| QUOTABLE QUOTES:
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 GAINBRIDGE CAMARO ZL1
“Looking forward for the opportunity to rebound at Bristol with the Gainbridge Camaro. We’ve had decent speed there the last couple of races, so we need to execute a solid day and try to walk away with a top-10.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 MOUNTAIN DEW / CHEETOS CAMARO ZL1
“I’m looking forward to getting back in the Cup car at Bristol. Bristol is a racetrack we’ve had success at in 2022 so hopefully we can learn from the things we have done well. Last year we had speed in practice but had an incident early in the race. I’m excited to see what we can make happen.”
DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 31 CIRKUL CAMARO ZL1
“I’ve always loved Bristol. The timing of the race is going to be fun seeing how the track changes and evolves from the beginning of the weekend and throughout the mid parts of the race. You go through such a big swing, so we’re going to build some versatility within our car. Hopefully we can give ourselves an opportunity to contend as the laps wind down. It’s a long event, but it’s one of the most fun ones we run.”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 BALL PARK BUNS & ROLLS CAMARO ZL1
Are you looking forward to being back on concrete at Bristol even though you had success on the dirt surface?
“Yeah, we had two top-fives and felt like we had a really good shot of winning the first race on the dirt, but I feel like our cars are just not made for dirt racing. Bristol is by far my favorite race track so I’m really excited to go back to the concrete race track, the red and white painted walls are sick and I can’t wait to get there and rub up close to the wall with those things. I think Bristol puts on one of the best races that we have throughout the season and I’m looking forward to being on concrete for both races this season.”
What would a win at Bristol mean to you?
“We finished second quite a few times in Cup and in the Xfinity Series. Bristol is kind of that next one that I want to check off the list. Obviously, the Bristol night race is probably at the top of everybody’s Bristol races, but at this point I would take any Bristol win. Man, it would be huge and it would be a big boost for our season. We’ve been strong at times and I feel like Bristol we can maybe put everything together that we’ve been working on this offseason and looking forward to getting there this weekend.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
Bowman on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:
“I think this weekend may play out similar to the fall race- even though it’s not a playoff race. It’s going to be exciting; Bristol (Motor Speedway) always is that. I’m looking forward to it. It would be an awesome place to win and hopefully we can make that happen.”
BLAKE HARRIS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
Harris on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:
“The fall race at Bristol (Motor Speedway) was pretty strong for the No. 48 Ally team. We had a top-10 run going and sat I think in the sixth to eighth position most of the day. (We) didn’t have the speed to get in the top five. Track position is super important, so we need to go qualify well and then I think we have pretty good baselines. A couple teammates ran really well in that race as well and we were just outside the top five ourselves so with a few tweaks off of our notes, I feel good about where we are going.”
ZANE SMITH, NO. 71 FOCUSED HEALTH CAMARO ZL1
Bristol is the first short track of the season, how are you feeling going into Sunday’s race?
“Our goal is to keep getting better each weekend. Bristol is definitely its own animal, but a fun track to race. The fans always provide a great atmosphere there and I am looking forward to being able to race on both Saturday and Sunday. It’s going to be a busy weekend but a lot of fun.”
CARSON HOCEVAR, NO. 77 GAINBRIDGE CAL RIPKEN SR. FDN. CAMARO ZL1
You’ve secured two consecutive top-15 finishes to kick off your rookie year. How are you staying focused and motivated to maintain this momentum and build on your impressive start?
“I feel like we’ve been able to capitalize on a couple challenging races and finish in the top 15. Both races ended up being solid days for points. It all builds together. So, to keep momentum, we keep bringing fast race cars and capitalize, adapt and overcome any challenges that are thrown our way. That way you know when we have those good days, we’ll really let the results show.”
Last year, your best NCS finish was an 11th at Bristol, where you even reached fifth by the end of stage two. What strategies can you use to replicate that success and potentially achieve an even better result at Bristol this time around?
“You know, we got to fifth and had to hold on with a loose wheel and finished in 11th which really showed the strength of our racecar that week, to be able to hold on like that for 130 laps. So, I think Luke and I, having that notebook of confidence walking into this place with the help of our pit crew, we should be able to have a better finish than what we got in the fall.” |
