WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Here’s a rundown of what the drivers thought after Sunday night’s Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Chase Elliott — Winner: “It feels great to win, even if it’s not a points race. I’m really proud of our team for staying focused and pushing hard. It was a challenging race. Ryan Blaney kept me on my toes at the end, and Denny Hamlin had a strong second half. I felt like Denny and Tyler Reddick were catching up to us, and I was worried about maintaining control. Luckily, we made some smart adjustments during the break. I felt it was my best chance to seize the lead. I’m thrilled that it turned in our favor, thanks to my team and a tight race against Ryan.”
Ryan Blaney — Finished 2nd: “That was a blast! The car felt great, especially in the first half. I battled hard with Chase at the end, but I just didn’t have enough tire left to make a move on him. I hope the fans had as much fun as we did. Thanks to everyone at Bowman Gray for an amazing race.”
Denny Hamlin — Finished 3rd: “I struggled a bit on the last restart and lost my position. Once Chase got ahead, it was tough to catch him. I think we were a little off compared to the other guys in the second half. Overall, it was a solid day for our Sport Clips Toyota.”
Bubba Wallace — Finished 5th: “I regret bumping into Brad Keselowski. I didn’t intend to get a top-five that way. He was trying hard to get down, and I got greedy. I think we could have done better. The team worked really hard, and getting a top-five to start the season is a good sign, even though I need to improve my handling of certain tires.”
Ross Chastain — Finished 6th: “We stayed in the race but didn’t lead much. A sixth-place finish is our best result of the weekend, so that’s promising. We need to find more speed to be competitive up front.”
Austin Cindric — Finished 7th: “I felt good about how we improved our car throughout the race. I think we had the speed to race with the top five. I’ve struggled at quarter-mile tracks in the past, so it’s great to see progress this season.”
Tyler Reddick — Finished 8th: “The car got tight after the restarts, which hurt my position. It didn’t feel the same as in the first part of the race, and that made it difficult.”
Shane van Gisbergen — Finished 9th: “I had a lot of fun but put myself in tough spots. I enjoyed the race overall.”
Chris Buescher — Finished 10th: “Starting strong with a heat win helped us. I was proud of our car’s performance, and I’m looking forward to the Daytona weekend.”
Ryan Preece — Finished 11th: “We made some solid adjustments and climbed from 20th to 11th. I’m happy with the improvements we made and ready for the next races.”
Josh Berry — Finished 13th: “It was a fun experience, and I think we had more potential. Overall, I’m pleased with our finish and excited to continue improving.”
Kyle Busch — Finished 15th: “The event was good, but the outcome wasn’t what my team wanted. We struggled early but made necessary adjustments during the break, which helped us finish strong.”
Brad Keselowski — Finished 21st: “We showed promise early but got spun out and couldn’t recover. It was a solid outing for our team that’s going through changes.”
Daniel Suarez — Finished 22nd: “It was a tricky race. We were decent in short runs but not in the long ones. Still, it was a good event.”
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