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| Austin Dillon was 50-to-1 to win at Atalnta before practices. |
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST FINAL PRACTICE QUOTES
FEBRUARY 23, 2019
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CAMARO ZL1 – Fastest Chevrolet in the final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice
YOU HAVE A REALLY FAST CAR THIS WEEKEND. HOW DO YOU FEEL AFTER THAT PRACTICE SESSION?
“Well, the car has got speed we’ve just got to do a better job of making it hold on right now. So, we have been a little bit all over the board. I felt like there were certain runs during that practice we were pretty decent, but man, traffic is pretty tough. We’ve got to really work on our car on handle in traffic the next couple of weeks. The car has potential it’s just us trying to nail it when it counts.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO BE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TOMORROW? DO YOU THINK THE WEATHER IS GOING TO HAVE THE MOST IMPACT?
“No, I just think traffic will be the biggest impact. It’s so hard to move around. Right now, I’m kind of wanting those ducts back that we had in the Vegas test in the front. Because when a big hole gets punched in the air tomorrow with all the cars it’s going to be interesting for sure to see who maneuvers and can maneuver the best in traffic.”
HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO TAKE ANY OF THE LESSONS YOU LEARNED IN THE VEGAS TEST?
“Atlanta is a different animal. We brought speed from Vegas to here, which was nice. We’ve got some speed, but the way the car falls off we’ve really got to hopefully hit it tonight when it counts between the three of us, the crew chiefs, the two engineers, to make sure we get the balance that we need. Been confident in our guys, they are doing a good job and really methodically working through things, but it’s a lot to take in in a short period of time, so hopefully we are the guys that are the smartest when it comes to putting the right adjustments in the car.”
SECOND RACE WORKING WITH DANIEL HEMRIC AS A TEAMMATE IN THE CUP SERIES. WHAT HAS THAT BEEN LIKE?
“Well, we haven’t had a ton to talk about yet, but we will. We are going to go debrief right now after practice. Our cars are a little different, so, he seemed to be pretty happy with his on a long run which is nice, so we can maybe look at some of the stuff he is doing and we have some good short-run speed. So, just trying to find the right mixture between the two.”
WITH THE HIGHER CORNER SPEEDS IS IT HARDER TO CATCH THE CAR IF YOU HAVE AN ISSUE?
“Well, I think you are really confident out there with the downforce that are in the cars so you drive aggressively and I think that moment is just a bigger moment when it happens because you are hanging it out there already, so when you slip the grip that you have, it is a big correction. So, you have to correct it really quick, you have to get in front of it. Vegas was the same way in traffic. If you lost the air on the car, you had to stop pretty much to save it. But, yeah, it’s going to be an interesting race. It will be wild for sure.”
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE GARAGE THAT SAY RCR HAS TAKEN A BIG STEP FORWARD. ARE YOU GUYS FEELING THAT?
“I think we have definitely taken a step forward in the speed of our cars, but we really have to do a good job of executing now at this point and making sure our car holds on. We busted off a really fast lap in that practice, but we didn’t hold on very well. There is happy medium between the two and that is what we are looking for. So, yeah, but I am very proud of the off season that we have had, the Vegas test was a great testament to that, so I can’t wait to get out there. I feel like we will be even better there. But, tonight, I think there are going to be some guys that are restless just trying to make sure we do our best job to figure out this balance. I think we are all kind of wishing we had the ducts in the front because it seemed like you didn’t have the draft that we had at Vegas as much with these no air ducts in the front. So, we will see what we can do.”
IF YOU ARE LEADING AT SOME POINT WHAT LANE DO YOU CHOOSE FOR THE RESTART?
“That is a difficult question to ask. I believe you want the shortest distance with new tire, but I mean the side draft is pretty key too. So you know you will be able to run the top wide-open, so clean air, I think you just want to try and take the shortest distance and hope the car behind you gives you the right push because even if you leave together with the guy on the outside I think it’s really going to be dictated by the guy behind you that kind of gets you momentum enough to get the lead.”
WHAT WAS IT LIKE HEARING THE SPOTTER IN YOUR EAR SO MUCH AT THE VEGAS TEST?
“Well, there is constantly going to have to be talking and a lot of chatter on the radio to give you what you need to see the runs coming, the momentum and just clearing yourself because there is going to be a lot of tight moves made and guys are going to be sticking in holes that are tighter than normal because you’ve got to clear that guy to get that air back on the nose of the car. Close calls are going to be made and you are just going to have to live with them and hopefully your spotter does a really good job of making the right call.”
HOW MUCH MORE DO YOU KNOW TODAY ABOUT THIS NEW PACKAGE?
“I feel like we know a little bit more. That was a nice practice, but it’s still… we are guessing a little bit on the balance of the race car. We feel like we know what the car is going to do tomorrow. The weather has been a little bit of a toss up in that, but around other cars whatever the balance of your race car is, it’s just intensified a lot. We got tighter around other cars, so we will do our job to try and adjust on it and make the car good, but still a little bit unknown. I could probably tell you more about Vegas with the ducts in the front, but this one is a little unknown.”
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