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MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES: GANDER RV DUEL 1 AT DAYTONAFebruary 14, 2019Parker KligermanRicky Stenhouse, Jr.Daytona Beach, Florida THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by the runner‑up for tonight's first Gander RV duel at Daytona. We're joined by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the No.17 Fastenal Ford. We'll open the floor for questions. Q. You waited till the last lap to try to make your move. Do you think it would have been different if you made the move earlier or is right now the landscape you have to wait? RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: Yeah, I spent the last 25 laps trying to figure out exactly what I was going to do. I think Paul was trying the same thing behind me. Paul would get a run on me out of the tri‑oval. I felt like I'd get a run on Kevin out of the back straightaway. The 21 wasn't close enough to us, so I couldn't make a move. Felt like I'd get stalled out. Tried to back my entry up to the tri‑oval. I was going to try it going into one. Nothing really materialized there. Down the back straightaway, the 21 went to go to the inside. I thought about blocking him. I felt like I could at least finish second if we stayed on the top. I was really kind of hoping the 19 would have a little bit better run to get to us, maybe push us up close to the 4. Just nothing really materialized. Q. Kevin said in his quick interview it was important to you and Paul and Kevin that a Ford won. Was there a strategy to get Ford in? Do you feel you as a camp are working together? Do you need the Mustang to make a statement in its first time out? RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: Yeah, Edsel and Mark Rushbrook, everybody at Ford Performance, always makes it well‑known that they expect us to work together, do everything we can to get a blue oval in Victory Lane, especially the Mustang, now that we're running it. Obviously I wanted to be the first one in Victory Lane. Felt like we had a really good shot if us three were up there. Going into the race, I felt like a Ford would probably be in Victory Lane knowing how well we all work together. We've been doing this with the same group of drivers for two or three seasons now. We're getting, I would say, pretty good at it. It helps having fast cars. Doug Yates and the horsepower that Roush‑Yates builds us, everything comes together on the speedways for us. This is a race that they're all circling every year for us to win. Q. It's not uncommon in restrictor plate racing to see single file racing, methodical approach. Is what we're seeing in the Clash, then today so far, is this normal or something different in the build of these cars, the aero, that makes it harder to pass, mix it up? RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: No, I think everybody has just learned that if we keep cars away from our right rear quarter panel, we can kind of defend our position. For me, I rewatched the last Duel from last year before we ran this one. If I'd have been 10th to 12th, I'd have definitely been working hard like I did last year trying to run up the bottom. When you're in the top five, that's going to put you in the top 10 to 12 of starting in the 500, which track position I feel like is going to be important in that too. You get the top five or six that want to run single file, then the rest of the cars that want to race. They can't because we're so fast in the top lane. I think it's just learning over the years that the racing has come to this. Just trying to get to the end. Nobody wants to crash cars. They were all thrashing building racecars back at the shop. Definitely don't want to tear them up if you don't have to. Q. On Sunday you have the full field, there's more energy, and tonight you learned some stuff. Do you have to relearn or do you think there will be something thrown at you different with the energy of 40 cars trying to make the bottom work? RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: The conditions are going to be totally different. I think our car setups will be a little bit different. We all are in qualifying trim, so the Duels, I feel like nobody's car handles that good. When we get out Sunday, I feel like we'll have a little bit more handling built into our racecar knowing that the temperature and 40 cars being out there. I felt a little nervous with mine about the middle part of the race when we were all running in the top lane. I think our speeds were so fast, my car didn't handle that great. When we restarted there on the bottom, I was a little nervous I wouldn't get back to the top lane in a good position. Our car handled really, really well on the bottom. I was able to use the side draft, clear the 21, get back up in the top lane in the second position. I was a little nervous there for a minute. After that moment, I felt like my car was handling pretty good. I'm looking forward to Sunday with it. Q. Jimmie Johnson had a tough couple days here with some contact. Is there something you need to prove to other guys after something like that when you're having a bad day, or do you look at Jimmie Johnson that he's a seven‑time champion, you know what he can do? RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: Yeah, I didn't see exactly what went on there. I think it's just hard racing. I mean, it's so aggressive and so hard to do the right moves. When you make the right moves, still everything has to work out. You got