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chevy racing–NASCAR–daytona–chase elliott

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 15, 2023

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: I feel like it’s been solid over the years. I feel like there’s been a lot of mutual respect. Our disagreement there at Bristol is probably always going to stand out. But it goes much deeper than that. Kevin has been a great ally of mine early in my career, I’ve referenced that, the questions here lately. I’m very appreciative of that, him being able to lend a hand there early in my career. I appreciate his time and willingness to help me learn and help get me and steer me in a good direction going into some of those tracks for the first time in my rookie year of Xfinity. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, no, first off I think it’s great. I think Alex deserves it. Alex is a really good dude. He’s worked really hard to be where he’s at. He does a good job. He brings a lot to the table behind the scenes that you guys will never see. I know me personally being a teammate of his, I appreciate his efforts, his willingness to help or talk about whatever it may be. Yeah, I’m super glad to have him. Look forward to these coming years together.  Q. How did you feel last week at the Clash, any contact you took from behind? CHASE ELLIOTT: I didn’t think it was a ton different, to be candid. So we’ll have to see. 
Q. Now here at a track where by nature you push each other, any concerns? CHASE ELLIOTT: I mean, the speedways, they were pretty violent last year, too. Yeah, last week was probably more. I felt like those hits that were going on last week were more aggressive than a standard push here. I would say from a pushing aspect, last week was worse than what you’ll have here. 
Q. Was last week embarrassing for NASCAR drivers? CHASE ELLIOTT: You really want to get me in trouble, don’t you (laughter)? 
Q. I don’t. Just want you to tell us more. CHASE ELLIOTT: I don’t think it was the greatest show. I’ll say that. I don’t think it was the greatest show. I thought last year’s show was better. I thought the racing was better last year. It seemed like going out there this year, everybody kind of knew how robust the bumpers are on these things, and we didn’t know that going into the race last year, so people were just really aggressive with moving people out of the way. If I didn’t get a good run out of corner exit, I’m going to drive in there, drive into you. That was just how the race went. It was like a Legend car race, the problem is these cars are really big and really heavy, it makes it difficult. The unknown of whether or not you were going to hurt your car last year is what kept it tame. This year that was out the window. It turned into not as good of a showing, in my opinion. 
Q. With that comfort now, do you feel that’s something you have to think about going forward? CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, maybe. I think it depends on the track that you’re at. There’s certainly places that will apply to more than others. Maybe Martinsville. Nothing like the Clash at the Coliseum, just how short that track is, how tight the turns are. Nothing will be that extreme, I don’t think. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: I think just trying to continue to push in the areas that we feel like we need to be better in, right? Then also trying to improve the areas that we did excel in last year. You’re always pushing trying to be better. Things are going to change through the off-season. You always have to assume when you’re going into a new year that all your competitors are going to be better, the other manufacturers are going to improve. Body resubmissions over the winter from all three manufacturers, I believe, if I’m not mistaken. That’s going to bring everyone even closer together yet. Just put some more emphasis on the area that has the biggest variable. To me the biggest variable is what happens on pit road throughout an event. It makes your weekend be even more important when you go to qualify because if your pit stops matter more, then so does your pit stall. If your pit stall matters, then your qualifying effort matters more. All those things start to add up, you start putting emphasis more and more on the smaller details, the things such as qualifying, such as pit stops, such as restarts and things like that. 
Q. Will we see 19 winners again? Seems to be a consensus we won’t. How do you feel about that? CHASE ELLIOTT: I doubt it. I doubt it. 
Q. Why? CHASE ELLIOTT: That’s just my opinion. I doubt it. I mean, you might. You might. I don’t see it. 
Q. Do you feel like the legitimate championship field is a lot wider? CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, I would say so. I mean, I think potentially a little bit. But I also think that the really good teams and the really good drivers are always going to rise to the occasion regardless of the configuration or the car or this or that. Yeah, I mean, I would say it’s probably a little wider than it once was. But any time you come into a new season, at least me personally, I have a really hard time guessing. Like, if I looked at y’all and I was, We’re going to be awesome this year, or, We’re going to struggle really bad, I honestly don’t know. Things change over the winter. You have body resubmissions, little rule tweaks here and there. Things just change. Until you get on the track and until you get that firsthand grade as to where you stack up, I think it’s really hard to tell kind of where you’re going to be from just a couple months being away from the track. 
Q. When you talk about changes, when you look at the changes they’ve made in the rear clip, how do you feel about those changes? CHASE ELLIOTT: I think they’re going in the right direction. They’re thinking about the things that they need to be thinking about. We just have to see. Until some of those impacts that were causing issues last year, they happen again, with success, I don’t know. I think everyone’s probably in the same boat. But I do feel good about just the conversations that were had over the winter. The changes, I’m no scientist, right, but logically thinking about things, it seems like they’re going the right direction. I hope that’s the case. So we’ll find out. 
Q. The way they opened up the front of the cars, the rubber not catching on fire. CHASE ELLIOTT: Not catching on fire. We definitely don’t want to be catching on fire (smiling). We don’t want to be catching on fire and we don’t want guys to be out with concussions over impacts that would have not been out with concussions with the same hit in years past, right? No reason for either one of those things. Two things we had not been experiencing for many, many years in the sport, we shouldn’t be experiencing them now. Let’s hope all those things are fixed. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, honestly until we get in that scenario and see, I don’t want to give you a false answer. I really just don’t know until I kind of experience it a little bit. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, we’ve had a couple good opportunities at it. We’ve had some really fast cars down here, too. I’ve done a good job of messing some of those up, as well (smiling). Yeah, just hope we can be around there at the end of the race. We were around at the end of the race last year, but at the tail end of that pack that was still rolling. One thing that I am proud of about last year is I thought we had one of our better plate races at Talladega last fall just from a decision-making standpoint, our car had pace, we were able to do a lot of the things we’ve been striving to do at plate races in the past. I know we’re not at Talladega obviously, and things can be different. I hope that some of those things are able to translate and we can put ourselves in a similar position as what we were able to do at that race. If we can do that, then I think our chances of having a good day are higher. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: A little bit. Little bit. But they’re different. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: A little. A little. But those two are just such different animals. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, believe it or not, it is. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: Kind of hard to know what to expect. I’m not sure what to think about that. Yeah, Jake and Stevie came to me about running the race. I’ve gotten to know them a little bit over the last couple years. Really that was it. They asked. I appreciated them asking, thinking about me, being willing and wanting me to help with him. He turns 18 next week. I hate it for him because he’s in a position where that’s unfortunate, right? You’re just a few days away from your 18th birthday and you can’t run the first race of the year. Yeah, it was really just because they asked. They’re a good family. Enjoy being around them. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, I don’t know that it matters a whole lot. 
Q. What is going to constitute a good year for you this year? CHASE ELLIOTT: Winning the championship. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: I mean, to me, Corey stands out because I don’t feel like he’s gotten a really good opportunity yet because he was one of those guys that was very, very good and successful. He was fun to race around. Always felt he was extremely talented. I’m sure there’s someone else I’m missing, out of left field a little bit. Corey does come to mind in my opinion because I think if he had a really good opportunity, I think he would do somebody a really good job. He’s got a good opportunity now, not a great one, but he’s got a good one. I’m not knocking them there at all. Please don’t take me the wrong way on that. I think they’re in a position where they can grow. Him being and having a hand in that would make it even sweeter to go and to build a program and have a lot of success because he helped them do it. 
Q. He had a chance at Atlanta last year. CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah. 
Q. People might be surprised when you say that. What were some things that you saw that maybe the fans haven’t had as much of an opportunity to see, he hasn’t had as many of those opportunities? What was that Corey LaJoie like? CHASE ELLIOTT: The guys you referenced were really the ones who I raced against in the K&N deal there for a year or two. I didn’t race against really any of that crowd much, aside from those couple years in K&N. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: He ran really well. The first year I think that I did it, he hadn’t been doing it very long either. They were struggling really bad that first year, too. I always had a lot of respect and admiration because they did all their work on their own, and he was very hands-on with a lot of that, so I respect that. But they went to work over the winter and they came back swinging the next year. He was really good from there on out. I just always thought that was cool, that he and I were both running terrible, they were able to go to work and put themselves in position to be one of the best cars the next season. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, no, it definitely does. We have a great group of guys. They have been around long enough to know how to have success in really tough situations. That’s the piece of the puzzle that I think really is important. We know each other really well, too. All those things matter and they help. We’ve grown a lot together. We’ve experienced a lot together. I think they have a really good opportunity to have a great year again. I think that they will. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: That’s a long time. Long time being around. But for me personally, I haven’t been around for the majority of those, right? I grew up around the sport. This sport really has been about all I’ve known for the majority of my life. I have a lot of respect and admiration for NASCAR, what it has meant to my family and the opportunities it’s brought that I have seen firsthand. That’s what comes to mind for me personally. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: I’ve been there, yep. 
Q. What did you think about that place? Much in there to check out? CHASE ELLIOTT: I would imagine it changed a lot since 1948 to when I saw it. 
Q. You talk about the little things. The cars being equal, wouldn’t the driver be a major component of the little things? CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah. 
Q. How do you view the driver component of this now? CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, the driver’s always going to be an important aspect of the race, right? The driver is a huge variable. I think it’s always mattered personally.  You still have to have a horse to ride. 
Q. Have you run the road course there? CHASE ELLIOTT: No, I’ve not. 
Q. 75 years in NASCAR, what does that mean to you being a family that has so much gravitas in this sport? CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, for me, I haven’t experienced the majority of those years firsthand. This is my eighth year here in Cup. There’s been about 10 of ’em that I guess I have been a part of personally. The majority of the rest of my life I was around it just from going to the racetrack with dad as a kid and things. There’s obviously a large chunk of those 75 years I didn’t experience or didn’t see or didn’t witness firsthand. It’s hard for me to speak on that. I think the piece of the puzzle I can speak on is just what the sport and the opportunities the sport has allowed for my family, and the things that I know we’re extremely grateful for. That’s because the sport is what it is, right? My dad had a good career. I was able to grow up and watch some of the tail end of that. The sport’s been good to me thus far. I’m appreciative of the opportunities and things it has supplied for my family and the things we’ve been able to do because of it. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: He hopes he makes it to a hundred? 
Q. I don’t think behind the wheel. CHASE ELLIOTT: Heck, I don’t know. He owns a team now, right? 
Q. That’s right. CHASE ELLIOTT: He can do whatever he wants, whether he wants to drive or hang around. I’d say that’s up to him. 
Q. If you get shuffled to the back of the pack, how long do you need to get back up front? CHASE ELLIOTT: If you’re Ryan, less than the rest of us. He’s really good at it. That dude could have probably won about every plate race for the last three years if things had gone just a little differently. More time than him. I don’t know how much time, but more than him. 
Q. Tougher with the Next Gen? CHASE ELLIOTT: Sure seems to be. Sure seemed to be last year in some of those events. Track position was really, really vital. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: Time-wise? Like TV slot time-wise? 
Q. A TV window works. CHASE ELLIOTT: I think two and a half hours, somewhere in there, will probably be a really good length. I think the Xfinity races are a really solid link for attention span of, like, outsiders that I watch races with. I feel like that’s a good length of time. Yeah, I would say two, no more than two and a half. But two, two and a half, somewhere in there. 
Q. You’re not losing your buddies when you’re watching Xfinity races? CHASE ELLIOTT: Or F1 races. I think they’re about hour and a half, two hours, somewhere in there. I think that’s a good time frame. What do you think? 
Q. As long as there’s a post-race show, too. CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, that’s true. I agree with that. So you’re including that in the time? 
Q. Two and a half hours, two-hour race. CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, I like that. I like that. I would say two and a half total. So you have 20 minutes or so before the race to kind of lead things up, maybe talk a little bit, then get going the race, then a good post-race show. I agree. 
Q. If they get rid of California, will you miss having the two-mile racy track? CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, no, I enjoy going out there. It’s a cool place. Kind of odd because you don’t see it a lot. You only see it once in a year, you see it early in the year, you kind of forget about it till you go back the next year. That whole deal has been really weird. Does someone want to explain it to me? We’ve been hearing for like, what, three years now, they were going to tear it down, then they decided we’re going to go one more year. Here we are. It’s kind of odd. I feel like most of the time they have a pretty good plan on what they’re going to do with some of that stuff. Kind of weird. 
Q. Do you need another sports track before we fit the short track package with this car? CHASE ELLIOTT: I think it takes longer. I shouldn’t say that. I think short-track racing is good. It’s a good environment to watch races for the fans. I think that’s fine. I’m good with that. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: That would be good. 
Q. Are you optimistic there’s going to be a fix along those lines? CHASE ELLIOTT: When we fix it, I’ll be happy (smiling). 
Q. Wait and see? CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah. 
Q. Do you feel more comfortable with the Coliseum event? I kept waiting for you to be a factor. CHASE ELLIOTT: Was never a factor, was I? Crazy (laughter). Yeah, we weren’t very good at all, then we got in that wreck there early on. Feel like we were better in the race. I mean, Martin was really good. He and Denny I thought were the class of the field by far. Even on Saturday I felt they were the standouts. We weren’t very good at all. Qualified bad. We were better in the race. Then got in that wreck with Ryan. I forget, Daniel maybe. It hurt our car pretty good after that. We were just trying to get to the end. 
Q. You and Dale watching your dads, studying your dads, coming down here. Every year your life pretty much. You have to pick up stuff in your head whether you realize it or not. You look at the guys who haven’t won this race, five of you are champions among the active drivers. Still kind of surprised that that one is still out there for you to grab? CHASE ELLIOTT: There’s a lot of great drivers that have had great careers in the sport that have not won this race, right? You look at Tony Stewart never having won this race, right? Tony never won it. Look at Kyle Busch, a guy that has not won it either. The list goes on from there, too. It’s a difficult race to win. You have to have a lot of things go your way. You can do everything perfect and still not win this race. It’s a tough one. For me, yes, this will be my eighth Daytona 500, would love to check the box, no doubt. I think if we keep putting ourselves in good positions, I think we’ll have our chances. 
Q. What would the party be like at home? CHASE ELLIOTT: I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about that. My partying days aren’t what they once were, so it might be pretty tame. 
Q. Can’t pull the ‘old’ thing on us yet. CHASE ELLIOTT: I know. It’s a bad deal (smiling). 
Q. You seem to have a lightness to you. Are you super optimistic for the season? CHASE ELLIOTT: I’m always in a good mood. C’mon now (laughter). No, I don’t know. Yeah, I’m just looking forward to getting going. This week is exciting. I was coming in last night, there’s a lot of campers a lot of people here. We’re pretty dang lucky to be doing what we’re doing as a job, you know? 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: I hadn’t even thought about that. I’m not sure I deserve to be on that list or not. Yeah, that would be a great honor, for sure. But in my head I’m just like, Man, there’s been a lot of extremely, extremely talented guys that have been around for a long time. Yeah, that would be a great honor. I haven’t put a lot of thought into it, though. 
Q. Your dad is on it. CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, and he should be, in my opinion. 
Q. You were talking about the campers, all the people coming. If you had to pitch the Daytona 500 to somebody that’s never watched the sport, been to a race, what would you say to them? CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, I mean, it’s certainly different from a lot of the races that we have throughout the year. It’s just one of those events and one of those spectacles that are here in the United States that you need to see. Simple as that. Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500, going to the Super Bowl, going to a World Series game, to me, all those things are kind of looped into one. Whether you’re a race fan, football fan, baseball fan, going to those types of spectacles, those types of events, I think anybody, no matter what you’re into, would have a good time with. I have no doubt that someone who’s the biggest baseball fan, doesn’t like motorsports at all, could come here and have a good time. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: No, look, Kevin has had a massive impact on this sport, has been around for a long time. You look at early 2000s to now. He’s had a great career, a lot of success. A guy that has had success for a very long period of time. That to me is one of the best impressive pieces of what he’s done, is to be winning in year one, and I have no doubt he’s going to be winning in his final year, too. That’s a tall order. 
Q. Have you been able to talk to Travis so far? CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah. I haven’t seen him yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing him. He’s become a good friend. I’ve been around him more being involved in some of the Nitro Rallycross stuff of his. I think it’s really cool that he’s giving this a shot. A tall order for him. This is a tough event. The fact that he’s not ever run one of these cars, just going out and qualifying later tonight, that’s a tough thing. I’m pulling for him, though. It’s tough because Jimmie is one of those guys that he’s got to race his way in, too. I know… Two of my motorsport heroes. It’s going to be really tough to pick and choose if I have to between the two of them. But I’m looking forward to watching. I guess they can both get in, right? 
Q. (No microphone.). CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, so we’re going to pull for both of them. How about that? 
Q. The last laps of the Daytona 500, does your mindset change? Alex said the big one can happen at any point. CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah. 
Q. How do you prepare for something like that? CHASE ELLIOTT: He is right, it can happen any time. Not just at the end of the race. To me at the end of the race, I’m hoping I’m up front. I’m hoping we’re still part of the event. If you get to the end, that’s a feat in itself. Just hoping we’re still involved. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: I don’t really have an opinion one way or the other. I’m good with whatever they do on that. It’s not my decision anyway. What does it matter if I have an opinion? That’s the way I feel. 
Q. (No microphone.) CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, no, I think it’s great that NASCAR has continued to expand, and that popularity has grown outside the United States. I think motorsports is extremely popular in Europe. I’m a huge fan of traveling and seeing different parts of the world. I think it’s great that they’re expanding. I hope it will continue to grow and make motorsports stronger regardless of what background
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chevy racing–nascar–daytona–kyle busch

