz, and Brad Sweet – have ever been able to string together three straight championships. Like any competitor, the latest triumph fuels the hunger for the next. The No. 2 team wants this run to be remembered for generations to come.

Gravel’s settled now. The years of moving around are far behind him. He’s found a home with Big Game Motorsports and is well within his prime. The rest of the roster won’t make it easy, but the champion has given little reason to doubt him in 2026.

“It would be very cool,” Gravel said of a potential three-peat. “I think there’s a lot of good guys gunning for us. For only three other people to do that in the history of the sport is pretty damn cool. I look back at the history books, and Donny is a 10-time champion, but I think he only had a big streak one time. Brad did five in a row. And obviously Steve has every record.

“It’s a cool thing, and we’d be super proud to do that. We know it’s not going to be easy. We just keep trying to build and build our program. I truly think we’re still getting better. Take away a couple things last year like me crashing on the final night, I think we had a pretty remarkable season barring two parts failures and me crashing on the last night. You take those away it was a pretty unbelievable season. Our goal is to eliminate those, try to run just as good as we did in the previous year, and see where it leads us.”

Gravel and Big Game Motorsports continue their hunt for a third consecutive World of Outlaws title at Volusia Speedway Park’s Bike Week Jamboree on March 1-2 in Barberville, FL. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.

Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/finding-a-home-gravels-big-game-longevity-leading-toward-historic-tenure/

February 12, 2026 — INDIANAPOLIS, IN

• Honda will continue supplying engines for 2027 season and beyond in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES extending 30+ year commitment
• All-new Honda 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid engine set to debut in 2028 alongside new chassis
• Honda to receive team ‘charter’ as part of new agreement; will operate full-season entry beginning in 2028

Honda and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES today announced that Honda will continue as an engine supplier for the 2027 racing season and beyond in a multi-year deal. Honda and its North American racing arm, Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US), bring more than 30 years of American open wheel success into the new era of IndyCar racing.

Additionally, Honda revealed that in 2028, the new Dallara INDYCAR chassis will be powered by an all-new V6 engine developed and manufactured in the U.S. by HRC. The 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged unit will be paired with a low-voltage hybrid unit common across all cars regardless of engine manufacturer.

IndyCar will run the current engine and chassis formula in 2027 before debuting the replacement for the current Dallara DW12 and 2.2-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine combo, which was introduced in 2012. The current chassis and engine formula was modified in 2024 with a low-voltage hybrid unit.

As part of the new multi-year agreement with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Honda, along with series rival Chevrolet, will receive a team ‘charter’ beginning in the 2028 season – a first for an OEM with the IndyCar series. HRC US has committed to field a Honda full-season entry in 2028 as a way to further develop its associates and technology.

Honda has earned immense success in American open wheel racing, beginning with the company’s foray into Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) competition in 1994. Honda won its first manufacturers’ and drivers’ championships in 1996. Since then, Honda has achieved unmatched success in INDYCAR SERIES racing, scoring 298 victories from 543 races, 21 drivers’ titles, 11 manufacturers’ championships and 16 Indianapolis 500 victories.

The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season was historic for Honda with the manufacturer winning 10 races in a row and 12 of 17 races on the year on the way to a sweep of the drivers’, manufacturers’ and Rookie of the Year championship titles—as well as earning the 2025 Indianapolis 500 win.

Quotes

David Salters (President, Honda Racing Corporation USA): “To our esteemed Honda fans, customers, and associates, we are thrilled to announce our ongoing participation in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. With a deep respect for the history andcompetitive spirit of IndyCar racing, we are proud to continue our involvement after more than 30 years. This long-standingcommitment strengthens our ability to allow us to further develop our people and technology atthe pinnacle of open-wheel racing in North America.

“The partnership between INDYCAR and FOX continues to grow bringing outstanding race coverage and elevating the experience for fans everywhere. The future of IndyCar looks incredibly bright, and we at Honda are honored to play a critical role in its continued success.”

Doug Boles (President, NTT INDYCAR SERIES):“This is a monumental day for INDYCAR, fueled by a massive and historic commitment from two of our best and most trusted partners. Chevrolet and Honda have worked tirelessly with us over the last 12 months to get to this point and both have made it very clear that they are fully committed to this sport and invested in continuing the positive momentum the series generated in 2025.”

About Honda Racing Corporation USA
Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US), has a rich heritage creating, manufacturing, and supporting Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports customers since its founding in 1993 as Honda Performance Development (HPD). In January 2024, HPD became HRC US, combining with HRC Japan to strengthen the company’s overall motorsports capabilities. From pinnacle racing in INDYCAR and IMSA sports cars to commercial racing programs, HRC US leads all Honda and Acura high-performance racing programs in North America and will be involved in Formula One power unit development and race support related to the next phase of Honda starting in 2026.

Honda Secures New Multi-Year Engine Supply Agreement with NTT INDYCAR SERIES

• Release
• Photos

February 12, 2026 — INDIANAPOLIS, IN

• Honda will continue supplying engines for 2027 season and beyond in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES extending 30+ year commitment
• All-new Honda 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid engine set to debut in 2028 alongside new chassis
• Honda to receive team ‘charter’ as part of new agreement; will operate full-season entry beginning in 2028

Honda and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES today announced that Honda will continue as an engine supplier for the 2027 racing season and beyond in a multi-year deal. Honda and its North American racing arm, Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US), bring more than 30 years of American open wheel success into the new era of IndyCar racing.

Additionally, Honda revealed that in 2028, the new Dallara INDYCAR chassis will be powered by an all-new V6 engine developed and manufactured in the U.S. by HRC. The 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged unit will be paired with a low-voltage hybrid unit common across all cars regardless of engine manufacturer.

IndyCar will run the current engine and chassis formula in 2027 before debuting the replacement for the current Dallara DW12 and 2.2-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine combo, which was introduced in 2012. The current chassis and engine formula was modified in 2024 with a low-voltage hybrid unit.

As part of the new multi-year agreement with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Honda, along with series rival Chevrolet, will receive a team ‘charter’ beginning in the 2028 season – a first for an OEM with the IndyCar series. HRC US has committed to field a Honda full-season entry in 2028 as a way to further develop its associates and technology.

Honda has earned immense success in American open wheel racing, beginning with the company’s foray into Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) competition in 1994. Honda won its first manufacturers’ and drivers’ championships in 1996. Since then, Honda has achieved unmatched success in INDYCAR SERIES racing, scoring 298 victories from 543 races, 21 drivers’ titles, 11 manufacturers’ championships and 16 Indianapolis 500 victories.

The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season was historic for Honda with the manufacturer winning 10 races in a row and 12 of 17 races on the year on the way to a sweep of the drivers’, manufacturers’ and Rookie of the Year championship titles—as well as earning the 2025 Indianapolis 500 win.

Quotes

David Salters (President, Honda Racing Corporation USA): “To our esteemed Honda fans, customers, and associates, we are thrilled to announce our ongoing participation in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. With a deep respect for the history andcompetitive spirit of IndyCar racing, we are proud to continue our involvement after more than 30 years. This long-standingcommitment strengthens our ability to allow us to further develop our people and technology atthe pinnacle of open-wheel racing in North America.

“The partnership between INDYCAR and FOX continues to grow bringing outstanding race coverage and elevating the experience for fans everywhere. The future of IndyCar looks incredibly bright, and we at Honda are honored to play a critical role in its continued success.”

Doug Boles (President, NTT INDYCAR SERIES):“This is a monumental day for INDYCAR, fueled by a massive and historic commitment from two of our best and most trusted partners. Chevrolet and Honda have worked tirelessly with us over the last 12 months to get to this point and both have made it very clear that they are fully committed to this sport and invested in continuing the positive momentum the series generated in 2025.”

About Honda Racing Corporation USA
Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US), has a rich heritage creating, manufacturing, and supporting Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports customers since its founding in 1993 as Honda Performance Development (HPD). In January 2024, HPD became HRC US, combining with HRC Japan to strengthen the company’s overall motorsports capabilities. From pinnacle racing in INDYCAR and IMSA sports cars to commercial racing programs, HRC US leads all Honda and Acura high-performance racing programs in North America and will be involved in Formula One power unit development and race support related to the next phase of Honda starting in 2026.

HRC US specializes in the design and development of powertrain, chassis, electronics, and performance parts, as well as technical and race support. The company also offers parts and race support to Honda and Acura amateur and professional motorsports racers; and is continually expanding its palette of racing programs that make Honda racing products available to all racing styles, from karting and quarter midgets to the highest levels of professional racing. https://hondaracing-us.honda.com

BARBERVILLE, FL – A trio of Gator trophies were on offer to DIRTcar Late Model competitors in the Wednesday portion of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals in three split-field, 20-lap main events.

Michael Leach, Nick Hoffman and Tyler Erb each made their way to Victory Lane at Volusia Speedway Park, bringing themselves one step closer to a Big Gator as the week reached its halfway point. The remaining three nights will be sanctioned by the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision, with $12,000 going to the winner on Thursday and Friday before the event concludes with a $20,000-to-win Feature on Saturday.

Feature 1

By Nick Graziano

Michael Leach admitted that finding out he was starting on the pole for the first DIRTcar Late Model Feature Wednesday night shook him a little bit. About 30 minutes later, he was shaking a new golden Gator trophy in Victory Lane at Volusia Speedway Park.

The victory was not only his first win at Volusia in a Super Late Model, but also his first-ever Super Late Model win in his second year racing full-time in the division after moving from Montana to the Longhorn Chassis headquarters in North Carolina.

The 20-lap Feature started with outside polesitter Ryan Gustin stealing the lead from Leach on the first lap. But Leach wasn’t interested in letting “The Reaper” hold it for long. Staying on the tail of the No. 19R, Leach built a run around the bottom and dove into Turns 1-2 on the second lap to reclaim the lead.

From there, the Montana driver tried to make himself untouchable. He drove away from Gustin and maintained that distance for most of the Feature.

However, Gustin tried to give him a scare in the closing laps. Leach’s lead went from over half a second to a few tenths of a second with three laps to go. Then, the third and final caution of the Feature became Leach’s savior.

When the green flag was shown again, Leach rocketed away from the field, while Gustin came under fire from third-place Daulton Wilson. The black No. 58V passed Gustin with two laps to go and began reeling in Leach.

Closing corner after corner, the No. 09 grew bigger in Wilson’s visor. But time ran out for Wilson, and was on time for Leach, who finally saw the checkered flag first in a Super Late Model.

The Gator trophy is his second, as he earned his first little Gator trophy in 2024 in a DIRTcar UMP Modified.

“This is everything,” Leach said in Victory Lane. “I mean, we’ve had such a bad start to the year, and we’ve been busting our asses day in, day out, you know? We’re like, ‘Oh, there’s always another day, and there’s always another day.’ Well, today’s another day. I’m just so happy.

“Honestly, I didn’t know they inverted the top four, and usually I’m pretty calm, cool, and collected, but I was putting tearoffs on after I figured out we were starting on the pole, and I was kind of shaking a little bit… This is awesome.”

Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 09-Michael Leach[1]; 2. 58V-Daulton Wilson[4]; 3. 19R-Ryan Gustin[2]; 4. 14-Trey Mills[6]; 5. 60-Dan Ebert[3]; 6. 97D-Cade Dillard[9]; 7. 18-Chase Junghans[11]; 8. 74X-Ethan Dotson[16]; 9. 19M-Brenden Smith[7]; 10. 0-Glenn Styres[17]; 11. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[5]; 12. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[8]; 13. 9M-Tim McCreadie[14]; 14. 49M-Luke Morey[15]; 15. 40B-Kyle Bronson[10]; 16. 32-Bobby Pierce[13]; 17. 28-Dennis ErbJr[12]; 18. 17-Austin Howes[20]; 19. B1-Brent Larson[18]; 20. 14R-Reid Millard[19]

Feature 2

By Matt Skipper

Nick Hoffman keeps expanding his personal swamp of DIRTcar Nationals gators.

The Mooresville, NC driver scored his third career event win aboard the NOS Energy Drink No. 9 Late Model by charging to the front of the field in 20 laps around Volusia Speedway Park.

Austin Smith took command from the drop of the green flag by stretching the distance from Brandon Overton and Nick Hoffman to a one-second lead by Lap 7.

When lapped traffic invaded Smith’s driving line, it helped Overton’s Budweiser No. 76 chop the gap to a car-length’s width from the No. 11. Hoffman struggled to match the pace of the two leaders and had to keep Max Blair at bay from taking his podium position until the caution flew on Lap 13.

Rolling to the restart from the high side, Hoffman got the jump on Overton for second place through Turns 1-2, then kept the Longhorn Chassis at the top of Turns 3-4 in swinging away the lead from Smith.

While Overton retook the runner-up spot from Smith on Lap 15, he was unable to catch Hoffman in the final stretch for the Wednesday night triumph. With the Gator earned, “The Thrill from Mooresville” has won 25 career event Features between the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds and Late Models, along with victories in 14 out of the last 15 years at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.”

“It’s awesome,” Hoffman said. “I knew the racetrack was gonna be totally different from what we seen last night, and it was. Our car’s good in every condition, so on the restart there, Overton chose the bottom and left me the outside lane. The outside’s been able to roll pretty fast, so I just hammered the cushion off of (Turn 4) and got that run on Austin.”

