Here's what the drivers had to say after Sunday's Cup race at Richmond Raceway.
Denny Hamlin — Winner: “We had the best pit crew all year. I loved our chances. We still had Martin (Truex Jr.) — he was a deserving race winner there, but the pit crew… Giving them a chance — that's what it's all about. You have to bring the whole team together, and they beat it today.”
Denny Hamlin won for the fifth time at his hometown circuit.
Joey Logano — 2nd place finish: “I had a chance. I didn't restart enough. I really wanted to put pressure on them all the way to (Turn) 1 and get the true X up, but I tried to keep up with them and spun the tires there. So in the end I couldn't get close enough to do anything. I don't know. It feels good to be in front again. It's been a while since I've had a good result like this, but it was a close one. It's also frustrating that we couldn't capitalize on the victory. I think there are mixed feelings. We had a really good car, and it was a car that could have won if we got to the front, but we didn't have enough performance in other areas to get there. I wasn't able to perform.”
Kyle Larson — 3rd place finish: “I spun on the frontstretch. Thankfully, I wasn’t completely reversed and only lost a position or two there. My pit crew did a great job all night. We were able to regain a few spots on pit road and move up one spot to tie for 4th place. HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Team I'm proud of 5th place. I'm really, really happy with the all-nighter. I can't say anything more because the pit crew kept putting us in a position to win.”
Martin Truex Jr. — 4th place finish: “Well, that's unfortunate. Unfortunately, this has happened several times over the years. We were in a great location and enjoyed a great Auto Owners Toyota Camry all night. The players He did a really good job all night. We lost out of the pits and then – I don't know. He jumped at the start and ran me out in turn one. It sucked for sure, but it was fulfilling. One day, it was a winning car, so we'll just come back next week and try to get it then.”
Chase Elliott — 5th place finish: “I think we made the most of it there in the end. To be honest, I never felt that UniFirst Chevrolet was that bad. In the middle of the one-stop, two-stop strategy, we got cautious and we I fell back a little bit. So I had a few bad restarts in a row, but after that it was all the same. We drove around there and ran at the same pace. The last two On the run I felt like I was able to pick up a little bit of pace and I was actually able to pass a few cars under the green, and I ended up in a good pit stop position there, a little bit ahead of me in the box. I think I could have gotten one better spot on pit road, but I still had a good restart and was able to finish in the top five.”
Denny Hamlin won his 53rd career Cup.
Christopher Bell — 6th place finish: “It was a really good day to be in the top 10 from here. It was a very unfortunate mistake on pit road (speeding on pit road). It was a shame because it was supposed to be a low race, but I'm glad we got a good result in this Mobil 1 Camry. It's painful to have such a fast car and get it wrong. ”
William Byron — Finished 7th: “It was tough today. I think the car handled really well at the end, but we needed a little more. But I'm proud of the team for pushing through and turning things around when things weren't going well early on. We'll take what we learned tonight and build for next weekend.”
Brad Keselowski — 8th place finish: “That was admirable. I don't think I had the speed to win the race, but I had the speed to run in the 8th to 12th place range, and I did that most of the night. I ended up doing it at the end. We got the eighth point, so that was respectable. It was a little setback, but we'll learn from it and get better.”
Chris Buescher — 9th place finish: “It's certainly not what we expected. We were really looking forward to being back here. We had a good day, but nothing great to write home about. We'll definitely dive into it and figure out what's changed and see where we can improve in the next round.”
Josh Berry — Finished 11th: “It was a great night. We had a really good car and a really good practice. We didn't qualify as well as we should have, but we were able to claw our way back from there and regain track position. It was just a little thing. . We lost track position a little bit and stayed in the bottom half of the top 10, but overall it was a really good night. We have a lot to be proud of. It was a good points night, so we're happy to go to Martinsville. I intend to go.”
Noah Gragson — Finished 12th: “Compared to (Saturday's) practice, we were a little too far from the start of the race. I had a really good car and I felt like I lost it a little bit. Going at night time made the difference. I don't know if it was, but I'm very proud of them. We kept it going all day. We started 17th and finished 12th, and we just couldn't control the car very well. But no one ever quit. We've always worked on it, and I'm just grateful for the opportunity.”
Erik Jones — Finished 14th: “It wasn't a bad day. I started pretty far but got better all day. I had some good spots and was able to bring the Dollar Tree Camry into the top 15. I needed a good week. The last few races have been tough. We made a decent one out of a not-so-great day. We have to keep working. We can improve. There’s a lot you can do.”
Chase Briscoe — Finished 18th: “It wasn't my best night by any means. I feel like it was my worst race so far this season. Even though that wasn't my real goal, I was still able to run in the top 20, to some extent. I think that's reassuring. We just struggled all weekend. We couldn't get the balance the way we wanted, we couldn't rotate the front, we just missed the hook on the back, so we didn't get the hooks we wanted. It was a frustrating weekend just trying to do what I was supposed to do. To be honest, I thought the weather might have helped me a little bit. I was able to jump over a few people there, but the green We didn't have the best night on pit road with a flag pit stop. It was an eventful night for us and we definitely have a lot of work to do, but I'd like to share with you how well we've been doing so far. It's a little bit of a headache when you think about it. We've always been in the mix, so we've got to go back and do our homework and come back better.”
Kyle Busch — Finished 20th: “It was an all-night battle in the No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet at Richmond Raceway. We started the race on wet-weather tires and had zero grip when we first fired up. It felt like it took forever to get the tires on. Crew chief Randall Barnett and the rest of the team worked hard all night to get the tires on, but they were too tight on the center. , we were too loose in our comings and goings. They took some pretty big swings into it, but unfortunately we couldn't get the balance we needed. We're going to regroup and bounce back next week at Martinsville Speedway.”
Austin Dillon — Finished 24th: “We had a really good car tonight. Our No. 3 BREZTRI Chevy was fast. We came to pit road and messed up. The car stalled in the pits and we were down a lap here at Richmond. Once you lose it, it's hard to get it back. It's unfortunate, but I'm going to get back to work and get ready for Martinsville next weekend.”
John Hunter Nemechek — Finished 25th: “P25 at Safeway Toyota Camry. Long day. Wet and delayed. I fell behind on the first run, went a lap down and couldn't make it back. Long day. Headed to Martinsville. Masu.”
Ty Dillon — Finished 29th: “Overall it was a disappointing night for the No. 16 Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet. We had great speed, but unfortunately we weren't able to do as well as we wanted in qualifying, and due to circumstances beyond our control we were forced off pit road. Overall, this team did a lot of things well even though things didn't go our way, so I'm excited to get back in the car again soon.”
Kaz Grala — Finished 31st: “We struggled with the handling throughout the race. Once the green flag pit stops start, it's easy to get caught up a lap or two behind and it just snowballs from there if you don't make a lot of progress.” I think we learned a lot and I hope we can find something better for us by the time we come back in August.”
Justin Haley — Finished 32nd: “Our No. 51 Walmart Health and Wellness Ford Mustang Dark Horse performed very well during the day. We had a hard time getting it balanced under the lights, but we made the right adjustments to get it closer to where we needed it. It seems like I couldn't find it. That caution messed up my pit strategy for the second stage, so it might not have been as bad, but it was still a tough race. At least I was able to come back. When the sun comes out, we have something to do.”