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 15, 2023

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  IS IT TOO EARLY TO COMPARE RICHARD’S (CHILDRESS) MANAGEMENT STYLE WITH COACH’S (JOE GIBBS)? 
“Yeah, I mean its certainly early, but the way the companies are run are entirely different. Which is good, fine, different. Nothing wrong with that, its just a matter of trying to continue to figure out what the pluses and minuses all are.  Certainly, there are some plusses with the new team at RCR and the management and the things that are going on there. I enjoy working with the whole group, whether it’s the office or the competition side.   It’s been really fun.  Obviously too, the JGR side had its plusses as well.  Just trying to incorporate all the things that I have been accustomed to and been around for the last 15 years. Not all the processes and procedures that I am used to, but I am definitely trying to work my way into what RCR is and how they work first, and then just say ‘but, have you guys thought about doing something X,Y,Z like this?’  So, I think its been pretty good thus far and Richard has been great, Torrey (Galida), everybody and looking forward to a great relationship here.”
HOW HAS IT BEEN WITH ALL THE NEW SPONSORS LIKE CHEDDARS? I HEARD YOU WENT IN TO SEE WHAT THE MENU WAS ABOUT?
“Yeah, it’s been fun. Like I said, the management side of RCR has been great and that has been a part of all the sponsorship groups and things like that, that I have been getting around, meeting and spending some time with. Certainly been great to meet all those folks and I went from the candy man to the adult candy man. The nickname still works and still fits. So certainly, looking forward to the relationships with all these guys and girls and teams of people. You know, with 3CHI thankful for them for returning, Alsco and Cheddar’s and Lenovo. Just excited to have some people that have jumped on board to go race with Kyle and go out there and hopefully reward them by winning and going to Victory Lane.”
SPEAKING OF ODDS OF WINNING THIS RACE, MARK MARTIN, TERRY LABONTE AND RUSTY WALLACE NEVER WON THIS RACE.  NOW YOU AND MARTIN (TRUEX) HAVE HAD LONG RUNS WITHOUT IT. DO YOU THINK ITS CIRCUMSTANTIAL OR IS THERE SOME DYNAMIC THAT IS GOING ON THERE?
“Definitely I think circumstantial. I think the whole thing kind of changed probably 2012-2013-ish where it just became a complete disaster and a total wreck fest at the end. Before that, I felt like there were times where there were some good races and some good racing. You had to be a fast car, you had to have a good handling car, and you had to put yourself in the right spot at times. It was a bit of a chess match, but I am sure that Denny (Hamlin) could come in here and say, ‘no, I have won three of them in that timeframe and its not luck’. So, he has just been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time, making the right moves, and I have been the one that just kind of waits and sees everything that is going to happen and I try to go with 10 to go. But sometimes that’s too late and I am not in the right spot at that point, so I kind of mess myself up.  Overall, the last few years I have not watched 10 years in a row of footage, but I am going to guarantee you that there are not very many cars finishing and there are a lot of wrecks happening, especially last lap crashes..(even) from the lead guys are getting crashed. It happens.”
DO YOU STILL LOOK AT THIS RACE IN A NEGATIVE WAY, OR DO YOU STILL HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE ABOUT IT?
“No, you just come in here and treat it as if its any other race. There is great opportunity to be able to win the race and if you put yourself in the right spot, you can. Its just not happened yet for me. So, its obviously a difficult race to win. There’s a lot of different winners.  Some guys, this is the only race they ever win. Other guys, they win it two or three times over again. It’s the Super Bowl of our sport and its hard to accomplish this one. It’s a race where you rely on a lot of different factors than you do just yourself. You go to a race track like California, or the old Atlanta, and places like that…it’s a lot more driver that is involved in how you are and what your destiny will be. Where here, a lot of your result can be in the hands of the other driver around you and the circumstances around you.  That’s just the nature of it, but you know, we all have the same race to go out there and run in.  As far as being positive about it, yeah, I would be positive about it. Having a new fresh look and outlook with my new team, and being with the No. 8, its exciting for me anyways. So, I would love nothing more than to win the Daytona 500 with RCR, Chevrolet, 3CHI and everybody to really put an exclamation point on the offseason and what this year will hopefully bring.”
HOW MUCH HAS THIS BEEN A MENTAL RESET FOR YOU?
“Yeah, I mean a lot of it is. There has been a big reset in general obviously with joining forces with RCR and Austin (Dillon). Thankful for the opportunity and looking forward to the many sponsors that we have and working with them. Its just a fresh outlook and its nice to be in a place where you are wanted, and you are accepted. To having that chance to just go racing again is going to be fun. We have done a little bit of that already with the COTA race that we ran, the test that I had, and spending some time with Austin doing stuff off-track has been pretty cool. So, we will continue to evolve and get better and RCR will again become a powerhouse like it once was…and to win races and championships.”
REGARDING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH KEVIN HARVICK AND HOW THAT HAS EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS
“He finally grew up and its nice to have a relationship with other veteran-type drivers. That is what we call each other, veterans. Or just the old crowd. He has got me by a few years but it still fun to mess with him a little bit. He actually gave me a ride over here this morning, from the short track. We rode together and that is kind of weird, right?  Almost like ‘Days of Thunder’ where we should have gotten our own rental cars. It would have been a Ford versus a Chevy and that would have been funny.   But yeah, him having Keelan and me having Brexton and us having things outside the race track, and different things in life like you mentioned to focus on and what it will teach you, has meant a lot to the both of us in how we can relate and work with one another.”
HOW IS YOUR BROTHER KURT DOING THIS OFFSEASON AND STILL DEALING WITH CONCUSSION ISSUES?
“He seems fine to me.  Everything is day by day with him and he is very busy. I see him doing a lot of different things and looking at his schedule and talking with some of the folks around him, he is somewhere doing something every day.  He is fine off the track, as much as it can be inside a Busch’s head anyway. So, he’s good.”
WHY DID YOU RESUME YOUR XFINITY SERIES CAREER? WAS IT SPONSOR DRIVEN OR MISSING THE SEAT TIME OR OTHER?
“Actually, it was just the relationship that I grew over the time in which I was talking to other teams and things like that through last year. Talking with Chris Rice and Matt Kaulig especially and the relationship that we developed and the communication and things that we had over that timeframe.  When it came down to decision time and I had to let everybody know who wasn’t the choice for going Cup racing with, I told them that I would still love to drive for them and have a chance to go race his cars. It just wouldn’t be on Sunday.  They were gracious enough to let me run in their Xfinity program and I would love to go over there and help those guys out. I feel like they are really, really, really close and right on the brink of a force to be reckoned with in the Xfinity Series and I would love to help carry that torch to the next level.”
A LOT OF TIMES THEY SAY A CHANGE OF SCENERY CAN BE GOOD. WHAT IS THE ONE THING THAT YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED BY HAVING THAT CHANGE OF SCENERY AT THIS POINT OF YOUR CAREER?
“It’s a lot.  All the things that I have mentioned so far. The difference of the competition side at RCR and how they do things is entirely different than what they do at JGR. The management side is completely different. Differences are fine and its just a matter of exploiting the good things of all that and sometimes the not so good pieces of that and making it all good. I feel like there is room for me to help the group that we are with learn from the group that I came with and vice versa. I am not really going to be teaching the old group, but you get my point.  Its just a matter of that I really enjoy working with Randall (Burnett) so far and the communication with him has been great. We are always back and forth, and we talk about every day. That has been really good, which has been different than my past couple of relationships. So far, so good.”
 
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chevy racing–nascar–daytona–conor Daly

NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTFEBRUARY 15, 2023

CONOR DALY, NO. 50 THE MONEY TEAM RACING CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  How about your first Daytona 500?“I don’t know what to expect yet, but it’s just super cool to be here. I’ve done the Rolex twice, I raced go-karts here when I was 12, 13, 14, so I’ve spent a lot of time here growing up and I’m just excited for the chance; just to take in a lot of learning at a very high rate of speed. It’s going to be tough. It’s the biggest uphill battle that I’ve probably had to make a race. 2018 Indy 500 was going to be tough for me to make that race, but we made it fine so that was good. But this one is going to be a real challenge. Lot of good drivers, lot of good teams that are also trying to qualify so we’ll see what happens.”
What has been the reaction from people about you doing this?“It’s been very cool. Honestly, I have an incredibly supportive fan base that’s been with me for a lot of my career but even a lot of folks that have been new to following me since I’ve been with 31 Media and Dale Jr.’s company and the podcast that I’ve had, so there’s been a lot of really nice people that are like ‘we didn’t really know about you but we like what you say about racing and we like what you do.’ That’s been cool to be a part of and I just love this sport. There are a lot of fan bases that are like we’re only NASCAR, we’re only INDYCAR, we’re only F1. I like them all, so I don’t know why we can’t do more of that and hopefully there is a little bit more of love spread to all of them as we try to do a little bit of both NASCAR and INDYCAR at the same time.”
Have you discussed racing at this place with Dale Jr.?“He has been a great resource. He is on my team of supporters, which is really nice. Him and Tony Eury Jr. my crew chief has been a great resource to lean on. He’s got so much experience in this world and at this track specifically. It’s great to be where I’m at even though it is a massive challenge ahead. I still feel very lucky to be here with this group around us.”
As a kid growing up in snowy Indiana, how cool was it to turn on the TV every February and watch the Daytona 500?“The Daytona 500 means that the race season has started. Thankfully, that means we’re going INDYCAR racing very soon after – March 5th in St. Pete – so it also means that everything is finally going again. Football is over sadly; we love football. But it’s time to go racing. I’m excited.”
What do you anticipate the nerves being tonight?“I’ve had the qualifying described to me multiple ways. One way was it’s easier than driving down the highway, so that’s good. And the biggest learning experience with be with all the other cars me. The qualifying will be very much about feeling the platform of the car into one for the first time, into three for the first time, obviously running high to generate momentum and low obviously for the qualifying runs. So kind of feeling just how the track is and after the checkered flag continuing to drive hard all the way around to the pits so you get an extra half lap of practice. Anything will help, anything will matter. There’s a lot where these cars efficiently run in the draft, where they don’t efficiently run behind other cars, so it’s figuring that out on the fly because I can be told all of that but until I literally physically feel it in the seat you won’t really know how to best react to it.”
How much of a bummer is it not to have that practice before this year?“It sucks, honestly. Practice sounds great but honestly all of my NASCAR stuff – actually all of it – both my truck races, the Cup race, the Xfinity race I did have practice and qualifying and that went well. But there’s been no practice for the roval for me; there’s been six laps before it broke and the truck races there’s been no practice either. I guess I’m kind of used to it in the NASCAR realm, but I will always take practice.”
There’s not much that translates from your only other Cup start on a roval to this place.“There’s not a lot but there is when it comes to the systems of the car and like the gearbox and feeling how that works, the brakes. The brakes will be different obviously for the oval, and the pit speed. The pit speed was something I had to get used to because we have a nice, handy dandy pit speed limiter in INDYCAR. That is something that I do have experience with and that is good but it’s all at a different place now.”
Did you have to take this opportunity now because it may never come around?“Exactly. We have a sponsor, which is the only reason this is happening. There’s a lot of business that goes into motorsport. BitNile.com has been a huge supporter of mine and they love motorsport, what racing is doing in general. I think everyone is seeing how big motorsport is right now, whether it’s NASCAR or INDYCAR or F1, everything seems to be all tides raising all ships. So we’re using it and a lot of other companies are using this sport to do great things. This was an opportunity that was presented to me and it was debatable for a little while. You never know if you get another shot at it so why not. It’s a great upside and the downside is really not big because we’re still going to have our sponsor, we’re still going to go to COTA to race there.”
How did it present itself to you?“Helio (Castroneves) will have an opportunity to do this race pretty much any time he wants, so when he looked at it he was like ‘well, you know, that is going to be tough to make it, maybe I don’t need to do it,’ which is fair because he’s Helio. He has plenty of rings and trophies to lean back on. For me, it’s a bit of a different scenario. I’m also a bit younger than he is so I don’t know what’s going to happen but I could just take this opportunity and run. But it did happen quickly.”
Is this a one and done for you?“I never do anything one and done. I’d love to do more as much as I can, but obviously you never know when those opportunities come about. My goal would be to learn a lot this race and learn a lot in the Dual to use in the race we get to do on Sunday top then hopefully come back next year and feel way better. Who knows? I can’t tell the future, but I’ll do anything anytime any place.”
This team did qualify for the race last year. How helpful is that?“It’s great, for sure, and it was a crazy scenario for them last year with the pit road speeding penalty and having the help of Kurt Busch, too. I talked a lot with Kurt last week at the Clash and he’s been a helpful resource as well. I’ve tried to find some friends to hopefully help me in the Duals as well. We’ll see what happens when the qualifying decides who’s in what Dual.”
Will you be in COTA?“As far as I know. It was announced that we’ll do COTA, too, so that will be cool.”
Do you know how many race you will do this year?“Definitely we want to do four with the potential to maybe do seven. But I think that all depends on how the scheduling works out and how everything is going as well. We want to do the Indy road course double. The others we aren’t really set on yet.”
Does making this race play into the other races?“Honestly, whether we make this race or not doesn’t affect the rest of our schedule, which is why we’re doing it. It’s like massive upside, low downside.”
What have you been able to do to prepare?“Thankfully, Chevrolet has been really helpful. To be part of that team, we use that INDYCAR simulator a lot and right next door is the Chevy NASCAR simulator. I basically just went from one door to the other last week and Kyle Busch is on the simulator before me but I got in at the end of the day with Tony Jr. there, too. It’s cool to be a part of that Chevrolet Racing team. I’ve been with Chevrolet now for years. Helpful to get in, but like Kyle told me ‘you’re not going to learn much on this simulator for Daytona,’ which is understandable because again I think a lot of what makes this race so challenging and so difficult is what happens in the pack, what happens in the dirty air, in the movement of the cars that affects each side of the car and affects everything. That’s something that’s impossible to simulate.”
Learning those launch points for qualifying in the sim must have been helpful?“That’s what we worked on most – leaving pit lane and shift points and then kind of the process of how that is going to work. Because, again, the shift points were something that I guess I didn’t know needed to be different and certain rev ranges, so there’s a whole lot that will be new to me but it was nice to get in that rhythm of how we’re going to leave pit land and here’s how it’s going to happen.”
Any tips for Kyle Larson for the Indy 500?“I think he’s going to be really good. He’s going to be with a really good team, which is super important. I think he’s going to love it but it’s going to be hard. I don’t think he’s going to be bad at all. I think he’s going to be in a good position. I think the best part about that is that we do have a week of practice. That week every single day of Indy 500 practice is so important because it is so hard to get that car I the right window for qualifying and a completely different race car as well. I think he’s going to enjoy the process of it because who doesn’t enjoy driving race cars more? That guy does because he drives race cars every day. It’s really cool and I hope to be a part of it as well.”
Have there been individuals that have given you advice?“AJ Allmendinger was the first guy I called. He’s been helpful and really honest with me. Corey LaJoie and Chase Briscoe, those have been guys that I’ve leaned on a lot. Denny (Hamlin) I’ve spoken to a little bit. I also don’t want to bother people. You can get advice but until you actually feel it though the seat that’s what will adjust how that advice filters through my brain.”
Has the cross pollination of drivers from one series to another helped rise the tide of motorsport?“The funny thing about the cross pollination is I don’t think I’ve seen anyone – whether you’re Jimmie Johnson going to INDYCAR or Kyle Larson going to try the Indy 500 or even me coming to try the Daytona 500 or Fernando Alonso coming from Formula One to try the Indy 500 – I haven’t seen anyone say I actually didn’t want to see that. Of course you want to see that. Especially if you’re a passionate NASCAR fan, why would you not want one of your guys go try to fight with some of the best in the world in the Indy 500 or wherever it is? It’s got to help every sport because it’s fun to watch, it’s something different. We’re always craving something new, something different to be entertained by and that’s pretty cool to watch and I’m a race fan.”
The Daytona 500 qualifying is different from the Indy 500.“It’s a different program in general. There’s a couple of different ways of making it whereas Indy you’re either fast enough or you’re not. It’s very challenging but there’s one process. This is going to be a new experience and hopefully you end up on the right side of it.” 
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chevy racing–nascar–daytona–austin dillon

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 15, 2023

  AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  What are you look to for this year?“Offseason was pretty good. I feel physically, mentally, I’m in the best place I’ve been going and prepared for the season. I joined Josh Wise’s group with Chevrolet, so that was cool. I think that’s going to help me throughout the year. I’m already seeing some benefits with that, and thank Chevy for putting that program together too. And for having Kyle [Busch]. Obviously, the Clash went well for both of our cars at RCR and now we’re at Daytona. It’s one of my favorite places that in the past hasn’t been Kyle’s favorite, so we’re going to try and make it one of his favorite places.” 
What has been building that relationship like between the two of you? “I think, Kyle, one of the cool things when we got Kyle was he actually offered me a job to go race for him. He already had a mutual respect for me to give me an opportunity like that. When he came over here, I think that a lot of the things we do in a racecar, obviously his credentials are way higher than mine. We think about racecars the same. Our setups are very close together at the Coliseum, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that goes throughout the year. When we go to different place, I think we’ll be closer together and happy about our racecars. He’s a competitor. I love his drive, his fire. He does not like to lose. He’s all about winning. In that, he puts a lot of effort to do that and a lot of behind-the-scenes things go on to make sure we’re prepared to get to the track. I’m excited. Obviously, we had momentum last year, and it was a good year for RCR. We want to keep that going and bringing in Kyle just does that.” 
What’s it like going from a competitor [with Kyle Busch] to now a teammate?“You feel a little better about racing around him for sure. He takes every inch out on that track and it was nice to help us at the Clash. Obviously, we had a fast racecar and knew that. He was about one thing, and that was getting that win for RCR. It was good to see. I’d say in a points-paying race, it might be a little different, but I want to repay the favor as much as I can because he’s already bringing a lot to our company. People are really excited in the shop, and they want to do well for him and everybody there.” 
You’re the only Chevrolet driver to win the Daytona 500 in the last eight years. Is that coincidence or…? “I like this place. I like coming here. We obviously won the last race here at Daytona, and a lot of it is being there at the right time and right place. Putting yourself in good positions. The good Lord has blessed us with two trophies here and hope we can get some more. I’ve also been in the fence. We stay away from those, and I’ll be happy.” 
When someone like Kyle [Busch] comes in, how does that change the pressure you put on yourself?“I think it, obviously, pushes me. I love the push that he brings. I definitely want to step up our level for the No. 3 team and compete each and every week to push him. I think the cool part about Kyle, everything you can accomplish in this sport, he’s a Hall of Famer. For him, there’s only one thing he looks like, and that’s how he can win a race. He’s not worried about what I’m doing. I’ve had a lot of competition within teammates throughout the years. Now I think it’s organic that we’re both trying to do one thing and that’s make RCR the best we can and bring home trophies and championships.” 
Having a teammate like Kyle, does it raise to perform yourself and that expectation?“I think every year I’ve had to make sure I put out a good level for the No. 3 team. The number alone brings its own pressure. I feel like this year with Kyle, I feel like he’s established so much and for me, I’m establishing and creating that establishment as a pretty solid driver in the sport. More than anything, I want to improve on what we did last year. We both made the Playoffs last year. Kyle obviously, made the Playoffs, but how do we take RCR to the next level, and that’s consistently getting multiple wins, and multiple wins is what it takes to win a championship. You’ve got to win more than once, so for me, that’s the goal.” 
In the offseason, you spent a lot of time reviewing tape, and working on things with RCR. How has that helped you prepare for 2023?“I think more than anything getting ready for the season, preparation-wise, using the Wise-optimization program has been the best thing that I’ve done. Trying to get things kicked off right and be ready for the season. I do feel good.” 
Do you think it’s been rejuvenating for [Kyle Busch]?“I think it’s rejuvenated him for sure. I think he’s excited to get to the track. He knows that each and every weekend our organization is going to deliver. I know he’s pumped to be going to the track.”
It’s been five years since you’ve won here with the Daytona 500. Does it seem like it’s been that long?“2021 was so close to winning it again, and that sticks out in my mind. 2021 was probably my best Daytona 500 truthfully. Even 2018, we won it, but 2021 I felt like we dominated the weekend. Won the Duel, ran upfront the entire race and I was so close in that one. I’d love to have another one of those but get two spots from there. It’s not like we just disappeared from the 500, and we’ve been up front for a lot of them. I want to go out there and try to do it again.” 
Of the ones that got away, is 2021 the Daytona 500 that stands out the most? “That one just flowed so well. It just felt so good the entire weekend. Things came naturally, and I made some moves that were really good. The car was fast. Some Daytona 500s are a grind from the time you go out on the track; that one just flowed. That’s one thing why it sticks out in my mind. Probably the biggest heartbreak was the Coke 600 last year. That one hurt the most because it was just right there in my grasp. Had four tires and made a good move and then it all came crashing down in about 500 feet. That one hurts the worst, but the 500 was a good race. If you can finish third in this race, second or third, you have to be happy with the situation, I feel like. You’re putting yourself in a great position. Obviously you want to take home that trophy, but you performed well at a high level and got yourself to the end of it, especially in that type of form. It’s not like it came down to the last lap and we were there; we were there the whole weekend.” 
As a Daytona 500 winner, you know this place. You know this car. What do you look at in the Duel? What does that mean for you?“I think this year is a bit different than last year. We’re in a little bit better of a position than last year with cars. I’d like to be a little more aggressive personally, to see what we have. Use it as practice, and I’d say most guys are going to. The hype is gone as far as having the backup. Guys raced hard last year. You take a winter break, and I think the Clash is a good thing where you beat and bang on each other for a little while to kind of soften the Duel a bit, maybe. If you just came to this race and it was the first race of the year, I’d say you’re going to tear a lot of stuff up in the Duel. So it’s kind of nice to get the Clash underway. You have to use it as a testing ground. You can’t just go out there and ride around to get to the race, but I know some guys will. I’d like to know what we have so I know I can race when I have to.” 
What is your mind set up when racing doesn’t go your way? When you don’t the win? How do you take it in stride?“I do a pretty good job of it, keeping my mindset the same. Consistency overtime usually pays off. That’s a big thing with me, being consistent in how I react to things. The [Coke] 600 did hurt. I did lose some sleep over that one, but past that, it’s been pretty good. I usually don’t lose much sleep at night.”
Is that how you’ve stayed even-keeled through changes like teammates, crew chiefs, etc.? “I think so. If you take the highs and the lows hard, it’s hard to sustain in this sport. You’ve got to be able to stay level, even on the high days. I like to have a good time when you win because you don’t know when your last one is, but you also have to get over it quick and to the next race.”           
 
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Arai Named Official Helmet of Progressive AFT for Sixth Consecutive Year

 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 15, 2023) – Progressive American Flat Track is proud to confirm that Arai Helmet, Inc. will continue in its role as the series’ Official Helmet for a sixth straight season in 2023. Producing motorcycle helmets for more than 70 years, Arai is globally recognized as the world’s premier helmet manufacturer. And despite its remarkable motorsports successes over the decades – including numerous titles across Progressive AFT, Formula 1, and MotoGP among countless other series – it remains a small, family-owned company. “Arai’s roots in American racing actually began in flat track, with our very first U.S. sponsored racer in the late ‘70s,” said Brian Weston, Managing Director of Arai Helmet, Inc. “Arai first began racing support to learn and improve, and even after more than 40 years we continue to apply lessons learned on the racetrack to the helmets we make for our customers. We make only one level of helmet for all of our customers – racers and street riders alike – the very best helmet we can make for rider protection. Arai proudly puts their family name on every helmet we make.” For generations, Arai has provided two- and four-wheeled competitors and enthusiasts unparalleled comfort, technology, and style and continually seeks ways to improve rider protection. Over that time, its mission has remained unchanged: protection without compromise. Each helmet Arai produces is meticulously handmade, providing unmatched quality and craftsmanship while featuring exclusive materials and technology. And to ensure the helmets live up to their name, each one is rigorously double inspected before being shipped. “Helmet safety is the first order of business in motorcycle racing and no manufacturer can meet the demands of our sport and the desires of our riders better than Arai,” said Gene Crouch, COO of AMA Pro Racing. “Arai has set the standard for decades and is fully deserving of its many accolades. Its unwavering commitment to safety, craftsmanship, and quality is remarkable.” The 2023 Progressive American Flat Track season will launch with the hugely anticipated return of the DAYTONA Short Track I & II at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, March 9 and Friday, March 10. For more information on Arai Helmet visit https://www.araiamericas.com/. For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com. How to Watch: FOX Sports and FansChoice.tv are the official homes for coverage of Progressive American Flat Track. For the 2023 season, all races will premiere in one-hour telecasts on FS1 during highly desirable weekend time slots. The complete schedule can be viewed at https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports. FansChoice.tv provides livestreaming coverage of every Progressive AFT round at http://www.FansChoice.tv.
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chevy racing–nascar–daytona –noah gragson

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 5, 2023
NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  It looks like Jimmie Johnson is showing his influence on this entire operation. How important is that?“He’s really hands-on and he truly believes in what they’re trying to build over there. It’s exciting to see it go from paper and ideas to being a legit brand now. It’s pretty cool.” Have you worked with Jimmie directly? What have your interactions been like so far?“We’ve spent quite a bit of time together, I feel like. I went down with him to the Rolex 24 down here in Daytona. I flew down with him and was just trying to be around him as much as possible and pick his brain and learn from him. He’s been a great mentor throughout my career so far. Now that we’re teammates, I can really learn from a great and successful racecar driver like Jimmie (and it) is a perfect place for where I need to be in my career.” Can you mentor him as he goes forward this year? Erik (Jones) said he has asked everyone what these cars are like.“What’s cool is that Jimmie is very humble and is always asking for advice and trying to learn. That’s one thing I’ve gotten from him – that you can always learn no matter what. So he’s asked both Erik and I questions, Erik and I have both asked him questions, Jimmie and I have both asked Erik questions, so it’s kind of like a knowledge triangle where we’re all trying to be better. I’m probably the weakest link in the triangle, but we’re all trying to help each other to be better.” Who gets the first win this season?“I don’t know. I hope any one of us. If any one of us three can win, it will be very special.” Frankie Muniz is making his ARCA debut this weekend, and he mentioned you were one of the drivers who was helping as he transitions to stock car racing. What conversations have you had with him?“It’s really cool for Frankie to get in. He’s raced some open-wheel stuff in his career years back and has another opportunity and shot at doing this. You can tell he’s all-in and has bought in. He wants to do this. He is getting a little later start, but he has a different perspective on things that he may have had at an earlier age and in his career the first time by. It’s a great group, and I know he’s in good hands. I know when I first came in, I had a lot of things I wanted to know but didn’t know what questions to ask. So to be there for him and not hold his hand but to talk him through everything is important to me. I wish I had someone like that, especially when I first came in. Brandon McReynolds was kind of that guy for me, but to be able to do it with Frankie and hopefully see his success will bring a lot of pride.” You’ve gone from one NASCAR superstar in Dale Earnhardt Jr., to another in Jimmie Johnson. What are the similarities and differences that you see between them as owners?“Obviously they’re both very successful but in different ways. They’ve been at the top level of our sport and have won races. You have to listen to both of them and take what they say. I really enjoy Jimmie. I feel like we’re very similar. Dale is a great guy – a really awesome guy. I can’t thank him enough. But we weren’t a lot alike. He was a lot quieter than I was, which was good for me because it kind of shut me up and kept me quiet. Jimmie is also quiet but we have a lot of similar interests, I feel like. So it’s really cool to now work with Jimmie. I enjoy working with both guys, but I’m really excited to work with Jimmie, too.” As someone who has had to race their way into this race, is there any advice that you can give Jimmie or anyone else trying to make this race, especially with limited track time?“Jimmie obviously is very experienced, but I don’t think he’s ever had to race his way in. My buddy Zane (Smith) and Riley (Herbst) have hung out a lot this week. Riley is locked in with a charter but Zane is not. So it’s one of those things that no matter what happens, you’re going to have to race hard in the Duels if you don’t make it in on time. But whatever you do, just enjoy the moment that you have on-track with these Cup guys. I remember my first Duel where I didn’t make it. We were in with a really good shot. We had to start last and didn’t get a qualifying time. We had to be the highest-finishing open car and ended up getting in a wreck there at the end. We had a really strong race. One thing I told them is to enjoy it, no matter how it goes. You’ll have plenty more opportunities, so really enjoy it.” This is the 75th anniversary of NASCAR. What comes to mind for you and knowing you get to be part of that as a full-time rookie this year?“It just feels like another year to me. But obviously it’s special to be 75 years. … It’s great to see the sport stay alive for 75 years and start racing at the beach here and now we’re racing at Daytona International Speedway to kick the season off. It’s really cool and obviously there is a lot of history. I had a NASCAR book that went through every single year and kind of the ups and downs of every season and the different story points. I read that in high school and kind of learned about the history of NASCAR. So it’s cool but it’s just another year, also.” You competed against some guys like AJ (Allmendinger) really hard in Xfinity last year. Do you feel some sort of kinship with guys like that going into this race and your first full Cup season?“I’m really excited to race with AJ. I don’t know if I can say we became good friends but I think we became really good competitors with each other week in and week out. We could share a laugh before the race but also race our tails off and race really hard. I have a lot of respect for him and I’d hope after last year that he gained some respect for me. So I’m really looking forward to making the transition after racing for the last handful of years in the Xfinity Series with AJ up to the Cup Series. I know he’s been there before, but it’ll be great to have someone I’m familiar on-track with and be able to share some common thoughts.” Is there pressure to perform this year?“No, I don’t think so. There probably is but I don’t put pressure on myself to perform. I just try to have as much as possible, but I try to be prepared. Being prepared is the most important part. As long as I’m prepared, there shouldn’t be a pressure to perform. You shouldn’t be nervous or anything when you’re prepared. It’s like taking a test, right? If you go into a test and you study for it, you’re not going to be nervous. But if you didn’t study, you’re probably going to be a little nervous and that’s where that pressure comes from. With Josh Wise, Luke Lambert and everyone in the Team Chevy program, we have a really good system that we use to prepare for these races. I feel more confident than ever.” Did you set any expectations for the season?“Finish every lap right now. I think that’s all you really can do, realistically. You obviously want to win but I don’t know how realistic that is. We want to take the first third of the year or half the year, complete all the laps and then we can re-evaluate from there.” Do you feel like a longshot for the Daytona 500? You’ve won here, you’ve won here at Talladega and had a top-five year in August.“I don’t know. Part of me thinks yes, but then another part of me thinks anyone can win this thing. Last year in the Beard car, we were running sixth in the Daytona 500 and got wrecked with like 10 to go. So it’s one of those things where it’s definitely doable. Anyone can win it.”
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Gavin Miller Joins Full-Time Midget Roster in Sophomore Season with Keith Kunz Motorsports

CONCORD, NC – Feb. 15, 2023 – After a solid run in his first Midget campaign last year, Gavin Miller is getting his first shot at a national championship in 2023.

The 16-year-old Pennsylvanian will contest the entire 35-race Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota schedule, piloting a Bullet by Spike Chassis with Toyota Racing power by Speedway Engine Development and sponsorship from Eibach Racing Springs in his second season with Keith Kunz Motorsports.

“I’m very excited,” Miller said. “It’s a big deal driving for [KKM], and to have to the opportunity to run for Pete [Willoughby, team co-owner] and Keith is such a privilege.”

A six-time national USAC .25 Midget champion, Miller made the jump to Micro Sprints in 2020 and later joined Kunz’s Micro Sprint program in early 2021. He said he’s learned a lot since joining the team, and that prior experience readied him for his first part-time Midget schedule with KKM in 2022.

“Going from Micros to Midgets definitely helped,” Miller said. “I made a lot of big shows, ran up front, and I thought it was time to move up. That’s when we talked to [KKM] about getting in a Midget and running a couple races last season.

“I wanted to go full-time and thought it would be a pretty good opportunity.”

Two top-five Feature finishes and five top-10s in eight appearances with the Xtreme Outlaws last year was a solid start to his Midget career with KKM. He and the team are trying to build on that and have paired Miller with crew chief Brandon Selph for his first full-time year at the controls of a Midget.

The veteran experience that Kunz’s team members bring to the table has had a great track record of developing some of the sport’s brightest motorsports talents. Miller recognizes the opportunity he’s holding with the team and is prepared to chase the Xtreme Outlaw championship against the best racers in the nation.

“Not many people get that opportunity,” Miller said. “I’m thankful for Pete and Keith and all the crew guys. They put in a lot of work every time I’m at the track. The car is always so good, and I just have to do my part as a driver when I’m on the track.”

See Miller in action with the rest of the stars and cars of the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota in 2023. Tickets for select events are on sale now at XtremeOutlawSeries.com, and keep up with the action all season long with a FAST PASS subscription to DIRTVision.

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chevy racing–nascar–daytona–kyle larson

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 15, 2023

 KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  What are your thoughts [on superspeedway racing], and when you come here, how optimistic do you always feel? “Everybody’s got a shot to win that you, that, that brings along some optimism But I’ve also crashed a lot. I’m pretty optimistic that I’ll crash at some point. It’s definitely a unique style of racing and one that I haven’t quite figured out yet. I’ve had good races where I’m like, ‘Okay, I’ve got a handle on this,” and then come back the next time you crash on like lap 20, and you’re like, ‘Okay, no I don’t.’ It’s unique. It’s hard to study for because it changes. Almost every time you go, you go back to a place where setups evolve, cars evolve, so it’s hard. There’s a handful of guys that seem to always be up front no matter what generation car it is or what rules package it may be. They just have a good understanding of it.”
“I think the best thing to do is just piggyback off of those guys and just stay glued to their rear bumper and go wherever they do. I don’t really know like how to answer these questions because I haven’t quite figured it out.” 
Do you want to check that box for superspeedway racing since you’ve won pretty much every track there is?“Yeah, definitely. I would love to, and I’m sure at some point in my career the stars will align and, and I will. I also I need to do a better job of putting myself in the right spot. I used to always say, ‘oh, I’ve got bad luck at these places,’ and stuff. I don’t think those guys that are always in contingent have better luck than me. I think they’re putting themselves in a better position to avoid crashes. I seem to always find my way to around 10th, and that’s kind of where you get swarmed up in a crash. Just got to continue to try and evolve and figure it out quickly to be up upfront.” 
Did the offseason kind of give you a different perspective on things, or how you assessed how 2022 went?“I understand like there was a lot of mistakes that I made behind the wheel and, and some that we as a team made that cost us some either good finishes or opportunities to get a race win. Races are extremely tough to win in this sport. I think just try to try to focus more on taking what you can get. I think a lot of times I was trying to get more than maybe what our car was capable of or try to too quickly make up for a mistake that maybe was on pit road or whatever it may be. Then those mistakes just compounding it bigger, and then you end up either crashed or making another small error that you give up positions. Just try to clean up on those areas and at least keep us in contention more often each week.”
With being the defending pole winner from 2022, and with Toyota seeming to step up their game in superspeedway qualifying, what do you expect heading into this year’s race?“I have no idea what to expect. I don’t think anybody honestly does, especially with no practice. I mean, how are you supposed to know where you’re going to stack up? So we’ll see. I think what gives me confidence is that Hendrick Motorsports has always been in contention for the pole. It was a definitely a cool experience last year getting to lead the field to the green, and would love to experience that again today, to get the pole tonight. I’m just going to try and do my part and not miss any shifts, hold a steady wheel, and hopefully that’s enough to get us a pole.” 
With Auto Club being a short track after this next race, what are your thoughts about conversion, or are you one of those guys lobbying to keep it where it’s at?“I love that racetrack as is. I feel like it produces amazing racing, but at the same time I think we need more short tracks. I feel like sitting in the stands, it’s hard to view a two-mile track or even mile-and-a-half [tracks]. They’re so big. I think short tracks produce exciting racing, exciting finishes, tempers, stuff like that. I’m a proponent of making it a short track and I think we need more of them.” 
You and Cliff (Daniels) seemed to hit towards the last part of the season. Does that help you get momentum early out of the gate?“I felt like we were pretty fast the last 10 races, I think we were one of the best teams in the Playoffs consistently. I think we were kind of that way the whole year. We just didn’t execute to our potential, where I think we executed to our potential more often in the Playoffs. Maybe not every race, but I feel like we did a decent job. We ended the year pretty strong and I don’t think any rules have really changed over the course of the off season. I think whoever was fast towards the end of the year are probably going to be pretty good to start the year. We’ll see. I’m ready to just hit the track and kind of see where we stack up.” 
What, what does it feel like to be in a pack and you kind of get a sense that something may be about to happen?“A lot of the times when these crashes happen, you don’t really expect it in the middle of the races. I think at the end, like the closer it gets the end, the more you expect the wreck. So that’s when it gets like nerve wracking. But, like I said, either at the end of the stages or the end of the race, that’s when you expect it. I think a lot of the times when the crashes happen not at the ends of the stages of races, you’re not expecting it, so it kind of just happens and you’re trying to avoid it. In a way too, you’re always kind of expecting it, but at the ends you’re always more aware of it.” 
What has working with [Alex Bowman] been like these last couple and how does it help you guys having him? “I think just honestly having all four of us solid at Hendrick Motorsport Motorsports over the next however many years is a good thing. I’m happy to have Alex with the team for at least three years. I really enjoy Alex. I feel like we’re great friends. We have a lot in common with the dirt racing stuff. He’s who I’m probably closes with because of that connection through dirt racing. So, I’m glad to have him back. We work out together in the mornings when I’m in town. He’s who I spend the most time with out of the rest of my teammates, so yea, happy that we’re both at Hendrick Motorsports for the next however many years.”
Have you talked to AJ Allmendinger or Conor Daly about any Indy 500 tips?“I haven’t talked to anybody really yet about [Indy] 500 tips. My mind’s kind of been on the NASCAR stuff still at this point. I think as the IndyCar season gets going and hopefully we’ll get to go to some practice days for the 500 I think that’s when I’ll start my initial studying. I did get to meet Felix Rosenqvist. He was at the simulator a few weeks ago. We chatted about it and it was good to hear because he’ll be one of my teammates. I think once I get to [Indianapolis Motor] Speedway and especially too when I get closer to getting in the car, I’ll be asking whoever’s got any advice.” 
With 2021 being such a phenomenal year, and 2022 still a multi-winning season, what’s going to constitute a successful season for you and the No. 5 team this year?“Obviously I know that winning 10 races is very, very hard. I don’t like to set my goals that high, but I think honestly if you can win multiple Cup races each year and be in contention in other races as well, I think that’s a solid season. We didn’t win as much as we wanted to last year, but three wins is still a lot more than others had, so I don’t view it as a totally down year. We know that we can go out there, we’ve done it before, and win 20 races and also race in a championship. We know that we’re capable of that. It’s nice to have that out in the distance that you can do it, but it’s difficult. I just want to be in contention making less mistakes this year and just getting ourselves more opportunity to win.”
How do you look at the Duels on Thursday night, and what you’re hoping to get out of it?“From what I remember of the Duels last year, with the half the size of the field, it’s like it wasn’t enough cars for everybody to stay together. It kind of got strung out after green flag stops. I imagined it’ll be like that again. You don’t learn anything from racing that way to at least to prepare you for the [Daytona] 500.” 
With pit cycling either under green or yellow flag conditions, what is it like on pit road? “It’s just hectic, right? You’re trying to maximize the time to the yellow line, but you’re also trying not to lock your brakes up, trying not to run in the guy behind you, or in front of you, trying not to get ran over from the guy behind you. You can’t really see when the commitment line is coming up, so you are kind of judging off the guys in front of you and all that. It’s hard. We all have experience doing it, even for a guy like Jimmie Johnson who does have a ton of experience, not in this car. With this car compared to the old one, you can brake a lot later. I’m curious how it’s all going to work, but I’m glad that I’m locked in so I don’t have to worry about that.” 
What will the choose have, or what impact will it have?“I would assume it will. I think you’re going to have more teammates working together as far as lane selection and stuff goes. I think you have it on the front row, but now you’re going to have it back three or four rows. I’m interested to see how it all plays out. I don’t think it’s going to be a big deal once we get out there. I think we all overthink it and then once you get out there.”
How special is it to go to Indy with Rick Hendrick as part of the [Indy 500] deal?“I am very thankful that he is a very big part of it. That’s special, and for both of us. He probably never thought he’d be involved with the Indy 500. I guess I thought maybe someday I would, but I didn’t think that I’d be a part of the Indy 500 with Rick Hendrick. I thought with my time at Ganassi, I would’ve been with either Chip [Ganassi] or somebody like that. It’s pretty unique, and I know he’s excited about it.” 
What does 75 years in NASCAR mean to you? “I think it’s an amazing milestone year. I think it means more to me because I am one of those champions throughout the 75 years of its existence. It’s pretty special. I don’t know where I rank within those 75 years, but I feel like we had a pretty solid year in my championship season. It’s just cool to be a part of the history of the sport, and know that I’ll be always a part of the history of the sport. I look forward to the next however many years to the next milestone.”                                 
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chevy racing–nascar–daytona–daniel suarez

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 15, 2023


 DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TRACKHOUSE RACING CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  
Q. How was it like driving into here to start the new year? DANIEL SUÁREZ: It’s good. Obviously very excited to start this new season with Trackhouse, with Travis Mack, my crew chief. I feel like honestly I have a great group of people in Trackhouse. We only made a few adjustment, few improvements people-wise. 80% of my team is the same as last year. Very happy with that. I think that the few areas that we saw that we could have improve from last year to this year, we did. Now it’s time to see exactly what we got on track. 
Q. Going back to summer, you have six months, but does it sink in you’re coming into this year as a Cup Series winner? DANIEL SUÁREZ: Like you say, it’s been a long time. It’s time to do that again. I think that it feels good. For me the best part is to be able to get that out of my back. It was on my back already for a few years. It’s not easy. It’s not easy to win in the Cup Series just because the competition is tough. You are fighting with the best drivers, the best teams, the best pit crews. It’s not easy. But I have a great team behind me now, and I’m very, very happy to continue to do that and challenge for more wins this 2023 season.  Q. ‘Off your back’, does that mean this year is a bit more comfortable for you? DANIEL SUÁREZ: I don’t want to call it comfortable because ‘comfortable’ can be understand as maybe not pushing hard enough. It just out of my back. I can tell you that. I think that this year it’s not really different than after winning, but you just feel for sure that we belong here. We have a great team. Like I said, last year I felt like we did a good job with our team, we had some good races, we had an opportunity to win a few races at least throughout the year. We had some issues here and there. We worked hard in the off-season to look through all my year and say, Okay, this is what we did right, this is what we did wrong, this is the mistakes that we did, and these are the issues we have with the car. How can we make all these things better? Based on those things we made a few adjustments and we believe we are a better team for the 2023 season. 
Q. Would you say the race you will probably be most proud of is the one where the power steering went out and… DANIEL SUÁREZ: I would agree with that. I think that that was probably, in my opinion, one of my highlights of the year, along obviously with the win. But that race was tough, especially because as a team we did everything, actually… I don’t think there is one person out there in this industry that will say that we didn’t deserve to transfer to the next round just because we were actually sitting in the perfect position to do. When that happen, everything went backwards. I mean, I started stage three in the Roval with my team telling me, Man, you just have to finish within the top 25. On a road course, that’s a piece of cake for us. After that 15 minutes, I was just fighting for my life. So it was tough. But at the end of the day I left the track knowing 100% that I gave everything I got. Like, I didn’t have energy left at the end of the race. That was most important for me. The result wasn’t the result that we wanted, but I’m sure that the effort and everything that we put into that race was correct. 
Q. Did that make up for the crushing disappointment, knowing you should have been in the Round of 8? DANIEL SUÁREZ: It’s not easy because there is so many people that work very, very hard to go to the Playoffs and advance to other rounds and have a shot to a championship. But it is what it is. We have to learn from those lessons and continue to get better. There’s no excuses. We could have done better. We could have done maybe something different at the shop to figure out those things. It wasn’t the first time that happened to us. In COTA, same thing. We were leading the race, had an issue with the steering. We have to be better. That’s the final thought. I don’t want to think, Oh, man, we had mechanical issues. No, we just have to do a better job, build a better luck for ourselves. 
Q. Circumstances like that, does that show something to yourself as much as it does the effort to your team? DANIEL SUÁREZ: It definitely does. That race, in my opinion, show my entire team that we are there to fight. Regardless of how difficult the road may be, we have to continue to fight and to give everything that we have. But that’s part of racing. That’s why we love this sport so much, because it’s not easy. It’s not easy when you have the best car, and it’s not easy when you have a car with issues. That’s the difference between the good drivers and the great drivers, in my opinion, and great teams, as well. We have to continue to do that. I’m sure this year you guys are going to see a better 99 team than you saw last year. 
Q. How does the contract extension play into that on your side? DANIEL SUÁREZ: That’s a good question. I don’t know. We never talk about that specific race. But I’m sure it doesn’t hurt. The team knows. Regardless of the result of one race or a couple races, the team knows how I work. I feel like I’m a very disciplined person in and out of the track. I’m always working to evolve. I’m always working to trying to get better. The team knows that. I think we definitely have room for improvement from last year. I hope that we can show that on track, that we are a more complete team than last year. 
Q. Do you have anything planned special for winning the Daytona 500? A taco piñata? DANIEL SUÁREZ: It’s going to be another taco piñata. We have a few already at the hauler. I think that has become now my signature. We’re going to have… Piñatas are something that are very Hispanic, obviously tacos, as well (laughter). It’s good. I enjoy that. My fans love it. I feel like it’s a great way to connect with my community. Yeah, we have a few tacos piñatas at the hauler. 
Q. How do you feel the response has been to you as far as attracting your fellow Hispanics into the sport? Do you feel them rallying around you? For a long time it’s more of an open-wheel kind of deal for them. Always a car culture. But how much do you think you have helped being at the Cup level? DANIEL SUÁREZ: You know, it helps a lot. I’ve been doing this already for several years. I have noticed that every year, with a lot of work from myself, NASCAR, my sponsors, the racetracks, the Daniel’s Amigos, every year we get better, every year we have a bigger community on the track. But something I learned is that consistent work is paying off, is getting better. But success on track just bring it to a whole different level. At the end of the day you are going to be way more attached to something if you know that your guy and your person that is just like you – in my case obviously Hispanic – is being successful. In my opinion, winning races, being in the Playoffs, be contending almost every weekend, that played a huge role. And in my opinion, 2022 has been the biggest step I have seen in my racing career in Cup when it comes to the Hispanic community. So it’s amazing. I feel like we are in a huge momentum right now. Obviously 2023 we’re expecting to be an even more successful season. I think myself, NASCAR, Coca-Cola, all the people that helped me put these things together, we are definitely moving the needle. 
Q. Both of the most successful drivers in the United States are from Monterrey: yourself and Pato O’Ward. What does that say about Monterrey? DANIEL SUÁREZ: Yeah, I mean, it’s very special. I think Mexico right now is living a very, very special moment. Never in the history of motorsports in Mexico we have had drivers being successful in the most important series in the world: Formula 1, INDYCAR, NASCAR. Having Mexican drivers in all these series and winning races in all three of these areas is quite special. Mexico right now is in a very, very good place when it comes to the drivers we have around the world. I feel very, very proud to be a small part of it, along Pato and Checo. Both of them are very, very good friends of mine. I feel like we’re enjoying this journey and we are putting our country in the loop when it comes to more and more fans to get attracted to more sports. 
Q. Was it important for you to get the contract done before the season started to have that out of the way and have your future settled? DANIEL SUÁREZ: Yeah, it was. That was actually a topic of conversation that I had with the team. I’m the kind of person that once I start racing, I like to focus on that. Last year when we announced this 2023 extension that we did, we did it right before the Playoffs. I didn’t even want to talk about it. I was just focusing my thing. I was just so focused my thing. I feel like at times it can be a distraction. This time, when we started having all these conversations, I said Hey, let’s get it out of the way before the Daytona 500. It’s a good day because we are announcing this and I am answering these questions, but I don’t want to have to think about it during the weekend, not really heading into next week. 
Q. Was it a really easy decision process? DANIEL SUÁREZ: Yes, it is for me. I’m very, very happy where I am. Trackhouse, the future of Trackhouse, is very bright. I feel like I’m experienced enough now to understand those things and to understand how important people is. Everybody at Trackhouse believe in me. I believe in Trackhouse since day one. We’re building something great here. I think we have something special going on. It would be silly not to see that and to take advantage of that, to take it to the next level. 
Q. What has been the biggest part of that evolution over the two years? Where have you noticed the biggest strides? DANIEL SUÁREZ: Every year has been a process. I mean, we still babies, man. This is going to be our third year only as Trackhouse. So the first year obviously Richard Childress Racing played a huge role. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here. Huge thanks to Richard and to everyone at RCR, Chevrolet. Then the second year obviously getting the whole team of Ganassi, that was a huge thing, Chevrolet jumping onboard with us. Right now it’s actually the first time that things are fairly calm. We were able to rebuild with less going on. So I feel very, very good about it. I feel we’ve been able to work and getting better instead of restructure the whole thing. I feel like every year has been something new. This year I feel like is going to be a great opportunity for us to go out there and compete in the highest level. 
Q. What is it like to have that continuity? There were many years where you didn’t have a future late in the season, contract in limbo. What is it like to have that security now? DANIEL SUÁREZ: That’s a good question. Last week when I signed the contract, I was with Justin. Justin say, Hey, Daniel, do you realize the second that you hit the track in L.A., you were officially the longest you ever been with a racing with Trackhouse? I never even thought about that, talking about Cup. I never even thought about that. He said, Hey, you were never with a team longer than the two-year mark. In L.A. I pass that two-year mark, and Trackhouse has been my longest Cup team. If you look at it, that tell you how important it is, the consistency, to working with the people, to continue to build in the people. I feel so fortunate that Trackhouse has given me that opportunity to be able to build a team around me and a team to continue to get better. 
Q. Justin has such a positive energy around him, such vision. How big of a part does that play in you just wanting to perform for them? He’s a pretty amazing dude. DANIEL SUÁREZ: He is. I don’t want to talk bad about anyone, but what I have experienced with Trackhouse and with Justin and with Ty Norris is way different, way different than everything I have experienced in the past. Culture-wise, people-wise, how they care about it, it’s quite special. I have never been part of something like this, not even close. So I’m just very, very fortunate of where I am right now. I feel like we have amazing people, amazing partners, people that believe in us. We’re having fun. At the end of the day that’s the most important thing, right? Enjoy this journey, have fun, go out there and compete and do what we love the most, which is compete and race for wins. 
Q. The season before you went over to Trackhouse was a tough season. Do you race with a lower team or do you go to another series or sit out? How was the decision made to go do this as opposed to Xfinity, sit out, wait a while? DANIEL SUÁREZ: That’s a very, very good question. Honestly, even right now today, 2023, three years later, I don’t even know if I made the right decision. All I can tell you is that I have a lot of good friends at Toyota that at the time, they really believe in me and they wanted to put this project together with me for the future because at the time they only had one team. They wanted to have more than only one team. They had all this project. It looked very, very good to me. At the end of 2019, it looked extremely good to me. Unfortunately everything started late, so we knew it was going to start not great, but we thought that this is going to head in the right direction. Then COVID hit. Everything changed with that. Everything changed. All the plans, all the things we had going on, pretty much they got on hold. It was the right decision? I don’t know. Probably not. It was the plan that they sold me. It was definitely not. I don’t know. But at the end of the day that year, 2020, is been the year that I have learned and grow the most myself. I didn’t learn anything that year racing-wise. I didn’t learn one thing on the racing track. Mentally of my person, that is the year I learned the most. I feel definitely I hit bottom definitely. I hit bottom. I thought to myself, If this is the way things are going to go, I’m going to stop right now. This is not what I’m going to do.   But I hit bottom, and I was able to find Trackhouse later that year, and they believe in me, I believe in them, and we went for this journey. Here we are. Everything happens for a reason. But I can tell you that I don’t know if that was the right decision or not. But definitely that led me into where I am right now. 
Q. What does 75 years of NASCAR mean to you, just having a place in that history now? DANIEL SUÁREZ: Every year is special because every year you have new goals, new opportunities, new challenges. But the fact that I am racing NASCAR in the 75 anniversary of the sport is quite special. This year I’m sure we are going to have some special trophies, special championships. This year’s going to be different, and we know that. I was talking to Jeff Gordon about this actually. He won the championship in year number 50 of the sport. He told me that it was extra special than any other year. I’m going to fight with everything I got to have a shot to win this championship. 
Q. Your role in that? You have a little slice in that history now because of what you’ve accomplished. DANIEL SUÁREZ: Yeah. I feel very, very humble and obviously very proud to have a small piece in that history. I think honestly I feel like I’m just getting started. But I feel very, very humble and very proud to say I have contribute a little bit into this amazing sport. 
Q. What does signing the extension mean to you? We all knew you were going to be there probably, but now that it’s signed, what did that mean to you? DANIEL SUÁREZ: It means a lot. It means a lot to be able to get it out and move on and focusing in racing, and also really to continue to build with Trackhouse because they have been my house already for the longest I ever been in Cup with someone. To continue to build with them, to continue to get better, I feel like the future is very bright and I can’t wait to see what we can do this year. 
Q. Being it is the 75th anniversary, is it more motivation for you from a competitive standpoint to win on Sunday? DANIEL SUÁREZ: There is always very high level of motivation. I won’t tell you that it’s higher motivation, but I will tell you it’s extra special just because it is the 75 birthday of the sport. I think that NASCAR’s going to have some surprises throughout the year with different trophy designs and stuff like that. And I would love to get some of them. 
Q. Next weekend is supposed to be the final race on the two-mile oval at Auto Club. Do you like that racetrack? Will you go there next week and care one way or another what’s going to happen to it? DANIEL SUÁREZ: Yeah, I love that racetrack. I love that racetrack. I love that place. The community there always makes me feel like home. With that being said, I hope everything is to make things better, make the sport better. Another hope is that we come back soon because that’s amazing place for me. Personally those fans, that community makes me feel like home. The Hispanic community there is huge. Even though that I wish that the racetrack stay the same, I know that that won’t happen. I’m going to enjoy it one more time and hopefully – hopefully – we come back very soon. 
Q. No matter what happens to the racetrack, it’s important to you that NASCAR stays in that market? DANIEL SUÁREZ: Definitely, definitely. For me it’s very important because the community there is unbelievable. There’s so many great fans. I have enjoyed racing there a lot. I think it will be very sad if we wouldn’t come back. I don’t think that’s going to happen, though. But I think definitely there is going to be a main change. I just hope that transition happens quick and we can come back and don’t miss anything else. 
Q. How inspirational is Justin? Whenever I talk to him, I want to sign up with him. What is it about him that he has that inspirational magic? DANIEL SUÁREZ: It’s energy. Everyone here is built with energy. Justin has a very good energy. On top of that, he has great ideas and he thinks outside the box. He’s always innovating. He has a very, very good combo, a very good combination of things on his way to make companies and to make racing and to make things successful. I’m very, very proud to call him first of all a friend and second a guy that you can go with and ask for advice and continue to build. But, yeah, he’s that kind of guy that when you hang out with somebody that has such a good energy, you start learning so much, right? He is that kind of person. He’s quite special. 
Q. He’s a big thinker. He thinks real big ideas. DANIEL SUÁREZ: He does. 
Q. How important is that for the sport as it moves forward? DANIEL SUÁREZ: He does. And I think he has shown to the world that he’s here to make the sport better. He is actually, in my opinion, changing the way that we have seen race teams in a while. And he’s just getting started really. The culture of the team is different. The image of the team is different. The branding of the team is different. So I just think that I’m a small part of something very, very amazing with Trackhouse. 
Q. Speaking of that culture situation at Trackhouse, it seems like for the last 20 years, I keep hearing from teams it’s not fun anymore. Justin seems like he’s put the fun back into the sport. Is that accurate or… DANIEL SUÁREZ: I mean, I can’t really talk about other teams, but in Trackhouse is a lot of fun (laughter). I can tell you that we have a great time. If there is teams out there that are not having a great time and they’re not having fun, I advise them to go hang out with Justin because he has some great ideas and he’s doing great things. I don’t think that we should be doing this every single week and not having fun. We’re in a very, very privileged position to be doing what we love and to be racing and to be having a great time every single weekend. I think that this sport’s amazing. We just have to see it evolve. This sport is not the same than 10 years ago. I’m sure it’s not even close to the same than 20 years ago. We just have to continue to evolve and continue to change and continue to move the needle in the sport. I feel like Trackhouse, 23XI, all these teams are bringing new blood and new ideas to the team and it’s helping. 
Q. Did I see on Twitter there was a paint ball competition? DANIEL SUÁREZ: Yeah, that was a good time. I got shot a lot (laughter). Yeah, I got shot a lot. I was quite aggressive with my strategy. I don’t know if that work out. I shoot a lot of people, but I got shot a lot, too (laughter). I don’t want to say that I won, but I was aggressive. When everyone was hanging, I was, Let’s go, shooting people left and right. It was a great time. 
Q. What is your favorite Daytona 500 memory? DANIEL SUÁREZ: Probably when Trevor Bayne won the race. When Trevor Bayne won the race, I actually just moved to Buffalo, New York, 2011. I don’t know what the hell I was doing there. I was living there for a couple of months. After that I move to North Carolina. I think that was my favorite moment just because I thought, you know what, I can do this, too. It was special for me.  
Uncategorized

