QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts on Talladega?“I’m looking forward to getting back to Talladega because it’s one of those track where everything is so unpredictable but that can also make it fun. I’ve been on both sides of it at Talladega. The win in 2022 is obviously a memorable moment but there’s been a few times where I’ve been in the garage well before the end of race. Talladega is one of those tracks where you have to expect the unexpected and just take everything as it comes. Jockey is on the car this weekend and I would love nothing more than to take them to victory lane.”
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletYou’ve won on superspeedways. What kind of race do you expect we will see at Talladega Superspeedway?“I love racing at Talladega Superspeedway and can’t wait to get on track in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Chevrolet. At Talladega, there’s a lot of movement in the draft, the packs are big and wide, and with the way this package works, there is more two-lane racing around the bottom. You can do certain things throughout that race to put yourself in a better position, but it’s one of those tracks you go into knowing that there’s probably a 75% chance that you could be in a wreck.”
How does racing at Talladega Superspeedway compare to racing at Daytona International Speedway?“Talladega Superspeedway is a little bit different real estate than Daytona International Speedway. At Daytona, you’re packed in there, and it’s hard to get to someone’s inside or outside, and there is less movement in the draft. You’re kind of holding on at times, waiting to see what happens. Everybody is pushing, and you’re hoping you can get through the mess.”
Do you feel the “big one” coming, or does it happen so fast that you’re just in it?“It depends. Sometimes you’re in it, and there is nothing you can do about it because you know time is running out and you’re in it either way. It’s an odd feeling knowing your putting yourself out there and something is about to happen. It’s an issue of timing. You’re hoping you just get through it. I’ve been fortunate to sneak through some of them, or be in front of some of them. You usually know when the intensity is rising and the pack is starting to get a little bit out of control. You try to do your best to give yourself an out or be in front of it.”
Did you enjoy the Cup off weekend? Does it provide a nice break, or stall the momentum your team has been building?“I definitely enjoyed the off weekend. Just spending time with family, getting outdoors and recharging. We have some great momentum heading into Talladega following our performance at Bristol Motor Speedway, and I still think we will be able to build on that this weekend.”
Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletYou’ve seen plenty of success at Talladega. What do you need to get the job done this weekend?“We need to qualify fast, stay up front and hope for the best. But, you can’t be too far up front because you have to save fuel. It’s honestly more mind games than it’s ever been. There is a balance of frustration and challenges. Winning it would be rewarding because you did everything right. That’s the goal.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletHow do you utilize the draft to make runs and can you explain that kind of process to fans that might not know what drafting is?“The draft is a big deal and honestly the energy in the draft now is not necessarily coming from ahead of you, it’s more so coming from behind you. Two, three, four, five cars behind you is where that energy really develops and you get pushed forward from that energy. So, the draft is different than what it used to be. Years ago, you would suck up to the guy in front of you and slingshot past him and make him move that way. Now, you’re really relying on everything happening behind you and building from behind.” Talk about the importance of a spotter and communication at superspeedways. What is that communication like and how important is that to you?“Communication with your spotter is the ultimate. There’s nothing else that you really use as much as your spotter on speedway racing. You can use your mirrors and look in the camera and look behind you and whatnot. But, trying to figure out a way of being able to understand the energy that’s coming rows back behind you, the only way to get that is from your spotter. When you’re in traffic and you’re three or four rows back, you’re trying to understand what the gaps are in front of you so you know how hard to push the guy in front of you to get your lane moving forward.” Pit stops are big at plate tracks as well. You wouldn’t think about a superspeedway as just about going fast, but also coming down pit road, that communication and the team communication and working together. What is that like in a superspeedway race nowadays with fuel savings and things like that?“The strategy to superspeedway racing has entirely changed. The fuel save action and what you have to do to try to prolong your time on track, to cut your time on pit road, to do the leapfrog strategy is what we call it. It is really different. I would say we all want to go out there and run as hard as we can, as fast as we can, pass and mix it up and do all that sort of stuff. But a lot of times it’s just better and it’s easier and it’s safer to just ride in line, part throttle and save fuel. So it’s definitely a whole new arena that we’ve got to get used to of what speedway racing is.” Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“Talladega has been a track that I have been quite successful at in my career. I’ve had a really good average finish at Talladega over the years and come close a few times but just haven’t been able to cross the finish line first yet. I did win an ARCA race at Talladega a few years back. I think we’re going to have a good chance this weekend. Our car was very fast at Daytona; we led laps and ran up front. Hopefully we have that same speed for qualifying on Saturday and then on Sunday we’ll be able to keep our car up front and have a shot at the win.” AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“Talladega is a place that has been very hit or miss for me. It still comes down to execution and a bit of luck to not be involved in the big one. All we can do is show up with the speed we had in Daytona, and I feel confident that that’s what we’re going to do.” Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Beard Motorsports ChevroletExplain what the process is like racing at the superspeedway tracks.“Superspeedway racing is high-speed chess. That’s why I love it, but that’s also why it’s difficult. It’s fun because of the strategy and knowing when to be aggressive and when to be patient. Obviously, it can be very difficult to control the outcome of your race because so much can happen that’s out of your control – more so at those races than any other. It’s not solely just about having raw speed. It’s also about having teammates, having help and a little bit of luck.” You’ve raced at both Talladega and Daytona a number of times. While the tracks are similar in style, they can produce very different types of races. What is so different about the two tracks?“Talladega is different from Daytona for a few reasons. I think the first and most obvious thing is the characteristics of the track. Talladega is wider. It’s a little bit longer and provides a little more room for three- and four-wide racing. What also comes with that is that it’s a little bit less of a handling track than what Daytona is. Daytona gets hot and slick where, at Talladega, handling is not as important. I think, with this NextGen car, you have to have good drive quality to be able to get over the bumps, to be able to push and be pushed aggressively. It’s a little bit less chaotic in the draft because there is a little more room. You can run three-wide around there pretty comfortably, whereas at Daytona it’s pretty tight. It’s not uncommon to even see four-wide at Talladega. I think that’s just the plain difference. As far as the strategy and the job behind the wheel, though, it kind of remains the same because superspeedway races ultimately come down to that manufacturer battle, teammates and, really, fuel mileage. That’s been everything the last few years.” Even after all of that, where does Talladega rank among your favorite tracks?“It is definitely one of my favorites. I have a really good track record there with top-five finishes in Xfinity and multiple Cup Series top-10 finishes. Last year, we finished sixth there with the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevy. There are a lot of positives to build on and I have a lot of confidence heading into Talladega. I feel like I know what I need to do behind the wheel to execute, or at least to position myself. From there, it’s a matter of seeing what happens. Sometimes all you can do is put yourself in position and hope that it works out. We’ve learned some things now the last few races at Talladega and Daytona as far as what we can do as a team at Beard Motorsports. And with the cars we’ve been bringing, I think we all expect to be competitive and have a shot.” How much does your performance at Talladega last spring boost your confidence going into the weekend?“It’s a big confidence boost because last year there were a lot of unknowns for the team, and me. I was a new driver to them. We had gone to Daytona, so that got the ball rolling but, going to a new track together, I was still learning the NextGen car on a superspeedway-style track and I think there was just a lot of learning going on, and it still went exceptionally well. So I think this time we have a higher expectation. We certainly had that going into Daytona, it just didn’t work out there. But going into Talladega, we still have the same goal and it’s to go there and put ourselves in position to win the race.” Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat have you learned about the challenges of winning at a superspeedway in your last handful of starts?“You only get one move and you’re only one bad block away. We were fast, and last year I could obviously see the checkered flag, but I didn’t get there. We have a lot of confidence going into Talladega. I’ve been in position to win those races, and I’ve finished second, third and fourth, but we have been close to seeing that that checkered flag. I enjoy the challenge of going there and putting yourself in position to fight for the win on the last lap. Hopefully we’ll have another opportunity to do it again. You always learn what you could have done differently, how you would approach that differently and whether you think you’re right or wrong. It doesn’t matter; we didn’t win. If you didn’t win, you didn’t do it right. You always go back and analyze how you would do it differently, how you could make better choices and what led to those choices. We feel confident going back there and look forward to having a shot at it.” Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletThe last time the Cup Series visited a drafting track, you left Atlanta with a runner-up finish and a change of view on your approach to superspeedways. Explain what changed between the first race at Daytona and the second at Atlanta, and how that applies at Talladega.“I’ve just never been a fan of superspeedways and drafting. That type of racing isn’t something I enjoyed, up until this year. Even at Daytona, my approach was stay out of trouble and hope to be there at the end when everyone else starts wrecking. That didn’t really work out for us and we ended up not finishing the race. Then at Atlanta, I decided I was just going to race as hard as I could and get as many points as I could. I don’t know if that will always work. These tracks are so different and Talladega is different from Daytona. It really just comes down to what the racing is like that day and how well your car is handling in the draft. I’d love to say we’re going to get stage points and battle for a win, and I hope that is the case. This type of racing is just so unpredictable and you never know what you’re going to get until you’re there.” Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts on Talladega?“Oh, Talladega is epic! There is nothing else like it. The drafting tracks have been a challenge for me because it’s just a different type of racing. I remember my first start at Talladega, people would put me four wide just to leave me out to dry, because I guess they didn’t want me in there. Now I feel like I can flow with the guys, have the right momentum, and judge the runs a bit better. The last Talladega I was pushed to the lead and held it a while. Definitely feel like I’m part of it and that I’m better at it now. Happy that I don’t have yellow stripes on my car.” You have to make very quick decisions at superspeedway tracks. How do you balance being analytical versus committed and knowing that you have it without overthinking?“It’s all in the preparation. You got to have a clear mind when you’re racing, things become instincts. There’s a lot of teamwork, too, with the spotter because he is going to be guiding me. Spotters are probably the most important thing when superspeedway racing. I just trust Josh’s (Williams) guidance. But you also have to make sure you have friends in this kind of racing, make sure you got the right kind of cars behind you, make sure it’s a teammate or a Chevrolet. It’s just a different kind of racing.” Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts on Talladega this weekend?“I love Talladega. At first I really didn’t like superspeedway racing but the more I did it the more I started to enjoy it. We have been so close so many times on the superspeedway. One of these days we are going to win one of these races and I hope it is Sunday.”
How did you spend your off weekend?”I spent the off-week in Mexico. I was working in Mexico City, where we did a lot of race promotion and unveiled the Telcel Chevrolet we will be racing there, and then it was vacation time in Monterrey, where I got to see my family and just hang out with everyone I hadn’t seen in a while. It was good to kind of get a break, recharge, and get ready for Talladega and other upcoming races.” Connor Zilisch, No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet“I’m looking forward to Talladega this weekend. This race can be a tossup, but I know all of the JR Motorsports drivers and teams are going to work together and try to get good results for everyone. My goal is to survive and make it to the end of the race in our WeatherTech Chevrolet. I’ve run three superspeedway races in my career and I’ve yet to finish one. Hopefully we can get some stage points and stay upfront all day on Saturday and stay out of the mess, but you never know at Talladega.” |
Numbers in the Next Gen Era: Hyak Motorsports’ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the most recent driver to add to Chevrolet’s winning ways at Talladega Superspeedway – delivering the manufacturer its 45th all-time Cup Series win at the Alabama venue (Oct. 2024). Chevrolet’s success at Talladega spans across NASCAR’s 55-year history at the track, including a record-setting streak of 13-straight trips to victory lane (April 1999 to May 2005). That success carried over into the series’ Next Gen era, with the Bowtie brand collecting wins in four of the six races since the car’s competition debut – a record earned by four drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations. 
Stringing Together a Double-Digit Streak: JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith continued Chevrolet’s dominance in the Xfinity Series at Talladega Superspeedway last fall by earning the manufacturer its 25th all-time victory at the venue. The win also extended the brand’s active record-setting streak to 11-straight Xfinity Series victories at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. The run began in April 2018 with Spencer Gallagher behind the wheel of a GMS Racing Chevrolet entry, and over the past seven years, nine different drivers have added to the Bowtie brand’s now double-digit streak. 
Chevrolet’s season statistics with nine NASCAR Cup Series races complete:
Chevrolet’s season statistics with nine NASCAR Xfinity Series races complete:
Chevrolet’s season statistics with six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races complete: