| When preparing for this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen, how much does it help to use Ford’s simulator to get laps under your belt before hitting the track this weekend? “Having access to the Ford simulator ahead of a road course is really helpful, at least for me, in finding the rhythm and learning how the course flows together. It’s hard to get acclimated fast with how short our practice sessions are, so having access to that tool provides me a way to get semi-used to the way the track feels in terms of the rhythm. Obviously, we can try other setup options and try to find speed – those are the two biggest things in my opinion.” How challenging is it to go to new tracks in the NextGen car and, when you have a new track to go to, how are you able to redefine success each week? “It’s always going to be a challenge to go to a new track in the Cup Series. The level of competition is just so high and these guys, for the most part, have more experience on these tracks than I do, so it’s hard when I am behind the eight ball most weeks. But I have a really experienced team around me and teammates to lean on with what they feel in practice and how to navigate some of the obstacles I am facing in my rookie season, all of which shortens my learning curve. For our team this weekend, a clean, mistake-free race is a successful trip to Watkins Glen.” Of the road courses the NASCAR circuit goes to, where do you feel Watkins Glen ranks in difficulty for you personally, and how do you carry lessons from one track to another? “Watkins Glen is a really fast road course and one that most people have experience at in some level of competition, so it’s one where, for me, you feel more comfortable heading to. COTA is hard for me and that ranks, in my opinion, the hardest one we go to. But all of them are tough just coming from a short-track background and not making a ton of laps turning left and right. There is going to be an adjustment period for a while for me and I understand that.” |