chevy racing–nascar–daytona–corey lajoie

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 15, 2023

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SPIRE MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  HOW EXCITED ARE YOU FOR THIS SEASON?“If the word today is excited, I’m trying not to use excited because everyone is excited when you get to Daytona, and everybody thinks they’re going to win all 36 races. But last week was a pretty good reminder of where we stack up as a race team. I think we didn’t get beat by anybody that we weren’t supposed to get beat by out in LA, but granted we didn’t beat anybody that we shouldn’t have, so left there frustrated. Not as bitter of a pill to swallow this year than last because I think I had unrealistic expectations last year and after you go through the year and see what your strengths are and your weaknesses as a team, you kind of understand the limitations. It sucked to go out there and miss the show and I think the struggle areas will be similar struggle areas this year – short track stuff. I think we’re going to get a little more help on some intermediate body scans, stuff from GM that has been helping with simulator times, so I think you’re going to see us be in play at the speedways and run well. I want to be a team that doesn’t have any DNFs and to be just a solid team. We had nine DNFs last year – nine mechanical DNFs and then three driver DNFs – so if we can clean those up I think we should be substantially better.” 
HOW ARE YOU LOOKING AT FONTANA, WHICH THE PLAN IS FOR A HALF-MILE OVAL NEXT YEAR?“I think that what the drivers like a lot of times isn’t what the fans show up in droves to see. Fontana is a really fun racetrack. It has a lot of character with the ability to run five lanes, the ability to run on the fence, to use some tire conservation. But, then again, it also plays into a stretched-out race with not a ton of passes, not a lot of cars close together which for the viewers on TV they don’t necessarily love that. I can take it or leave it one way or the other. If they have a plan that makes sense, that’s what they’re going to do. If it’s a half mile, I hope that they take some considerations from the drivers about what the configuration should look like. Hopefully, they can lean into the drivers advisory council a little bit and get our input on what a track layout would look like and be the best racing. A lot of challenges but I think they’re going to figure it out, whether it’s a 2-mile oval or a reconfigured short track.”
WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE YOUR SUCCESS TO AT SUPERSPEEDWAY RACING? IS IT RACE STRATEGY, THE DRAFT?“That’s the equalizer a bit. You can use some common sense and some brains to find yourself there at the end and it’s like chess with 3,600-pound chunks of metal. You don’t have to have the fastest car. I don’t think I’ve qualified better than 33rd here at the 500 ever in my seven years here. So we’re looking to do better than that. It doesn’t make you feel good when you roll out here and you floor it for a minute and realize that’s where you stack up. I do like speedways because it doesn’t matter how slow your car is. You can find the right ways and position yourself.”
YOUR FATHER WON HERE IN AN EXFINITY SERIES RACE. DO YOU REMEMEBR ANYTHING ABOUT THAT RACE?“I do. I was thinking about that this morning. I remember watching from the grandstands with my aunts and uncles and cousins, and I remember being by the frontstretch-like fence waiting for them to open the gates so we could run to Victory Lane. I remember getting carried across the grass by mu aunt. And what’s really cool is ever since my dad starting racing down here we always get a beach house and we’d have 12, 15 people at a beach house like a family reunion every year. And we’ve continued that tradition. We’ve got a house that we’ll pack all the kiddos in and have a good time. So we kind of make it a LaJoie family reunion every February.”
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO GET A WIN IN THE TRUCK RACE FRIDAY NIGHT?“This is the first time realistically in my national series career that I’ve showed up with a truck or car that’s capable of having race-winning speed. And now I have a ton of experience, I’m super confident on the speedways to do the right moves and there’s no other outcome for me to consider a good day than to hold the trophy.”
ARE YOU CONSIDERING ANY OTHER TRUCK RACES?“I’ll give you some breaking news. I think we’re doing Darlington as well. I’d love to do more. Friday first as the appetizer and Sunday afternoon for the 500.”
YOU’VE SAID YOU’D LIKE TO SEE MORE SHORT TRACKS. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE OUT OF THE FONTANA CONVERSION?“It’s fun as a driver and it’s a challenge, probably one of the more challenging places we go to. But then if you watch from the 20th row of the grandstands, you see a football field between the top 30 cars. I don’t think that it’s super exciting to watch necessarily, but we went there last year and it was a pretty good show. But NASCAR has to adapt and change with the changing landscape of just the economy; that land up there is super valuable so they can pay for a reconfiguration and make money on the back end of it in addition to that, then that’s what they’re going to do.”
HAVING MORE SHORT TRACKS ON THE SCHEDULE IS GOOD FAIR TO SAY?“That’s what all this is built on. You have the two-and-a-half-mile track in the sand down here, but beyond that the Wilkesboros and the Martinsvilles, the Bristols – those are the ones that people are packing out. Those are the ones people are showing up at. For another cookie cutter mile and a half, granted we put on some great shows because this Next Gen car was tailored to that style of racetrack. I think there is some work to do. You’ll see some low downforce packages, some less strakes on the underbodies to take some downforce away, which seems like the drivers like. And I think also NASCAR is onboard with idea of potentially giving up some more horsepower, so the door isn’t locked there. Obviously, it’s a lot of hoops for the engine manufacturers to increase power by 100. The tire patch I think is what I think takes away what feels like horsepower.”
YOUR NAME WAS TOP OF THE LIST OF DRIVERS TO WIN THE DAYTONA 500 THAT’S NOT AN OBVIOUS FAVORITE. WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THAT TO?“It makes me feel good. We have been solid at the speedways. The reins aren’t fully pulled off of me when it comes to the 500 specifically because being a smaller team we have to come out here with a good financial date, so the intention of coming here with a win is different from the intention of running eighth and collecting a paycheck. We’ll see how the race ebbs and flows. It’s a priority for our team to have a good points day and a good financial day, which doesn’t coincide with winning the race necessarily.”
WITH THE NEXT GEN AND YOU’RE COMPETING FOR THE WIN LIKE YOU WERE AT ATLANTA, HOW MUCH DOES THE DRIVER MAKE ON SUPERSPEEDWAYS?“A lot of it is fortune and a lot is position, but even so there’s not coincidence you see the same guys up front. We’ve kind of adjusted our strategy to waiting and waiting for a wreck because you just know it’s not a matter of when. I think the drivers are getting better, the guys are getting smarter, the spotters on the roof are getting smarter on what lanes to covet and where the energy is coming from. This package might not be the best for three-wide racing, and it might be too draggy to get a third lane going, so I think as you see guys study it more it’s not coincidence and just luck of somebody who finds their way to the front. I do feel like I can feel the energy of the runs and feel like I can make the right decisions. Also, with years of riding in the back and waiting for crashes – vulture racing is what I call it – if 25 cars wreck you take ninth. I would be watching guys because you can see who’s going where. I’ve been studying this thing in the seat for six years now. And that’s also why when the reins are pulled off I was up toward the front because I’ve been watching what the good guys have been doing and I started trying a little bit of it myself. Once the reins are pulled off completely, I’m excited to see what happen.”
WHAT POINT IN THE SEASON WILL YOU NARROW WHO HAS WHAT – WHO HAS WORK TO DO, WHO’S GOOD?“Can you? I think any given guy that drives for a top 22, 24 team can find themselves with track position and go out toward the end and find a way to win the race. I don’t think you’ll see a nine- or 10-win season unless somebody hits on something because I think driver strengths are starting to show up more than the car dominance. You see guys who are strong at mile and a halfs, you see guys who are strong at short tracks be at the front more, guys who are good at dirt tracks. I don’t think that you can just point to one guy and say he’s going to be the strongest for 36 weeks. There’s going to be guys who kind of ebb and flow and guys who find their way to the front at the places – road course races or whatever it is – that their strengths are at and their weaknesses are going to be exposed more just because the gains right now are so incremental.” 
Uncategorized

chevy racing–nascar–daytona–erik jones

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 5, 2023



ERIK JONES, NO. 43 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript Highlights:  The first thing I’ll ask you.. were you a big Guns N’ Roses fan? “Yeah, I was always a fan. I went to a show of theirs, I don’t know, I guess three years ago in Charlotte. I was a fan as a kid growing up, too. I listened to their stuff. 
It was cool. A couple of weeks ago, Jimmie (Johnson) showed me the paint scheme and was talking about it coming together. It was neat to get it all done and get it announced last night. But yeah, I’ve always been a fan.”
I feel like you went under the radar at Daytona (International Speedway) and Talladega (Superspeedway) last year. You had some really strong runs at all four of the superspeedway races. Can you talk about what LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has built with their speedway program and how confident are you in the strides you made in the off-season? “Yeah, we had speed at all of those races. I would say especially at Talladega (Superspeedway); we were good at both of those. Dave Elenz (crew chief) has always been good at the superspeedway stuff with not only the car side, but with the calling the race side and the strategy side of things. 
I’ve come to enjoy it. It’s funny – when I first came and did it in Trucks, I was not a fan. I’ve really come to like it and have fun with it as the years have gone by. 
I’m excited. Hopefully, for me at least, I think all of those close calls we had last year with being so close to winning a couple of them – I told them after, I said I would trade those any day if we can have a shot to win the (Daytona) 500. So hopefully we’re up front at the end of this one Sunday.”
What are the drivers meetings like right now, with having Jimmie Johnson and a new teammate? What is that dynamic.. is it what you expected it to be? “Yeah, I mean it’s changing, right. It’s kind of interesting because Jimmie (Johnson) has never driven the Next Gen car. He doesn’t have a ton to add right now and he’s just kind of learning; figuring the cars out and what we need to do. I’m sure as he gets a little bit more experienced here, especially after Sunday and then going forward through the rest of the year with some of the other races he does, he’ll have a lot more to add in. He’s asked me probably more questions, so far, which has been a little weird. But it’s been cool to have him. I’ve known Jimmie for a lot of years and never really had the chance to really work with him like this on anything, so it’s been fun to see how his mind works on some of this stuff.” 
Is it kind of surreal for you to be his mentor for at least a little while? “(laughs) Yeah, for at least a minute. It is odd. We were at the Phoenix (Raceway) test and he was asking me some questions out there. And then he was asking me some questions the other day about coming here. It’s weird.. I didn’t think Jimmie (Johnson) would ever be asking me anything along the way in my career. It’s cool, though. It’s something that – hey, I’ll take it while I can get it.”
You had some great runs at Talladega (Superspeedway) last year. You were in position to win both of those races. Where does that put your confidence? And also, does that make you a better source of knowledge to be able to help a guy like Jimmie (Johnson) and Noah (Gragson), who are limited in their Next Gen experience? “Yeah, I feel like our superspeedway stuff was good. I feel like I’m a good speedway racer. Man, I feel like we should have more wins than what we have on speedways. But I don’t know, I think I can help those guys a little bit. I think our speed has been good. I hope it’s as good here this weekend as it was last year. It’s a matter of finishing them out. We led a lot of laps last year between Daytona (Superspeedway) and Talladega (Superspeedway), and never capitalized on one of them to get that win. We were within a couple feet in a few of them to get the win. If I could trade those for the (Daytona) 500, I would be fine with that. 
Hopefully I can help Noah (Gragson) and Jimmie (Johnson) a bit this week. Noah has done some speedway racing with this car, but obviously he’s in a better car I think than what he had, so he’ll have some more speed to go and work with. They’ll learn a lot in the Duels and hopefully we can get Jimmie in and do some racing on Sunday.”
Are there any internal bets for who gets the first win this season? “Haven’t talked about it, yet. I hope it’s me, so I can at least have some bragging rights for a minute on something. But no, haven’t went over it yet. I think we all feel good about getting a win, definitely between Noah (Gragson) and I. Hope to get Jimmie (Johnson) to victory lane.. that would be pretty cool. I think winning in a Next Gen car is a pretty big goal for him; coming back and doing it. I think we can. It’s a matter of getting everything right. 
But no, nothing.. no kind of hazing or anything like that, yet.”
Would you push him here? “To the win? Well, if it could get me up there with a shot, I would do it. I don’t think I could bring myself to just push him to the win. If the situation came about where I had to push him, obviously I’m going to do it, but I’m still going to try and beat him if it came down to it.”
Looking ahead into the season – Fontana, last race on the 2-mile configuration there. Your thoughts? “Yeah, I don’t know, I’m kind of sad about it in a way. I’ve had a lot of fun racing there. Just been fast there, too, which probably makes it harder, right? But I think it’s a really good track. It’s been a really racy intermediate (track) for us.. it’s more of a speedway almost. But it’s been a really racy track for a lot of years, so I’m sad to see it go, but obviously we will be coming back there on a short track. Hopefully we can get the short track program a little better with the Next Gen car and put on a good show there, too.”
What do you think about it being a short track? Do you think that is what it needs? “Yeah, I don’t know. I thought the last couple of years, we’ve had a good turnout at that race and I thought the racing was phenomenal last year. We had a really good show there, so I think there will be a good crowd out there this year. But I’m sure the short track people are still going to show up, especially at first. If the racing is good, they’re going to come back again. I don’t have anything against it, necessarily. I’m just going to miss what we have there now.”
How was New York City when the announcement was made for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB? “It was good. Going up there with Jimmie (Johnson), he obviously has a lot of connections around a lot of places, so that was cool going up there with him. And spending some time together – him, Noah (Gragson) and I – and get to know each other a little better through the couple of days that we were there. The announcement was really cool. Jimmie got to go on the Today Show. 
It was cool.. the whole thing was neat. Getting to announce it and getting us all there, I thought it was a fun experience.”
How did you get the Guns N’ Roses deal? What song are you going to use for your walkout song? “Yeah, I don’t know… I’ve always been a Paradise City fan. It is cool. I found out a couple of weeks ago – maybe more than a couple of weeks ago – that we were in talks with them to get them on the race car and do something with them. That was a Jimmie (Johnson) deal, for sure. But he showed me the paint scheme and I was like ‘yeah man, that’s cool. I’m a fan and I’ve been to their show before’. I was excited to get it done; announce it last night and get them on the car. Obviously the car is pretty cool looking, too. It will be fun. That would be a fun one to have a picture with in victory lane, so I would love to do that.”
If you and Jimmie (Johnson) are in the same Duel, what does that plan look like? Do you purposely work together to get that No. 84 car in? “I don’t know if we intentionally try to get together, but obviously I’m going to help him as much as I can. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. So I’m going to help and push him as much as I can; get him up to the front and get him in position. Obviously you have to be aware of who the other guys are and where they’re at, but definitely going to help him as much as I can. That’s a big goal for us – today and tomorrow – to get that car locked into the (Daytona) 500. I don’t even want to think about him having to go home. That would not be good for us, so we’ll get him locked-in.”
How has your interactions been with your new teammate, Noah Gragson?“It’s been good. We spent a lot of time together on a lot of different stuff. We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well over the last month and a half. I didn’t know Noah (Gragson) that well before he came over and joined us at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, so it’s been good to just get to know him a little bit better and get a better outlook on what he’s thinking for this season; how he approaches things and how he kind of does things. 
It’s been good. I’m excited for him. It’s fun when you get to go and do your rookie season in NASCAR. He’s getting to experience everything that comes with it right now. I think he’s going to help our program, truly elevate us some more and bring in some good stuff.”
How do you think he’s going to fair for his rookie season? “There will be ups and downs like anybody’s. I look back at mine.. I had some real bright spots, some real dark spots. I think it’s the same for everyone along the way. I’d love to see him be able to get a win. If you can win in your rookie year, that’s a huge moment. Not many guys have been able to do that over the last few years, so would love to get him to victory lane. 
I think he’s going to do well. He has the speed and the talent. I think even with the Next Gen car being a learning experience for him, he’s got less of a disadvantage than what he would have had with the old car.”
If you had to pitch the Daytona 500 racing experience to someone who’s never watched a NASCAR race, what would you tell them?“I mean it’s a spectacle. I tell friends of mine all the time that have never been, that if they want to go, it’s unmatched. Getting the energy you have on pit road here come Sunday with the crowd and the people, it’s crazy. Trying to move around and get to your car is a workout as a driver with all the people. But yeah, there’s no feeling like it. There’s only maybe one other race that I’ve ever done in my life that I’ve had similar feelings as to what I do on Sunday morning. It’s a pretty cool day.”
Inaudible.“Snowball Derby, for me. Super late models is what I did growing up, so I always get the same kind of feelings going down there and racing as I do on Sunday.”
What was your relationship when you first got out here with him (Jimmie Johnson)? He seems to be a mentor to guys and very friendly to everyone.“Yeah, I mean I’ve known Jimmie (Johnson) probably 10 year.. over 10 years. Before I even got to NASCAR, we worked with the same management group, so I met him early on in my racing career. And then obviously racing him a couple of years at the Cup level. 
He did help me out. He was always the guy willing to talk or answer any questions, and I think he was like that for anybody. But he was always super friendly to me. Always an open notebook if I needed it and I’m excited to have that in our group now on our side.”
What was your first reaction when you heard the name LEGACY MOTOR CLUB? “I didn’t have a lot to do with it obviously. I was kind of there when it happened, but I was a little surprised. It was different than what I thought. I knew we would change the name, but I didn’t think we were going to go on kind of a new path. 
Yeah, it was different, but it’s growing on me a lot. And especially when we came out with the scheme and the colors and stuff, it really started to grow on me. It’s definitely a lot different. I had a lot of questions from a lot of friends, asking if that was our name, and I was like ‘yeah, that what we’re going with’.”
75 years of NASCAR.. what does that mean to you? You’re driving the No. 43. I didn’t realize this, but Richard Petty was at the very first NASCAR race, watching his dad. “Yeah, it’s cool to see it come full circle. I’ve been fortunate to get to know Richard (Petty) pretty well the last few years driving for him. It would be a nice story to get the No. 43 in victory lane Sunday, too. I’m good with that if we can make that work out. 
But yeah, it’s awesome. Being a part of this sport has been a privilege for me over the last few years.. 10 years in the sport now since Trucks. We’re having a lot of fun. It was my dream to come and race here and do this, so just fortunate to here and be around. 75 years is a big accomplishment.”
With Jimmie Johnson, you’re like a history magnet over there.“Yeah, we’ve got a lot of the history of the sport covered, that’s for sure. It’s been pretty cool. I’m a history fan, in general, so it’s cool to have those guys around.”
Did you have to redo your contract when the team rebranded to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB? “No. There were some wording in there that I guess kind of carries along what you have going on. I’d be lying if I said I knew what that was, but yeah it just kind of carries over.”
What do you think about this season? I don’t think it’s fair to call you underrated, but certainly being at RPM and kind of the struggles they had.. we all saw your progression and there was a reason you were one of the Toyota development drivers. Is this your time now? “Well, it’s been a weird journey over the last three or four years. But yeah, I think it’s going in the right direction, for sure. I think for us to go out and say we’re going to be some dominant team this year is ambitious. But to say we can go out and win a race at least, if not a couple, and make the playoffs, I don’t see that as overly ambitious. I think we can go out and definitely win a couple of races through the season. Get in the playoffs and how far we go in that, who knows, but we’re going in the right direction. There are still things we need to get better and improve on, but the way we’ve trended the last two years has been way more I think than what I probably expected when I came over.”
How do you see your relationship with Noah (Gragson) developing?“We’ve actually spent quite a bit of time together over the last couple of months and just getting to know each other more. I didn’t know Noah well before he came over here, so it’s been fun to get to know him. Obviously we’re pretty different, which kind of makes it easier for us to get along I think in a lot ways because I can just kind of laugh at a lot of the stuff he says. Like a goofy younger brother? “Yeah, he’s pretty much along those lines (laughs). He’s good entertainment, but he’s talented. At the end of the day, I think some people get really caught up in the personality and the goofiness that he puts on and overlooks what he does in a race car. He won what eight races last year – nine or whatever it was – in Xfinity, so the guy is talented. He can go out and do it, and I think he’ll surprise a lot of people this year in a Cup car.”
Best memory of the Daytona 500? “I would say 2006.. I came here for my first-ever NASCAR race as a fan. Camped out with my family and watched. It was a great race. Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick, coming down side-by-side for the win. So that’s number one for me. That’s the one I always remember and think of when I think of the Daytona 500.”
 
