Manufacturer Notes and Quotes from Xfinity Series at Daytona

TOYOTA QUOTES

 

HARRISON BURTON, No. 20 DEX Imaging Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

Let’s hear about today.

“We had a good day. We fought back from a lot of adversity. We got damage. My team did a good job repairing it. We kind of still couldn’t poke through the hole like we needed too, but the 66 (Timmy Hill) got lined up behind me. Noah (Gragson) got out front about a car and a half and I thought ‘He might be in trouble here’, but then the caution came out. Just really proud of our guys. We had a tough day. I think that there were a couple times in the race that we were down and out, and our guys clawed it out. I was proud of that effort.”

If not for the caution, did you have enough of a run?

“Yeah, I thought so. I was just happy to be in that position to have a run and have a shot at it. There were a couple times that we about got wrecked and we missed it by an inch. My buddy John Andretti had my back out there. That was cool. It sucks that I couldn’t win for him and his family. We were close, but not quite all the way.”

 

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Interstate Batteries Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 5th

Great day. Second consecutive top five to start the year.

“Yeah, I think we had the car to win this race this afternoon. It was really about positioning yourself – it always is when it comes to a track like this. We had a great company day. Harrison (Burton) was up inside the top five with us, as well. He did a really good job as well. I wish I could have finished out that little bit at the end there to see what it would have ended up like. I thought that outside lane – making that move to go up there – was the right call.”

 

RILEY HERBST, No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 32nd

Were you cleared there and just didn’t have enough space or what happened there?

“No. Coming to stage end, I went up to - I think it was the 9 (Noah Gragson) on the outside - get up the final side draft and came back down and somebody was there. It sucks. Move on to go back home to Vegas next week and we’ll go from there.”

Were you sticking to the strategy?  We you pretty good in position there?

“Yeah, I thought we were running good. Got shuffled back a few times  - pit strategy, things of that nature. Made our way  back up to, I don’t know, probably the top six or seven and then time to go get stage points and went to go side draft and when I came back down there, I don’t know who was there, but baely got us. It’s a bummer. Sorrry for everybody out there.”

 

AUSTIN HILL, No. 61 AISIN Group Toyota Supra, Hattori Racing Enterprises

Finishing Position: 35th

What happened in that crash?

“It always seems like any time at a superspeedway that we try to play it safe and try to make it to the end, something like this happens. I kind of knew better. I should have been aggressive. That’s what we do in the Truck Series and it normally pays dividines to us and we get good finishes out of it. That’s just something that we kind of put ourselves in a bad position – or I put us in a bad position – kind of being back there. The 1 (Michael Annett) got loose and started spinning. I was checking up. I knew he was going to come back up the track and then the 08 (Joe Graf, Jr.) just out of nowhere comes in. I don’t know where he thought he was going, but I guess he didn’t know where the brake pedal was. He was all mad at me when he got out, and was telling me to use my head. I don’t know what he was talking about because he had plenty of time. He could have lifted out of the gas, used the brakes. There was no reason we should have been double file right there. We should have gotten single-filed out and been able to both make it through the crash. Yeah, it’s tough to swallow. Having such a good run last night in the truck race, and I was hoping for a decent finish. I wasn’t expecting to go out there and light the world on fire and win or anything, but I was hoping for a nice, solid finish for all of our sponsors: AISIN, United Rentals, just everybody that lets me do what I love to do. Our Supra was pretty good. A little tight all day, but we will move forward and go to the next one.”  

Ford Performance

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 98 Highpoint.com Ford Mustang – Finished 5th
“That one is going to sting for awhile for sure. I feel like we were
making more moves than anybody and I thought I was going to have a
really good shot there at the end. I don’t know what was up with the
19, he couldn’t give me any help on the bottom. It was just one of
those where you wish you would have picked the top. We went on the
bottom because at the time it felt like the right decision. For our
first race with Highpoint.com to almost put them in victory lane here
at Daytona would have been pretty special. We will go on to Las Vegas
next week and I feel like we will have a good car next week. This is a
good way to start the season. You can bury yourself in points here, so
for us to come out with a fourth place finish and a clean race car to
go to Talladega goes a long way.”

WHAT ABOUT THAT INCIDENT BEFORE THE LAST ONE WHERE EVERYONE GOT
STACKED UP BEHIND YOU? “I had just taken the lead and I saw them
wrecking in my rearview mirror. I don’t really know what happened. I
wish that caution didn’t come out though. I had taken control of the
lead and feel like I could have blocked my way to the win. It just
wasn’t in the cards today. But we will go to Las Vegas next week where
I feel like we are going to be strong and hopefully get this Ford
Mustang in victory lane.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang – Finished 25th
 “I was just watching the replay there.  It looks like it was in a
tough spot or he got compressed pretty hard, but it was definitely the
push that I gave him that sent him around, but I thought I pushed him
in the right spot.  It was obviously the time in the race to push, so
it’s unfortunate.  I wish our MoneyLion Ford Mustang would have been
there to see the end of the race.  We obviously ran up front all day,
but it’s too bad to tear up some cars, but that’s what you get here at
Daytona.”

WHAT HAPPENED?  “Everyone is trying to make moves happen.  It’s
Daytona.  Everyone is in a pack.  Everyone is pushing hard.  The 98
jumped up in front of the pack.  The 9 car jumped in front of the top
lane, so it really compressed us.  I thought I gave the 8 the right
push at the right spot in the bumper, so I don’t really know why he
got loose there.  Maybe he was trying to move, but overall it was
unfortunate.  We had a fast MoneyLion Ford Mustang.  We ran up front
all day and just could never get me and Chase synced up to where we
could help each other.  You were usually just fighting teammates, so
that’s what was difficult about today, but we’re going to Vegas and
start our season.”

WHAT WAS THE PLAN IF THE RACE STAYED GREEN?  “The first goal is to
have a Ford win the race.  That’s the big deal and obviously we had
the two of us and the 19 was probably the wild car, whether he was
gonna go with us or the JRM guys, but the game changed pretty quickly
there.  I wasn’t expecting it to go all green.  It never does in these
races, so it’s just unfortunate we weren’t able to make the top lane
work there and ended our day.”


 

Ron Fleshman

RIS NASCAR Editor.  Has been with RIS since the middle 90's. Writes on each of the three main series of NASCAR.

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Volume 2020, Issue 2, Posted 8:56 PM, 02.15.2020