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    • What drivers said after the 2024 Martinsville NASCAR Cup playoff race won by Ryan Blaney
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    What drivers said after the 2024 Martinsville NASCAR Cup playoff race won by Ryan Blaney

    Pabio Posted on

    Here’s what the drivers had to say after Sunday’s playoff race at Martinsville Speedway:

    Ryan Blaney — Winner: “I’m exhausted. It’s hard. Over the last 70 or so laps I tried to save my rear as best I could, because that’s where I started to struggle later in the races. I hated having to put the bumper on some guys, but I had to do it. It was good to pass (Chase Elliott) clear. I bumped a few guys that I wish I didn’t have to, but I had to go, so it was a long night. I appreciate everyone for improving all night. Thank God. I think this is the most tired I’ve felt after a race in a long time. … Part of me was nervous because when I got to (Brad Keselowski) earlier, like the race or two before, I lost so much rear traction and I couldn’t drive under him. I felt like my rear ends were gripping a little bit better on the last run, and it started to look like (Kyle Larson) and (Elliott) were starting to struggle coming out of the turn and it This is where I was able to do it. We definitely improved the car and it allowed me to go up the track and turn under it where I couldn’t really do it before. Kudos to (crew chief) Jonathan (Hassler) for putting it together.

    “Yes, lots of momentum. It’s nice to have two Penske cars on board. It’s good to join (Joey Logano) and have a good chance to bring Roger another title, a third title in a row, so these guys are the best at what they do and it’s been so good. It’s fun to race with them and share victories and championships. It’s very strong right now in our organization and I hope it continues.

    Chase Elliott – Second: “It was a great call. That put us in the mix and we had an opportunity. I just made a few mistakes halfway through the race and our car was damaged. I think it hurts a little. Little things started to pile up. I pushed really hard to try to get to (Kyle Larson). I just felt like Ryan (Blaney) had been really good. I was afraid to give him the opportunity to go to No. 5 first. I just really wanted to try and take the lead. And then you never know, maybe a warning is issued or something. It just didn’t work for us. We will go to Phoenix (Raceway) and try to have a good weekend.
    Yeah, I don’t know what was going on there (at the finish), to be honest. All I know is that we are one place short and that’s a shame.

    Kyle Larson – Third: “I am proud of the effort of this No. 5 Chevrolet team. This whole round of 16 was really a fight. From the first stage in Las Vegas (Motor Speedway), it’s a fight. I feel like we made the right choice to give ourselves the best opportunity. I’m proud of my team, the car, the pit crew, everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. We just didn’t have enough. I actually thought that when Chase (Elliott) got second, I thought he was going to come up to me and pass me easily. I was surprised I lasted this long, so that gave me hope. But then we crashed in the last 30 laps or so.

    Austin Cindric – Fourth: “We started last. We had to go to the back to start the third stage and we had a very fast race car. It was a good strategy from (crew chief) Brian (Wilson), putting it in my hands at the end with old tires. Honestly, after a few more laps we probably would have finished third, so I’m proud of everyone’s effort. The whole team came together this weekend and, more importantly, getting Ryan into Championship 4. We have a 50% chance of Team Penske winning next week, so that’s awesome. It’s well deserved by everyone on the team and after my last three weeks it feels good, but we definitely had to work for it today.

    William Byron — Sixth: “Yeah, I’ve never been part of anything like this, so I don’t really know how to feel. I hate it for everyone involved, but I’m happy for this No. 24 Chevrolet team. I’m glad we’re moving on, and we’re going to move on and focus on Phoenix. I’ll think about this one here in Martinsville with my team. We had a lot of adversity during the second half of the race. Yeah, I mean, we know the rules, right? So that’s how it is. I wouldn’t say I’m happy, but I’m excited to race for a championship, for sure.

    Byron after having advanced: “The rule is what it is”

    After NASCAR deems Christopher Bell’s wallride at Martinsville a safety violation, William Byron agrees that “the rule is what it is” and advances into Championship 4.

