By Roy J. Akers — www.skyviewsports.net
Hampton, Ga. Echo Park Speedway near Atlanta, Ga. provides some of the best racing in NASCAR and Toyota has win.
Video and Quotes from drivers and the media
Hocevar on Spire Racing at Echo Park SVG on hauler talk with Austin Hill Reddick on racing in Atlanta Night Race
Kevin Harvick spills the beans on Ford teams
“When you look at Ford, it’s a little bit dysfunctional based upon my experience at Stewart Haas Racing. Nobody ever worked together and they’re still at that point of nobody really works together.”
Kevin Harvick on Ford teams not collaborating together like Toyota.
Tyler Reddick on summer night racing in Atlanta
How much do you expect Atlanta to change from when you were there in February?
“It is a change, but there was a period of time it felt like it was losing grip each time we returned. As of late it feels like it’s kind of stabilized. The two races we have there, the track is very different between the two and that’s the fun thing about it. I do enjoy going back to some of these racetracks twice in the calendar year. It is nice when do go twice we have conditions changed like they do. We go there in March, February and it’s cool, handling is not as big of a issue and everyone packs up and races really tight. We got back there in the summer races it’s easier to slip up and easier to track. Cars get more spread out because handling is important. So every time we come back for the second date when it’s warm the racing is just a bit different and that’s one thing I enjoy about that event. I like going to all these racetracks, but it is fun when they are different like that. It doesn’t take the exact same formula both times.”
Chris Buescher on if he agrees with Brad K’s opinion that Toyota’s collaboration sometimes predetermines races.
LAST WEEK BRAD ADDRESSED THAT HE FELT THE TEAMWORK AT TOYOTA MADE SOME OF THE RACES PREDETERMINED. DO YOU FEEL THAT WAY? “It’s probably gonna be more in Brad’s wheelhouse, for sure, from the driver and the ownership side. He is definitely more in the weeds with that. I think in trying to take bits and pieces of what I hear him saying there just from that interview and also what we see week to week I see where he’s coming from and how we work together and how we can be better to try and have that high tide raise all ships. That’s kind of the idea and the principle he was trying to get across there, so, right now, obviously we are in a place where we are not the dominant manufacturer and so we’re gonna figure out ways that we feel like we can get there and feel that could be part of it. No one is sitting still. I promise you that, whether it’s manufacturers, our engine shop, RFK, personally. We’re all trying to figure out how to find that little bit of extra speed that will get us to the point where we can say we’re contending to win races week in and week out. We’re just not quite there yet. We have plenty of ideas on what it could be. If 10 percent of everybody’s idea actually makes it better, then at the end of the day it would make it a lot better for all of us on the RFK side of things and the Ford camp, I guess, in principle. There’s no way to prove it out, but I understand some of the comments from it.”
Pole Sitter Ryan Blaney
WHAT IS YOUR SECRET SAUCE FOR BEING WITH ALL THE TOYOTAS AND CHEVYS? “We already have another one starting outside of me, so that part is good to have a Penske front row. I think the Fords always do a pretty good job of working together trying to find each other. I know we try to do the best job that we can and between myself, Austin and Joey and Josh Berry trying to find each other and trying to work well with each other. And then we work good with the other Fords as well, so hopefully we’ll be able to get organized at some point, but it’s nice that Joey and I are starting up there in the front. We’ll try to organize the start of the race the best we can to figure out what’s the best way to get together quick, but it’s nice to have some friends around.”
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Roy J. Akers covers NASCAR for www.skyviewsports.net and is the host of High Banked Fury the podcast. Subscribe to both, they are free and out Skyview Sports YouTube Channel has plenty of coverage and YouTube shorts.
