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| Chase Elliott started from the pole at Bristol in March. |
“It has some more grip than the regular asphalt or concrete, or so it seems. I feel like the amount they’ve been putting on it at Bristol has been really nice. I guess there was a rumor going around that they weren’t going to put it down this time. I’m not sure if that’s the case or not. But, I think it would be a big mistake if they didn’t. In my opinion, the top is already the preferred lane. And I think it will continue to be the preferred lane. It was even with the grippy stuff down. So, I think it gives the bottom a little bit bigger chance for the majority of the race, at least. And then the top tends to prevail, as momentum will, I guess, over time. Yeah, I think it was good. I thought what they’ve been doing there was pretty nice.”
Elliott on his confidence going into Bristol:
“I always look forward to going to Bristol. It’s a cool place. I was able to get a pole there at the beginning of the year, which was nice. We’ve had some hit-or-miss runs there. It’s been kind of odd. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a lot of consistency. I thought we had an OK car there in the spring. We’re just trying to build on that. I always look forward to that race. It’s a really fun week and always a great event to watch, for sure, and to be a part of it is pretty cool, too.”
William Byron on the night race at Bristol:
“I try not to focus on it too much. It’s a really exciting race as a fan but as a driver it’s a stressful race. You really have to manage yourself and your car for all 500 laps. You can’t put yourself in a position to take yourself out of contention early on because it’s so hard to recover. You try to treat it like any other race but it’s a cool one to win if you can.”
Byron on PJ1 helping at Bristol compared to other tracks: “I feel like the PJ1 probably has the biggest impact at Bristol of all the races we have on the schedule in terms of the grip level of the bottom versus the top. It takes a long time for those two lanes to neutral out and equal in speed. The bottom is always faster for the initial laps, but it takes that progression for when you get about 10 laps into a run and then the top lane is the fastest way to go. It just depends on how much width they give the bottom when they treat it. If they give the bottom lane a wide width, then it tends to stay dominate longer and the progression is slower.”
Jimmie Johnson on heading into Bristol:
“My team did a great job preparing that car last week at Michigan. Even torn up we were passing cars. I got aggressive early and got into the fence – it was on me. We are focused forward and our eyes are on Bristol. (No. 48 team crew chief) Cliff (Daniels) has done a great job the past few weeks, the pit crew has been spot on and our performance at Bristol has been where it needs to be. Anything can happen at Bristol and it happens fast. The energy at this track is intense. I can’t wait.”
No. 48 team crew chief Cliff Daniels on Bristol:
"With the Bristol night race, there’s so much energy in the air. The high level of intensity at the track is so unique and so cool. What’s interesting is that if you look at the last four to five years for the 48 we’ve actually had decent success at Bristol relative to top-fives and we had that win a couple years ago. So, Jimmie (Johnson) gets around that place so well and he loves going there and loves the intensity of the racing and the action. Our team loves it. It’s a really fast-paced weekend the way practice and qualifying and race prep goes. It’s a really high-energy situation all around and I think we excel in those situations. Knowing how fired up Jimmie is right now, Bristol is going to be a blast."
Bowman on Bristol Motor Speedway:
“I think Bristol is a track where you can carry over what you learned in previous events. It is a strong racetrack for the No. 88 team. Bristol is one of those tracks where it can be a great place if you have good track position. We need a good points weekend and a good finish to get us ready for the playoffs.”
Bowman on the upcoming off-weekend:
“It is always nice to take a weekend off and regroup. This No. 88 team works hard each and every weekend and definitely deserve a weekend off with their family and friends. We regroup on these off-weeks and figure out what we need to do better or more of in the weeks ahead to get ready for the playoffs.”
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