NASCAR CUP SERIES: CHAMPIONSHIP

November 10, 2024

Mark Rushbrook

Press Conference

An Interview with:

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Mark Rushbrook, the global director of Ford Performance Motorsports.

Q. I was curious, from your perspective, when you see this race, the best two cars all race long were Joey and Ryan's cars, and the other ones weren't as much in contention. From Ford Performance's perspective, how important is it for you guys to see them do that and also finish one-two?

MARK RUSHBROOK: Well, at the end of the day, we want to win the race, and we want to win the championship. And to see them finish one-two, to win the race with Joey and the championship, that's what matters.

But you want to perform well the entire race. You don't want to just get lucky on a green-white-checkered at the end. You want to show that you've got strong cars, strong engines, great team, great execution, great people behind it. And for sure Team Penske is exactly that. Roush Yates Engines is exactly that. To be strong the entire race, it's great to see.

Byron was certainly up there at points, so we were worried, especially on those last pit stops where there were three Hendrick cars out front. So it was good to see Joey and Ryan get it done.

Q. Justin Allgaier ended your streak last night of Ford's five straight national titles. Now you're back on track. How are you feeling about starting a new streak?

MARK RUSHBROOK: Well, like I said, we love winning the championship. And I don't look in the history or behind, honestly, too much. I just look at the one that's in front of us and the next one that's coming up after that.

This just keeps building the momentum for our program. We feel like we've been working really hard for a really long time to build it, and it's certainly starting to pay off with the investment in the people and the tools and the partners.

I will just comment on Justin last night. He drove a great race. He was down and out at one point, and kudos to him for the race that he drove and the team strategy to get back in contention and get it done.

Q. I'm curious, I'm sure you saw the quote that Joey said yesterday, we want to go out there and step on their throats. That was a really boisterous, kind of a swagger quote. Is there a part of you as a manufacturer that's like don't give them bulletin board material, I don't want the other guys to hear that and find motivation?

MARK RUSHBROOK: Drivers are personalities, and that's part of what we like in the sport is strong personalities, and for each of them to be unique and to connect with the fans and customers. I think we're maybe humble in our approach sometimes, just respecting what the sport is, what the stage is that we're on, and happy to be here and racing for a championship like this. And at the end of the day, the statements are on the track and at the finish line.

Q. To that point, Joey is now a three-time champion and a great ambassador for the manufacturer. What has he meant to you and the relationship with Penske and being able to have him as the flagship driver right now for Ford?

MARK RUSHBROOK: Yeah, Joey is a racer through and through. All he wants to do is win. That's all he thinks about.

It's not just his driving that he's worried about. He's worried about every single element of the program and what it takes for the team to be successful.

Joey is probably thinking now already what's he going to do, what does he need Penske to do, what does he need us to do better to come back and win it again next year.

That's what we love about Joey. He's such a good person in terms of what he does off the track with the charity that he works for, with his availability for us, again, to do whatever we need, whether it's a personal appearance. He just wants to be a great partner and wants to be leveraged that way.

Similar for Penske, they're very much a like-minded organization to what we are at Ford Motor Company and similar values and similar work ethic, and it's great to partner with them to achieve things like this.

Q. Penske is the only team that has won the Cup championship since the current car was introduced in 2022. What is it that you think about that team makes them so much more ahead of the others with the current car, what was known as the Next-Gen car?

MARK RUSHBROOK: Yeah, it's attention to detail and it's being able to adapt to change, I think. Anytime there are new rules or especially a new car, the best team will rise to the top to be able to learn that new car.

We've certainly had our challenges. Across all of the four teams and including Team Penske, we didn't win as many races as we wanted at the start of the 23 season or the start of this '24 season, but you just have to keep working on every element of the program. It's that work ethic, it's attention to detail, and don't leave anything on the table.

Q. Do you think that maybe their experience with spec cars in the INDYCAR Series has taught them how to deal with cars like the current Cup car?

MARK RUSHBROOK: In some ways, maybe, but it's still -- they're very different cars. So you've got -- they're very different style of racing, as well.

I think there's a division line in that shop between the INDYCAR shop and the NASCAR shop, but that's the professional organization that they are.

Q. What did it mean to have Jim here on-site for today?

MARK RUSHBROOK: Wow, I think that's a statement about him as a person and about our company and how much motorsports means to us. We want to go racing to win for the innovation and for the marketing benefit, for the point of pride that it is.

As soon as Joey won in Las Vegas to lock into the Championship 4, Jim was sending me a text message minutes later saying he wanted to come to this race. It's a statement for the importance of what this program means to all of our employees.

Q. Also, you have many teams in the Cup Series, but certainly one team there's uncertainties about next year with Front Row with the lawsuit. I know they're not a Penske operation or maybe RFK, but how does that impact making plans for next season?

MARK RUSHBROOK: Yeah, we go racing as a family with all of our teams and have them work together in different ways, depending on the team. Front Row is a great team, Bob Jenkins and Jerry Freeze and everything that they have done to incrementally improve their program a little bit every year for the last 10 or 12 years, and they're in a really good place.

I don't know the intricacies of what they're going through. I'm sure it puts some uncertainty in their planning. But they're a top-level organization. They'll work through that, and looking forward to seeing them on the track next year.

Q. From your perspective, is it just (indiscernible)?

MARK RUSHBROOK: Well, again, I don't know the details of everything that's going through with them. But we expect that they'll be racing in one form or another.

Q. You've alluded obviously with Logano being an incredible ambassador for Ford. What is one characteristic or trait that people may not see behind the scenes that has helped the organization and the OEM as a whole?

MARK RUSHBROOK: I mean, the greatest thing about Joey is he's a competitor on the track, and when he puts a helmet on, he doesn't give an inch. But off the track he's a regular person, and he just wants to work hard and do well. And he's a great family man, and he's a great partner for us in what he does with his charity and how we partner together on that charity to give back.

I think the fact that he is so focused as a competitor but able to have the bandwidth and the time to do things like that, it means a lot to us in terms of who he is as a person.