Talladega Qualifying Quotes FOR THE GEICO 500

Team Chevy:

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CAMARO ZL1 POST QUALIFYING TRANSCRIPT:   WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GET THE FIRST POLE FOR THE 3 CAR AT TALLADEGA IN 25 YEARS?

“I’m a numbers kind of guy and you correlate all those numbers together – it’s the 50th anniversary for RCR, 50th for Talladega. Talladega is where RCR kind of started in 1969. I’m pumped to be here in the No. 3 car. Danny Stockman (crew chief) and the boys did a great job building a fast car and you want to go out there and make some noise and they did that. I give all the credit to those guys. Tomorrow it’s up to us to keep that car up front and hopefully make a real iconic win for RCR and everyone here at Talladega.”  

HOW BIG IS IT TO HAVE DANNY STOCKMAN BACK? “Stockman is my guy. He’s a grinder. He’s like me. We’re cut from the same cloth when it comes to just competitive nature. We hate to lose at anything and it’s nice to have that back just because he pushes me for every little bit he can get. We were second right there in that first round and he was talking to me about my line and where I can make up some speed. It’s pretty tough to cut feet out of this track because it’s so big. I did my best for him, I didn’t spin the tire leaving that time and I think that kind of jumped us up a little bit – enough to get the pole.”  

HOW DO YOU KEEP THE LEAD TOMORROW IF IT’S TOO DANGEROUS TO BLOCK? “I think having people behind you that you can trust is a big key to that. Getting those Bowties up front and working together, that will be a big part of it. Blocking is going to be tougher for the ducts in the front, but it’s a part of the game. We’ll just have to test it out early and see what it is. I definitely don’t want to give up that front position, but there are going to be guys – just the front guy seems to be a little bit of a sitting duck. There will be a lot of movement on the track tomorrow, hopefully it’s good movement and not cars going the other way.”  

HOW MUCH DID IT BOTHER YOU AT DAYTONA THAT A CHEVY TEAM WORKED WITH ANOTHER MANUFACTURER? “I think that’s in the past. I think it’s cool that we’ve learned from that and moved forward. I think it was cool today sitting in there with all of our guys in one group having a group discussion about what we need to do to accomplish our goals for tomorrow.”  

WHAT WAS THE MEETING ABOUT TODAY WITH THE CHEVY TEAMS? “I think we’re just unified as a group now and in a better position to work hard. We know we saw other teams doing a really good job of it here at Talladega last year. For us, that was just about working together to get a Chevrolet to victory lane the best we can. Put ourselves all in a better position and that’s just kind of what it was, working together was the message.”  

IS THERE AN ORDER FROM CHEVROLET TO ONLY HELP CHEVROLETS OR MORE OF A SUGGESTION? “I think it’s just looking at what the other teams have been successful in the last couple plate races, you look at those guys and they’re grouping up and they’re dictating the race. We don’t want to be in that position where we’re having to fight from behind the whole time and we have good numbers at Chevy and we need to use them. Honestly, it’s just looking at what the competition has done and trying to make it better. Do our job to be better at it.”  

IS IT MORE OF AN EMPHASIS BECAUSE CHEVY HASN’T WON THIS SEASON? “I don’t think it’s any more of an emphasis if we didn’t have this meeting, we would just still be behind. I think everybody with the other manufacturers have done a good job of doing this and instead of sitting back and playing it the old way of speedway racing, we’ve decided to take it as a group effort and I think you’ll see that tomorrow. I truly hope so. It’s our first time. These guys have been working at it for a couple races now and they’ve kind of done a good job perfecting how to get to the front and work together. We’re still working as a group. We have a young group of Chevy drivers there, a little less experience, but we as a group have done a good job over the weekend and last couple weeks. This is not just our first meeting about it. We’ve been talking about it a little bit behind the scenes and leading up to Talladega to do our best job as a group to work together.”  