    Austin Dillon – Seventh: We had a fast #3 Chevrolet today at Martinsville Speedway. We ran in the top 10 for most of the race. Even after a pit speeding penalty on lap 134, our team remained determined and we were able to get back into the top 10. Our pit crew did a fantastic job with the number of times we stopped. I think if we could have gotten a few late warnings towards the end we could have gone for another win. I’m very proud of our Richard Childress Racing team for bringing the car they built this weekend and the ECR engines for power. This showed for 500 rounds.

    Joey Logano — 10th: “It was a top 10. That’s what it is. The focus has been on Phoenix and I hope that pays off next weekend where we can unload with a lot of speed and have a race car that can go up there, run up front and win a championship .

    Noah Gragson — 11th: “We’re missing a spot in the top 10. I really want that, but overall it’s a good day for the No. 10 team and Stewart-Haas. (Ryan Preece) and (Chase Briscoe) ran up front for a good majority of the day and for us to get back to 11th, we started 25th. We need to improve our qualifications a little bit, but I think we know what we need to work on. I’m just super proud of the determination and focus of our group this weekend. We have one more.

    Shane van Gisbergen — 12th: “”It was a long race but really fun! My Chevy felt really good when we were out in the clean air, and we even had some really good lap times. Super happy with this 12th place. This is such a great way to end with my Kaulig Racing team.

    Daniel Hemric — 13th: “The No. 31 Chevrolet really fast all weekend. We maintained our position on the track and made some gains during the first stage. Being trailed by the 77 set us back a bit. Fortunately, some timely caution and some solid adjustments allowed us to regain some track position, and we were able to pull off a top 20 finish.”

    Ryan Preece – 14th: “We had a really strong car. We felt like we were in the top 5 or top 10, but once we lost track position, we fought all the time to get it back. We just got stuck on the wrong end of the stick with strategy. It seemed that the warnings were issued at unnecessary times for us and put us in a position where we had to make a decision. I think when that caution came out and put us fourth, it actually put us in a bad position and ultimately ended up 14th. Another good fight. I’m proud of Chad (Johnston, crew chief) and proud of everyone.

    Chase Briscoe — 15th: “Our car started pretty well and we kept going and it only got worse as the day went on. We never really improved it. It’s frustrating, that’s for sure. I felt like we had a car that was definitely capable of being in the top five and we kept shooting ourselves in the foot. We have to improve.

    Bell pleads his case: ‘I just slipped against the wall’

    Christopher Bell pleads that he “just slid into the wall” while trying to pass Bubba Wallace to advance in Championship 4, but after the move was ruled a safety violation, he concludes that it was ” not supposed to be.”

    Christophe Bell — 22nd: “It was Martinsville, and it was a race to the round of 16. Unfortunately, I was on the wrong side. I made a lot of mistakes, I ran a sloppy race. It’s a shame that it came down to a ball and strike decision like that. You can look on both sides of the fence. The Chevrolet organization did a lot of blocking so that (William Bryon) would not lose positions. I slid against the wall and kept my foot in it. I guess it’s a losing decision.

    Bell speechless after final lap move ruled illegal

    Christopher Bell discusses his decision which was deemed a safety breach at Martinsville and took away his chance of progressing into Championship 4.

    “I just freed myself. I was trying to get out of (Bubba Wallace) and every time I did, I was kind of stuck between (Noah Gragson) and (Wallace) and sliding against the wall. Every time I slid against the wall, I knew I had to be in that position and I just tried to get to the line. I didn’t intentionally put it on the ground and went into the fence; I slid into the wall and that’s all she wrote.

    Kyle Busch – 28th: “We had a decent Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway, but a bad break early in the race put us behind most of the day. We made a green flag stop, then a few laps later the caution sign came out, causing us to lose a few laps. We caught the wave during the stage 1 caution, then got free passage into the lead lap thanks to another caution a few laps into stage 2. Crew chief Randall Burnett and all the guys on the #8 team kept making adjustments throughout. the race and we were slowly able to get back into the race. With 100 laps to go we lined up 10th for a restart but had a problem with the right front tire and had to come back to the pits. It’s frustrating, that’s for sure.

    Pabio
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