Feature 2 (20 Laps): 1. 9-Nick Hoffman[3]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[4]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[7]; 4. 11-Austin Smith[1]; 5. 111-Max Blair[5]; 6. 22*-Drake Troutman[13]; 7. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[6]; 8. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[2]; 9. 8S-Kyle Strickler[9]; 10. 24-Tyler Wyant[15]; 11. 7-Ross Robinson[12]; 12. 114K-Evan Koehler[14]; 13. 49-Jake Timm[17]; 14. 13-Dallon Murty[10]; 15. 23-Beckham Malone[18]; 16. 1Z-Logan Zarin[8]; 17. 8-Matthew Larson[11]; 18. T1-Todd Morrow[16]; 19. J4-John Garvin Jr[19]; 20. 5-Mark Whitener[20]

Feature 3

By Spence Smithback

Tyler Erb has spent the last decade chasing his first Gator, and he finally got it on Wednesday night.

“Terbo” made his DIRTcar Nationals debut in 2016 and has only missed two editions of the event in the years since. He’s come agonizingly close multiple times, including three podium finishes in 2017, 2024 and 2025. But 2026 turned out to be Erb’s year, as he ran away with the third and final Feature of the night to claim his first golden reptile.

“All in all, it was really good,” Erb said. “I’ve had a lot of speed this year and last year some, just haven’t been able to win one. Being in clean air is huge. Had one little scare with a lap car there, I don’t know, six or seven laps in, but it was a lot of fun.”

The New Waverly, TX native led the field to green, but lost the top spot through Turns 1 and 2 when Overton went ripping around his outside. But a quick caution gave Erb another chance, and he made the most of it by powering ahead of Overton through the middle to take command. From then on, Erb never looked back, crossing the line 1.8 seconds ahead of Chris Madden in second.

“I’m glad we got that first restart back because I wasn’t sure what to do in [Turns] 3 and 4,” Erb said. “I saw Cody blaze around me, and I was like, ‘Well, just run the cushion until something happens otherwise.’ Getting into [Turn] 1 was definitely a little sketchy, I would enter high and dive it down and a couple times just bomb it across there. This thing would get to hucking and bucking.”

Not only was it Erb’s first win at Volusia, it was also his first of 2026 after collecting four top fives in his first 11 starts of the year. Despite his less-than-desirable start to DIRTcar Nationals with finishes of ninth on Monday and 16th on Tuesday, the win vaulted Erb up to seventh in the Big Gator standings, 51 points behind leader Overton with three nights to go.

Feature 3 (20 Laps): 1. 1-Tyler Erb[1]; 2. 44-Chris Madden[4]; 3. 97-Cody Overton[2]; 4. 11R-Josh Rice[3]; 5. 58-Garrett Alberson[5]; 6. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[7]; 7. 99-Devin Moran[12]; 8. 16-Tyler Bruening[11]; 9. 19-Dustin Sorensen[8]; 10. 99B-Boom Briggs[14]; 11. 16S-Sam Seawright[9]; 12. 114-Jordan Koehler[6]; 13. 81-Jason Riggs[18]; 14. 388-Jackson Hise[16]; 15. 77-Preston Luckman[19]; 16. 55E-Eli Johnson[13]; 17. 31-Tyler Millwood[15]; 18. 93-Carson Ferguson[10]; 19. 11B-Stacy Boles[17]

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision takes over Volusia Speedway Park for the final three nights of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 12-14. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Want to watch live? Stream every night of DIRTcar Nationals live on DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://dirtcar.com/dirtcar-ump/leach-hoffman-erb-secure-wednesday-gators-at-dirtcar-nationals/

EVENT INFO: https://dirtcarnationals.com/
TRACK INFO: https://volusiaspeedwaypark.com/

Leach, Hoffman, Erb Secure Wednesday Gators at DIRTcar Nationals

BARBERVILLE, FL – A trio of Gator trophies were on offer to DIRTcar Late Model competitors in the Wednesday portion of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals in three split-field, 20-lap main events.

Michael Leach, Nick Hoffman and Tyler Erb each made their way to Victory Lane at Volusia Speedway Park, bringing themselves one step closer to a Big Gator as the week reached its halfway point. The remaining three nights will be sanctioned by the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision, with $12,000 going to the winner on Thursday and Friday before the event concludes with a $20,000-to-win Feature on Saturday.

Feature 1

By Nick Graziano

Michael Leach admitted that finding out he was starting on the pole for the first DIRTcar Late Model Feature Wednesday night shook him a little bit. About 30 minutes later, he was shaking a new golden Gator trophy in Victory Lane at Volusia Speedway Park.

The victory was not only his first win at Volusia in a Super Late Model, but also his first-ever Super Late Model win in his second year racing full-time in the division after moving from Montana to the Longhorn Chassis headquarters in North Carolina.

The 20-lap Feature started with outside polesitter Ryan Gustin stealing the lead from Leach on the first lap. But Leach wasn’t interested in letting “The Reaper” hold it for long. Staying on the tail of the No. 19R, Leach built a run around the bottom and dove into Turns 1-2 on the second lap to reclaim the lead.

From there, the Montana driver tried to make himself untouchable. He drove away from Gustin and maintained that distance for most of the Feature.

However, Gustin tried to give him a scare in the closing laps. Leach’s lead went from over half a second to a few tenths of a second with three laps to go. Then, the third and final caution of the Feature became Leach’s savior.

When the green flag was shown again, Leach rocketed away from the field, while Gustin came under fire from third-place Daulton Wilson. The black No. 58V passed Gustin with two laps to go and began reeling in Leach.

Closing corner after corner, the No. 09 grew bigger in Wilson’s visor. But time ran out for Wilson, and was on time for Leach, who finally saw the checkered flag first in a Super Late Model.

The Gator trophy is his second, as he earned his first little Gator trophy in 2024 in a DIRTcar UMP Modified.

“This is everything,” Leach said in Victory Lane. “I mean, we’ve had such a bad start to the year, and we’ve been busting our asses day in, day out, you know? We’re like, ‘Oh, there’s always another day, and there’s always another day.’ Well, today’s another day. I’m just so happy.

“Honestly, I didn’t know they inverted the top four, and usually I’m pretty calm, cool, and collected, but I was putting tearoffs on after I figured out we were starting on the pole, and I was kind of shaking a little bit… This is awesome.”

Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 09-Michael Leach[1]; 2. 58V-Daulton Wilson[4]; 3. 19R-Ryan Gustin[2]; 4. 14-Trey Mills[6]; 5. 60-Dan Ebert[3]; 6. 97D-Cade Dillard[9]; 7. 18-Chase Junghans[11]; 8. 74X-Ethan Dotson[16]; 9. 19M-Brenden Smith[7]; 10. 0-Glenn Styres[17]; 11. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[5]; 12. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[8]; 13. 9M-Tim McCreadie[14]; 14. 49M-Luke Morey[15]; 15. 40B-Kyle Bronson[10]; 16. 32-Bobby Pierce[13]; 17. 28-Dennis ErbJr[12]; 18. 17-Austin Howes[20]; 19. B1-Brent Larson[18]; 20. 14R-Reid Millard[19]

Feature 2

By Matt Skipper

Nick Hoffman keeps expanding his personal swamp of DIRTcar Nationals gators.

The Mooresville, NC driver scored his third career event win aboard the NOS Energy Drink No. 9 Late Model by charging to the front of the field in 20 laps around Volusia Speedway Park.

Austin Smith took command from the drop of the green flag by stretching the distance from Brandon Overton and Nick Hoffman to a one-second lead by Lap 7.

When lapped traffic invaded Smith’s driving line, it helped Overton’s Budweiser No. 76 chop the gap to a car-length’s width from the No. 11. Hoffman struggled to match the pace of the two leaders and had to keep Max Blair at bay from taking his podium position until the caution flew on Lap 13.

Rolling to the restart from the high side, Hoffman got the jump on Overton for second place through Turns 1-2, then kept the Longhorn Chassis at the top of Turns 3-4 in swinging away the lead from Smith.

While Overton retook the runner-up spot from Smith on Lap 15, he was unable to catch Hoffman in the final stretch for the Wednesday night triumph. With the Gator earned, “The Thrill from Mooresville” has won 25 career event Features between the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds and Late Models, along with victories in 14 out of the last 15 years at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.”

“It’s awesome,” Hoffman said. “I knew the racetrack was gonna be totally different from what we seen last night, and it was. Our car’s good in every condition, so on the restart there, Overton chose the bottom and left me the outside lane. The outside’s been able to roll pretty fast, so I just hammered the cushion off of (Turn 4) and got that run on Austin.”

Feature 2 (20 Laps): 1. 9-Nick Hoffman[3]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[4]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[7]; 4. 11-Austin Smith[1]; 5. 111-Max Blair[5]; 6. 22*-Drake Troutman[13]; 7. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[6]; 8. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[2]; 9. 8S-Kyle Strickler[9]; 10. 24-Tyler Wyant[15]; 11. 7-Ross Robinson[12]; 12. 114K-Evan Koehler[14]; 13. 49-Jake Timm[17]; 14. 13-Dallon Murty[10]; 15. 23-Beckham Malone[18]; 16. 1Z-Logan Zarin[8]; 17. 8-Matthew Larson[11]; 18. T1-Todd Morrow[16]; 19. J4-John Garvin Jr[19]; 20. 5-Mark Whitener[20]

Feature 3

By Spence Smithback

Tyler Erb has spent the last decade chasing his first Gator, and he finally got it on Wednesday night.

“Terbo” made his DIRTcar Nationals debut in 2016 and has only missed two editions of the event in the years since. He’s come agonizingly close multiple times, including three podium finishes in 2017, 2024 and 2025. But 2026 turned out to be Erb’s year, as he ran away with the third and final Feature of the night to claim his first golden reptile.

“All in all, it was really good,” Erb said. “I’ve had a lot of speed this year and last year some, just haven’t been able to win one. Being in clean air is huge. Had one little scare with a lap car there, I don’t know, six or seven laps in, but it was a lot of fun.”

The New Waverly, TX native led the field to green, but lost the top spot through Turns 1 and 2 when Overton went ripping around his outside. But a quick caution gave Erb another chance, and he made the most of it by powering ahead of Overton through the middle to take command. From then on, Erb never looked back, crossing the line 1.8 seconds ahead of Chris Madden in second.

“I’m glad we got that first restart back because I wasn’t sure what to do in [Turns] 3 and 4,” Erb said. “I saw Cody blaze around me, and I was like, ‘Well, just run the cushion until something happens otherwise.’ Getting into [Turn] 1 was definitely a little sketchy, I would enter high and dive it down and a couple times just bomb it across there. This thing would get to hucking and bucking.”

Not only was it Erb’s first win at Volusia, it was also his first of 2026 after collecting four top fives in his first 11 starts of the year. Despite his less-than-desirable start to DIRTcar Nationals with finishes of ninth on Monday and 16th on Tuesday, the win vaulted Erb up to seventh in the Big Gator standings, 51 points behind leader Overton with three nights to go.

Feature 3 (20 Laps): 1. 1-Tyler Erb[1]; 2. 44-Chris Madden[4]; 3. 97-Cody Overton[2]; 4. 11R-Josh Rice[3]; 5. 58-Garrett Alberson[5]; 6. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[7]; 7. 99-Devin Moran[12]; 8. 16-Tyler Bruening[11]; 9. 19-Dustin Sorensen[8]; 10. 99B-Boom Briggs[14]; 11. 16S-Sam Seawright[9]; 12. 114-Jordan Koehler[6]; 13. 81-Jason Riggs[18]; 14. 388-Jackson Hise[16]; 15. 77-Preston Luckman[19]; 16. 55E-Eli Johnson[13]; 17. 31-Tyler Millwood[15]; 18. 93-Carson Ferguson[10]; 19. 11B-Stacy Boles[17]

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision takes over Volusia Speedway Park for the final three nights of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 12-14. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Want to watch live? Stream every night of DIRTcar Nationals live on DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://dirtcar.com/dirtcar-ump/leach-hoffman-erb-secure-wednesday-gators-at-dirtcar-nationals/

EVENT INFO: https://dirtcarnationals.com/
TRACK INFO: https://volusiaspeedwaypark.com/

FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING REPORT FEBRUARY 11, 2026

·        Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, posted a fastest lap of 49.006 seconds in the final round of qualifying to capture the pole position for the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500. ·        Busch’s first-career DAYTONA 500 pole marks Chevrolet’s 32nd all-time pole win in the “Great American Race”, with 15 of those feats coming in the past 18 seasons.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING REPORTFEBRUARY 11, 2026

Kyle Busch, Chevrolet Takes Pole Position for the “Great American Race”

·        Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, posted a fastest lap of 49.006 seconds in the final round of qualifying to capture the pole position for the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500. ·        Busch’s first-career DAYTONA 500 pole marks Chevrolet’s 32nd all-time pole win in the “Great American Race”, with 15 of those feats coming in the past 18 seasons.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2026) – With sights set on its fourth consecutive DAYTONA 500 championship title, Chevrolet returned to the top of the qualifying speed chart with Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team taking the coveted pole position for the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500. The 40-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada, native was the fastest driver in both rounds – laying down a blistering lap of 49.006 seconds in Round Two of qualifying to drive Chevrolet to its series-leading 32nd pole win in the “Great American Race”.  “Certainly, here on Wednesday night, being able to get my first pole for the DAYTONA 500, that’s pretty special,” said Busch. “I’ve had one other speedway pole down here in Daytona for the summer race. This feels really good for RCR as a group. Everybody from ECR, thanks to Bob (Fisher) and his whole team there.” After an impressive debut in their first-ever NASCAR Cup Series start one year ago, JR Motorsports has made their return to the division for a second bid for a starting position in the crown jewel event. Back behind the wheel of the organization’s No. 40 Chevrolet entry, Justin Allgaier ended the qualifying session 14th overall – an effort that secures one of the two open positions on speed following the evening’s qualifying session.  With the front-row set, the two 60-lap, 150-mile, Duels at Daytona will determine the remaining starting lineup for the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500. FS1 will telecast the Duels on Thursday, Feb. 12, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet – Pole Winner Quotes “This is special for all of us at Richard Childress Racing; for Richard and Jim Pohlman, with it being his first race as the crew chief. Obviously having the opportunity to come down here with fast speedway cars, and I’ve had fast speedway cars with RCR every time we’ve been here. It feels really good to sit on the pole and to have the No. 1 starting spot come Sunday. But we also want the No. 1 finishing position on Sunday.  Thank you to everyone at ECR; Lucas Oil for everything they do for our power; and all of our partners that support this No. 8 Chevrolet team. “I think we learned some things last year at a couple of the speedway races. I feel like those guys have really tuned-in on those things that worked. I hope it turns out to be what we all think it should be for speed on Sunday. I’m sure we’ll find a little bit more about it tomorrow.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Thoughts on Daytona this year? “Yeah anytime we can get back to racing, it’s always exciting. There is always a lot of chaos and uncertainty that goes into the 500 but I think the focus is to continue to build the relationship we have started with RCR and Chevrolet and my team, Billy Plourde and Dave Jones, my crew chief and car chief, they’ve done an awesome job prepping during the offseason. I think the fruits of that are starting to show between the little bit of track time we’ve had here and at Bowman Grey.”  There are drivers down here who were underdogs that have won. Is this a race that anyone can win? “I think what that shows is that it is anyone’s race. You have guys like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell, guys that I’ve had good relationships with over the years when the stars fall and everything aligns, it really is anybody’s race. I think the biggest thing for me is to take what I’ve learned from leading laps last year in the fall race to building a program where we have the cars that are capable of winning and I still need to work on myself to make sure were in contention. But I think it is anyone race and I think it’s going to be an exciting year.”   Talk about the move to Chevrolet and the relationship with RCR:  “From my personal experience having spent a lot of time at RCR and the GM Tech Center, there are a lot of tools that are available not just to the race team but also myself as a driver are invaluable. RCR has a static SIM rig that I have access too pretty much 24/7 with their engineers as well as the GM Tech Center using their full motion rig and static rig. So to be able to work with RCR and their engineers has been good not just for the team, but for myself as a driver to continue to improve and make myself better because I don’t want to fall behind as our equipment and our expectations and performance is getting better, I need to make sure that I am improving as well. I think all in all I’ve seen just an across the board improvement but it’s still very very early because we haven’t had a points race yet, but I’m super optimistic with the alliance and switching manufacturers.” You led 23 laps last year at Daytona. Can you recreate that magic?“I think confidence has a lot to do with it. Having the confidence to go out there and lead and learning what it takes to lead and modulate a line in a draft pack like that. And just to continue to learn on that and not do it for a flash-in-the-pan moment but being able to consistently do it and also extract more speed out of the cars. Also fuel milage is also an important part and one of the things is we burned a lot of fuel doing that so knowing the time and the place to do that versus burning up fuel and creating a bad pit strategy for the team as well. But I’m excited to about Daytona especially after last fall and the new alliance with Chevrolet and RCR.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Thoughts on Daytona this year? “Yeah anytime we can get back to racing, it’s always exciting. There is always a lot of chaos and uncertainty that goes into the 500 but I think the focus is to continue to build the relationship we have started with RCR and Chevrolet and my team, Billy Plourde and Dave Jones, my crew chief and car chief, they’ve done an awesome job prepping during the offseason. I think the fruits of that are starting to show between the little bit of track time we’ve had here and at Bowman Grey.”  There are drivers down here who were underdogs that have won. Is this a race that anyone can win? “I think what that shows is that it is anyone’s race. You have guys like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell, guys that I’ve had good relationships with over the years when the stars fall and everything aligns, it really is anybody’s race. I think the biggest thing for me is to take what I’ve learned from leading laps last year in the fall race to building a program where we have the cars that are capable of winning and I still need to work on myself to make sure were in contention. But I think it is anyone race and I think it’s going to be an exciting year.”   Talk about the move to Chevrolet and the relationship with RCR:  “From my personal experience having spent a lot of time at RCR and the GM Tech Center, there are a lot of tools that are available not just to the race team but also myself as a driver are invaluable. RCR has a static SIM rig that I have access too pretty much 24/7 with their engineers as well as the GM Tech Center using their full motion rig and static rig. So to be able to work with RCR and their engineers has been good not just for the team, but for myself as a driver to continue to improve and make myself better because I don’t want to fall behind as our equipment and our expectations and performance is getting better, I need to make sure that I am improving as well. I think all in all I’ve seen just an across the board improvement but it’s still very very early because we haven’t had a points race yet, but I’m super optimistic with the alliance and switching manufacturers.” You led 23 laps last year at Daytona. Can you recreate that magic?“I think confidence has a lot to do with it. Having the confidence to go out there and lead and learning what it takes to lead and modulate a line in a draft pack like that. And just to continue to learn on that and not do it for a flash-in-the-pan moment but being able to consistently do it and also extract more speed out of the cars. Also fuel milage is also an important part and one of the things is we burned a lot of fuel doing that so knowing the time and the place to do that versus burning up fuel and creating a bad pit strategy for the team as well. But I’m excited to about Daytona especially after last fall and the new alliance with Chevrolet and RCR.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Ricky, how great is it to be sharing a track with Tony Stewart?  “Yeah, it’s cool. I mean, I’ve got to race Tony in my first Daytona 500 in 2012. I believe I crashed him on accident in the tri-oval in 2012.  No, as soon as he announced he was running, I texted him and said, hey, you got a drafting partner. At that time, we hadn’t announced that I was running, so he didn’t know.  No, it will be awesome. Looking forward to getting out there. I think the Truck race is going to be one of those that a lot of people are going to want to watch. We got a lot of good Cup guys running, a lot of great talent. I got Pastrana and Cleetus as my teammates. Hopefully we can keep our band of brothers up there up front along with Perez.  Should be a good week. Looking forward to Friday. But also looking forward to just racing more. Get the Duels on Thursday, Truck race on Friday. Hopefully a smooth, quiet Saturday to get ready for the 500 on Sunday.”   How much have you interacted with Cleetus and Travis? “I’ve known Travis for a long time. He and I are good friends. Cleetus I’ve talked to a decent amount of times. Respect everything that he’s been able to do. I’ve watched his ARCA races. They said his truck test went good.  Yeah, just really cool to have him. I know this weekend means a lot to him with how tight him and Greg were, especially late in that.  Yeah, it will be cool to be a teammate with him.”    As somebody who was a teammate with Greg for a few years, do you have a fond memory of him? “I just loved the way Greg talked about his race cars. It was very animated. You thought he was a little crazy. When he got to the end of what he was talking about, you knew exactly what his car was doing.  I feel like I learned a lot from him in that. Any little thing that you can say about a car, no matter how you say it, could spark something in your engineers or crew chiefs. I think that helps me explain how my race cars are and helped me from then on.  I used to sit on his pit box when I raced the Nationwide Series. I sat on his pit box every Sunday. I listened to him and Greg Erwin constantly talk about his race car. I learned a lot from Greg.    You talked over the summer how you wanted to do a Truck race. Here we are.  “It’s wild (laughter). I’m looking forward to it. Everybody at Niece builds great race trucks. Going there in the off-season has been fun, just figuring out everything that’s going on in the Truck Series, sitting in the trucks, having them walk around the Trucks to show me where the nose is because I’ve never been in one. It seems like the noses are pretty far out.  Yeah, just crazy that it took this long to get my first one. But looking forward to back-to-back starts, maybe a couple more throughout the season. Working on that with the Niece guys now.  Super pumped about Friday, but also really looking forward to Atlanta, as well.”   Truck Night America has been a big thing for a while.  “Everybody is going to be glued in watching. I mean, you got Pastrana, McFarland, then all the Cup guys. Just all in all I think it will be a really good race.  I think a lot of times you get the Truck races where they get kind of single-filed out, not a lot of moving and passing. I mean, I think all of us will be, you know, trying to get to the front and see what happens.  I’m going to use the first half of the race to figure out what these things do, how they draft, how they push, kind of how they feel when you get beside each other.  I’m much looking forward to it.”   Could the Truck race be an opportunity in the Cup season, where if there are any drivers who you may have a score to settle?  “No, I would never settle a score in a superspeedway race.”   Not giving them the run they’re looking for or something.  “No. I mean, I think if it’s going to benefit you in a superspeedway race, you’ll definitely take the opportunity to take a run, no matter who it’s with.  Again, I would say in superspeedway racing you’re always looking out for yourself, no matter what. But it’s just going to be wild. Again, I’ve never ran one. We got a lot of great talent in the Truck Series full-time, then you got a lot of us coming in that’s got a lot of experience, especially drafting.  It will be kind of cool to see how it all shakes out.”   You’re doing double duty this weekend. Do you feel like the preparation of not doing one race but two, is there any tradeoff doing Trucks? “No, I don’t think there’s any tradeoff. I’m excited to just race more. You come down here. You qualify tonight. You run the Duel race on Thursday. You might practice Friday or Saturday. Probably not both. Kind of sit around a lot.  It will be nice to be in a race car, just get back behind the wheel, get in the flow of things.    What is your favorite part of just the Daytona 500 experience? “Yeah, I just love Daytona 500 week. After the Super Bowl on Sunday, it’s all about us. Every household in America is probably going to have a TV on and watching the race, right? It’s big numbers that tune into our race on FOX. They announced another sellout for the 11th year in a row. 31-plus million-dollar purse. I enjoy coming down and doing stuff all week. Like my schedule is slammed, but I love it. We haven’t been doing a whole lot. You put this race in the three-quarter mark of the season, I might not like as much media as we have. But right now, at the time it’s fresh and kind of reviving.  Yeah, looking forward to the whole week. Great weather compared to Charlotte. Palm trees and race cars. If you want to take your kids to the beach, you can. Just kind of a relaxing week, even though you got a lot to do.    This part of your career, what is the driving force for you? “That’s a great question. This is my 15th Daytona 500 Media Day, so… It feels like yesterday was the first one.  I think just keeping in shape and feeling young. I still feel young. I was up at 6:30 this morning working out in the gym. When we go on vacation, my wife and I, we just got back from Mexico, and we got up between 6:00 and 6:15 every day, worked out for an hour, then started our day.  I just feel really good. I’m eating well. Feel like I’m in really good shape that keeps me going. Also, kind of a point in my career where I feel like I’m blessed to continue to do what I do. I’ve been in this sport for a long time, had some success.  There’s still success that I feel like I can have. So, I think that’s what keeps me striving and enjoying it. I just still feel like I got a lot left to prove, a lot of things to accomplish. One of those things to accomplish is being in the sport for six, seven more years. I want to win a race with my son there. There’s different things that I still want to accomplish.  Yeah, I feel good. I’m blessed to be able to do it. I think that’s one of the things I’ve really kind of honed in on since my Roush career ended and my Hyak career started. I’ve just been super fortunate.    (Question about family and being a NASCAR driver.)  “Leaving the family at home is tough, but also think about it in different ways. Also think we’re very fortunate that my work schedule is going to be a Saturday-Sunday. I don’t have to work Monday through Friday. I get to spend a massive amount of time with my family.  Yes, leaving them on the weekend is tough, but I know that if I had a 9:00 to 5:00, there’s a big portion of my time that I definitely wouldn’t get to see my family, right?  I look at it a couple different ways. At least that helps it settle with me a little bit more. And I get to bring them a lot. I bring them to more than half the races.  It is tough leaving, especially for the first time. I remember just leaving. You’re like, Dang. Then you’re calling to check in all the time. Especially now that Stetson is a little bit older, it’s awesome when you get home because they watched you race, they figure out what’s going on, they kiss you bye, then as soon as you get home, they are pumped to see you.  That makes it okay.    The new Chevy body, do you know what to expect yet as far as what it’s going to be like pushing on the track, any of that stuff? “I think it’s going to be easier for the Chevys to push. I never felt like I had an issue pushing or being pushed by other Chevys. I assume it’s going to be better. I mean, I think overall I just want it to be faster. The Ford obviously seems pretty fast in qualifying. There’s a couple Chevys that will lay down some laps.  If I could just have a little bit more raw speed, I think it would be better. We’ll find out where we stack up here in a minute. I think pushing and stuff should be easier. I don’t really see it being that big of a difference.    (No microphone.) “I’ve kind of put myself in bad spots, like speed on pit road.”  Regarding The CrossFit Open “Thought you were talking about the Duels tomorrow.  I haven’t been doing strictly CrossFit. I love watching it. If it’s a workout where I’m like, okay, not long ago, maybe not last year, the year before, they had the alternating snatches, burpee over the box. I can do 50-pound dumbbell snatches all day long. The weight wasn’t too outrageous, so I got to do exactly what they were doing. I love that.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Daytona is a place you’ve won at before. Does it feel any different coming back every year? Does it change at all for you? Do you get any more excited? “I think ever since I won the Daytona 500, I just enjoy coming through the tunnel. The opportunity to go back to victory lane here because you’ve done it before, it just feels obtainable. If you put yourself in good positions, it usually pays off. So we try and make the right decisions at the right time. It’s high-speed chess out there.” Inaudible.“Yeah, I think we’re in cleanup mode. I think we’re cleaning up the shop. We’re doing a good job doing the things we’ve needed to do. I think we straightened up, I guess is the best thing. But now we’re cleaning up; we’re doing a good job of turning everything over and making sure that we’re getting the best out of our cars. I think you’ll see that this year. I’m excited about the new Chevy body, looking forward to tonight, see how we qualify and then go race in the Duals.” Inaudible.“You just feel blessed by the opportunity and you are overwhelmed at times. That first time here and driving the No. 3. It was a heck of an experience. I had a lot of media around me. It’s a little different than today. I remember walking to the car and barely having enough oxygen. Just trying to get people to back up when we drove the 3 car that first year.” You’re one of the handful of people that’s experienced what it’s like to win a 500. What’s the difference for the team by coming out of week one of the season with that win?“Words can’t explain how big it is for your race shop and how much it can carry you for a long time. Especially in the old format. Now you got to go right back to work. You can’t take a weekend off. It’s hard to enjoy it. You do because it’s the biggest race of the year. But it’s a little different.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Regarding Greg Biffle and memories with him, and the special number font on your car “Yeah, first and foremost it’s sad that we have to run it.  Greg was somebody that I had many battles with on the racetrack and there were some competition meetings that we had some battles with as well. All fun memories, but the impact that he had in the community after he retired and obviously the floods and the everything that he did for that stand out.  Then you start hearing the trickle-down effect of everything he was doing. He was just a great person, and I enjoyed him and when he would come back to the racetrack and pick up conversations that we probably hadn’t had in a couple of years like they were five minutes ago. So I am sure there was a process of checking with Roush and making sure it was okay, but to us, it was a no brainer to do it if they allowed it. And hopefully this race is special for so many reasons, but if we were able to pull into victory lane on Sunday night it would be just a little bit more knowing that the font on the side of the car and what it means.”  Any memories that you can share about Greg Biffle, that stand out?“Yeah, I have got one in the competition meeting where we had a little bit of an argument after and what I laugh about is the argument was quite heated, and it was very heated. I think we were both raging at each other and then I went into my spiel about my racecar and then literally like two minutes later he was like, ‘man, your car was doing the same thing?’ and I was like, ‘yeah I had the same issue’ and it was like 20 minutes that just happened didn’t happen. I remember I walked out of the meeting, and I just started laughing about it. Because that was the type of person he was and how we both are. Its like one minute we were about to get in each other’s face and then we were like ‘yeah, yeah, our cars are doing the same thing’, and it never happened.  So, the battles on the racetrack were a lot of fun, but that one, the competition meeting will always stand out to me.”  What do you remember about your first Daytona 500?“The first one I made, or the first two I attended and didn’t make? Because the first two years were gut-wrenching and just absolute sadness. Because I got wrecked in lap seven of my first attempt at it in the Duels, when they had 68 cars here and I was at another race team that I will not mention. Then the next year, I was like a half of a car length from making it and didn’t make it.  So, the first two years here were gut-wrenching and the third year here, I had to race my way in and honestly had a shot to win it. It was rain-shortened that year and finished third and that, in a way, is what kept me going in the sport. So, without finishing third there, I don’t know if I would have had a continued career in NASCAR.”  Regarding having the same teammate heading into this year“The situation that I just talked about, in trying to keep at least some things together. You know, I think there is a little bit of change on the crew side of it but for the most part with Ty (Dillon) and myself, and the crew chiefs, and some of the engineers….I think we have brought in some good people, building our own bodies and we have to bring in some people and its strengthened the race team on that. But on the Ty side of it, I have known Ty for a long time but I have never generally worked with him till last year and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I feel like we kind of have the same personalities of the way we work together. So, to have him back is huge for our race team to just keep that together. Really that helps too in just going off a notebook and not having any data, knowing the stuff that we felt last year so that we can kind of work on that this year maybe when we are off a little bit on a race weekend and just go back to using the notes that we had last year, because that is all we got.”  How are you approaching the Daytona 500 this year?“I approach it like I always do.  First you want to finish, but you just go through the process of the week. And I feel like we will have fast race cars – we typically do at the superspeedways. But, a lot of guys will have fast race cars, so I kind of more judge it after the Duel.  Qualifying, unless you are on the front row, doesn’t mean anything. I judge it after the Duel and see what kind of car you got as far as handling-wise, drafting-wise, and then you go from there. You just try to make the right moves on Sunday. I feel like it’s always the same thing, you don’t want to be in the big one and you definitely don’t want to be the cause of it. That is the first goal. Hopefully you make the right moves, and you have a shot at the end of the race.” What is the scariest moment you have had at this racetrack, where you have been like you will never forget it?“All of them. We are all psycho out there.  Generally, I think we are all pretty calm and then we strap the helmet on and it cuts off the oxygen to our heads, and we become morons out there. So they are all hairy.  There are many wrecks that I should have been in, the ones that I have been in hurt, and you are out there and you are four-wide on lap 12 and you are like, ‘this is stupid, what are we doing?’. Then you are, ‘I am just going to lay back’, and then no, I am like ‘I am just going to run and why not stick it up in there?’.  So, yeah, it’s all crazy.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Regarding Greg Biffle and memories with him, and the special number font on your car “Yeah, first and foremost it’s sad that we have to run it.  Greg was somebody that I had many battles with on the racetrack and there were some competition meetings that we had some battles with as well. All fun memories, but the impact that he had in the community after he retired and obviously the floods and the everything that he did for that stand out.  Then you start hearing the trickle-down effect of everything he was doing. He was just a great person, and I enjoyed him and when he would come back to the racetrack and pick up conversations that we probably hadn’t had in a couple of years like they were five minutes ago. So I am sure there was a process of checking with Roush and making sure it was okay, but to us, it was a no brainer to do it if they allowed it. And hopefully this race is special for so many reasons, but if we were able to pull into victory lane on Sunday night it would be just a little bit more knowing that the font on the side of the car and what it means.”  Any memories that you can share about Greg Biffle, that stand out?“Yeah, I have got one in the competition meeting where we had a little bit of an argument after and what I laugh about is the argument was quite heated, and it was very heated. I think we were both raging at each other and then I went into my spiel about my racecar and then literally like two minutes later he was like, ‘man, your car was doing the same thing?’ and I was like, ‘yeah I had the same issue’ and it was like 20 minutes that just happened didn’t happen. I remember I walked out of the meeting, and I just started laughing about it. Because that was the type of person he was and how we both are. Its like one minute we were about to get in each other’s face and then we were like ‘yeah, yeah, our cars are doing the same thing’, and it never happened.  So, the battles on the racetrack were a lot of fun, but that one, the competition meeting will always stand out to me.”  What do you remember about your first Daytona 500?“The first one I made, or the first two I attended and didn’t make? Because the first two years were gut-wrenching and just absolute sadness. Because I got wrecked in lap seven of my first attempt at it in the Duels, when they had 68 cars here and I was at another race team that I will not mention. Then the next year, I was like a half of a car length from making it and didn’t make it.  So, the first two years here were gut-wrenching and the third year here, I had to race my way in and honestly had a shot to win it. It was rain-shortened that year and finished third and that, in a way, is what kept me going in the sport. So, without finishing third there, I don’t know if I would have had a continued career in NASCAR.”  Regarding having the same teammate heading into this year“The situation that I just talked about, in trying to keep at least some things together. You know, I think there is a little bit of change on the crew side of it but for the most part with Ty (Dillon) and myself, and the crew chiefs, and some of the engineers….I think we have brought in some good people, building our own bodies and we have to bring in some people and its strengthened the race team on that. But on the Ty side of it, I have known Ty for a long time but I have never generally worked with him till last year and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I feel like we kind of have the same personalities of the way we work together. So, to have him back is huge for our race team to just keep that together. Really that helps too in just going off a notebook and not having any data, knowing the stuff that we felt last year so that we can kind of work on that this year maybe when we are off a little bit on a race weekend and just go back to using the notes that we had last year, because that is all we got.”  How are you approaching the Daytona 500 this year?“I approach it like I always do.  First you want to finish, but you just go through the process of the week. And I feel like we will have fast race cars – we typically do at the superspeedways. But, a lot of guys will have fast race cars, so I kind of more judge it after the Duel.  Qualifying, unless you are on the front row, doesn’t mean anything. I judge it after the Duel and see what kind of car you got as far as handling-wise, drafting-wise, and then you go from there. You just try to make the right moves on Sunday. I feel like it’s always the same thing, you don’t want to be in the big one and you definitely don’t want to be the cause of it. That is the first goal. Hopefully you make the right moves, and you have a shot at the end of the race.” What is the scariest moment you have had at this racetrack, where you have been like you will never forget it?“All of them. We are all psycho out there.  Generally, I think we are all pretty calm and then we strap the helmet on and it cuts off the oxygen to our heads, and we become morons out there. So they are all hairy.  There are many wrecks that I should have been in, the ones that I have been in hurt, and you are out there and you are four-wide on lap 12 and you are like, ‘this is stupid, what are we doing?’. Then you are, ‘I am just going to lay back’, and then no, I am like ‘I am just going to run and why not stick it up in there?’.  So, yeah, it’s all crazy.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Thoughts on Daytona this year? “Yeah I feel there was a lot that I learned in those two races last year. Especially being so close to winning last year at Daytona. The first one was tough because I hadn’t been in a Next Gen car in two years so figuring out when to make the moves and how aggressive you can be, I think I learned a lot from that. The second Daytona I think you just try to keep knocking at the door as much as you can to try to win one of these things and eventually it’s going to be your day.”  How many friends do you have out there? “I hope a lot (laughs). At the end of the day, I think everyone is out for themselves everyone wants to win that trophy over there. For us as a single car team, we’re going to be looking at ourselves.”   Do you have drivers that you work with or is there planning? “Everyone kind of talks a big game before the race that they are going to work together and then lap one happens and no one works together (laughs). But I feel like at the end of the day it’s different every year and for us, switching to Chevrolet this year, we’re trying to understand that dynamic. How everyone at Chevrolet works together and how they want to attack this race.”  William Byron has won this race they last two years, does it help having an alliance with Hendrick Motorsports?“It’s huge, they are the champions from last year and having an alliance with Hendrick and they also are the champions from last year. So, if there are some little things we can learn throughout the year and build that relationship to get better and better as a team and also help each other, that is the goal.   Thoughts on the new playoff format: “I’m excited about it. I’ve always kind of liked points racing honestly because I’m kind of consistent and this is what it is going to take. Not having the DNFs and the wrecks that get you no points. If you can keep yourself in the game week after week, that’s going to mean a lot in this format.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