WERE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE CONFISCATED DECKLID IMPACTING YOUR PERFORMANCE TODAY OR ANY PENALTIES GOING FORWARD? “I knew it wasn’t going to hurt our performance. It’s not from a speed and penalty-wise, it wasn’t something. We were just fixing a problem and it turned out we didn’t need to do that. I’m sure Stockman was spun out about it, but speed-wise, I knew it wasn’t going to hurt us and moving forward, I hope that NASCAR takes into effect the entire story of it and whatever is dealt our way, we’ll handle it and go on from there. I’m just happy that RCR has brought a lot of speed to the track this year, we’re running toward the front more where I feel like as a driver and as a team, we can compete with these guys and consistently if we are, Richmond was awesome for us. We really had a car capable of running in that top-three group and had a bad stop at the end. More of these type of races where we show speed and we’re constantly up there, we’re going to have a chance to win a race and lock ourselves into the Playoffs. That’s what I’m more concerned with. You fight for points all year long, but we need to have a shot to win the championship and that’s our ultimate goal.”  

DO YOU FEEL MOMENTUM AT RCR? “Truthfully, speed-wise, I feel like we’ve had momentum all year. You go back to Vegas, Fontana I sat on the pole. I’m really proud of us as a company with what we showed up to this year with the packages. The Xfinity team has been kicking butt all year. With Randall and Tyler Reddick, they’ve been impressive so that’s always good moral in the shop. Just the edge that brings running up front, it keeps the guys wanting to do more, wanting to go faster and that’s what you love seeing out of a group at RCR that’s been here for a long time. The fire is lit and when that fire is lit, we can be tough to beat.”   \

DO YOU FEEL THE RELATIONSHIP IS REKINDLED WITH DANNY STOCKMAN? “That relationship has never really gone away. It has distanced itself, but now I feel like – I told him after one of the races, we had a practice at Phoenix and we started yelling back and forth at each other and we were fast in the practice. I told him we were going to do this and he was like, all right. We did it and the car didn’t respond to what I wanted and then he did what he wanted to do and it went fast again. After practice I told him that was the best practice we’ve had since we’ve been separated and that I loved him again. It was just me and him joking with each other, but it was a good race for us at Phoenix and it kind of got us back on the right path. He’s just constantly on me and that’s what I have to have, I have to have that guy and I’m a fiery personality and he hates to lose at anything when it’s both practice sessions, qualifying and the race – I love that. That’s the mentality you should have every weekend, as a company and as a race team. Everybody should want to win everything they do.”  

FORD  

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang

Qualified: 6th

“I didn’t really have any feelings before today. I don't care what the package is. Speedway racing is speedway racing. We are all going to be close together and learn a lot tomorrow. I don't think anybody learned anything in Friday’s session. We had one session with this package. We will learn throughout the day tomorrow and make sure we learn as much as we can so that we can do the right thing at the end of the race to put ourselves in position to win.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang

Qualified: 2nd

“I think we got pretty close to backing up what we ran in the first round there but I felt like the win picked up a little bit more. I don't know if that was it or what the case was. All in all, it was a great run for us. I am happy about starting on the front row with good track position to start the race and a good pit stall. All those things matter.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Knauf Ford Mustang

Qualified: 7th

“We got some drafting runs on Friday and I thought it helped. Especially when you have a new package like this. This package is way different than what we had and I think you will see a way different race that we have seen here the past few years. It is new and exciting and there are going to be a lot of lead changes and comers and goers and you just get massive runs on people. That is pretty neat. It will be exciting for sure.”

CLINT BOWYER, No. 14 Toco Warranty Ford Mustang

Qualified: 3rd

HOW WAS YOUR CAR? “So far so good. I actually was surprised that we picked up as much as we did that second lap. We made a little adjustment on the car and woke it up. We picked up a little over a tenth or so. I was excited about that. I was sitting on the couch watching the Xfinity race and usually you are watching that and learning but the whole time I was watching today I kept thinking, ‘Man, I don't know I am going to be doing that tomorrow.’ I think the face of the race and what you are going to see is drastically changed with the way those cars are pulling up and racing. It is easy to have something new and get excited and oversell it a little bit. It will probably calm down on the long runs. I hope so fora  little while. If not, it will be difficult to find a place to hide. That is what you are going to need to do, hide an automobile to keep it from flying through the air.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang

Qualified: 8th

HARVICK SAYS THERE WILL HAVE TO BE MORE RESPECT AMONG THE DRIVERS SO THAT THERE ISN’T CHAOS. WHAT DO YOU THINK? “I would agree. The runs are bigger and they come really fast and if you throw one of those late blocks, it is going to be chaos, or even if you realize a car is coming at you four or five mile per hour faster, you can’t stop that very well. Before, you could see it coming and everything happens a little slower motion. It will be really fast now. If cars are willing to make late moves, there is going to be a penalty to pay and unfortunately it is going to be cars that had nothing to do with it that get tied up in it. Everyone needs to give each other some room and learn what we can and can’t do early in the race.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Snap On Ford Mustang

Qualified: 4th

“We will run and try to get to the front. Same as we always have. We will control what we can control. Hopefully we will be the one to win.”

YOU WERE THE MASTER AT BLOCKING AND GETTING IN FRONT OF RUNS. CAN YOU DO THAT HERE NOW? “Track position is going to be really important. If you can get out front and to the lead that is going to be really helpful, just like before. You are going to see a lot of shuffling in the middle of the field the entire race. I don't think you will see single-file to the wall because the cars are getting such bigger runs. We will see. I have been wrong before.”

WILL YOU STILL BE ABLE TO WORK WITH TEAMMATES OR WILL THAT BE HARDER? “I don't know. It could be a little tougher. I could see that. I really need to get a race under my belt to understand exactly what we are going to see.”

RYAN NEWMAN, No. 6 Acorns Ford Mustang

Qualified: 24th

“I think it is raw speed and the fact that the cars are higher in the back. I think that is the biggest concern in my eyes. The big runs and all that stuff, we have had that in the past. We have had no runs in the past and had boring races. There is a balance to all of it. I just hope everybody makes it through safe. It is what every drivers wife’s biggest concern.”

DO YOU REALLY EXPECT HERE AT TALLADEGA FOR THE REST OF THE FIELD TO GIVE EVERYONE A LITTLE EXTRA RESPECT? “I think it will for a little bit but not for 188 laps. At some point it goes out the window and it just matters how many cars are still running good at that point.”

TOYOTA

TOYOTA QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Qualifying Position: 20th

How did yesterday go and how do you feel about the race tomorrow?

“Yesterday was interesting, we had a lot to learn with the new package coming here. We unloaded off the trailer pretty far off. Just the way the car drove. We have a lot to do, but the guys did a good job making it better for second practice and thought we ended in a pretty decent spot. Made some more changes for tomorrow. We’ll have to see, it’s going to be part of the learning curve, it’s a lot different. Looking forward to it. It should be a lot of fun. I felt like yesterday was pretty exciting in practice and usually that leads to a pretty fun race.”

Does it mean anything that it’s been several years since a pole winner won at Talladega, why is that?

“I think it does mean something. If your car is trimmed out to go fast by itself, sometimes you struggle a little bit in traffic and I think with this package that we have now, with more downforce than ever and the turbulence, that’s probably something we’ll be hearing about tomorrow and the next time we come back here. It’s going to be tricky, the cars are going to be a handful. It’s going to be really fast and the runs are big. It’s going to be really different from what we’ve done here the past few years. It’s going to be fun, I think. We’ll see what we can do, hopefully we’re one of the guys left at the end near the front.”

Is it possible for the drivers to be more respectful in the race with the closing speeds?

