MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
POCONO RACEWAY
POCONO 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 31, 2019
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 met with media to discuss the impact of the changes to the weekend schedule, his confidence level from his consistently strong finishes, the potential effects of the rules package, his perspective on changes to bring more of the younger generation into the sport, and more. Full Transcript:
THIS WEEKEND IS A DIFFERENT SCHEDULE THAT NASCAR COULD POTENITALLY GO WITH IN THE FUTURE. WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT IMPACT COULD HAVE AND HOW DO YOU THINK TEAMS WILL RESPOND TO IT?
“It definitely is a lot different for us. It’s kind of like what we do at Talladega. There will be a lot less time to make changes between those two practices and if you’re off, it’s going to be harder and more stressful to get a large amount of changes made between those two practices. I think trying to execute through those practices is probably going to be more critical because of the lack of time to get everything done and get through tech before qualifying. I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow. It’s going to be weird basically having the whole day off with just qualifying, so it’s definitely very different.”
THIS LAST MONTH SEEMS LIKE IT’S BEEN A GREAT MONTH FOR YOU, SPECIFICALLY, AND LAST TIME YOU CAME OUT OF HERE WITH A TOP THREE. DOES THAT GIVE YOU ANY EXTRA CONFIDENCE COMING BACK HERE THIS WEEKEND?
“Absolutely. I think our cars have been really strong here lately. It’s been a lot of fun going to the race track the last month. I’ve definitely been enjoying that and I’m really proud of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. All four of our cars have been really strong lately, so that’s been good. Obviously, we had a really strong day at the second race here last year. The package is so different that I don’t think there is much we can really transfer over. I don’t think you’ll be wide open, but it’s going to be very little lifting and not a lot of brakes. Everything is going to be very different. I’m excited to see how it’s going to drive. I like new and different things, so I’m looking forward to that. I’m definitely confident coming in; I’m not sure what we can carry over from last year though.”
LOOKING AT THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTION MARKS FOR MICHIGAN AS FAR AS WHAT TO EXPECT. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FOR THE HIGH SPEEDS AND HIGHER DOWNFORCE?
“I think it’s going to look somewhat like Kansas. I think Kansas and Michigan are the two tracks that compliment this package the most. I don’t know what the weather is going to be like, but if it’s cool, you’re going to be able to run wide open pretty much the whole race. It’s probably not going to be as double-file as Kansas, just because Kansas has widened out so much more than Michigan has. If you look at the Xfinity race last year with that package, it was a pretty good race I thought. I think it was very interesting how you had to work the air. I’m looking forward to that; I think it’s going to be a really good race for the fans. If there was a place where this package was going to give a desired effect and the closest racing, it’s going to be those two race tracks.”
DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR THE OFF WEEKEND?
“I moved houses the last off weekend and I’m moving my shop this off weekend, so more moving and not a lot of fun. I’ll just be getting the shop moved and prepping for Chili Bowl.”
QUALIFYING WILL BE MOVING RATHER QUICKLY. IS THAT HARD OR ARE YOU GUYS JUST USE TO WHATEVER THEY GIVE YOU TO DO?
“You roll up in staging and you’re just in the car ready to go. You go when they tell you. It’s different being single-car qualifying. I think there is a little more pressure and anxiousness just sitting there waiting for the last couple of cars to go before you roll out. You kind of just want to get it over with once you’re in the car. I don’t know if it’s going to be much different. I’m curious to see how it’s going to drive and how close to wide open we can be, but I’m looking forward to it.”
WHEN YOU ARE SITTING THERE WATCHING AND WAITING, ARE YOU AWARE OF WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING OR ARE YOU TRYING TO FOCUS ONLY ON YOUR OWN DEAL?
“You can try to look at what others are doing if you have a ‘Fan Vision’ or if your crew chief is talking to you, but once you get in the car, there’s not a whole lot you can see or watch for. Really, you’re not in the car until five to seven cars before you go, so when you’re outside of the car, you’re definitely watching really closely what everyone else is doing.”
WE JUST HAD TY (DILLON) IN HERE TALKING ABOUT HIS PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT THE SPORT CAN DO TO BRING IN SOME OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION AS FANS. AS A YOUNG PERSON YOURSELF, IS THIS SOMETHING YOU THINK ABOUT AND WAYS TO GROW THE SPORT?
“To be honest, I’ve kind of just been focused on myself and trying to get running better. I think there are a lot of things that we can say are easy to do, but we also really need to appreciate the fans that we already have and take care of them a lot as well. There’s kind of a fine balance, but what I think is cool about NASCAR is that they are so willing to make changes and always trying to improve the product. Other sports do that somewhat, but not to the extent that NASCAR does. While I might not have any huge ideas, I heard some of Ty (Dillon)’s stuff and it sounded pretty good. I think we have to balance taking care of the fans that we have and make it inviting for new fans, as well. I think NASCAR does a good job of that.”
TY (DILLON) ALSO MENTIONED THAT POCONO IS A PLACE ON THE CIRCUIT THAT REALLY WANTS TO ADAPT TO CHANGE AND BE IN THE FRONT OF CHANGE. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU’VE NOTICED AND APPRECITE AS WELL?
“Yeah, for sure. I think this is always a cool race track to come to. The race track alone is unique and different than anywhere else we go, but with the doubleheader we are going to have here next year, that’s going to be pretty neat. I’m excited to learn about how that’s going to work and how that’s going to play out. This is a great place and it’s good to have tracks that are willing to change, as well.”
GIVEN THE CHANGES TO THE CARS THIS YEAR, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT RESTARTS TO BE LIKE HERE?
“Restarts here are always interesting anyway, just with how long you have until you get to turn one and how crucial the draft was even without drag on the cars. The draft is just going to be more crucial. You’re going to be four or five wide just like we always have been getting into turn one and then it’s going to all funnel down and narrow out fairly quickly. They are going to be very crucial. This place is hard to pass. Once you get buried in traffic, it’s tough. Restarts are going to be very key; track position is going to be very key. It will be exciting.”
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