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chevy racing–nascar–daytona preview–aj allmendinger

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 5, 2023
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 KAULIG RACING CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  Are you tired yet with a full-season coming up?“I’m already tired! I forgot about all this media stuff… I thought we just showed up and drove! No, I’m just ready to start. Everybody at the shop, you work – obviously you had the Coliseum race – but you get here and get the process going to find out where we stand. It’s so different than the last time I was here. No practice before we qualify and no practice before the Duels. We just try to get a feel of what this car feels like on a superspeedway, but yeah I’m ready to go.” Some of the best drivers ever in the sport have never won this race. What’s behind that?“This race, there is a lot of luck that goes into it. The way superspeedway racing is now with a pack of cars, you have to put yourself in the right position. Even if you do, at times you don’t get rewarded for that. It’s just a tough race to win because there is a lot of skill but also a lot of luck that goes with it. It’s just one of those things. I felt like in the ‘80s, ‘90s and even early 2000s, if you had a strong car… there packs of cars that separated themselves from each other and we just don’t have that now. It’s just hope and pray sometimes and hope you’re in the right spot at the right time.” When you were in the Xfinity Series, you put yourself in position to win at Daytona and you won Talladega last fall. Where are you as a speedway racer compared to where you were the last time you were in the Daytona 500?“I’ve always had an idea of how to superspeedway race. The difference at Kaulig Racing compared to the Cup Series back in the day when I would run it, particularly in the last four or five years, we didn’t have strong enough superspeedway cars to consistently run up front. I kind of had to wait in the back, and pick and choose the right time to get up front and have a shot to win the race. At Kaulig Racing, it took me a while even in the Xfinity Series to learn how to run up front and dictate the lead line and the pack and stuff like that. So we’ll see. Last year, the superspeedway cars at Kaulig Racing were really fast. Daniel (Hemric) and Justin (Haley) were up front a lot. (This is) a new year. We’ll see what kind of speed we have and kind of go from there.” What did you learn from the Xfinity Series that you can apply coming back up to the Cup Series?“It’s not really what I learned. It’s more what we’ve accomplished allows me to be more comfortable in my own skin. I know that’s kind of weird to say sometimes because sometimes I’m outgoing when it comes to things like that. There are a lot of times where at home, you’re just down because of the way things are going and question things. I’m always super-hard on myself. Those are things that push me everyday but sometimes can be a hindrance. With what we’ve accomplished over the last four years, it’s made me a lot more confident and comfortable. Even if it’s going bad to rely on, ‘This is what we did.’ That’s not even in the Xfinity Series; the Cup races we had, we ran up front a lot at different types of racetracks. So things like that. I’m still not going to change on how hard I am on myself and how much I want it. It’s probably worse now than it’s ever been because I’ve had that success. But I also know how allow it to roll off my back a little bit easier and be ready for next week.” Is there a point where you feel like, ‘Ah ha… I’m back in the groove’?“Unfortunately I don’t know if I ever have that ‘ah ha’ moment. Every offseason I feel like I have to question myself like, ‘Maybe you’ve forgotten how to drive this year.’ You can have a good race and go to the next one and say, ‘It doesn’t matter until you do it at this race.’ I’m still the same way. It can be stressful sometimes in my inner turmoil in my head with it. But I’ve done this for over 20 years professionally now. I’m not going to change. It’s what pushes me every day. That’s why I love this race team because Matt (Kaulig) and Chris (Rice) know how much I care… not just myself winning and winning for our team, but the success of our race team in general when it comes to the organization. There’s always those questions in my head but that’s what pushes me every day.” You’re a rare person in that you’ve won in IndyCar, you’ve won in Cup, you’ve won the Rolex 24. There aren’t a lot of those guys around.“Once it’s over, I kind of probably allow myself to enjoy it. I feel fortunate and I don’t take it for granted the opportunities I’ve had and been able to win in a lot of different backgrounds. In the moment, it’s always like ‘OK that doesn’t matter because you have to go be at your best the next weekend.’ I do this quite honestly because I’m trying to prove it to myself every weekend. That’s why I do this and it’s part of the reason why I stepped back up to Cup. Why do I want to put myself through this again? I’m like, ‘Because I’m naïve or I’m confident or stupidity or all the above.’ I want to challenge myself to say, ‘Hey, you can go run with the best of the best every weekend.’ Our race team, I think when we show at our best, we can do that. There’s definitely lulls as a young team that you’ll have, but it’s all about for me trying to prove it to myself every weekend.” In wanting the success of this team to keep rising, Chandler Smith is trying to get into the Daytona 500. How can you help him prepare with such limited track time?“I don’t know how much help I can bring at this time with what he has to go through. It’s weird with the schedule of no practice until after the Duels. I haven’t run this car on a superspeedway so I can’t even give him an idea of what he’s going to need in the draft. That’s going to be a lot on Justin, really. He’s good everywhere but he’s spectacular and special at these superspeedway tracks. We’ll lean on him a little bit and after we get through the Duels, hopefully we have three cars in the Daytona 500 and we can go from there and start talking about it. It’s a tough schedule for a rookie to go through. Hopefully it’s easy. Hopefully we have a really fast car and he qualifies straight in and doesn’t have to worry about the Duel tomorrow.” If you are in the same Duel, will you try to find each other and work together?“If it lines up like that, you’re definitely going to try to do that. It’s an odd situation because although it isn’t a lot of points, the Duels still pay points. For me, I want to get as much experience trying to run up front and see how these cars are in the draft. We’ll definitely talk about that. We’ll see how today goes in qualifying and then we’ll make the next steps after that going into tomorrow.” You were talking a moment ago about how competitive you guys were running a part-time Cup schedule, especially on the road courses. Do you circle those as great paths to get into the Playoffs?“I know when we get to the road courses, we’re going to be really fast. But as we’ve seen in the Cup Series, there are about 30 guys that are really fast. It’s not just five or eight guys that you have to worry about and the rest you don’t have to. There are 25-30 guys that show up and potentially can go win at any road course. I don’t try to circle those racetracks. I definitely put a little more added pressure on myself when we get there. But I feel we showed at other races – Homestead, Bristol and even the ones where we didn’t contend but were in the top-10 – that we can run up front at a lot of racetracks. We definitely have our weaknesses. Our short-track program was off last year so that’s something we have to focus on and be better at. I go with the mindset that on any given Saturday or Sunday, we can win at any racetrack. We know there are racetracks that we like as drivers and a team more than others. But that doesn’t mean we can’t go and win those ones we don’t like.” What are you looking at for what the Duels mean for you? You have experience and know what’s going on but this is a different car.“The Duels are very important. We have practice after, but I feel like the Duels are where you are going to feel out most about what this car is going to do and how it’s going to react and how it drafts. You can watch all the in-car video and the race back, and I’ve done all that. But you don’t know until you feel it. Hopefully we’re fast enough and we’re inside the lead pack to get a general feel of it so I can go back to my crew chief Matt (Swiderski) and say this is what I feel and this is where I need to be better. It’s going to be so limited so you have to take every opportunity you can get. So the Duels are quite important for me, especially.” You raced last year alongside Noah Gragson last year with Kaulig Racing in Xfinity. How do you think he’ll transition to his new team?“I think he’s going to be great, honestly. He’s got so much talent. Over the last couple of years, he’s really matured in the sense of how he races. Don’t get me wrong, we all have our insane moments where you get mad and you go do something, but that’s the nature of the beast. With the team he drives for now, having Erik (Jones) over there and definitely having Jimmie (Johnson), he’s going to have a lot of experience and maturity around him. It’s different. When you’re in Xfinity and you’re a young guy, you’re trying to make your name. There’s no guarantee you’re going to Cup. Every lap on the racetrack, you’re trying to prove, ‘I belong in Cup. I need a team to take a chance on me.’ Once you get to Cup, yeah there’s that same pressure that you need to stay there. But you can race in the sense that you’re already there. I think Noah knows that. But he’s still a rookie. But he’s going to be fast and will be up front a lot.”
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Germfree Sponsoring World of Outlaws Late Model Rookie of the Year Program

CONCORD, NC – Feb. 15, 2023 – Germfree is giving World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Rookie of the Year contenders a new incentive to be the highest finishing rookies in 2023.

The company is sponsoring the World of Outlaws CASE Late Model’s Rookie of the Year program, giving $10,000 to the Rookie of the Year, $3,000 to the second highest finishing full-time rookie and $2,000 to the third highest finishing full-time rookie.

“Germfree is honored to sponsor the World of Outlaws inaugural Rookie of the Year program,” Germfree CEO Kevin Kyle said. “It is amazing to see these young drivers, and the teams that support them, push the limits and achieve greatness. The technology of these vehicles and the grit of these drivers are perfectly aligned with Germfree’s mission to serve life science innovation and advance global health. We look forward to seeing the best of the best very soon!”

This season features one of the stoutest rookie classes in the history of the World of Outlaws with seven drivers contending for the 2023 Rookie of the Year title. They include Nick Hoffman, Payton Freeman, Johnny Scott, Logan Martin, Dustin Walker, Todd Cooney and Jordan Koehler.

“We have an incredible rookie class this year and it’s exciting to have a company like Germfree recognize their significance to the sport and further our initiative of keeping our teams financially healthy,” said Steve Francis, World of Outlaws CASE Late Model series director. “By doing so, we’re able to produce the best racing and grow our rookies into future stars.”

More than 50 races remain on the 2023 schedule to determine who will end the season as the top rookie contenders. Currently, Hoffman holds the early advantage with an eighth and fourth-place finish at the Sunshine Nationals season opener.

The season continues at Volusia Speedway Park – also sponsored by Germfree as the track’s preferred BioTech partner – during the 52nd Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 16-18.

To follow the Germfree Rookie of the Year battle all year, get tickets to World of Outlaws CASE Late Model races, HERE.

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chevy racing–nascar–daytona–chandler smith

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 5, 2023


CHANDLER SMITH, NO. 13 KAULIG RACING CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  Where is your mindset right now?“Just qualifying, simple. Kaulig Racing has got a really good track record as plate racers as an organization. From Xfinity over to Cup, they’ve been pretty solid. They’re still really green to the Cup series, so we haven’t built up that portfolio that we have in the Xfinity series as far as the reputation as being strong on plate races, but it’s definitely got really good over the past few years they’ve been in the series. For me, I know if I make it into the race, it’s going to be good. I just need to make it in, hit my shift points good and get a good launch off of pit road, obviously. I’m the first one off. I’ll be the first one to hit the racetrack, which is crazy. I’m excited for the opportunity to get the call right out of the Trucks series. To have the opportunity to come run the Daytona 500 is pretty crazy.” 
Have you been able to pick their brain on what they’ve learned from the Next Gen car last year?“A little bit. It’s a completely different aspect of racing compared to what they’re accustomed to in a Xfinity car, and what I’m accustomed to in a Truck. It’s a different animal. I want to get into the race and learn as much as I can in the Duels to apply it for Sunday if I make it in. Taking it one lap at a time.”
There’s no practice. Do you wish you had that opportunity? Are you okay with being the first one to roll out there?“If we lived in a perfect world, we’d have practice before qualifying because who’s to say right off the bat we had a problem with the clutch or anything. If we had practice, we’d be able to identify a problem and fix it before qualifying. It’s been like this for years, so it’s not going to change and that’s fine.”
Did you get a decent amount of sim time to prepare?“We did one sim session for Daytona. Daytona is kind of a weird place to get on the simulator because nobody does it. I got on there to practice launches and whatnot. I practiced a launch also out in the parking lot and was able to feel where the clutch released and all that good stuff and feel how the throttle throw is compared to Xfinity and Truck. All that stuff is crucial for my launch off of pit road, so to be able to feel that in real life and not in the simulator was really big.” 
“I drove [the car] around and stuff. The steering rack I’m really familiar with because it’s what we run in Super Late Models, as well. It honestly – the fundamentals, the feeling with your feet and all of that stuff – it all feels the same. Even though everything is completely different, in my opinion it all felt the same.”
Do you think you will have any nerves or be calm?“Oh, I’ll have some nerves. It is the Daytona 500 and it is my first Cup series debut. It’s a really big deal. Considering that I’m going up against the guy who got me started, Jimmie Johnson, it’s pretty surreal. Also, at the end of the day and the fact of the matter that I got the opportunity to come do this, I’ve been busting my butt; praying for this opportunity all off-season, been putting in the work. I know everyone at Kaulig Racing has been too, so we’ll give it our all.”
                                                                                                                              Is there anything aside from making the Daytona 500 that you or Kaulig Racing attribute as a success?“I think that’s just the first step. I think our honest expectations for us as the No. 13 group is to make the race and to finish all of the laps. I’ve been watching this race for so many years now, and everybody knows about half of the field will end up finishing. For me, at least, I just want to finish the race. Wherever that plays out, that’s where I end up. If I’m able to finish the race, all 200 laps, I’ll consider that a win in my book for my first rodeo here.”
What if you wind up like a Trevor Bayne (and win on your first race)?“Oh, I’ll go for it. Kaulig Racing has a really good reputation for plate racing and I know if I make it in, I’ll be working with my teammates. Like I said, we have a good reputation with staying with each other and working together and that’s been prevailing on the Xfinity side. Looking for that to transfer over here and there will be a lot of success that comes with that.”  How much race strategy have you talked?“The biggest thing that’s been emphasized to me is pit road.. how hectic it is and whatnot. I’ve done some studying on SMT; digesting how hectic it really is, how brake spikes and what people do. The little things that each driver did with this Next Gen car last year. Granted, this was the first place they came to and had a heavy brake on pit road, so everyone didn’t really know how deep they could go. There were some things I picked up there; getting everything you could out of it that and some drivers were able to do.”      
 
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FROM NEW YORK WITH LOVE: Tim McCreadie Wins Tuesday’s DIRTcar Nationals Feature at Volusia

The Watertown, NY driver leads Hudson O’Neal by five points in Big Gator chase

BARBERVILLE, FL – February 14, 2023 – After three straight runner-up finishes at Volusia Speedway Park, Tim McCreadie finally broke through at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile.” 

The Watertown, NY driver powered around Bobby Pierce on Lap 12 of Tuesday’s DIRTcar Late Model Feature and held off a hard-charging Hudson O’Neal to score the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals victory—his first of 2023.

McCreadie said his choice of tires played a role in the finish.

“As competitive as we’ve been, man, it’s been fun to race here,” McCreadie said. “Our car’s been super-fast. I made some mistakes as a driver and maybe picked some tire compounds that weren’t the right ones. And tonight, I don’t know if it was the right one for 28 laps or 50, but it was the right one for 25.

“So, we’ll take that and move on to the next one.” 

McCreadie led Lap 1 of the 25-lap race before Bobby Pierce slid past him in Turn 4 to take the lead on Lap 2.

Pierce pulled away until he reached traffic, allowing the Empire State driver to close back in.

As Pierce ran the inside lane, “T-Mac” swung his Longhorn to the top and thundered around the #32 car to re-take the lead.

McCreadie widened the gap between himself and the rest of the field until a caution for Brandon Overton’s flat right rear tire on Lap 21 gave him a new challenger—Hudson O’Neal. 

The Martinsville, IN driver, quickly took his Rocket Chassis to the top of the track, picking off Brandon Sheppard and Bobby Pierce on the cushion to pull into second. 

However, that cushion was his downfall as he bobbled in Turn 1 on Lap 24, ending his bid for a fourth consecutive win.

O’Neal’s bobble let McCreadie pull away to earn the $7,000 prize and take the lead in the chase for the Big Gator trophy.

McCreadie said he welcomed the race’s lone yellow flag as it allowed him to cool his tires for the final run.

“It’s more I know the compound we were on,” McCreadie said. “We’re on soft tires. Everybody knows what happens. They might not come apart. They might not blister. They might not break. But what they’ll do is get to a certain temperature, and they’ll slow down. 

“I knew that Hudson had a stiffer tire than all of us, so it was more of a let’s cool things down, and hopefully, for a four or five-lap run, they’ll be able to carry me. I messed up in (Turn) 1 once, but once I found that lane into (Turn) 3, he might’ve still beat me, but at least I felt comfortable enough that I could charge.”

O’Neal crossed the line in third after Pierce took advantage of his bobble to finish second.

“The New Deal” said he felt he cost himself the win after his late-race charge didn’t lead to victory.

“I gave one away,” O’Neal said. “I just bobbled one time on the cushion getting into (Turn 1), and I just got my right rear hung over it and couldn’t come back across it. 

“So, it is what it is. We started 11th, and I felt like we had a good race car there to be able to drive up through there like we did without any cautions. This Rocket XR1 is badass right now, and we just have to keep the ball rolling. We’re so, so good, and I think we got more wins to come this week.”

Pierce, who led 10 laps in the 25-lap Feature, grabbed the runner-up spot after finishing seventh on Monday. 

The Oakwood, IL driver said his team is still trying to find the right balance on handling his Longhorn.

“We were kind of a third-place car, but we ended up second,” Pierce said. “We’re happy with it. I think we can build off this, and there’s a lot of ways to skin the cat trying to figure out what I like. 

“It’s tough. T-Mac is really good here, and we’re glad to be right there. We’re finishing races, and we’re running up front and qualifying really well. So, we’re excited to go on to the next nights.”

Two-time Big Gator champion Brandon Sheppard finished fourth, while Kyle Bronson rounded out the top five.

After two races, Tim McCreadie leads the DIRTcar Nationals points standings by five points over O’Neal. 

DIRTcar Nationals Points Standings

1. Tim McCreadie 155
2. Hudson O’Neal -5
3. Bobby Pierce -27
4. Chris Madden -40
5. Ricky Thornton Jr. -42

UP NEXT: The DIRTcar Late Models return to Volusia Speedway Park for their final night of action at the 52nd Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. The field will be split into three 20-lap Features, each paying $5,000-to-win.

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App.

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Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Daytona Preview

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
2023 Daytona Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealthDaytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida February 15-19, 2023
 

SETTING THE STAGE FOR 2023Chevrolet drivers and teams across NASCAR’s three national series will head to the “World Center of Racing” – Daytona International Speedway – where the Daytona Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth will officially wave the green flag to not only start the 2023 season but also the celebration of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary.  Chevrolet’s storied history at the famed 2.5-mile, high-banked Florida superspeedway expands across all three NASCAR national series. The Bowtie brand has amassed 96 all-time combined victories at the track in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), making Chevrolet the winningest manufacturer at Daytona International Speedway in NASCAR history. The manufacturer’s two most recent wins at the track came in August 2022, when Team Chevy’s Austin Dillon and Jeremy Clements swept the NCS and NXS regular-season finales. 
 
EYES ON #25The Daytona 500 champion will become a part of the sport’s history, with the winning driver’s name earning a spot on the prestigious Harley J. Earl trophy following Sunday’s race. Chevrolet – the winningest manufacturer in NCS history – has recorded 49 victories in NASCAR’s premier series at Daytona International Speedway. Of that manufacturer-leading win count, 17 different drivers have recorded a combined 24 Daytona 500 victories for Chevrolet: 
DateFebruary 18, 2018February 23, 2014February 24, 2013February 14, 2010February 18, 2007February 19, 2006February 20, 2005February 15, 2004February 16, 2003February 18, 2001February 14, 1999February 15, 1998February 16, 1998February 19, 1995February 20, 1994February 14, 1993February 17, 1991February 18, 1990February 19, 1989February 16, 1986February 19, 1984February 20, 1977February 16, 1975February 14, 1960DriverAustin DillonDale Earnhardt Jr. Jimmie JohnsonJamie McMurrayKevin HarvickJimmie JohnsonJeff GordonDale Earnhardt Jr.Michael WaltripMichael WaltripJeff GordonDale EarnhardtJeff GordonSterling MarlinSterling MarlinDale JarrettErnie IrvanDerrike CopeDarrell WaltripGeoffrey BodineCale YarboroughCale YarboroughBenny ParsonsJunior Johnson
 
RACE FOR THE FRONT ROWThe 2022 Daytona 500 saw Chevrolet take its Daytona pole streak to double digits, with Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team giving the Bowtie brand its 10th consecutive pole – and 30th all-time – in “The Great American Race”.  To add onto the manufacturer’s impressive qualifying statistics in the crown jewel event, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman powered his No. 48 Camaro ZL1 to second-fastest on the speed chart, giving Chevrolet a sweep of the Daytona 500 front row for the 20th time in the event’s history, including 10 of the past 12 years. Bowman’s front-row feat made him the only NCS driver in history to sit on the Daytona 500 front row for five consecutive years (2018-2022). 
 
