FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 9th, 2015
NOTES AND QUOTES FROM NASCAR XFINITY SERIES PRE-RACE AND RACE COVERAGE FROM CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ON NBCSN
Race winner Austin Dillon from Victory Lane: “(Crew chief) Danny Stockman did a great job and made big adjustments from the first two runs. What a year— this has been awesome.”
XFINITY points leader Chris Buescher on a pit-stop mishap that cost him several positions: “We should have had a top-five car. Everyone is human and things happen. I’ve made mistakes out there too.”
Kasey Khane on contact with Kyle Busch, and whether or not that might carry over into tomorrow’s race: “I don’t think he wants that battle.”
Concord, N.C. — October 9, 2015 — NBCSN presented NASCAR XFINITY Series racing under the lights of Charlotte Motor Speedway tonight. With only five races remaining in the 2015 season, tonight’s race was an important test for points leader Chris Buescher, and for the drivers chomping at his heels: Chase Elliott, Regan Smith and Ty Dillon.
Saturday night’s festivities kicked off with the Countdown to Green pre-race show, hosted by Krista Voda, alongside analysts Kyle Petty and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett. Green-flag racing from the “The Lady in Black” was handled by lead race announcer Rick Allen, 21-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winner Jeff Burton and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte. Reporters Rutledge Wood, Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Mike Massaro, Alex Hayden and Dave Burns contributed throughout the broadcast.
XFINITY Race Results
| Position | Driver | Car Number |
| 1 | Austin Dillon | 33 |
| 2 | Erik Jones | 20 |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski | 22 |
| 4 | Daniel Suarez | 18 |
| 5 | Regan Smith | 7 |
The following are highlights from tonight’s XFINITY pre-race and race coverage on NBCSN.
Dale Jarrett on how badly the drivers want to win in Charlotte: “Winning here means more for a number of reasons. Obviously, with this being a home race, you’ve got a lot of friends, family and people who work back at the shop here in the stands. And from an XFINITY driver’s perspective, this is a very difficult race track. If you perform well and can win an XFINITY race here against the Cup drivers, that’s huge because all of the Cup owners are watching.”
Petty adds: “We’ve seen guys who have won here in this 300-mile XFINITY race jump straight into the Cup series and then become champions. This is a big race for these guys.”
Points leader Chris Buescher to Dave Burns from pit road before climbing into his car: “Our lead is not comfortable and it won’t be until we leave Phoenix with a lead of 48 or 50. Then you can sit back and say, ‘this next race is for fun.’ Right now, it’s going to be a battle all the way to the end. We’ve got a lot of guys that are still in this thing.”
Before tonight’s race, Wood interviewed Erendira Wallenda, less than 24 hours before she attempts a death-defying stunt high above Charlotte Motor Speedway. Erendira, wife of daredevil Nik Wallenda, will be suspended from a helicopter, hanging onto a metal ring, at times using only her toes.
Wood: “How do you feel the day before this amazing thing we’re going to see tomorrow night?”
Erendira Wallenda: “I am so excited— I cannot wait. I’ve trained pretty much my entire life to do things like this.”
Wood: “You’ve already rehearsed this, but also in rainy conditions?”
Erendira Wallenda: “Yes, even in the rain. A couple of weeks back, we had a run through in Miami, and it was pouring down rain. I decided to just do it in order to build confidence in myself and everything was fine.”
Back at the Countdown to Green set, Jarrett added: “I admire these people for the things that they do, but when I take helicopter rides, I like to be seated inside with a seatbelt on.”
Petty: “I’ll be seated right next to [Dale]. I’m actually not going to be able to watch this. I said it earlier, my hands are going to be over my eyes.”
In the NBCSN broadcast booth, Letarte offered: “I’m ready to watch this. I’m excited— I want to see it.”
Voda: “It is definitely going to be an edge-of-your-seat moment, and we will show it live on NBCSN tomorrow (at 6:00 p.m. ET).”
Prior to the green flag, Burton sized up tonight’s mission for points leader Chris Buescher: “I think all [Buescher] needs to do is be himself and not try to become something that he’s not. Consistency has gotten him this far, all he needs to do is continue that trend.”
Letarte adds: “I understand that we don’t want Chris Buescher to change, but the one thing he does need to change is how he performs here at Charlotte. Last time he raced here, he mustered an 11th-place finish. While that doesn’t sound very bad, he was beaten by both Chase Elliott and Regan Smith, his two closest points competitors heading into tonight.”
Burton on Kyle Busch’s dominance at Charlotte Motor Speedway: “The only way to beat Kyle Busch tonight is to out-run him. You’re not going to trick your way into winning this race unless fuel mileage comes into play, so you’ve got to have speed.”
Letarte adds: “Yes, you need a fast car, but you also need to believe that you can beat Kyle Busch. He has won so many of these races, that he has a lot of his competitors mentally beat before the race even starts.”
Race winner Austin Dillon to Snider in Victory Lane: “Danny (Stockman) did a great job and made big adjustments from the first two runs. We went back to fifth or sixth, but the second restart was good. We got all the way up to third and I knew that our lap times were comparable with the leaders, but we needed to get our track position back. The caution came out and it was perfect for us… what a year, this has been awesome.”
Dillon on a scary pre-race fireworks mishap that sent a flare into pit road and struck him: “I was actually praying, and then the fireworks hit me in the back. I didn’t know if it was a sign from God or what. He got me going right there with a firework in the butt!”
Points leader Chris Buescher to Stavast after the race regarding a pit-stop mishap that cost him several positions: “The good thing is, we gained a couple points. Our guys have done a really nice job, and this is by far the best car I’ve had here at Charlotte… We should have had a top-five car. Everyone is human and things happen. I’ve made mistakes out there too.”
Kasey Khane to Mike Massaro after the race about his contact with Kyle Busch during the race, which ended Busch’s night: “I don’t know why he started beating on me. I think he was frustrated because his teammate kind of used him up a little bit.”
Khane on whether or not the incident may carry over into tomorrow’s race: “I don’t think he wants that battle…”
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