to cut it inches to somebody's left rear to get the side draft that you're looking for to clear the car. Who is going to be aggressive and be able to do that more often is one that I feel like tries it a lot. I feel like I've been aggressive with our car over the last two or three years. I feel like I've been practicing that. Sometimes you step over the line and cause a contact and a crash. I feel like you don't really know how exactly your car is going to handle in those situations if you don't do it. Jimmie, he'll be fine (smiling). I think they were, what, two‑ or three‑wide coming off with that lap car. When the lap cars are running the top, it makes it so treacherous for us going by. We hadn't run the bottom tonight. When I went to the bottom, single file, my car didn't quite handle near like it did on the top. I think that was just probably the circumstance all coming together. THE MODERATOR: Ricky, thanks for joining us. RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: Thank you. THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by Parker Kligerman, driver of the No.96 Gaunt Brothers Toyota, who has raced his way into The Great American Race. PARKER KLIGERMAN: That sounds good, thank you. THE MODERATOR: We'll open the floor for Parker. Q. You were telling us on Wednesday during Media Day it would mean as much or more than the first 500 start to race your way in. What is this like, especially with having to drop back and pick up Kyle to even have a shot at running? PARKER KLIGERMAN: First of all, I have to thank Kyle Busch, us linking that TRD Toyota power together. Without him, there's no way I get by Redick. Truex was doing the right things in terms of lagging back. He knows if the 31 is in front of me, he's in the 500. That was impressive. Here is the crazy thing. A year ago I watched this race. I felt like I'd probably never get a chance to be in this race again. Fast forward a couple weeks ago, I'm doing pit reporting, doing the Daytona 24 Hour. Now I'm sitting up here now talking to you guys as a guy that just made the Daytona 500. It means the world to me. This is a pretty cool deal. To race in is so cool. I think in so many ways ‑‑ Landon Cassill told me the best feeling he's ever had in a racecar was the time he raced in the Daytona 500. It is because the days leading up to this are literally some of the worst days of your life. Then all of a sudden in the span of a split second when you cross that finish line, you're in, the whole world becomes brighter and clearer, everything is better. Very happy to be here. It comes at the expense of a good friend of mine, Ryan Truex. I know we had a lot of ribbing on social media. It was all in good fun to bring attention to this race, which we should. We're trying to entertain people. This is about being a show, getting people to watch, want to be interested in it. When I crossed the finish line in there, knew I was in, it was a bit bittersweet, unless something happens in this Duel, pretty crazy, it's at his expense. He's a good friend, a really talented racecar driver. I think he is an underrated racecar driver. I hate we were put in that position. I told him that before the race. For all my team, my team members, all the hard work they put in, man, this is a cool feeling. Q. When you get ready to climb in the car out there, what are you thinking your chances are? PARKER KLIGERMAN: Positive mental attitude all week. I went so crazy as every time I would talk about tomorrow, Saturday or Sunday, I would act like we're already in the 500. We'd talk about schedules as mundane as what are we going to do, what time is practice on Saturday or Friday. All of it was because I was fully intent on making this race. I didn't know how, I didn't know if we could, but I intended to do it. Mark Hillman and everyone on this Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota stepped up. We all put our best foot forward. He made some good adjustments in the pit stops. It came down to just one of those rare moments, the last 15 laps, where I was on autopilot. I was calling for Kyle to come to us. I saw him coming, coming back from the draft. I saw him coming. I thought, here we go, we are going to have a friend. Trying to link up with him was so tough. You have to go backwards to go forwards, which is counterintuitive. He and I have linked together at some truck races and blown past the entire field. I knew if we could get him to the right rear bumper we could do it again. Thanks to him, we were able to do it. Q. What is the backstory to your friendship with Kyle, how it paid off tonight? Also, considering your career, one time you were driving for Team Penske, had a bright future, did you ever think you'd get a chance to run in the Daytona 500 again? PARKER KLIGERMAN: Thanks for reminding me. You're saying I fell off the radar, fell off a cliff in there? The future became very dark, you had no future (laughter). Don't worry, I was right with you. I'd say Kyle, first of all, I raced for him in 2013. What I always liked about Kyle is you always knew where you stood. He's not someone that's going to go behind your back and start talking about you, saying one thing to your face. He will literally straight up tell you if you're doing something wrong. I always enjoyed that when I raced for him. I enjoyed learning from him, how frank he was when he would tell me things I should be doing better, could be doing better. I liked that. I always just had a lot of respect for him. Obviously he's one of the greatest of all