No Mic… “JR Motorsports is jumping in both feet first trying to understand what this looks like. It wasn’t easy. I look back all the way until Thursday night. I can remember the emotions of Thursday night probably, they haunt my sleep, right? It was up and down and up and down.  Going back 365 days later, it’s not any different. There’s still that stress, there’s still that want. But it’s more so now, how do we do better? How do we qualify tonight and not have to worry about tomorrow? How do we finish better in the Daytona 500?  All these things last year, we just wanted to make it in, we just wanted to finish. We didn’t necessarily have a set goal. I feel like this year we’ve just elevated our game and want to be better. So far so good.”  No Mic… “I’m going to smile a lot because I actually went around and I saw Jim (Pohlman) today in the Cup Garage. I gave him a big hug, told him proud of him I was.  He’s been in the sport for a long time. He’s been so understated. I’m so glad that we had the opportunity to work together, just really show that I’ve known about Jim for the last 25 years of my life, right, known who he was.  He exceeded all expectations, right? I thought I knew how good he could be, and he exceeded that expectation. I just feel like for him, having the opportunity to go with Kyle, who is an amazing race car driver, try to elevate to a point of where they would like to get back to, I have no doubt that they can go be successful, have a lot of fun with it.  I’m pumped for him. It’s going to be tough, there’s no question. Andrew Overstreet has done an amazing job this off-season. We’ve jumped in and hit the ground running. I have no doubt that with the notes that we had, with his knowledge and success, we have all the tools that we need to go back, take another stab at it.  We’ve been close to winning a championship a lot. We got one. I’d love to have multiple. 2026 looks like a great opportunity to go do that again.” What steps have been taken in the buildup to this to make sure you were in a position?“Yeah, I mean, I think when you look back last year, we had a lot more calmness going into qualifying than what we should have. I think we all thought we were in a little bit better position, thought we were a little bit smarter, little bit more prepared, a little bit all the things, right?  When qualifying didn’t go the way we wanted it to, I think it caught all of us a little bit off guard, right? I think we had higher expectations.  Now that being said, I go into 2026. I go, the stakes are just as high. We are held to that same standard of we have to go execute. Qualifying is going to be tough. I feel like every year I look at the entry list and there’s more and more and more good cars.  I think we’ve done all the right work. We’ve put all the pieces of the puzzle together the best we can, with the knowledge we had last year. We just have to go execute.  If we do that, we’ll have a great opportunity at not only qualifying well but having a great Daytona 500. See what happens.” Does that challenge get more difficult because it’s a different body than you had a year ago? “Well, I think one of the hardest parts about the Cup Series is while things may not change a lot, when they do change, it’s a big change, right?  All of your notes, everything we do, I’m not going to say you’re kind of guessing, because the engineering side is so incredible and how detailed they’re able to get anymore. You still don’t know what that could look like.  So while I don’t think the change on the Chevrolet side, on the body, is significant as far as it is a significant change, especially there’s some pretty big visual changes within the body, a lot of the stuff that we see is very similar to what we had last year.  Those are easier. Probably the biggest change is just not going in this garage for a year, right? All the processes and how the cars of bolted together, getting through inspection, all the little details that if you’re not doing it week in, week out, you just don’t know, right?  I think for us, we understood what we needed to do last year. We just have to tweak on that and fine-tune it, make sure we’re in a better position for this year’s qualifying.”  You’ve been asked a lot about the meaning of the Daytona 500. For you personally, what is the value and importance of having a Cup Series win? “I mean, it would be amazing. I don’t know that you could put any better Cup Series win on your résumé than the Daytona 500. That would be pretty special.  But when I look at the field, this year there will be 40 other cars, that they equally want that win just as bad as I do. Everybody wants to take their car out to the Daytona Experience. Everybody wants that trophy that’s right behind me somewhere on the wall. There’s something about this event that everybody wants to be a part of it and win it.  Just having the opportunity. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller, everybody that’s at JR Motorsports, they could have picked a lot of candidates to be the driver behind the wheel of this car. Last year when they told me, I was blown away they gave me the opportunity. To come back a year later and do it all again, it’s unbelievable.  Chris Stapleton, the Traveller Whiskey brand, they were all 100% invested. As soon as we left Daytona last year, they were 100% invested coming back this year. That’s special. That means a lot to a driver.  We’ll do everything we can. Last year we came out of here with a top 10. I’d love to do that better. You could just as easily be sitting on a flatbed on lap one. This race is so unique in how it plays out that you won’t know until the checkered flag falls.”  Were you expecting such a moment of catharsis once y’all qualified last year? It was really emotional. Were you expecting that?“I think for us, what was interesting was the highest of highs need a low to judge them off of, right? And Wednesday night when qualifying ended, that valley was deeper than anything I can ever remember. Not only did we not qualify for the event, we were very underwhelming and missed our target by a lot.   I think what you saw on Thursday after the Duel was knowing the position we were in, knowing how close it was. Shoot, it was the last lap. I think coming to the white was when we finally made the pass for that spot. Super, super last second.  I think that lowest of low on Wednesday really transcended that highest of high on Thursday. What was cool about it was it made Sunday fantastic because everybody was riding that high of emotion. Really, I don’t know that there was even a discussion of, like, what position we could finish or should finish. It was, Hey, we’ve done all the heavy lifting, let’s go have fun. I really believe that 2026 is the same.  I would love to make Wednesday exciting and Thursday boring, I really would. No offense to anybody. At the same time, I know I have the team behind me that can do it. You know what, if it’s the last lap to get in tomorrow night as well, I’m going to go make the most of it and do what we can.” Back to the engineering aspect. From when you started in NASCAR to Sunday, how has it evolved? “I don’t even know there’s enough paper in the world to describe the difference between what it was like whenever I started and what it is today.  It’s so interesting, right? I sit here and say that, and then I see pictures of cars that raced on the beach in the ’50s and the ’40s, just what those looked like.  I listen to the stories of Richard Petty. They put a two-by-eight, they bolted it to the seat so you would stop sliding across the bench seat. I never had to deal with those things. I came in, and technology had already well surpassed that.  I look at the engineering side, the safety, just what we’re able to do now. It’s so wild to see where the racing is at today.  Teams were able to make speed. I think about speed runs back in the day, qualifying runs back in the day, of being well over 200 miles an hour. We’re not there today, but really we are. If we were able to do whatever we wanted to do, we could probably get there.  The difference was we saw races that were won by two or three laps. Today you can throw a blanket over the top 30 at the finish of these races.  I think just the tolerances and how quickly everything has kind of evolved and the cars have become so close and the parity is so great, it’s just wild to watch.  But when you see these engineers, you see these crew chiefs, how smart they have to be, not just in one area, we’re asking them to be all-encompassing, to be great at all aspects of the sport. It’s unbelievable and really fun to watch.  It’s given me a better appreciation for all forms of motorsport, right? I watch F1, I watch INDYCAR, I watch IMSA, I watch Trucks. I watch all the dirt stuff. I grew up racing dirt, short tracks.  When you sit down and look at it, it’s crazy what it’s evolved to. It’s pretty special to be part of the sport all the way through that transition. I know it’s going to keep going long after I’m gone.” A lot of these engineers are coming up so young, learning in schools, is there something you’ve learned from them over the years? “Oh, my knowledge of engineering in this sport has grown so tremendously just from listening. When I listen to a lot of these young guys and gals that come in, we have so many great, smart engineers in our shop that are so far advanced than anything I could ever imagine. Then you hear some of how their schooling went, some of the job experiences they’ve had, kind of what has driven them to be who they are, it’s wild. It truly is wild.  I’m learning with them. They’re learning at a rate that is way faster than I could have ever learned at. I also think the tools we have today have helped them increase to learn, right? You’re seeing that with fuel strategy, car setups, simulation, right? We’re able to do things in the simulator that I never would have dreamed of 10 years ago or 15 years ago, that you’re able to simulate real live conditions that we never could have before. It’s just wild to see what they’ve been able to accomplish.  At the end of the day, technology of allowing multiple people put their heads together… Used to be you had one smart person or two smart people, you were pulling from a pool of a few smart individuals. Now we’re pulling from hundreds and thousands of smart individuals from this sport that really have elevated the game, have taken it to a place I never could have imagined.”  Dale was very active last year being around the car, being there for the experience. Is that translating this year, as well? “He may not have shown up at 6:00 this morning, but he’s definitely hugely active in it. His appreciation for this event and for what we’re accomplishing is huge. I said it last year, I’ll say it again. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has accomplished everything in this sport that you could ever want. He could have walked away a long time ago and nobody would have ever batted an eye. He’s not done that. He stayed involved, he stayed invested, right, whether that be on the O’Reilly side, whether that be in the CARS Tour, whether that be on the Cup Series side.  If I’m being honest, I’m sad that JR Motorsports doesn’t have a charter. I know we could do great things for the sport. That’s a big ask from a time management standpoint, from a money management standpoint. Those are all big things to kind of accomplish.  I just love what he’s done for the sport. I love what him and his sister both have done for the sport. I believe they truly are a big part of why this sport is in the position it’s in. It’s cool to have this opportunity to be able to come here with him.” What do you remember from your first Daytona 500? “Whew, I remember a lot. I think different scenario for me, very different scenario, very different opportunity. Wish I would have put more pressure on myself back then, right? I know that sounds crazy, but I was a lot younger than I am now, probably just didn’t understand the gravity of this race like I do now.  Probably would have done things a little bit differently. But at the end of the day, I think that’s what makes it all who we are, right? You don’t have all the knowledge when you start. That’s kind of why we become the people that we become.  This is, what, 12 years since my first 500. It feels like yesterday. I can remember it very well. Cool to be back. Cool to be a part of it. BRANDT was on the car back then, and they’re still on my car in a capacity this year. That’s a big moment.” If you flash forward to last year, being part of JR Motorsports’ first Cup race, this was Dale Jr.’s first Cup race as a team owner, what did you pick up from him in that time, knowing you had to race your way in? “When Dale Jr. is nervous at a NASCAR race, you’re nervous, right? I feel like if anybody understands the gravity of it, it’s him.  When we didn’t have the qualifying we wanted, when we didn’t have the days go the way we wanted, it was hard. Because I’m watching him, I’m somewhat living vicariously through him. He’s doing somewhat the same with me.  But to see his eagerness to be a part of it, want to be there, be in the garage opening, I think it drove home the gravity of the event for me. I think that, look, JR Motorsports had an opportunity to put a lot of drivers behind the wheel of this 40 car. I’m so proud of the fact that they chose me, but also just trying to make sure that I make the most of every moment because they deserve that, right? I know that they’ve given me every detail and everything that I could ask for to have this opportunity.  We just got to make the most of the opportunity in front of us.”  No Mic… “If I put myself in Dale’s shoes, it’s a hard position to be in because I don’t know what the emotions are, right? He’s been very vocal about it. They had the documentary. He’s never been shy to not talk about it.  At the same time, I want it to be a big moment for him. I look at when he won here, the emotions that he had. I mean, I remember everything he had in that moment when Mike Helton flashed on the screen and had that conversation. It was one of the darkest days of our sport, right? Followed by some extremely bright moments in a young Dale Jr. that took the reins and really turned the sport into something that his dad would have loved to have seen where the sport’s at today.  So it would be special and it would be cool, but I don’t want that to tarnish or provoke the wrong emotion for Dale or for any Dale Earnhardt Sr. fans. At the end of the day, we want to make sure this is a good experience and everybody’s proud of what we’re accomplishing. I think Dale Sr. would be proud if he knew his son had a car in the 500 and was able to do this.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Carson Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

Carson Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Your thoughts on the contract extension: “I don’t know who was more excited, me or Jeff (Dickerson) or all my guys. I didn’t feel like fielding any calls and I felt like declining all of them and I think Jeff and I just looked at each other and said ‘I don’t really feel like leaving anytime soon.’ And he said, “Well, I don’t want you leaving anytime soon either.’ So we just started adding years and more years and I think we were finding out legally you could put if I have a pulse I can still race for him and we just change it as we go. So its joyful for that. It’s good on their marketing side as well because I think we have a car full for the next how many years which is great. It just helps on all things, if we’re all locked in and bought in, let’s just be official about it.”  What does it say about Jeff (Dickerson) that he feels like you are someone that can bring a championship to Spire? “Yeah I think we can do it. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that. I think we realistically over the next 10 years we can build this into a championship threat. I think we can get our cars there and I think I can get there. I think we have all the pieces with Jeff and everyone on the management side they have championships and a ton of wins throughout all of them combined. So I’m excited and the talented people just keep coming in through the door and not leaving, so they are just going to get us faster.” Have you met Tony Stewart yet and how excited are you to race against him on Friday? “I haven’t met him yet, but he seems excited, which is cool. I don’t know that any of us had on the bingo card that Tony Stweart would be excited to run a truck race and a truck race at a superspeedway. I know the heat wave guys, I have a sunglass deal with them and he’s part of that so between myself, (Travis) Pastrana and Cleetus (McFarland) are on their deal, they are all pumped were all in the same race.” We’ve heard Brad Keselowski say that winning at Michigan is important because it is his home track. You being from Michigan, is there another race that is important to you?“The Brickyard is really high, and I really want to run the Indy 500 one day. Jeff (Dickerson) is an Indy native and never won that race as an agent or spotter and he’s had Kyle (Busch) and Jeff (Gordon) as his spotter or clients, he’s had them all but he’s never won there. Dan Towriss is from Indy and Gainbridge and all the money and resources they put in that facility, it’s really high for me, but it’s also important to the two guys that are really heavily involved in wanting our program to succeed. I almost halfway argue that it’s probably bigger for them if it happens.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