CAMARO SS LOOKING FOR SEVEN IN A ROW The NXS will hit the high banks of Daytona International Speedway on Saturday with the “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300” to kick off its 33-race schedule. Chevrolet is coming off a strong season in the series, collecting 24 wins (a winning percentage of 73 percent on the season) as the manufacturer claimed its 24th NXS Manufacturer’s Championship. The title marked the eighth NXS Manufacturer’s Championship for the Camaro SS since becoming Chevrolet’s flagship race car in the series in 2013, including a streak of the past six consecutive years.  There will be a couple of new drivers welcomed into the Team Chevy family in the NXS this season: 
·       Brandon Jones takes over the No. 9 JR Motorsports Camaro SS in 2023. The 25-year-old Georgia native will enter his eighth full-time season in the series. The young driver advanced to the NXS Playoffs Round of 8 for the past three consecutive seasons. Jones joins Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry and Sam Mayer to complete the four-car JR Motorsports lineup. 
 
·       Making the jump from the NCTS, Chandler Smith takes on his first full-time NXS season in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS. The 20-year-old Georgia native contested the NCTS full-time the past two seasons while he also made three starts in the NXS series in 2022. Smith will race alongside teammate Daniel Hemric, who returns to the driver’s seat of the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS. 
 
NEW TO THE LINEUP The NCTS starts its 2023 season Friday at Daytona International Speedway with the NextEra Energy 250. In the series’ 28-season history, Chevrolet has collected 10 Manufacturer’s Championships, including the series’ first four in consecutive seasons (1995-1998). Chevrolet also leads the series in wins, with the manufacturer heading into the 2023 season with 262. The Bowtie brand looks to add onto its legacy in the series with a strong lineup of young talent across the Chevrolet teams. 
·       GMS Racing expands to a three-truck team in 2023, with the lineup including a series veteran and two Rookie of the Year contenders. Grant Enfinger returns to the driver’s seat of the No. 23 Silverado RST for his second full-time season with GMS Racing. The 38-year-old Alabama native is coming off a playoff run in his first full-time season with the Chevrolet team, ultimately finishing seventh in the final points standings. Enfinger will be joined by teammates Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Silverado RST, and Daniel Dye, No. 43 Silverado RST. Both of the young talents are coming off a strong campaign in the ARCA Menards Series, with Dye and Caruth ending the season second and third, respectively, in the final points standings. 
 
·       Continuing its alliance with GMS Racing, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing fields two Silverado RSTs this season. Joining the Bowtie brigade for the first time in his career, Christian Eckes takes over the driving duties of the No. 19 Silverado RST. The 2023 season will mark Eckes’ third full-time NCTS season with the 22-year-old New York native making the playoffs the past two consecutive seasons. Jake Garcia will contest his NCTS rookie season with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, piloting the No. 35 Silverado RST starting at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March following his 18th birthday. Chase Elliott, 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion and fellow Chevrolet driver, will fill Garcia’s seat in the series’ season-opener at Daytona International Speedway. 
 
·       Making the transition to the Team Chevy family, Kyle Busch Motorsports will field two full-time teams in the NCTS in 2023. The organization’s No. 4 Silverado RST team will compete for the NCTS Driver’s Championship this season with Chase Purdy behind the wheel of the Chevrolet-powered machine. The organization’s second entry, the No. 51 Silverado RST, will compete for the NCTS Owner’s Championship. Driver’s Edge Development driver Jack Wood will compete in a minimum of 10 races for the team, with his first start taking place at Daytona. Wood will compete alongside team owner, Kyle Busch, and a lineup of other Chevrolet drivers throughout the season. 
 
·       Rev Racing is climbing the ranks into the NASCAR national level, fielding one full-time team in the NCTS in 2023. Nick Sanchez will compete in his first full-time season in the series, piloting the No. 2 Silverado RST. A familiar face to Rev Racing, Sanchez spent the past five years competing with the organization as part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program. The 21-year-old Florida native is coming off a season that delivered him the 2022 ARCA Menards Series Champion title. 
 
THE RETURN OF ‘SEVEN-TIME’ Career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson retired from full-time NCS competition at the end of the 2020 season, leaving a legacy of 83 all-time wins and seven championships in NASCAR’s premier series. The 47-year-old took the NASCAR world by storm during the offseason, taking on an ownership role in the re-branded LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.  The 2023 season also sees Johnson make his return to the driver’s seat in NASCAR’s premier series, running a limited schedule in a third entry for the organization. Johnson, veteran crew chief Todd Gordon, and the No. 84 Camaro ZL1 team will make their debut this weekend as the team looks to race their way into one of the four open spots in the Daytona 500. Johnson’s career includes three NCS victories at Daytona International Speedway, two of which came in the Daytona 500 (2006, 2013). Only five times in series history has a driver swept the Daytona 500 and the NCS summer Daytona race in a single season, with Johnson accomplishing that feat in 2013. 
 
VYING FOR A SPOTA handful of non-chartered cars will take their shot at qualifying for one of the four open spots to complete the 40-car Daytona 500 field, including a group of notable Chevrolet drivers. Competitors joining Johnson on that list include:  ·       Conor Daly, No. 50 The Money Team Racing Camaro ZL1 – A familiar face in the Team Chevy NTT INDYCAR Series driver lineup, Conor Daly is set to make his first attempt at qualifying for the Daytona 500. Daly has made only four career starts in NASCAR’s national ranks, including his NCS debut at the Charlotte ROVAL last season behind the wheel of the No. 50 The Money Team Racing Camaro ZL1.   ·       Chandler Smith, No. 13 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1 – On top of competing in his first full-time NXS season in 2023, Smith also will make his debut in NASCAR’s premier series. The young driver is slated to make five NCS starts with Kaulig Racing this season, with his first coming in an attempt to qualify for this weekend’s crown-jewel event.  
·       Austin Hill, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – NXS Chevrolet driver Austin Hill is gearing up to make six NCS starts this season with Beard Motorsports and the No. 62 Camaro ZL1 team, including the Daytona 500. Hill has made one career start in NASCAR’s premier series, but is no stranger to victory lane at Daytona International Speedway. In his rookie season with the NXS, Hill drove his No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Camaro SS to the victory in the series’ season-opener at the 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway (February 2022). 
 
SHINING ON SUPERSPEEDWAYSChevrolet drivers proved their strength in superspeedway competition last season. In four NCS appearances on superspeedways in 2022, the Camaro ZL1 made its way to victory lane in three of those events. Those triumphs included a sweep of the NCS races at Talladega Superspeedway for Ross Chastain (No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – April 2022) and Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – October 2022), plus Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1) captured the NCS regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway (August 2022). 
 
BOWTIE BULLETS·       NASCAR Cup Series victories by active Chevrolet drivers at Daytona International Speedway:Jimmie Johnson – 3 (February 2006, February 2013, July 2013)Austin Dillon – 2 (February 2018 & August 2022) Kyle Busch – 1 (July 2008)Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 1 (July 2017) Erik Jones – 1 (July 2019)Justin Haley – 1 (July 2019) William Byron – 1 (August 2020) ·       Active NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet drivers who have recorded a Daytona 500 victory: Jimmie Johnson – 2 (2006 & 2013)Austin Dillon – 1 (2018)
·       Of the 151 appearances made by NASCAR’s premier series at Daytona International Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 49 wins, 52 poles, 226 top-fives, 454 top-10s, and led 8,118 laps.  ·       Of Chevrolet’s 49 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins at Daytona International Speedway, the manufacturer has recorded a series-leading 24 Daytona 500 victories.  ·       Chevrolet has won 96 times at Daytona International Speedway across all three NASCAR national series, making Chevrolet the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR history at Daytona International Speedway.  ·       Chevrolet has captured the Daytona 500 pole win a manufacturer-leading 30 times, including the past 10 consecutive years (most recent: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1, in 2022).  ·       Chevrolet has swept the Daytona 500 front row 20 times in the event’s history, including 10 of the past 12 years (most recent: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1, and Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1, in 2022).  ·       Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman is the only driver in series history to sit on the Daytona 500 front row for five consecutive years (2018-2022). ·       All behind the wheel of a Chevrolet-powered machine, Hendrick Motorsports has won 15 Daytona 500 poles, the most of all teams in the NASCAR Cup Series: Ken Schrader (1988, 1989, 1990), Jeff Gordon (1999, 2015), Jimmie Johnson (2002, 2008), Mark Martin (2010), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2011), Chase Elliott (2016, 2017), Alex Bowman (2018, 2021), William Byron (2019), Kyle Larson (2022). 
 
FOR THE FANS·       Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Daytona International Speedway. ·       Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Tahoe Z71, Blazer RS, Colorado ZR2 Desert Boss, 1500 Crew ZR2, 2500HD Crew LTZ Carhartt, Blazer EV SS, Camaro ZL1, Corvette Z06.·       At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Camaro ZL1 show car.
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER APPEARANCES AT THE DISPLAY: Friday, February 17·       Lavar Scott & Andrés Pérez de Lara: 11:30 a.m.·       Chase Purdy & Jack Wood: 11:45 a.m.·       Nick Sanchez: 12 p.m. ·       Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth & Daniel Dye: 12:15 p.m.·       Matt DiBenedetto: 12:45 p.m.·       Christian Eckes & Jake Garcia: 1:00 p.m. Saturday, February 18·       Blaine Perkins & Gray Gaulding: 9:45 a.m.·       Justin Allgaier & Brandon Jones: 10 a.m.·       Jeremy Clements: 10:15 a.m.·       Josh Berry & Sam Mayer: 1:45 p.m.·       Austin Hill: 2:15 p.m.·       Sheldon Creed: 2:30 p.m. Sunday, February 19·       Daniel Suarez: 9 a.m.·       Justin Haley: 10:15 a.m.·       Noah Gragson: 10:30 a.m.·       Erik Jones: 10:45 a.m.·       Austin Dillon: 11 a.m. ·       Ross Chastain: 11:15 a.m.·       Chase Elliott: 11:30 a.m.·       Kyle Busch: 11:45 a.m.·       Kyle Larson: 12 p.m. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:·       Thursday, February 16: 2 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.·       Friday, February 17: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.·       Saturday, February 18: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.·       Sunday, February 19: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. TUNE IN: ·       NASCAR Cup Series – 65th running of the Daytona 500; 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 19 (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).·       NASCAR Xfinity Series – ‘Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300’; 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 18 (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).·       NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – NextEra Energy 250; 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, February 17 (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90). 
 
QUOTABLE QUOTESRoss Chastain, No. 1 AdventHealth Camaro ZL1What are your goals for this year?“I just want to be competitive. I have the desire to compete and I don’t want to get beat. It started with the Clash and it will end in Phoenix in November.”
Is there anything you’re more focused on this year compared to last?“Qualifying is something I’m focused on for this year. I’ve really struggled with it throughout my career and being a teammate with Daniel, he sets the bar. So that’s definitely something I’m looking to improve on.”
How much do you look forward to coming to Daytona?“I love it. It’s the sign of a new season going down there in February. We’ve worked hard all off season and it’ll be nice to get back in the routine and enjoy a little Florida sunshine. I grew up going to the July race at Daytona so I have fond memories of being at the track as a kid with my family.”
Can you talk about the difference this Daytona is going to feel like versus the 2022 Daytona?“To start the season last year, so many things are different in all different aspects. I was with a different team; we had the new generation of the car and there were so many unknowns with that. Last year, the season certainly didn’t get off to a smooth start, but we stuck with it and regrouped with everyone and ended up with a great result to end the season. I think it goes to show that if you keep trying and put the effort in, you can make a difference.”

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1Larson on the 2023 DAYTONA 500: “I’m excited to get going. It’s definitely a historic year with NASCAR’s 75th anniversary. I’m glad I’ve won one of the championships out of the 75 years. It’s pretty cool to think about your name on a fairly short list of champions. I would love to add my name to the winner’s list at Daytona. That’s our biggest race.”
Cliff Daniels, Crew Chief, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1Daniels on what winning the pole at the DAYTONA 500 means to Mr. Hendrick: “I think what it represents to him is everyone in the company working together and really trying to put our best foot forward to start the season. With all of the newness and change that it (a new season) brings from rules, to people, to resources and technology. Can we be the ones to put our best foot forward in outright car speed? There’s not any quirkiness to how you qualify at Daytona (International Speedway). It is straight up car speed. You either got it or you don’t. I think that’s why it’s always meant a lot to him. He’s mentioned it to us again this year, He certainly wants the pole at Daytona.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro ZL1:How odd is it to not have any practice time before qualifying for one of the biggest races of the season?“So to me I feel like the no practice thing is sort of the new norm, so it’s not really that big of a deal. And every time we always show up to the restrictor plate tracks anyways with Daytona and Talladega, and somewhat Atlanta now, we literally go out there on the racetrack and try to make sure that our travels are good, that the car is off the racetrack and not bottoming out and stuff like that. But we typically try to stay out of getting in a pack so we don’t have a practice crash and get our car tore up. To me it’s kind of smart, just don’t give us drivers an opportunity to tear stuff up.”
Is the Duel one of the most nerve-racking races of the season?“I don’t think the Duel is really that bad. To me, obviously, you want to win it and start further up front for the race on Sunday, but the same thing as no practice time is that is your practice and it’s in race conditions and you’re around other cars. There is that chance for getting your stuff torn up and being crashed so I think it’s probably more nerve-racking for the crew chiefs and team guys because they don’t want to have to pull a backup out or go to work and have to rebuild another car. Definitely more stress on them.”  
What can you learn in the Duel that will help you in the 500?“I think one of the biggest things you can learn in the Duel for the 500 is just how fast your car is, working on the balance making sure it’s not too tight, it’s not too loose, and that it drives good. But I think the other thing is working around other cars, seeing how well your car drafts, how well it sucks up to others, how well it pushes, how well it does getting pushed, all of those things. You’re just trying to build the notebook and build the confidence in the car for Sunday.”
How special is the Daytona 500?“Obviously the Daytona 500 is the biggest race of our season, our Super Bowl, so it’s a huge deal. It’s NASCAR’s 75th Anniversary season so it’s especially cool having that opportunity to race in this season. I remember the history of the 50th anniversary season watching that on TV in 1998 so it’s really cool to be a part of 75th and the Daytona 500 would love to win. I’ve got that last box to check and that’s to bring home that Harley J. Earl trophy.” 
Is out front the best strategy to avoid the Big One at Daytona?“I don’t know if you’re safe anywhere. I think the biggest thing is to just build that confidence in your car and build that camaraderie with other drivers around you to give them the confidence that you’re fast and your car is fast, that they can work with you and that sort of helps you as the race closes. Where opposite of that, if you’re a guy who hangs out in back all day and then you’re there at the end, nobody knows anything about you so they don’t want to hang out with you. It’s like you’ve got to be one of the cool kids and sit at the cool kids table but if you’re not in the cool kids club then they will not work with you as well.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1Elliott on racing in the DAYTONA 500:“This is a tough race. A tough race to be in position (to win). I feel like you can do all the right things and it still does not go your way. Hopefully, this is the year we can get it done. We’ve had a few good opportunities at it in the past, but it just hasn’t gone in our favor so far.”
Alan Gustafson, Crew Chief, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1Gustafson on getting your car right for the Daytona 500: “Once you race in the Duels, you’re going know what your car has. You’re going to know your ailments and what you need to improve. You won’t be racing in the same temperature conditions as Sunday, but you’re still going to have a good understanding of what you have, and you’ll have a couple of days to try to improve that during practice.”
Gustafson on the team’s outlook for 2023 and the sophomore season of the Next Gen car: “Going into 2023, we have a baseline now for all the tracks and we know individually we need to improve at those tracks. Overall, it’s always the same areas – you want a faster car, you want a better strategy, you want better execution, better pit stops. I think we know the detail now on what it’s going to take to do that, but so does everybody else. It’s going to take a lot of work and effort to get that extra 10%.”

William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1Byron on his thoughts for this year’s DAYTONA 500: “I think we have some good momentum from the Clash that can get us excited for Daytona (International Speedway). While nothing correlates between those two tracks, we executed just about everything we needed to as a team. Now we’re going to a place where Hendrick Motorsports is known for having fast cars and being up front. I’ve been lucky enough to be contending for the lead in the DAYTONA 500, and I have the summer Daytona win under my belt. I just haven’t been able to avoid the misfortune in the 500 to be there at the end. I think if we can keep the car clean all race Sunday, we definitely will have a shot at the win and I want that for this No. 24 team.”
Rudy Fugle, Crew Chief, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1Fugle on the No. 24 team’s goals for the 2023 season: “Keep climbing and stay hungry. If you’re looking behind you, people are trying to catch you and you’re looking the wrong way. We’re focused on continuing to climb forward and make that championship race. That’s our big goal for 2023 and what we’re striving for. William (Byron) has grown a lot and has experienced a lot. He’s ready to reach that point. This team is ready for it. We’re ready to tackle this season. We’ve learned a lot with these cars and we know that things will ebb and flow like they did last year with other teams learning things along the way. We just want to make sure to hit those high points at the right time in the year.”

Justin Haley, No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1“After a really good showing at the Clash in LA, I’m looking forward to getting to Daytona. This NextGen car is definitely more difficult on the speedways and requires just a whole different style of drafting and bump drafting that you need to do in order to be good. Speedways take a lot of luck, but also a lot of discipline to stay running up front at the very end when it matters the most. Hopefully my teammate AJ (Allmendinger) and I can help get Chandler (Smith) in during the duels to be able to work together during the big show and be there at the end.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Cottonelle Camaro ZL1Stenhouse Jr. on sponsor engagements and game plan: “Race weekends are busy and that’s good for us because we want our sponsors to engage in our sport and use the full potential of their partnership. Race mornings are busy. Actually, it’s really a busy week/busy weekend. It’s part of it and it’s what we are used to doing. We know that just about every race weekend is similar. You do your appearances; you get a little time to yourself and then get ready to race. Your race homework is done Friday/Saturday, and you have your game plan set for the race. When you get in the race car, it’s time to execute the game plan. Nothing Sunday morning really changes what I do as soon as I get strapped into the No. 47 Kroger/Cottonelle Camaro. When I get strapped in, it’s go time.”
Stenhouse Jr. on the key to Daytona 500: “If something happens on track, and you let it kind of fire you up, you tend to make more mistakes. So, staying calm is a big part of the Daytona 500.”
Stenhouse Jr. on having no practice before the Duels: “The battles during the Duels are going to be intense and fun to watch for fans. For us, we got enough data last season for the No. 47 Kroger/Cottonelle Camaro that I feel comfortable going into the Duels with no practice. I feel that the cars that ran each week, and the drivers that were in those cars are probably fine. It’s those cars that have new drivers in there or guys that haven’t raced this car at all, that will be interesting to see.”
Stenhouse Jr. on the Daytona 500: “Daytona doesn’t owe us one, but we have unfinished business.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1Bowman on going for his sixth consecutive front row start at the DAYTONA 500: “Going for my sixth front row start at the DAYTONA 500 is something that is on my mind for sure. We have a lot of really smart teammates back at the shop building fast race cars and I owe all my speed and starts to them. I have had a lot of great starts at the (DAYTONA) 500, so this year the goal is to have a great finish at a superspeedway and kick off the season with a big win.”
Blake Harris, Crew Chief, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1Harris on his takeaways from the Clash at the Coliseum: “All of the things that we tried to execute as far as the team gelling and going through the first weekend went well. To be able to go through multiple sessions and have speed on top of that was a real positive takeaway for us. I thought Alex (Bowman) did a great job for us and kept our car out front and had us in a position to compete for a win. Overall, it was a successful weekend that set the stage for what our year will look like.”

