MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
GEICO 500
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES & QUOTES
MAY 7, 2017

AJ ALLMENDINGER NO. 47 KROGER CLICKLIST CHEVROLET SS – Sidelined in multi-car accident on Lap 168
YOU WERE UPSIDE DOWN IN THAT CRASH. ARE YOU OKAY? WHAT HAPPENED?
ARE YOU OKAY? TELL US WHAT HAPPENED? 
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m happy I didn’t get hit upside down. I’m all good. Our race team does a great job with safety. It’s just Talladega. It’s all it is. The plan worked out. We waited in the back and got up front and I had (Dale Earnhardt) Junior pushing me, I had the best guy pushing me. I’m not sure. Chase (Elliott) was kind of… the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) and the No. 24 of Chase they were kind of moving around and at the time I think (Kevin) Harvick got behind me and we were shoving and Chase opened the door and then kind of closed it and I tried to check up just a little bit and tapped him and when I checked up it was a big wreck after that.

“I was battling for the lead. The No. 18 and the No. 24 were kind of leading the two packs and the No. 4 was just on me. Once I got to Chase (Elliott), I got loose. I barely tapped him. And then I tried to get off him but at that point it was too late. It was just one of those things battling for the lead. The plan kind of went. We waited at the back and started moving forward. The way the pit cycles worked, we were up front and had a great restart. I had the right guys pushing me. I can’t thank everybody enough that’s part of this. I hated that happened, but it’s Talladega. I’m not a big fan of it, but if you’re up front and you’ve got a chance to go for it, racing happens I guess, here.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 HOOTERS CHEVROLET SS – Sidelined in multi-car accident on Lap 168
WE JUST SAW YOU AND AJ ALLMENDINGER TALKING, WHAT WERE YOU SAYING?
“He just apologized. I don’t know that it was really his fault per se. He had a big run and he kind of got to my bumper and just happened to be in a bad spot coming up off the corner and was skewed a little bit to my left rear. And when that happens, it just unloads these cars too much. But, I appreciate everybody’s hard work. Our Hooters Chevrolet was really good today. We were able to work our way up towards the front a couple of times. We got hung out a couple of times and finally made our way back forward. I’m rally proud of that. Hopefully we can carry some of this speed back to Daytona for the plate race in July and go get ‘em next week in Kansas.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW INTELLIFRESH CHEVROLET SS – Involved in a multi-car accident on lap 168 YOU WERE A LITTLE BIT FURTHER BACK IN THAT PACK THERE, WHAT DID YOU SEE?
“I just saw somebody come across the field there and started checking up. I got kind of pushed back into it. I mean, it was just Talladega, it’s part of it. We are three-wide trying to get as much position as we can there at the end and we were just too far back and we got in. Hopefully, one of our RCR, ECR teammates can make it up through there. I think the No. 13 just had bailed out because he felt like it was getting wild and it worked out for him, so, maybe Ty (Dillon) can get it done.”
WALK US THROUGH THAT WRECK:
“I didn’t really get a great view of it. I just knew there was a car coming across the front of the field and it was going to be big. I was just trying to slow down the whole time. I couldn’t get stopped fast enough and I was on the brakes pretty hard and it just didn’t work out.”
MICHAEL MCDOWELL, NO. 95 WINN-DIXIE CHEVROLET SS – Involved in a multi-car accident on lap 168 TALLADEGA BACKSTRETCH WHAT HAPPENED OVER THERE?
“Yeah, you said it, Talladega backstretch. I’m not really sure it kind of happened a few rows in front of me. All I saw was the No. 24 (Chase Elliott) coming back across the race track. I’m not sure how he got spun, but he ended up on the hood of the Winn-Dixie Chevrolet and unfortunately, just enough damage to not get it re-fired. The car wasn’t that bad, but must have done something to the motor there because I couldn’t get it fired up.”