After being with different organizations over the years, how nice is it to come back to Daytona with the same organization that you worked with the previous year? “It’s huge. It’s probably the first time in six years that I am working with the same team two years in a row, and I am not showing up to Daytona trying to learn names, functions, systems, and things that are going on with the team and how everything operates. It usually takes a couple of months to even feel comfortable with a new team. Unfortunately, I have a lot of experience doing that, but don’t have as much experience coming back with a team for the second year. It’s a lot easier doing this than it is learning a new team for sure. It just helps the confidence in knowing that I pretty much have the same guys that I raced this race with last year and we can build off of things from there and we can build on past experiences for the first time in a long time.” What have you learned about balance from earlier in your career to now being married with three children?“I think most people go from being very selfish and everything is about you to you have a child or you get married. First, you get married and it’s less about you and it’s about your spouse. Then you have a child and you realize nothing is about you anymore and sometimes that can be a shock. And then you realize the things you do from the point you have children matter so much beyond your life. You are leaving an example for your child behind.  So now I look at things as ‘okay how would I want my child if they are going through a career or whatever they are chasing in their dreams, how would I want them to approach it’.  I would want them to get an example from their dad and how would he treat people, treat his career, treat his wife.  I want them to see that in the best light possible so that they leave a good legacy behind. You just start changing your view and I believe that is the beauty of life and having a family and having kids.”  What is the best part of this week for you?“I think the best part of it for me is driver intros and the madness of the fans around the cars and the energy around the gentlemen start your engines, the pace laps and the start of the green flag. You won’t get that anywhere else in your life.  That feeling, that high, that chaos when everybody is buzzing. I think finding perspective that there are only a few times you are going to get to do this in your life. It’s not going to happen every year of your whole life, so you have to take it in.  I look forward to that moment every year and I let it get ahold of me, I get emotional, I get anxious, I get nervous because how many people get that opportunity to be in the middle of the spotlight of one of the biggest events in the world.”  What has this offseason been like this year in looking ahead at all the things you have to do?“I think as many things that are important that we lost, we gained just as many unique abilities.  We won’t find out total gain and loss of what has happened until throughout the season. I think it’s a measure that we as a team are all like, what is it going to be like. Everyone has a new body with Chevy, so we don’t really understand where we are going to be at but qualifying at Daytona will teach us a little bit. We are going to have to go to all the tracks at this point to see what is different.  I think the car is so similar underneath the body that you should be able to set up similar to what you found success with (before). There are going to be some differences, different programs, usages of different technology from different things. So we are going to have to navigate that and to be very clear in our communications, but also there is a point when you get away from over thinking things you can find some clarity within a team. I think that might help us too. I think there is going to be a loss in not having the technical alliance from Chevy, but we can grow from that.”  Inaudible“Its massive. You know, I have been attempting this race….this will be my 10th or 11th time in the Daytona 500 and I have had some close opportunities, never been in the top-two coming to the white flag, but real close. Top-three or top-four, and you feel it. It would mean a lot to me because my family has had so much success here.  And it’s one of those races that changes your life forever, no matter what is going on.  It would be awesome to be a part of the history here with the Harley J. Earl trophy and to have your name etched on it and be able to lift that big trophy up.”  Regarding the Daytona 500, is there any kind of brotherly rivalry with Austin?“It would be nice to have a trophy too. It would be nice to have a Harley J. Earl with both our names on it.  Two Dillons on that trophy would be special, and I don’t know if brothers have done it, so it would be cool to do it first if nobody has done it. I have been putting in my time for this race with ten or eleven attempts, and this obviously means a whole lot to our family and our race team as a family’s legacy. So, I would love to win this race.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

After being with different organizations over the years, how nice is it to come back to Daytona with the same organization that you worked with the previous year? “It’s huge. It’s probably the first time in six years that I am working with the same team two years in a row, and I am not showing up to Daytona trying to learn names, functions, systems, and things that are going on with the team and how everything operates. It usually takes a couple of months to even feel comfortable with a new team. Unfortunately, I have a lot of experience doing that, but don’t have as much experience coming back with a team for the second year. It’s a lot easier doing this than it is learning a new team for sure. It just helps the confidence in knowing that I pretty much have the same guys that I raced this race with last year and we can build off of things from there and we can build on past experiences for the first time in a long time.” What have you learned about balance from earlier in your career to now being married with three children?“I think most people go from being very selfish and everything is about you to you have a child or you get married. First, you get married and it’s less about you and it’s about your spouse. Then you have a child and you realize nothing is about you anymore and sometimes that can be a shock. And then you realize the things you do from the point you have children matter so much beyond your life. You are leaving an example for your child behind.  So now I look at things as ‘okay how would I want my child if they are going through a career or whatever they are chasing in their dreams, how would I want them to approach it’.  I would want them to get an example from their dad and how would he treat people, treat his career, treat his wife.  I want them to see that in the best light possible so that they leave a good legacy behind. You just start changing your view and I believe that is the beauty of life and having a family and having kids.”  What is the best part of this week for you?“I think the best part of it for me is driver intros and the madness of the fans around the cars and the energy around the gentlemen start your engines, the pace laps and the start of the green flag. You won’t get that anywhere else in your life.  That feeling, that high, that chaos when everybody is buzzing. I think finding perspective that there are only a few times you are going to get to do this in your life. It’s not going to happen every year of your whole life, so you have to take it in.  I look forward to that moment every year and I let it get ahold of me, I get emotional, I get anxious, I get nervous because how many people get that opportunity to be in the middle of the spotlight of one of the biggest events in the world.”  What has this offseason been like this year in looking ahead at all the things you have to do?“I think as many things that are important that we lost, we gained just as many unique abilities.  We won’t find out total gain and loss of what has happened until throughout the season. I think it’s a measure that we as a team are all like, what is it going to be like. Everyone has a new body with Chevy, so we don’t really understand where we are going to be at but qualifying at Daytona will teach us a little bit. We are going to have to go to all the tracks at this point to see what is different.  I think the car is so similar underneath the body that you should be able to set up similar to what you found success with (before). There are going to be some differences, different programs, usages of different technology from different things. So we are going to have to navigate that and to be very clear in our communications, but also there is a point when you get away from over thinking things you can find some clarity within a team. I think that might help us too. I think there is going to be a loss in not having the technical alliance from Chevy, but we can grow from that.”  Inaudible“Its massive. You know, I have been attempting this race….this will be my 10th or 11th time in the Daytona 500 and I have had some close opportunities, never been in the top-two coming to the white flag, but real close. Top-three or top-four, and you feel it. It would mean a lot to me because my family has had so much success here.  And it’s one of those races that changes your life forever, no matter what is going on.  It would be awesome to be a part of the history here with the Harley J. Earl trophy and to have your name etched on it and be able to lift that big trophy up.”  Regarding the Daytona 500, is there any kind of brotherly rivalry with Austin?“It would be nice to have a trophy too. It would be nice to have a Harley J. Earl with both our names on it.  Two Dillons on that trophy would be special, and I don’t know if brothers have done it, so it would be cool to do it first if nobody has done it. I have been putting in my time for this race with ten or eleven attempts, and this obviously means a whole lot to our family and our race team as a family’s legacy. So, I would love to win this race.”

CONCORD, NC (Feb. 11, 2026) — Terry Easum has committed himself to the grind and the learning curve of racing with the American Sprint Car Series for the third time in his career in 2026.

The 33-year-old native of Broken Arrow, OK, will hit the road with fiancée and crew chief Kacee Frazier and the pit area’s favorite four-legged friend Stagger this season, following the national 360 Sprint Car schedule in pursuit of more laps and improving his skills in the seat.

Easum’s second season behind the wheel of the Premier Self-Storage, Don Ott Racing Engines-powered Maxim Chassis No. 88 on the national circuit last year added one podium, three top-fives and five top-10 finishes to his stat book. Though those were new personal bests with the Series, he’s still searching for more consistent results at the end of the night.

“[I’m looking] to just getting in the top 10 and top five more,” Easum said. “I think we’re capable of it. I don’t know what happens from time-to-time, we just don’t get there by the end of the night. We need to improve on that, for sure, and I need to improve myself as a driver.

“It’s definitely been a lot. But we’ll keep going at it until we get it figured out.”

Read Also — POWER COUPLE: Terry Easum, Kacee Frazier Talk Self-Run ASCS Team

Easum ventured out to Florida to race Volusia Speedway Park for the first time two weeks ago, snagging a spot in the main event on Monday night. Though his result in the end wasn’t as high as he was aiming for, he knows that just qualifying for a Feature against the stacked field that comes to race Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals every year is an accomplishment for he and his small, self-funded operation.

“It was a whole new ballgame down there; definitely one of the fastest places we go to,” Easum said. “We thought early in the night we were a little better. We timed in well Thursday night, and then I just screwed up on the start of the Heat Race. It seemed like later in the night it was pretty tough for us to do a lot.

“It definitely was a fun place. I look forward to going back to it. There’re not many half miles that are racey and fun.”

Easum resumes competition in the next American Sprint Car Series events — Feb. 21–22, Feb. 28–March 1 — at Central Arizona Raceway in the inaugural Sonoran Clash. Tickets for both weekends of the event will be sold at the track on race day.

Terry Easum Aiming for New Heights in Third American Sprint Car Series Season

CONCORD, NC (Feb. 11, 2026) — Terry Easum has committed himself to the grind and the learning curve of racing with the American Sprint Car Series for the third time in his career in 2026.

The 33-year-old native of Broken Arrow, OK, will hit the road with fiancée and crew chief Kacee Frazier and the pit area’s favorite four-legged friend Stagger this season, following the national 360 Sprint Car schedule in pursuit of more laps and improving his skills in the seat.

Easum’s second season behind the wheel of the Premier Self-Storage, Don Ott Racing Engines-powered Maxim Chassis No. 88 on the national circuit last year added one podium, three top-fives and five top-10 finishes to his stat book. Though those were new personal bests with the Series, he’s still searching for more consistent results at the end of the night.

“[I’m looking] to just getting in the top 10 and top five more,” Easum said. “I think we’re capable of it. I don’t know what happens from time-to-time, we just don’t get there by the end of the night. We need to improve on that, for sure, and I need to improve myself as a driver.

“It’s definitely been a lot. But we’ll keep going at it until we get it figured out.”

Read Also — POWER COUPLE: Terry Easum, Kacee Frazier Talk Self-Run ASCS Team

Easum ventured out to Florida to race Volusia Speedway Park for the first time two weeks ago, snagging a spot in the main event on Monday night. Though his result in the end wasn’t as high as he was aiming for, he knows that just qualifying for a Feature against the stacked field that comes to race Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals every year is an accomplishment for he and his small, self-funded operation.

“It was a whole new ballgame down there; definitely one of the fastest places we go to,” Easum said. “We thought early in the night we were a little better. We timed in well Thursday night, and then I just screwed up on the start of the Heat Race. It seemed like later in the night it was pretty tough for us to do a lot.

“It definitely was a fun place. I look forward to going back to it. There’re not many half miles that are racey and fun.”

Easum resumes competition in the next American Sprint Car Series events — Feb. 21–22, Feb. 28–March 1 — at Central Arizona Raceway in the inaugural Sonoran Clash. Tickets for both weekends of the event will be sold at the track on race day.

Where can you watch every American Sprint Car Series event? Live on DIRTVision.

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

What has it been like working with (Jim) Pohlman (new crew chief)?“Working with Jim has been good. He’s a very determined guy. He wants to make a difference and be the difference maker here at RCR and the 8 car and having us have a better chance of being able to reach Victory Lane each and every week. It’s all about being able to extract the most out of the people, whether it’s everybody at the shop or whether it’s your team at the racetrack, the pit crew, all those guys. I feel like he’s got everybody really looking up to him and believing in him and his way. That’s been good.” Some drivers what to run up front, some want to be further back. What is the strategy? Where do you want to run during the race? Where do you want to be at the end of the Daytona 500?“I don’t know. Two years ago, when we were here, Austin Dillon and myself got the lead. We were in the control of the race. We were running first and second when we came off of Turn 4. I saw the white flag in the flag man’s hand, and unfortunately, a caution came out as we got to the front side of pit rod entry. And after that, we weren’t able to hold the lead on the restarts, but I led mile marker 500. That’s just the way it goes… you just never know how it’s exactly gonna end. So, to be out front, you feel like that’s the safest spot to be, but sometimes you see guys spun out of the lead and they’re not the ones to win. There are guys that win coming out of Turn 2 and they’re in 7th place or they’re in 11th place, It just depends, you never know.” How long into the season will it take before you can assess and gauge the new Chevy body?“I think we’re going to see some speedway prowess of how good it is. When we get to Atlanta, same thing. And then we get to some short track stuff, and we’ll see how the downforce on it is.  Obviously, you look at over the years, the brands that have come out with new bodies have been pretty competitive. Although, you look and you see Kyle Larson won the championship last year with the oldest body out there. Now, we’ve got a fresh one, and a new one, and maybe the advantages on Team Chevy.”  How do you feel about this year with the challenges you’ve had? Challenges can make you stronger and probably the best thing for you… “Challenges can be tough, it’s just the nature of how well you handle those challenges. You can obviously beat yourself down and get low. It’s all about trying to build yourself up and keeping yourself at the top level that you can be to go out there and achieve success. It hasn’t been the greatest the last few years. We’ve had some close calls and sometimes where maybe we could have won a race. We certainly haven’t been dominant forces of being up front leading laps and having those chances be at the regular each and every week. If you only have two opportunities to win races through the year versus having 20 opportunities to win races through the year, you’ve got a bigger opportunity, a bigger window, to get those wins having the 20 chances.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

