MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DUEL #1 POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
FEBRUARY 14, 2019
Bubba Wallace Finishes Sixth to Pace Four Team Chevy Drivers in the Top 10 in Daytona Duel 1
DAYTONA, Fla. (February 14, 2019) – Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 43 Aftershokz Camaro ZL1, finished in sixth place to lead all Chevrolet drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Gander RV Duel 1 at Daytona International Speedway Thursday night. Chris Buescher (No. 37 Kleenex Wet Wipes Camaro ZL1, seventh), seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, eighth), and rookie Ryan Preece (No. 47 Kroger.com Camaro ZL1, 10th) also finished in the top 10 for Chevrolet.
Daytona 500 pole winner William Byron (No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1) and Johnson started 1-2 and ran that way for the first 15 laps before pitting. Byron ran in the top 10 for the first 35 laps, but chose to play it safe and drop to the rear to finish 16th.
POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 AFTERSHOKZ CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 6th
THAT WAS A PRETTY BOLD MOVE THERE AT THE END:
“Got to do something. I hate riding around. I am not a fan of riding around the top. It’s like everybody knows if more cars go to the bottom we can race on the bottom, but it’s just where momentum takes us with the aero package we’ve got now. I was trying to just learn. Last year it was all just stay in line and ride and I’m not saying I’m over that, but I’ve got to learn at some point. I’ve got to have the guys, the veterans, behind me saying well he made that move in the duel so maybe he’s got a little bit more confidence. Just trying to build that. It’s always a learning game, it’s always a guessing game who is going to go, who is going to go where, but our AfterShokz Chevy was okay. It was a little discouraged at our speed when we were the last car in line. So, we have some work to do over the next two days, but hell, it’s Daytona, it’s next season so we are good.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 8th
TALK US THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED ON THE BACKSTRETCH WHEN YOU AND KYLE BUSCH HAD CONTACT:
“Yeah, I just got it wrong. Clearly. We got three wide and I just kind of misjudged that situation in being three wide and trying to tuck in behind Kyle. Unfortunately, just turned him around. Apologies to he and his team and I know that is not what they wanted with their 500 car, but I just got it wrong there.”
ARE THESE CARS, AS YOU ARE SIDE DRAFTING, PULLING THESE CARS IN TOGETHER MORE THAN NORMAL? OR WAS THIS JUST A MISTAKE?
“This was just a mistake for sure. But the cars with the wider spoiler that we have had on the second half of the year, the side draft is a bit more noticeable and decibel with cars around. But definitely nothing to do with this here.”
HOW ABOUT YOUR CAR FOR THE 500? WHAT DID YOU NOTICE ABOUT THIS RACE THAT YOU CAN TAKE INTO SUNDAY?
“It was in Q (Qualifying) trim since it was impounded. So, it was a little looser than I wanted in some situations, but it does have a ton of speed in it. So, if we get some comfort back in it, we are going to have ourselves a great Ally Chevrolet.”
WHEN YOU SAY YOU GOT IT WRONG WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU MEAN?
“So, we are three-wide coming through the Turn, I’m looking out the windshield, my rear view mirror and my third mirror trying to judge if the line is going to follow me, if the line is going to follow Kyle (Busch) and where the third car is. And in that whole environment I was wanting to get back in behind Kyle and I think my eyes were in the wrong spot, so I didn’t have a good sense of perception of where I was with Kyle trying to manage my mirrors and I just got it wrong. I thought I knew where I was with the right-front and I just had it wrong.”
IS YOUR SPOTTER TELLING YOU ANYTHING AT THAT POINT?
“Oh yeah that is another thing that is coming in that you are trying to process at the time.”
IS THIS JUST BUSINESS?
“No, it’s just business. I firmly believe The Clash was a racing incident. This one was a mistake on my behalf and everybody makes mistakes.”
RYAN PREECE, NO. 47 KROGER.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 10th
“I felt like I was patient the entire race. I just at the end… I could have been conservative. I wanted to win, but at the same time I just wanted to make a move. I was expecting… I kept trying to get that run and time it and going into (Turn) 1 I was kind of expecting and hoping that two or three more would have done it too and when I went no one went so I was the odd man out and that is what it is.”
RYAN TRUEX, NO. 71 ACCELL CONSTRUCTION INC. CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 14th
WHAT DID MARTIN (TRUEX, JR.) SAY TO YOU AFTER THE RACE?
“He just asked me what happened. He said when we came off pit road, he saw me and the No. 96 were with each other the entire race, me and Parker (Klingerman). Just yeah, we got on our own and when you are three cars riding around like that you can’t create a pass. The No. 96 was able to create a huge run by backing up to the No. 18 and that was that. There was not much I could do about it.”
HOW ARE YOU EMOTIONALLY?
“I knew… I missed one before so I know how it feels. I have more opportunities this year to go out and prove I can win races. This sucks, but I will move on from it.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 16th
YOU MADE IT THROUGH THE DUEL. YOU ARE STILL GOING TO BE ABLE TO LEAD THE FIELD TO GREEN ON SUNDAY. WHAT WERE YOU ABLE TO LEARN TONIGHT?
“Yeah, we raced for a while there. I thought we learned a little something towards the beginning of the race with leading and how our car was going to be. And then we were able to make some moves that were pretty good. After that restart we got in a huge hornet’s nest and we were on the bottom of three-wide, so we just bailed on that. Overall, it was good. Pretty happy with it. It was mission accomplished for us so far.”