NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
BASS PRO SHOPS NRA NIGHT RACE
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 19, 2016
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 HUGGIES CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media along with his friend Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. to discuss a special helmet each driver will be wearing in memory of their friend Bryan Clauson. Larson discussed the helmet, racing at night and other topics. Full Transcript:
ON RUNNING THE SPECIAL HELMET:
“We both have these helmets painted. Bryan, this design, I think was his favorite he had; he ran it this year some. He won a lot of big races with some pink helmets. This has the puzzle pieces for the autism stuff. That meant a lot to him. He does a charity event during Chili Bowl that raises a lot of money for autism. His good friend Ben has autism. It’s cool to come here and show our support to Bryan and his family. I know Lauren and her family are on their way here. That is going to be fun to hang out with them. I got to spend a little bit of time with Lauren and Bryan’s families at Knoxville. Just do what we can to show our support. He was a great person, awesome race car driver; we have both finished second to him quite a bit. I hate to see him go, but we are going to do our part to support him.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT NIGHT RACING?
“I always thought night racing was cool to watch. But now racing I like day racing better just because the tracks seem to be hotter and slicker and the groove gets wider. Here at Bristol it doesn’t matter day race, night race, it races the same. But you go to Charlotte the day race there is awesome, the night race is horrible. I don’t know it’s definitely exciting for the fans and stuff like that, but I enjoy day racing.”
YOU ARE IN A TIGHT PACK BATTLING FOR THE LAST FEW CHASE SPOTS. SUM UP WHERE YOU THINK YOU STAND IN THAT BATTLE:
“I was looking good before the last lap there at Watkins Glen. I lost 25 or 26 points there. Now I think I’m 30 behind Jamie (McMurray). That is going to be tough to do in these last four races, but Bristol is probably my best race track and Michigan I always run pretty well at. Darlington is a decent one for me too. I got some good ones to make some points up. It would be nice to get a win, but if we don’t get a win we are going to have to be top five probably these next four races to have a shot at making it. Just going to continue to work hard and try and get some good luck to go our way. Like Ricky said, Chris Buescher is probably going to end up in the top 30. I know I’m in the Chase right now, but I haven’t viewed it that way since he won. Like I said, just keep working hard and hopefully we can do what it takes to make the Chase.”
WHAT ARE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF THE TWO RACING GROOVES AFTER THE FIRST PRACTICE SESSION?
“Ricky and I both like running the top. Right now I would say the bottom has got a little bit more speed in it than the top does, at least for the first 10 or so laps. I think after that the top is not too far off. The top still has a ways to go before it is right. (Turns) 1 and 2 has got a little bit more rubber up there than (Turns) 3 and 4 does. I think once three and four gets a little bit wider entry and you can get up in the grip earlier you will run about the same lap time as you can on the bottom later in a run. I still think the first few laps you will run the bottom. It will be fun, I think, I wasn’t too happy with them putting the stuff on the bottom, but I think in the race it will be good. I think we will all probably qualify around the bottom and you may spend the first little bit of the race on the bottom, but I think it will wear out and the racing should be really good. I think once you get to traffic you will be able to kind of move around and try even more lanes than before.”
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Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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