What’s the best part of this week as a driver?“I mean, obviously the best part is the race on Sunday, but you have to get there. So there is a lot of things that you have to do to be able to get there. I’m just trying to enjoy every single day, to be honest. I’m just trying to be present and enjoy it. And right no,  I’m sitting here with you guys. I’m just trying to be in a good mood, in a happy phase. I’m trying to enjoy it. So it’s all good. I’m happy and I know that I’m going to have a great shot to win probably one of the biggest races of my life.”  No Mic… “Yeah, so every team has a different culture, a different structure. Every team owner is different. Every team president is a little different. So, you know, getting to know everyone is important and also understand what are the strengths and weaknesses of each place and how can you make them better, right? Because that’s what is the goal at the end of the day as a driver, right? It’s not just about going fast, but how can you be the best possible leader out there? So yeah, that’s something that is already very important. I believe that Spire Motorsports has a great structure; great leaders, very, very good people in place. It’s been a lot of fun to work with this group for the last couple of months.”  On the importance of having a good run at the Clash: “It definitely helps. You know, it was like a good warm up. You know, the highlight of my night, it wasn’t the result. It was to see the smiles on every single member of my team. That’s priceless to me; to be able to see them happy and excited and looking forward to battle. That’s what it’s all about. You know, you want them to be fired up. You want them to want this. This is not easy, man. Every single person and team right now is super excited for the first of the year. But as you start getting throughout the season, people start getting tired and things like that. So it’s very important to see that excitement in your group, and for me, that was the highlight. I want to continue to work very hard with this group and to continue to bring those kind of memories.”   On building together as a new team: “I mean, it only takes time. I believe that we’re in a very good spot for being a new team, but it takes time to clean up a few things here and there. To be quite honest, we are starting way more ahead than what I thought we were going to start, so that’s promising. We worked very hard in November and in January to be able to try to be in a good spot. But you know how it is… you aim for this and sometimes you end up here, or you aim here and sometimes you end up here. It’s very rare that you aim here with a new everything and then you actually hit close to that, and we actually did. So I was very, very pleased with that. The team did a great job. We have a lot of new guys. I have a very young group. You know, my car chief is younger than me, but he’s very experienced. So it’s a very, very young, talented group and I’m super excited for that. I feel very blessed to have this kind of group with me.”  Where do you like to be at the end of a superspeedway race? “Well, every circumstance is a little bit different. I would love to be in the front; controlling the gap, controlling the race in the middle. I would say the middle is normally the best place, at least that’s what I think. And controlling the race. I feel like it’s much easier to be up front, controlling that gap, because the further back you are, the more intensity and the more Hail Mary’s people are going to be throwing. So if you are up front, there are higher chances of a crash or something happening that most likely you can avoid if you are up front.  But you never know what is going to happen. William Barron won the Daytona 500 last year being probably in the most dangerous spot on the outside third row and somehow he made it through that crash, so you never know.”   Do you feel like there’s pressure coming into this season? “I mean, honestly, no different than any other year. I mean, there is always pressure, but this is what we do. Even Kyle Larson (reigning champion) has pressure. Everyone has pressure. Everyone wants to win. Everyone has to perform. So yeah, it’s no different than any other year. I mean, you just have to look forward to the next thing and do it the best possible way. And whatever that is, trying to do it better the next race and better and better and trying to continue to improve.”  On being teammates with Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell: “I like them both a lot. They’re completely different. They’re completely different guys. Michael is a super experienced guy; very organized, very structured kind of guy. A lot like myself, probably even more than me. And Carson is the opposite. You know, he’s a very, very young guy. He does a lot of things on the fly. Very, very talented. I think I actually feel like I’m helping the team a lot because I’m that middle man guy. I’m very experienced. I’ve been doing this already for a while, but I’m still young and I feel like I can connect with both extremely well. So it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

What’s the best part of this week as a driver?“I mean, obviously the best part is the race on Sunday, but you have to get there. So there is a lot of things that you have to do to be able to get there. I’m just trying to enjoy every single day, to be honest. I’m just trying to be present and enjoy it. And right no,  I’m sitting here with you guys. I’m just trying to be in a good mood, in a happy phase. I’m trying to enjoy it. So it’s all good. I’m happy and I know that I’m going to have a great shot to win probably one of the biggest races of my life.”  No Mic… “Yeah, so every team has a different culture, a different structure. Every team owner is different. Every team president is a little different. So, you know, getting to know everyone is important and also understand what are the strengths and weaknesses of each place and how can you make them better, right? Because that’s what is the goal at the end of the day as a driver, right? It’s not just about going fast, but how can you be the best possible leader out there? So yeah, that’s something that is already very important. I believe that Spire Motorsports has a great structure; great leaders, very, very good people in place. It’s been a lot of fun to work with this group for the last couple of months.”  On the importance of having a good run at the Clash: “It definitely helps. You know, it was like a good warm up. You know, the highlight of my night, it wasn’t the result. It was to see the smiles on every single member of my team. That’s priceless to me; to be able to see them happy and excited and looking forward to battle. That’s what it’s all about. You know, you want them to be fired up. You want them to want this. This is not easy, man. Every single person and team right now is super excited for the first of the year. But as you start getting throughout the season, people start getting tired and things like that. So it’s very important to see that excitement in your group, and for me, that was the highlight. I want to continue to work very hard with this group and to continue to bring those kind of memories.”   On building together as a new team: “I mean, it only takes time. I believe that we’re in a very good spot for being a new team, but it takes time to clean up a few things here and there. To be quite honest, we are starting way more ahead than what I thought we were going to start, so that’s promising. We worked very hard in November and in January to be able to try to be in a good spot. But you know how it is… you aim for this and sometimes you end up here, or you aim here and sometimes you end up here. It’s very rare that you aim here with a new everything and then you actually hit close to that, and we actually did. So I was very, very pleased with that. The team did a great job. We have a lot of new guys. I have a very young group. You know, my car chief is younger than me, but he’s very experienced. So it’s a very, very young, talented group and I’m super excited for that. I feel very blessed to have this kind of group with me.”  Where do you like to be at the end of a superspeedway race? “Well, every circumstance is a little bit different. I would love to be in the front; controlling the gap, controlling the race in the middle. I would say the middle is normally the best place, at least that’s what I think. And controlling the race. I feel like it’s much easier to be up front, controlling that gap, because the further back you are, the more intensity and the more Hail Mary’s people are going to be throwing. So if you are up front, there are higher chances of a crash or something happening that most likely you can avoid if you are up front.  But you never know what is going to happen. William Barron won the Daytona 500 last year being probably in the most dangerous spot on the outside third row and somehow he made it through that crash, so you never know.”   Do you feel like there’s pressure coming into this season? “I mean, honestly, no different than any other year. I mean, there is always pressure, but this is what we do. Even Kyle Larson (reigning champion) has pressure. Everyone has pressure. Everyone wants to win. Everyone has to perform. So yeah, it’s no different than any other year. I mean, you just have to look forward to the next thing and do it the best possible way. And whatever that is, trying to do it better the next race and better and better and trying to continue to improve.”  On being teammates with Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell: “I like them both a lot. They’re completely different. They’re completely different guys. Michael is a super experienced guy; very organized, very structured kind of guy. A lot like myself, probably even more than me. And Carson is the opposite. You know, he’s a very, very young guy. He does a lot of things on the fly. Very, very talented. I think I actually feel like I’m helping the team a lot because I’m that middle man guy. I’m very experienced. I’ve been doing this already for a while, but I’m still young and I feel like I can connect with both extremely well. So it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

What is your outlook for 2026? “I think everybody’s outlook is positive. We all worked hard in the off-season. Everybody did a good job of refining the processes and procedures, hopefully making our race cars faster, right? Now we get to see. Now we get to the racetrack and we get to see that hard work pay off and let the results prove where we’re at and where we’re not at.  But as you know, coming to Daytona, it’s a fresh start, a clean slate. There’s endless opportunities in front of us. There’s the unknown of what could happen and what the potential is. It’s fun and exciting. Now it’s time to go to work.” Maybe not the exact season you wanted in your first year. You showed signs of greatness. What did you learn most of all in 2025 that you can apply? “That the speed’s there. We’re close on the speed. We need to work on execution and getting everything just right. Probably the biggest area that we have to work on on the 71 group is from Saturdays to Sundays. Qualifying well, having good speed, then maybe missing it a little bit on Sunday on balance. We’d eventually find it and have an okay day, but we’ve had those dips in the race that would really set us back.  Just working through some of the details on how to be better overnight and how to build on the racetracks we had success last year, how to revisit the ones that were a struggle, come up with a new approach.  But yeah, I feel good about it. I mean, I feel like we had good speed, and we had not consistently race-winning speed, but at times we had race-winning speed. If we can bring that to the racetrack more consistently, then we’ll get it, we’ll eventually get it.” How important are the poles to you, to have that speed the day before? “Yeah, superspeedway poles are different, for sure. I think having the speed helps for the race. It’s not a tradeoff. At some places it might be a little bit of a tradeoff.  I don’t feel like you’re giving anything up to have that speed tonight for Sunday. So it’s important for the team. It’s important for all of us to bring the fastest cars we can to give ourselves the best shot at winning.  I think the 71 group has prided themselves in details, being that contender, knowing what it takes to do that. It took us a little while last year before we got our first superspeedway pole. But that gives us confidence coming into tonight that we have a shot at it.  Who knows. We got a brand-new Chevy body, new season. Everybody makes gains, everybody finds more. It’s whether or not you found more than the others. So we’ll find out tonight.” You’re one of a handful of drivers that’s doing more than the race this weekend. When you do that, is there any tradeoff as far as tension or preparation being taken away from the Cup race? “I only did a handful last year. In the beginning of my career, I did a lot of Xfinity and Cup, O’Reilly, then it was Nationwide. I don’t know what it was before that. But then it was different because the cars were very similar from Saturday to Sunday. There was a benefit to it.  For the most part, you’re running the same tire on Saturday to Sunday. The cars were fairly similar. Now it’s not. Now it’s such a big jump that they’re very different. You still get into a rhythm visually, pit road references, just overall you get into your own driver rhythm. I feel like there’s for sure a tradeoff. I don’t feel like it’s a one-to-one where the time and the commitment and what you’re doing doesn’t take away. It’s whether or not you get enough added to it to balance it out, right? I think a lot of times, especially with road courses, it balances out because you find the rhythm and visual references. Even though your brake markers might be different and your shift points might be different, it helps you as a driver to get into rhythm.  For me, doing the Truck race is always about trying to win a Truck race and win in all three series. The Truck Series is the box that hasn’t been checked. I don’t have a ton of opportunities to do it, so I have to make the ones count. I take that Truck race Friday night very seriously. I’ve been preparing for it. I put the same amount of preparation into that as I would the Cup race. I have the capacity right now, too, because you’re not going week to week. I’ve had four weeks to prepare for one race. I feel like this is the time to do it. I have the time to do it right now.” On having Daniel Suarez as a teammate: “I think he brings experience. He brings a level of intensity. Also, too, he brings knowledge. He brings knowledge coming from good, successful teams, having good teammates over the years from Gibbs, SHR to Trackhouse. He’s been around good organizations and good groups. He’s done it a long time at a high level.  Anyone that has that experience I feel will bring a lot to the table.”   What have you learned about yourself in especially the last couple years? “Yeah, I feel like for me, it’s about knowing your value, knowing your purpose, and not allowing too many influences of that, right? I always say it like this: you can’t allow your value to be determined by other people’s perception of who you are or what you’re doing.  Like being a NASCAR driver is awesome, but it’s what you do, it’s what I do, it’s not who I am, right? So being able to not separate that but live in both. I can do my job to the best of my ability. I give it everything that I have. Sometimes the results on Sundays are good, sometimes they’re not. I don’t allow that to determine my value as who I am as a father, as a husband, as a friend, as a teammate. I take what I do seriously, but I try not to take myself too seriously. You know what I mean? I always remind myself and I remind others that you’re not that big of a deal. I mean that in a humble way. When you win, you’re not that big of a deal. When you lose, you’re not that big of a deal. As soon as you start thinking that you’re a big deal is when life gets heavy and you start feeling that weight and that pressure and you put more on yourself than we’re really designed to handle. I try to, like I said, do my job well. I try to treat people well in the process. I don’t let the results determine who I am and what my values are.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

How much have you thought about what Sunday could be if you were to win again?  “Yeah, I mean, I’ve been asked about that quite a bit today. I mean, not much, to be honest. I think some here and there.   Obviously that’s the goal. I think, yeah, I get reminders of the previous races, whether I see just the videos or whatnot. Yeah, it’s great career-defining moments that we’ve had. It’s awesome. It’s special. But I don’t really think ahead too much. I just think about kind of what it’s going to take in these next couple days leading up to it.”   Why do you feel like you’re so good at this type of racetrack? “Yeah, I don’t know. My goal is to be good at all the styles of racing. I don’t put an emphasis more on this than others. If anything, kind of less in some ways because I feel like, you know, some of it is out of your control. But I do feel like I have a good instinct for making good decisions on the track. I have a great spotter in Branden that guides me well and a really good team with a well-prepared car that handles well and does all the things I want it to do. I think it’s just a combination of all those things and kind of just having a good overall feel for it.”   Is it more excitement? What do you feel third year in a row? “I feel really excited. I’m ready to get racing again. I feel like I had a great off-season, but I found myself in the off-season… just feeling like I actually wanted to get back in the car. I wanted to experience those emotions again. I kind of missed that.   There’s a lot of aspects I didn’t miss, but the aspect of racing and being in the car with my guys and everything, that I really missed as the off-season went on.   Yeah, I think that’s just kind of what I’m looking forward to. I guess I’m looking forward to Thursday night; just getting in the Duel and dicing it up. I had a lot of fun at the Clash. Yeah, I’m just excited about that.” Every race win is different. How did last year’s victory compare to the year prior? “Well, I mean, it was very unpredictable. I didn’t really feel like I had a shot to win or even be in the mix until we took the white flag. Then off of turn two, I felt like, man, there’s a possibility that something develops where I can maybe push Cole to the win, push him out, then have a run at the line or something like that. I knew we were in the right lane down the backstretch.   When it all unfolded with the wreck, I was just hoping that I would have a lane to get past that. Just worked out that I felt like I was in the right lane coming off of two and middle of the backstretch. Then, it was just about obviously missing the big crash there and having enough momentum to make a move if I needed to.”  What’s the best part of this week for you? “That’s a good question. The best part to me is probably the Duel tomorrow night. When you get in that race, you get the juices flowing again; you feel those feelings again. That is almost more intense than the 500 in some ways.   I feel like those first couple laps of the Duel, you’re getting your bearings and there’s a lot happening quickly.   Yeah, I look forward to that more than anything. I look forward to Saturday afternoon, kind of getting a chance to take a breath and think about Sunday. So I’d say those two moments.  But yeah, for me, the Duel is really fun, and I enjoy that.”   The final green flag stop in stage three where you know from there, it’s no more sitting back and waiting, how do you set yourself up mentally for that? “I think the moment can’t be too big. Obviously, the most important part of the race is kind of that sequence. But you can’t feel too rushed or can’t feel too intense, personally. I think, yeah, I mean, you just hope that all your details are right there. You hope that your execution of the pit stop, execution of the fuel saving, whatever that may be, all of that is good. You hope that you’ve done enough work with your team to have that confidence and that calmness in those moments.”   Do you have a certain place you like to be in the race? “ Yeah, I think the middle groove could be a good place to be. Just have to see how the draft kind of works this week and understand it better.   But yeah, I think being in that top-four is probably where I would like to be. I would like to be a pusher or being pushed. I think having control of the race is great, if it’s a restart. I think sometimes having control too soon can be kind of a death wish, as well, because guys are just going to have opportunities to make passes on you.   I don’t know if that answers it, but kind of in that mix, I guess.”  If you’re a pusher, you’re also controlling, aren’t you? “Yeah, you are. I think in some ways with this package, you have more control as the guy pushing. You feel calmer so you can make a little better decision, maybe. Sometimes that move never materializes, where you have a chance to make a decision. It definitely varies.”  Does it surprise you that nobody has won three Daytona 500’s?“It does surprise me in that I feel like there’s been some drafting packages that were honestly easier to win three in a row than this one currently. I’m a little surprised that there wasn’t a run by somebody like a Dale Jr. or something. He and his team had a pretty good hold on what it took to be competitive and he made great decisions. It just shows how hard this race is and how much pressure there is.   It’s not like going to Martinsville and just having it figured out; having a rhythm, leading a bunch of laps and winning. It’s definitely a very circumstantial… split-second race. I think that’s probably what makes it entertaining, too.”   Do you anticipate racing this week will be different, more people going with you when you go because you’re a 500 winner, or maybe the opposite happening where he’s won enough? “I think it will be the opposite, for sure. I won’t have a lot of friends. I could see it being that way.  Yeah, I think it does depend on how you draft. If you know what you’re doing and you make good decisions, then guys typically work with you.   I do think coming down to the end, it could be tough for me to have those allies and those friends to make a move. Just got to be smart about it and probably not overthink it too much. Just react to what I feel and what I see.”   Why do you think you’ve been so good here? What makes a great racer at this racetrack?  “I mean, I don’t know. It just feels like I’ve been, at this track in particular, able to have some things go my way and also make good decisions in those moments that I had opportunities. It’s a mix of that… like being in the right place, and then having those chances to make good decisions.   I feel like for a while, it was a joke. I couldn’t finish a race here. My first six years, I couldn’t finish the race, but I was always in the mix. I don’t know. I think it’s kind of finally tipped the other way.   Yeah, I wish I could have, honestly, some of that success at Talladega. I think that’s been a place that I haven’t really had as much success. It just feels like this place, it requires a little bit different formula than it does there.”   When it comes to drafting, how does the new Chevy body factor into that? “Yeah, selfishly, I think if I could be in the second Duel, it would be great to get a visual for what that looks like; how they’re doing it in the first Duel, then execute that or try it myself in the second.   Yeah, I think it’s an unknown, for sure. It looks a lot better on paper. It looks like it’s going to be an advantage, possibly, or something we haven’t had in the past. Hopefully that’s the case.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

First feel in the car, did anything stand out or was it just making sure everything is connected and ready to go? “Yeah, I think we were a little more aggressively in qualifying trim than I was probably prepared for. But, yeah, excited to see where we stack up tonight.”  Some people had conversations last year that this race didn’t have the prestige that it once did. Curious where you stand on that. Does it still feel prestigious to you and if not, what needs to happen to get it back to how this race was once viewed? “Yeah, I think for me the prestige is still there.  It’s still the Daytona 500 and the pageantry is still there.  Driving the race car part when you are rolling around all day and saving fuel, that is the bummer to me, and I wish we could fix that. I am not smart enough to fix it and I wish, and I think we all wish, the speedway racing was a little different than it is. But, you are still at the Daytona 500 and that is not going to change just because the style of racing is different. To me at least.  So, yeah, doesn’t mean it any less to me for sure.  I am still trying to win one and hopefully we can get it done.”  NASCAR says you are no longer allowed to put your hand outside the window net. Does that matter or do you think that it ever mattered when you did do it?“Yeah, I mean, its kind of been different year to year. Sometimes you have a car that drives very easily, and you can do it easily and other times you have got your hands full and you can’t do it. You always have an engineer telling you that you need to do it, exactly what position to put your hand in and all that. But I am glad that I can just keep two hands on the steering wheel for this one.”  It seems like it would be more nerve-wracking doing it at Atlanta than at maybe Daytona and Talladega?“Yeah, for sure.  Atlanta typically is a little sketchier to qualify at. The difference is that Daytona 500 qualifying is like you are much more in qualifying trim than you are at Atlanta or Talladega or even the second Daytona race. For the guys going for the pole, this is sometimes the more sketchier one. Here or Atlanta.”  This year how much nicer is it going to be to have a points system that rewards consistency and your team’s consistency as opposed to the last time you were here and trying to hang onto a playoff spot? “Yeah, I think this system suits us better than the previous system. So, I am thankful for that, but for me it’s really just trying to go out and win races. The end of last season was a bummer, so we are just trying to turn things around and get pointed in the right direction and get the season started off on a high note. But I definitely think we can excel in this system.”  Does the new system change your approach and preparation in racing here and then going to Atlanta or are you just like superspeedways are superspeedways?“I really don’t think it changes much in these two races, but I would say it will change for the second Daytona, right? With it not being a cut-off race.  That will be different, but the rest of it is just business as usual. So, just going to work and trying to score the most points possible, execute at a high level and try and win the race.”  Looking down the road at Chicago, I am pretty sure you are the only one to be able to win at both the oval and the street course. Are you excited to get back to the oval this year?“Yeah, it’s a super-tricky racetrack and maybe wasn’t quite as tricky with the old car, but with the characteristics of the Next Gen car, its going to be a tough place to get a hold of. Looking forward to the challenge and obviously great memories of the last time we were there. It seems like it was forever ago.  So, just will be special to go back there and excited for it.”  What do you visualize after that final green flag stop for fuel in stage three.  I mean how do you get your mindset for what is probably the most chaotic laps of the season?“Yeah, just really dependent on the situation. If you are in front of the group you are with, you are just trying to make the right moves and guide that group the right way and back up to speed and kind of go from there.  If you are in the middle, you are just kind of following along, and if you are in the back, you are just trying to control the runs from behind the best you can. So, it’s just very situational.  I feel like we have kind of been in all of those situations in the past.  But yeah, track position is just so difficult to gain here at Daytona and Talladega now. It’s interesting in how the race plays out and just trying to save fuel and make that last pit stop as short as possible. You really put a lot of emphasis on your green in and out and go from there.”  How does going into a contract year weigh on a driver?“I mean it’s the same stuff. If you look at the internet, every year has been a contract year for me. So, it doesn’t really feel any different to me. Yeah, just excited to get to work.”  You gave your teammate Chase Elliott a huge shove into the final corner at Atlanta that ended up getting him the win.  Is a move like that even feasible at Daytona? “Yeah, its pretty different. I don’t feel like we build those big runs at a track like this like we do at Atlanta. Atlanta, you have that little more slow down in the corners, so that changes it up a little bit. But I feel like Atlanta races like the speedways did with the old car. Like a little more 2019, 2020 speedway racing than what we have seen with the Next Gen. Whereas at these tracks you are just stuck in line and the runs are pretty small. So, yeah, glad that one worked out and hopefully I get it back.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

First feel in the car, did anything stand out or was it just making sure everything is connected and ready to go? “Yeah, I think we were a little more aggressively in qualifying trim than I was probably prepared for. But, yeah, excited to see where we stack up tonight.”  Some people had conversations last year that this race didn’t have the prestige that it once did. Curious where you stand on that. Does it still feel prestigious to you and if not, what needs to happen to get it back to how this race was once viewed? “Yeah, I think for me the prestige is still there.  It’s still the Daytona 500 and the pageantry is still there.  Driving the race car part when you are rolling around all day and saving fuel, that is the bummer to me, and I wish we could fix that. I am not smart enough to fix it and I wish, and I think we all wish, the speedway racing was a little different than it is. But, you are still at the Daytona 500 and that is not going to change just because the style of racing is different. To me at least.  So, yeah, doesn’t mean it any less to me for sure.  I am still trying to win one and hopefully we can get it done.”  NASCAR says you are no longer allowed to put your hand outside the window net. Does that matter or do you think that it ever mattered when you did do it?“Yeah, I mean, its kind of been different year to year. Sometimes you have a car that drives very easily, and you can do it easily and other times you have got your hands full and you can’t do it. You always have an engineer telling you that you need to do it, exactly what position to put your hand in and all that. But I am glad that I can just keep two hands on the steering wheel for this one.”  It seems like it would be more nerve-wracking doing it at Atlanta than at maybe Daytona and Talladega?“Yeah, for sure.  Atlanta typically is a little sketchier to qualify at. The difference is that Daytona 500 qualifying is like you are much more in qualifying trim than you are at Atlanta or Talladega or even the second Daytona race. For the guys going for the pole, this is sometimes the more sketchier one. Here or Atlanta.”  This year how much nicer is it going to be to have a points system that rewards consistency and your team’s consistency as opposed to the last time you were here and trying to hang onto a playoff spot? “Yeah, I think this system suits us better than the previous system. So, I am thankful for that, but for me it’s really just trying to go out and win races. The end of last season was a bummer, so we are just trying to turn things around and get pointed in the right direction and get the season started off on a high note. But I definitely think we can excel in this system.”  Does the new system change your approach and preparation in racing here and then going to Atlanta or are you just like superspeedways are superspeedways?“I really don’t think it changes much in these two races, but I would say it will change for the second Daytona, right? With it not being a cut-off race.  That will be different, but the rest of it is just business as usual. So, just going to work and trying to score the most points possible, execute at a high level and try and win the race.”  Looking down the road at Chicago, I am pretty sure you are the only one to be able to win at both the oval and the street course. Are you excited to get back to the oval this year?“Yeah, it’s a super-tricky racetrack and maybe wasn’t quite as tricky with the old car, but with the characteristics of the Next Gen car, its going to be a tough place to get a hold of. Looking forward to the challenge and obviously great memories of the last time we were there. It seems like it was forever ago.  So, just will be special to go back there and excited for it.”  What do you visualize after that final green flag stop for fuel in stage three.  I mean how do you get your mindset for what is probably the most chaotic laps of the season?“Yeah, just really dependent on the situation. If you are in front of the group you are with, you are just trying to make the right moves and guide that group the right way and back up to speed and kind of go from there.  If you are in the middle, you are just kind of following along, and if you are in the back, you are just trying to control the runs from behind the best you can. So, it’s just very situational.  I feel like we have kind of been in all of those situations in the past.  But yeah, track position is just so difficult to gain here at Daytona and Talladega now. It’s interesting in how the race plays out and just trying to save fuel and make that last pit stop as short as possible. You really put a lot of emphasis on your green in and out and go from there.”  How does going into a contract year weigh on a driver?“I mean it’s the same stuff. If you look at the internet, every year has been a contract year for me. So, it doesn’t really feel any different to me. Yeah, just excited to get to work.”  You gave your teammate Chase Elliott a huge shove into the final corner at Atlanta that ended up getting him the win.  Is a move like that even feasible at Daytona? “Yeah, its pretty different. I don’t feel like we build those big runs at a track like this like we do at Atlanta. Atlanta, you have that little more slow down in the corners, so that changes it up a little bit. But I feel like Atlanta races like the speedways did with the old car. Like a little more 2019, 2020 speedway racing than what we have seen with the Next Gen. Whereas at these tracks you are just stuck in line and the runs are pretty small. So, yeah, glad that one worked out and hopefully I get it back.”