“Definitely possible and I think you’re going to have to respect your blocking a lot more than normal because the runs are so big. Our sitelines in the rearview mirror are way worse than they’ve ever been as far as having that wicker. The tall spoiler and the wicker – there’s only a little window of clear lexan on that spoiler that you can actually see through. It’s hard to judge the closing rate when it’s so fast like it was yesterday and like it will be tomorrow that you’ll have to definitely mind your blocking and try not to make any close call blocks. It’s going to jam up the whole field and cause a wreck. I think it’s possible, but when we get down towards the end, nobody is going to do any of that and it’s going to be mayhem. Hopefully we’re one of the guys left at the end and we can go for it.”

 

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Qualifying Position: 22nd

Do you think the leader will be able to defend with the runs people are getting with this package?

“I think the leader can block and defend. The runs today in the Xfinity race, you kind of saw were a bit slower and got stagnant as the guy got closer from behind. I don’t think you’ll have the same effect happen tomorrow. The runs will be greater and the guy up front is still going to try to block, but I guess it’s a matter of how nice the guy behind you is and whether or not he’ll hit the brakes or drive through you.”

 

Do you feel you have the block in the right way to not wreck?

“You kind of have to see it coming. If you know a guy’s going to block, you can kind of roll out a little bit and slow that run down, then you can not crash the car in front of you, but you take the risk of getting crashed from behind. There’s a lot of different things that you have to weigh. Just yesterday, there was a guy that pulled down in front of a run that me and six other guys had and I had to stop. I had no other choice because I had somebody on my outside too. The fourth guy in line back there about got wrecked. There’s going to be an accordian effect.”

Are you comfortable with the closing speeds?

“It doesn’t matter, it’s just a matter of all of us knowing what’s going on and being respectful to what’s going on and trying to race and not try to win from lap 100 to lap 185.”

Will all the drivers have to be more respectful in tomorrow’s race?

“The cars are definitely edgy on the straightaways. We’ve got greater downforce on them, but for some reason there’s just no left-rear grip as we’re going down the straightaways. When you get bumped from behind, they want to turn sideways the wrong way. Somebody is going to get crashed from behind tomorrow from being pushed and not being able to control that slip on the straightaway, but we’ll play it out and hopefully tomorrow I can just walk out of here at the end of the race.”

Does the wicker on the spoiler impact your vision through the rearview mirror?

“It does a little bit. It’s probably a good thing for guys trying to throw blocks and be able to see. The more limited you are at being able to see, the less you’ll see and hopefully they won’t throw bad blocks.”

 

ERIK JONES, No. 20 Stanley Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Qualifying Position: 27th

What will you be thinking about tonight to prepare for tomorrow’s race?

“Just trying to get a game plan for tomorrow and how it’s going to race. We don’t know how it’s going to play out yet and I think our Stanley Camry drives good in traffic from yesterday and that’s all that matters. We didn’t make a mock run, didn’t work on single-car speed so it kind of is what it is there. As far as the race, I think we’ll just figure it out as we go tomorrow.”

How does the Chevrolet camp working alone impact the strategy for the Toyota’s tomorrow?

“We’re kind of on our own this weekend with our six or seven cars that we have. It hurts us a little bit, but with this package it’s probably going to be less of an impact than it was in Daytona in February. It’s just going to be really scattered I feel like tomorrow because there’s going to be guys learning so much and we don’t know how the runs are going to develop and how the line’s going to develop, where we’re going to run – top or bottom. I think it’s going to be a little bit easier than it was so fewer cars won’t hurt as much as it did.”

Do you expect there to be less blocking in tomorrow’s race?

“I think everybody is still going to be blocking if you get up in the lead. It’s the only matter of defense that we have to keep it. It’s going to cause a wreck at some point just because the runs are so big. You’re going to have a guy with a lot of energy and a lot of momentum coming and somebody is going to make a big block. Even if they don’t want to turn the guy around, they’re not going to have time to slow down. It’s going to cause an issue at some point.”