time, if not one of the most talented of all time. I feel like he has always been someone that has a mutual respect for myself on the broadcast side. I've always been able to reach out to him about Truck Series stuff, we talk about it sometimes. I think it's just one of those relationships that he has been a good friend I knew I could rely on at times. Add in that we're both driving Toyotas. Toyota doesn't have a lot of cars in this race. It's better when there's more Toyotas in the race. Very happy to have him as a Toyota teammate. Q. Did you ever think you'd get back here? KEVIN HARVICK: No. Watching this race last year, I literally thought I'd never drive a Cup car again, never have a chance in the Daytona 500. I'm doing TV full‑time. I'm racing the Truck Series. It just didn't seem like I was really getting anyone's attention. I don't feel like‑‑ for whatever reason, I just couldn't find the right opportunity, couldn't find a sponsor. Then Marty Gaunt came calling in May last year about doing the 600. Thankfully NBC was nice enough to let me go do it. Great bosses at NBC to let me try to do this thing, trying to race at the same time. Marty has been great about letting me have times I needed to do TV instead of drive the car. He's been really gracious about that. It's been a great relationship for everyone involved. I'm just the lucky recipient. I went off and did the TV thing. You've seen drivers do that before, where they do something to up their profile, then they get back in a ride. It kind of feels like it's finally all starting to work. Like after many years of doing this, people are starting to take notice. I'm getting the opportunities. I'll tell you what, when I won the Talladega truck race two years ago, I had like 550, 560 texts. I have 530 texts right now just from making the 500. It is a big race, apparently. Biggest race in the world. Q. What are your friends at NBC going to think about this? Are those some of the texts? PARKER KLIGERMAN: Many of these texts. I got to do an interview with Nate Ryan. Got to talk on NBC before the race on our new motorsports hour show on Thursdays. They've been supportive from the top down. It's really cool. I have some really cool loss bosses over there in Sam Flood, Jeff. Great teammates like Jeff Burton, Dale Jr., Steve Letarte, they step up sometimes and fill in for me when I can't do certain things, have to go drive a car. I've gotten this opportunity, they fill in for me. Everybody at NBC has been amazing for me. I hope I bring as much as they give to me at times. Look, I've got a TV show, Proving Grounds. We just started filming season two. Probably not supposed to tell you, but I don't care. I have a damn TV show, pretty cool. I'm on TV all the time. I'm racing cars full‑time. I'm 28 years old. Q. Where do you find the time? KEVIN HARVICK: I don't actually. I just never sleep. Q. Do you have some kind of game plan now for Sunday morning? Any rituals you're going to do to increase your chances? PARKER KLIGERMAN: Wow, that's a good question. Rituals? Tonight was like basically avoid throwing up. I won't be nearly that nervous. But I would say for me, racing‑wise, I always try mornings of big races, big things, I try to make sure that I give myself the time. What I mean by that is not ever feel rushed. Like, it's when you start to suddenly feel rushed because you got to do something, you allow nerves to creep in, anxiety, all that. If you factor out your time, give yourself time, leave early for things you have to do, the day goes so smooth. I'll have a good breakfast, I hear that's key. Q. (No microphone.) PARKER KLIGERMAN: No rushing to drivers meeting. My girlfriend gets here Saturday night, I probably have to give her a Valentine's gift. I forgot to send it this week. I was a little busy this week. Don't judge me. Q. What is the plan after the 500, now that you've made it? Are you taking it race by race with the 96? You have the TV career going on. Is it something where you'd consider going back to racing full‑time? PARKER KLIGERMAN: That's tough. I can't think that far. But I'd say I'm very thankful for the opportunity with Gaunt Brothers Racing. We are looking this year at doing the first three races. We'll do Atlanta and Vegas. We want to experience all these different packages. Then the hope is probably 12 races all season. A big thing that Marty Gaunt is doing, I applaud him for this, is quality over quantity. He's trying to build this organization, trying to build this Cup team in the right way. If I were building it, I would do it this way, as well. One of these deals where it's one race a month. When we show up, it's a race we feel we can be competitive in, roll out a Toyota Camry that can compete at a level we feel proud of. Doesn't mean we're going to show up racing for wins, we're a small Cup team. It means we go out there and beat cars that race week in, week out. We get in the top 25, as we did at the road courses last year. I know he has grand ambitions for the future for this race team. I hope to be in those discussions. Right now we're taking it step by step, being methodical about it, being smart. He wants to be here for a long time. It's nice to have new owners in the sport. I really, really hope this all works out because he's a good guy and good owner to have in this sport and we need more like him. THE MODERATOR: Parker, congratulations. PARKER KLIGERMAN: Have a great weekend. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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