Austin Hill, No. 62 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Camaro ZL1Ready or not, the 2023 NASCAR season is upon us. How does it feel to be heading back to Daytona and getting the season started at the World Center of Racing?“I’m super excited to get the year kicked off at Daytona. We had a really good season last year in the Xfinity Series, running consistently inside the top-five and starting the season off with a win at Daytona. Being the defending race winner on the Xfinity side is going to be cool to see if we can repeat. We seem to have a lot of success on the superspeedways, so hopefully we can use that momentum to our benefit. Then, having the opportunity to run the Cup car adds to the level of excitement I have going into this Speedweek in Daytona. I’ve never driven a Cup car on a superspeedway, so that is going to be a challenge – a good challenge – and one that I look forward to. Our Beard Motorsports Camaro has to make the show, whether that’s on time in qualifying or racing my way in through the Duel. The first step is to see how qualifying goes on Wednesday night, and then if we have to go into the Duel not being locked in, we will see how that unfolds. I’m going to approach it with the same mindset I have on the Xfinity side – to stay aggressive all race long and see where we end up.”
What does it mean to you to have the opportunity to run these six races with Beard Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series this season?“As a kid growing up in this sport, getting the chance to run a NASCAR Cup Series car is the ultimate dream. Obviously I had the opportunity last year at Michigan to make my first start and I was so thankful to Richard Childress for giving me that chance. And now I have an even bigger opportunity with the Beard family and the Beard Motorsports team. I’ve gotten to talk over the phone with Amie Beard, and we’ve talked about her mom Linda and the men and women at Beard. We haven’t been able to meet face-to-face yet, and we will do that this week in Daytona, but I feel like I know them pretty well already. You can tell they’re super excited and stoked to be trying to make it into the Daytona 500. I think they may even be more excited than I am if that’s even possible. They seem like they really love superspeedway racing. And although it’s something that I didn’t necessarily enjoy until last year, I’ve really started to enjoy it more. And it’s just an honor to be able to race for Beard Motorsports and try to make it into the Daytona 500.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1Are the expectations higher in 2023?“The expectations are definitely higher than last year. Last year, our team was working very hard. We didn’t know where that would take us, but we were hoping it would take us somewhere good. I feel like now, it’s a little bit different because we know what we’re capable of doing. We know that we’re capable of winning and we know that we’re capable of racing with some of the teams that have been doing this for a long time. We have to go out there and just continue to work because in my opinion, if we do exactly the same thing that we did last year, it won’t be enough. Everyone is always evolving, so we have to continue to work and show up every weekend with the best that we can do.”
What is the Daytona 500 like?“It’s an incredible event. Such a cool experience. It’s amazing it was sold out so early in January. I can’t wait to go to Daytona and put on a show for everyone.”
What strategy do you have for Thursday’s Daytona Duels?“The Duels before the Daytona 500 are so nerve-racking. That’s the car you are going to be racing for 500 miles on Sunday. You just want to try to make sure you keep your car in one piece. The last thing you want is to wreck it and go to a backup. So, in the Duels, it’s very important to be aggressive but be smart and learn from that race heading into the Daytona 500.”
What is it like the moments before the Daytona 500?“Sometimes when I am taking pictures in front of my car my mind is already focused on the race. People will ask me about something we talked about before we get in the car and I can’t remember because I was so focused on the race.
When I climb in the car at Daytona I think the first thing I think of is how very thankful I am to get this opportunity. We have so many good things happening in my life, with Trackhouse, (fiancé) Julia (Piquet), the people around me. There is so much hype, so many people in the grandstands and so many people around the car that you can’t even see the cars around you when you jump into the car. Once I get into the car, I try to reset my mind and get going. It takes a little bit of time. Once I get to that point, it’s 100 percent focus on the race and what we must do on the track.”
Predictions for 2023?“I feel like I am going to be able to accomplish so many things with this team this year. This is going to be our best season yet.”

Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Silverado RSTThe new season brings upon a new set of opportunities. You’ve got some new teammates at GMS Racing, but for the most your core group will stay the same. Talk about some of your goals for 2023.“I’ve got a couple new teammates this year with Rajah and Daniel. I’ve known both of them for about a year now and we all respect each other. I know we will work well together. The core group on our No. 23 Chevy stayed the same, and I feel we are in the best shape we’ve ever been in entering the season. 
Superspeedway racing is something I always look forward to, and our GMS guys have put in the time to build us a very nice truck for this year. It is especially great to continue the long relationship with Champion Power Equipment and we are all pumped to get the season started. I can’t thank GMS Racing and Chevrolet enough for putting in the hard work over the off season, and having confidence in our team. As a team we are looking to take advantage of the great opportunity that we have this year, and not leave anything on the table. It all starts Friday night.”

Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Silverado RSTOver the off season, you made a big move over to GMS Racing to compete in your first full-time season in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. You have some previous truck races under your belt, but never at a super speedway, so what have you done to prepare yourself for Friday?“I’ve done a lot of preparation over the winter getting ready for my first superspeedway start in a truck. From watching a previous race broadcasts to relying on past experience from not only some members on my team, but even other drivers and individuals that I’ve gotten to know in the racing industry. Honestly, spending time on iRacing has helped me a lot; with the updated aerodynamic model that the Cup Series cars just received, they share a lot of similar characteristics to how these trucks work together in the draft, so I’ve been practicing a lot on there. I’ve been trying to keep up with the repetition just so I can be as plugged in as possible, so when it comes time to head to Daytona I’ll be ready to go so I don’t feel like as much of a rookie. I’m looking forward to a great year with my No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation team and know we will have some fast GMS Racing Chevrolet teammates to work with the entire race.”

Daniel Dye, No. 43 GMS Racing Silverado RSTThis is a special weekend for you as you get to make your NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut in front of your home town crowd, what does this race mean to you personally?“This race is going to be super cool to get started in Daytona in front of the home crowd. You know, racing at Daytona is just one of those things that I’ve always wanted to do, and I got to do it last year in the ARCA Menards Series, but to come back and do it in the NASCAR Truck Series this year is going to be really cool. I don’t think there’s any better place to start than at Daytona, and getting to run in front of my friends and family is going to be really special. We’ve been putting in a lot of work to make sure that I can make those guys proud down there, and I’m thankful to have the support of everyone that has come on board with our GMS Racing team this week and for the entire year as a whole. I’ll do everything I can to keep the No. 43 Chevy up front throughout the race and have a good time doing it.”
 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2022): 41First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2022): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 833 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 734Laps led to date: 245,544Top-five finishes to date: 4,221Top-10 finishes to date: 8,712                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,167           Chevrolet: 833           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 820                                                                      Ford: 720           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 170 
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Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Team Ready for Speedweeks

February 14, 2023


No matter how many times a professional racer makes their annual wintertime journey to Daytona International Speedway for Speedweeks, there’s always a sense of awe about the race track and the events that are run there, especially the Daytona 500.

The Wood Brothers, who are returning to Daytona with Harrison Burton driving their No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Mustang, have been racing at Daytona in February since the late team founder Glenn Wood drove – and regularly won – on the old beach-road course that preceded the 2.5-mile Superspeedway that opened in 1959.

Burton has been making the trek to Daytona for most of his young life, with his early trips as a child watching his dad Jeff Burton competing there.
  
Brian Wilson, crew chief on the No. 21 Mustang also has a fairly long history as a racer at Daytona. His first Speedweeks was in 2002, when he was an engineer and shock specialist for ARCA veteran Frank Kimmel.
  
“I thought it was so cool,” Wilson said of his Daytona debut. “In that moment I accomplished my goal in racing – to be on a team. 
 
“From there I’ve made other goals, but that time in 2002 was my first one.”
 
He’s returning to the World Center of Racing to start his second year as crew chief for the Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Mustang, and the sense of awe and anticipation that he felt 20 years ago remains just as strong today as it was back in the beginning.
 
“Every year when we start our season in Daytona all of the teams find reasons to have hope,” Wilson said. “There’s an excitement in the garage to see how the season will go.”

Wilson said the No. 21 team’s late-season surge in 2022 has brought an air of optimism to the entire organization as NASCAR heads into its 75th year.
 
“When looking at the end of our season on the No. 21 and how we progressed overall through the year it’s easy to have excitement within our team,” he said, adding that there have been some tweaks to the team’s line-up for 2023. “Within our group we’ve added experience, talent and depth to our roster. We added a new engineer, setup plate specialist and front tire changer, but the core of our 2022 group is still together.
 
“In preparing our car for Daytona we can see the strength of the team as we’re all starting to work together.”
 
There are other changes as well heading into Sunday’s Great American Race.
  
“Another storyline this week will be the new bodies that each manufacturer has for 2023,” Wilson said. “The data that we get shows that Ford has really done an exceptional job in preparing for this change. 
 
“The cars we’re bringing to Daytona are a great balance of drag vs. downforce. The Ford engineers were very efficient.”
 
The first time Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Mustang will be on the track is for single-car qualifying on Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time. 
 
The first of two 60-lap,150-mile Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races is set to get the green flag at 7 p.m. on Thursday followed by the nightcap at about 8:45 p.m.
 
The first Cup practice session is scheduled to start at 5:35 p.m. on Friday, with the second and final practice getting the green flag at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.
 
The 65th-annual Daytona 500 is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, with Stage breaks at Laps 65 and 130. 
 
FOX Sports 1 will carry the TV coverage of the preliminary events, with FOX broadcasting the Daytona 500.

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JUSTIN ASHLEY SECURES KATO FASTENING SYSTEMS FOR 2023 AND BEYOND

PLAINVIEW, NY (February 14, 2023) — Justin Ashley today announced the extension of his relationship with KATO Fastening Systems and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster team. In 2023 Ashley was in Top Fuel championship contention until the final day of the season leading the points throughout the NHRA Countdown. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year tallied three wins and seven final rounds in his third year as a pro. Looking ahead to 2023, KATO Fastening Systems will continue to utilize their NHRA relationship to promote their diverse line-up of fastening systems with a primary focus on the new Perma-Kee Kits.

“Working with KATO Fastening Systems has been a privilege,” said Ashley. “KATO’s entire line of products for the automotive and aerospace industries are top of the line. Their products are used to defend our country and explore space and they help me race safely at over 330 mph. There’s no better testament to the quality and integrity of their products than the stress of a Top Fuel Dragster. I am looking forward to continuing to show the NHRA community the amazing power of KATO Fastening Systems.”

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In 2022 KATO launched their new Tangless Pro-Kits and this year they will be launching the new Perma-Kee Kits. These products are often used by mechanics and motorsports professionals in a variety of applications and genres of racing. 

“KATO Fastening Systems, Inc. (KATO) is thrilled to be continuing our relationship with Justin Ashley Racing for the 2023 season.” Said Al Qaqish, KATO Fastening Systems president. “KATO has been associated with Justin since his inaugural season. It’s been so exciting watching Justin and the entire team improve each year. Last season was the best yet for JAR, everyone is looking forward to another successful season and (fingers crossed) the coveted NHRA championship.”

“Working with Justin and Rich Bailey is an absolute pleasure. They are very professional and always looking to promote KATO and our products. Justin is a great ambassador for our company,” added Qaqish.

KATO is the original inventor of the bi-directional Tangless helical coil screw thread insert and tools. KATO products are used extensively by aerospace and defense companies around the world. You can even find KATO products on Mars. KATO Tangless insert were used in the SuperCam of the Perseverance Rover. KATO manufactures and offers a broad range of products for the automotive and MRO industries. From Perma-Coil (thread repair kits), Perm-Plug (spark plug repair kits), Perma-Kee (key lock inserts) to Perma-Rivets and of course our newest products LockOne (prevents any standard nut from loosening free) and KATO Pro-Kits the world’s first and only Tangless MRO and thread repair kit.

The Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster will hit the track for the season opening Gatornationals March 9-12 at Gainesville Raceway. The event will be broadcast nationally on FS1 and FOX networks.

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Mobile View Returns as Official Jumbotron of Progressive AFT for Eighth Consecutive Season

 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 13, 2023) – Progressive American Flat Track is pleased to confirm that Mobile View will serve as the Official Jumbotron of Progressive AFT for an eighth consecutive season in 2023. For nearly a decade, Mobile View has brought Progressive AFT fans even closer to the action, offering vivid day-and-night imagery courtesy of its state-of-the-art LED video screen technology. With more than two decades of experience across venues and events, Mobile View and its large outdoor LED screens transform every vantage point into the best seat in the house. “Mobile View has played a central role in delivering our fans the most memorable, enjoyable experience possible,” said Gene Crouch, COO of AMA Pro Racing. “Progressive AFT’s athletes produce some incredible action and it’s vitally important we’re able to effectively showcase that action to spectators. Mobile View makes that a reality.” In addition to its role as the series’ Official Jumbotron, Mobile View will again support the sport by recognizing its rising stars by presenting the $7,500 Rookie of the Year award to the rookie rider who earns the most points in this upcoming season’s Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER class. “Mobile View is excited for another great year of Progressive American Flat Track racing,” said John Sweeney, CEO and Owner of Mobile View. “It is our pleasure and honor to continue to support the series, and we’re proud to play a role in helping the sport’s future stars achieve their dreams.” The 2023 Progressive American Flat Track season will launch with the hugely anticipated return of the DAYTONA Short Track I & II at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, March 9 and Friday, March 10. For more information on Mobile View visit https://www.MobileViewScreens.com. For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com. 
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR: World of Outlaws Late Models Prepare for 52nd DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park

The Series takes center stage on Feb. 16-18 after the DIRTcar Late Models on Feb. 13-15

BARBERVILLE, FL – February 13, 2023 – When the calendar turned to February, the annual hunt for a Big Gator trophy began for the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models.  

The Series will make its second and final stop of the season at Volusia Speedway Park for the 52nd Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 16-18, contending for a $187,000 overall purse.

On Thursday, Feb. 16, the World of Outlaws kick off the three-race weekend with a 30-lap, $10,000-to-win Feature, followed by a 40-lap, $12,000-to-win Feature on Friday, Feb. 17.

The week-long Big Gator chase finishes with a 50-lap, $20,000-to-win finale on Saturday, Feb. 18, along with the crowning of a new Big Gator champion.

Also, before the Series kicks off its portion of DIRTcar Nationals, the DIRTcar Late Models are in action Feb. 13-15. 

On Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 13-14, they’ll run a 25-lap Feature paying $7,000-to-win. Then, on Wednesday, Feb. 15, the DIRTcar Late Model field will be split into three Features, each 20 laps paying $5,000 to win.

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App.

Here are some of the storylines to keep an eye on entering DIRTcar Nationals: 

Hunting for 3: Since the first Big Gator trophy was awarded in 2012, no driver has won the week-long chase more than twice.

Devin Moran, Brandon Sheppard, Shane Clanton and Josh Richards have each won two Big Gators, with Moran winning the last two.

The Dresden, OH driver has momentum entering DIRTcar Nationals, sweeping the opening weekend of World of Outlaws action at Volusia Speedway Park during Sunshine Nationals.

Brandon Sheppard has the most DIRTcar Nationals wins out of those four drivers, finding Victory Lane eight times.

Big Gator Champions
2022-Devin Moran
2021-Devin Moran
2020-Brandon Sheppard
2019-Brandon Sheppard
2018-Chris Madden
2017-Shane Clanton
2016-Josh Richards
2015-Shane Clanton
2014-Scott Bloomquist
2013-Josh Richards
2012-Dennis Erb Jr.

Madden Out Front: After the first two World of Outlaws CASE Late Model events, the season-long points chase is off to a “Smokey” start.

Chris Madden leads the standings entering DIRTcar Nationals on the strength of two top-five finishes—eight points ahead of Rookie of the Year contender Nick Hoffman and Brian Shirley.

Madden already has a Big Gator trophy to his credit, winning the week-long hunt in 2018. He also has two Feature victories at the track, coming in 2017 and 2022.

The Gray Court, SC driver hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in 13 straight races at Volusia.

A Thrilling Start: While Hoffman is only eight points behind Madden in the championship standings, his consistency at Sunshine Nationals vaulted him to the top of the Rookie of the Year chase.

The Mooresville, NC driver turned heads at Volusia in January, scoring two top 10s and leading six laps of a Feature. 

Hoffman has a 40-point lead in the chase for rookie of the year over Payton Freeman and is 48 points ahead of Johnny Scott.

He’s also no stranger to success at DIRTcar Nationals, collecting seven Big Gator trophies and 21 Feature wins in a DIRTcar UMP Modified. 

A Wide Variety: DIRTcar Nationals sports one of the most challenging fields of the season for dirt Late Model racing.

That was apparent last year, as six drivers found Victory Lane throughout the week.

Ricky Thornton, Jr., Ryan Gustin, Brandon Overton, Dale McDowell, defending Series champion Dennis Erb Jr., and Madden each took home a gator last season.

For Gustin and Thornton, their DIRTcar Late Model Feature wins were their first at Volusia. 

Thornton, Gustin, and Overton enter the week with momentum as they’ve each found Victory Lane during Florida-Georgia Speedweeks.

Century Mark: Last season, Tanner English became the 99th driver to win a World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Feature, meaning history is on the line at DIRTcar Nationals.

The next driver to win a Feature for the first time will bring the Series to the century mark.

World of Outlaws regulars like Boom Briggs, Brent Larson, and Gordy Gundaker are searching for their elusive first checkered flag, along with names like Thornton, Hudson O’Neal, and 2021 Series Rookie of the Year Tyler Bruening. 

Those drivers are just the beginning of a substantial list of competitors searching for their first gator trophy and World of Outlaws win.

WHEN AND WHERE

Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL
TICKETS:  www.DIRTcarNationals.com  

ABOUT THE TRACK

Volusia Speedway Park is a 1/2-mile dirt oval

ONLINE
Volusia Speedway Park: www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com

TRACK RECORDS

Volusia Speedway Park: 
15.507 by Devin Moran on Jan. 19, 2023  

On the Internet
World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Series
Twitter – Twitter.com/WoOLateModels – @WoOLateModels
Instagram – Instagram.com/WoOLateModels – @woolatemodels
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

Around the Turn: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models travel to Smoky Mountain Speedway for the 10th annual Tennessee Tipoff March 3-4. For Tickets: CLICK HERE. 

Feature Winners: (1 Driver)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

  1. Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2

Heat Race Winners (7 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

  1. Nick Hoffman, Mooresville, NC-2
    Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-2
    Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2
  2. Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY-1
    Max Blair, Centerville, PA-1
    Ricky Thornton Jr, Adel, IA-1
    Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC-1

Last Chance Showdown Winners (5 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

  1. Mark Whitener, Middleburg, FL-1
    Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN-1
    Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, NC-1
    Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-1
    Tanner English, Benton, KY-1

Podium Finishes (4 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Podiums

  1. Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2
    Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY-2
  2. Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-1
    Ricky Thornton Jr., Adel, IA-1

Fox Factory Hard Charger (1 Driver)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – H.C.

  1. Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1
    Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-1

Quick Times (1 Driver)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – QTs

  1. Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-1
    Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-1

CASE Feature Lap Leaders (4 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Laps Led

  1. Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-24
  2. Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY-19
  3. Nick Hoffman, Mooresville, NC-6
  4. Ricky Thornton Jr., Adel, IA-1

2023 World of Outlaws Late Model Schedule & Winners

  1. Thursday, Jan. 19 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Devin Moran (1)
  2. Friday, Jan. 20/ Volusia Speedway Park/ Barberville, FL/ Devin Moran (2)

Racer News and Results