By Roy J. Akers — www.skyviewsports.net
With drivers rolling into Daytona for the final week of the NASCAR regular season, either the drivers are in, or by golly, they will try and find a way to take home one of the last two spots still available. Only two drivers can still use points to get in the race, but a race win by a driver not already qualified will knock one of the points drivers out.
They Said It…
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Richmond was a good race for you. You led the last 49 laps to win your second consecutive race at the Virginia short track. Does locking yourself into the NASCAR Playoffs take some of the pressure off?
“What a special weekend Richmond Raceway was for us. A little pressure is taken off because we’re in the NASCAR Playoffs now. We want to go help our teammate Kyle Busch try and lock himself in. This is the last opportunity to get into the NASCAR Playoffs, so we’ll be focused on helping him, while also trying to get some bonus points for the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) team for the NASCAR Playoffs. We’re excited for the opportunity for RCR and all of our partners.”
As a Daytona 500 Champion, does Daytona International Speedway just feel special every time you drive through the tunnel there?
“Daytona International Speedway is so special in so many ways to my family and I. We’ve had some crazy memories there. We’ve been to Victory Lane, tore down the fence, and done a little bit of everything. We’re looking for a clean, fun night this Saturday and hopefully, if the opportunity arises, we can go back to Victory Lane.”
Is Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway one of the coolest in our sport?
“It is, for sure. I always look forward to Daytona.”
It’s August so you never know what you are going to be dealing with, weather-wise. It could be sunny one moment, then you might have the weather to deal with. How do you handle that unpredictability?
“You’ve got to stay grounded. Execution is key, and putting yourself in good positions. Weather does seem to always play a factor at Daytona. It could rain at any time. so we’ll try and stay ahead of that weather and see. We have great engineers watching it constantly, so if a shower does pop up, we’ll look at some strategy if need be.”
Describe the mood leading into the last race of the regular season.
“Obviously, it’s different for the drivers that are in the NASCAR Playoffs versus those who are not. I think we’re already focused on Darlington Raceway, which is the first race in the NASCAR Playoffs, and trying to get our baseline dialed in at the simulator. Right now, this is the grind of our season. We’ve been going for a long time now. We only had one off weekend this year and that was Easter, so we have been going at it and everybody’s just pushing as hard as they can to the to the finish. It sure felt good getting that win to get that off your shoulders and feel like you can go ahead and get after it in the Playoffs.”
What’s your schedule like when you get to town?
“We always make the most of our trip to Daytona. I’m actually going to do some deep sea fishing with our friends at Huk when I get there. In addition, Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops are a big partner of ours, so anytime I can get out on the water and try and reel in a fish before a race, I’m all about it. I love to get out there and fish a little bit, maybe catch a big one.”
Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
What are your thoughts on pulling double duty at Daytona?
“Daytona is one of my favorite tracks. I’m excited to get back to superspeedway racing this weekend and make a final push for the playoffs with our No. 7 Gainbridge Chevy. Hopefully, we can learn a couple things Friday night in the Xfinity Series car so we can be there at the end and race for a win both nights.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Is the pressure any higher going into Daytona this weekend with it being the last race before the playoffs?
“I think it’s always high anyways. Through the field, every position, doesn’t really matter, you know, they’ll crash for 10th-place for a finish. Just deal with what you can, and hopefully you’ve got a fast enough race car to be in front of the field and drive away.”
Have you looked at the flap on the eight post and you have any thoughts on it?
“I’ve seen it. I mean, if it works, it works, great. That’s the whole point and process of it.”
Is the pressure to win now to make the playoffs any different than week two or week three?
“I don’t think so, no. We just know time is running out, but I don’t think the pressure is any greater. It’s just a matter of being able to get it done and right now is the best time, you know, so you can go try to prepare for a championship.”
Are you stressed out over this being the last weekend to make the playoffs?
“No, I’m not stressed out over it. I think that we go to each and every single weekend with the mindset to try to go out there and win, and, you know, we haven’t put ourselves in that position to be able to score a victory. So, you know, we need to. But I wouldn’t say that this weekend puts any added pressure on that.”
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
“Daytona is basically all or nothing. We have to go there and try to win so we will do everything it takes and take chances. At the end of the day, winning is what matters this weekend and we’re going to do everything we can to give ourselves an opportunity to be there when it matters.”
Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
What is the mindset heading into the Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway?
“I have a few Cup Series superspeedway races under my belt now, and in those races, I’ve learned that the Cup car does not react the same way as the Xfinity Series car. With that being said though, there are some tendencies behind the wheel that are the same and just a product of the style of racing. Our No. 33 team wants to have a solid day and keep our United Rentals Chevrolet out of trouble. If we can find ourselves in a position in the final laps, anything can happen at the end of these races.”
You earned a top-10 finish in your last start behind the wheel of the No. 33 Chevrolet. Does that carry momentum into this weekend?
“It’s been a little bit – almost two months – since my last race in the No. 33 United Rentals Chevrolet, but we had a great race in Chicago on the street course. It was a fun weekend passing a lot of cars and earning my first Cup Series top-10 finish. The style of racing is completely different this weekend and there is so much out of your control at times, but from a mental standpoint, we know what this team is capable of. Everyone at RCR has been working extremely hard to bring another fast car to the track and we’ll give it our best shot.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
“Daytona is always a race that means a lot to me, and I’m excited to head there with Jack Link’s Duos on our car. It’s the kind of place where anything can happen and I feel like our car always has better handling here than others. We’ve done pretty well at superspeedways this year, so I feel good about our chances. Hopefully we can put ourselves in the right position at the end and give Jack Link’s and all of our fans something to cheer about.”
Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Talk about your perspective heading into the final race of the 2025 regular season.
“It’s our last chance – the last race before the playoffs start. We all know what we’re trying to do, and we’re definitely going to try to get one of our Spire Motorsports cars in. It’s a great opportunity for us and a new partner onboard with Fly Alliance. Justin (Haley) has won there, and I’ve won there. We’ve had strong speedway cars this year and the time has come. Unfortunately, we put ourselves in this predicament where it comes down to the last race to get into the playoffs, but we know what we’ve got to do.”
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
We’ve seen a shift in your approach to superspeedway racing since this year’s Daytona 500. Will you continue on that path as we head back to Florida?
“Yeah, I always felt like it was easier or safer to just stay out of trouble and be there at the end, but that didn’t really work for us in February and I showed up at Atlanta kind of wanting to prove a point that if I ran hard, I’d get caught up in something early. That didn’t happen and we were fighting for a win at the checkered flag, so I guess I did prove a point, but more to myself. Superspeedway racing is tough. Everything happens so quickly and it comes down to trusting the crew chief and spotter to put you in the right position to make it to those last few laps. I think we’ve done a good a job of that this year since Daytona.”
Is the goal for this weekend to make the playoffs?
“I think everyone goes into Daytona knowing that anything can happen and you could leave with a spot in the playoff field. For us, we’re going to run the best race we can. You always hope that means you’re in Victory Lane at the end, but more importantly we need to keep working on putting together all of the pieces to have good races week after week. Playoffs is the goal. Wins are also a goal, but working together to be successful is what is going to help us find success consistently.”
