Photo Credit: Noel Lanier
Ford Performance NASCAR Notes and Quotes
GEICO 500 – Talladega Superspeedway
Friday, April 29, 2016
Darrell Wallace Jr., met with media members prior to XFINITY Series practice Friday at Talladega Superspeedway and spoke about trying to build on his sixth place finish at Daytona, his thoughts on the Dash 4 Cash program and his mom.
DARRELL WALLACE JR., No. 6 Kleen Performance Ford Mustang – IS YOUR SIXTH PLACE FINISH AT DAYTONA TO START THE SEASON SOMETHING YOU CAN USE HERE THIS WEEKEND? “I want to say yes but these places are so much about luck. You have to be in the right spot at the right time. We have pretty much the same game plan and hopefully we can get a decent starting spot and get up toward the front and just ride. We have to really plan out the pit stops and not make any mistakes on pit road to get us out there and keep that game plan in order. Daytona was a great race for us. It was good to finish one of those races. I always feel like I am the victim of my own mess or someone else’s mess. A sixth place finish there is something to build off for sure but that luck factor is so much bigger here than when you go to any other place.”
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE DASH FOR CASH FORMAT AND PROGRAM THIS YEAR? “I am on the fence about it. I think one of the factors is we haven’t had the speed enough to put ourselves in position but I was at Bristol and I was still standing outside my car when they said it was time to roll and start the engines for the feature. There is no schedule after that. You run your heats and get back to it. We are just kind of bouncing back and forth not knowing what we are doing. Richmond was a little more organized but still I think it comes down to the speed factor. We have to get a little better to focus on putting ourselves in position to with the $100,000. It is a cool concept and it will be interesting to see what the fans say about it. I know there are some of us that are for it and some against it. It is different for us.”
WITH THE CHASE FORMAT AND YOUR POSITION IN POINTS, DOES IT ALLOW YOU TO MAKE MORE MOVES HERE? “No, we have finished in the back of the pack too many times this season. A lot of people think it is still early, which it is, but these finishes we have been having are putting a damper on our season right now. It is kind of frustrating. We will go into this race and be smart about it. It isn’t one of those where the Cup drivers come in and we can do whatever we want. We have to race and get as max points as possible. It would be a great place to get our first win. We are knocking on the door for that. We have to stay focused. My mom always says it is the ones that can keep getting up after the bad races that will be the champion. We have to keep pushing forward.”
WHAT DO YOU DO DURING THE WEEK OR AFTER THESE FINISHES TO STAY MOTIVATED AND NOT GET TOO BEATEN DOWN? “We go in the shop and have the Monday debrief meetings. We really just try to get in depth with what we need to do to change. Everybody is on board at Roush Fenway Racing. Everyone can see the program is struggling a little bit but nobody is giving up or turning our backs on it. We are trying to get our Ford Mustangs better. Our speedway package is really good. Depends if we get a big tow in practice we should be up toward the top of the board and can qualify better than what we have been, we are usually 12-15 range but then we have the speed in the race to stick with those guys. It is a matter of luck. We exclude Talladega and Daytona but we have to work on all the other places. Throughout the week it is hitting the notes to see what I can do better, how I can communicate better to make the changes to get our car better. Other than that it is goofing off with Blaney, but everybody knows that.”
ROUSH FENWAY RACING WHEN FROM FOUR CARS TO TWO CARS IN THE XFINITY SERIES. IS THAT A FACTOR TO WHY THE TEAM HAS STRUGGLED SO FAR THIS YEAR? “I don’t think it is because of backing off on teams. I think it is just that we are trying new things and trying different things and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Now it is getting to that point in the season where we have to see what worked and kind of put that together. We are still missing on a lot of other factors as well. Like I said earlier, we are dedicated and 100-percent focused on getting where we need to be. We have some really great tracks coming up for us. Dover, Charlotte has been really good to us. That will be a test to see how we are. Hopefully we can get some turn through the center. That is the first thing I say on the radio. Hopefully I won’t be saying that this weekend. We have an off weekend coming up and we can really get in depth more to see what we need to do. I don’t really know what the exact thing is that we are missing. I think it would be really easy and everyone could do it if it was like that.”
WHAT IS THE GREATEST THING YOU LEARNED THE FIRST TIME YOU RACED HERE AT TALLADEGA THAT YOU STILL FALL BACK ON WHEN YOU COME HERE? “That was 2013 in the Truck Series. Everything was going okay. I think we were in that big wreck with Miguel Paludo and Kyle and Jeb and that is about the only thing that I remember from that race. Hitting the wall. Almost destroying the first pit box because I had no brakes. Yeah, that is Talladega for you. That is about all you can remember. I think you learn every time when you come to Talladega and Daytona with how the draft works and who you can work with. I have a set list on my computer of who I worked well with, who I didn’t really suck up well to, and we have to see what we can do to help that. There are a few changes you can make. It is really run what you bring when you come to these places. You learn who you work with and who you don’t from an aero standpoint and a common sense standpoint.”
WITH MOTHERS DAY COMING UP, ANY TRADITIONS YOU HAVE WITH YOUR MOM OR SPECIAL PLANS COMING UP AND HOW SHE HELPED YOU GET WHERE YOU ARE? “She has helped me out a lot. Mom hasn’t been to a race this year though. I think that might be our problem. That is our problem. Thanks Mom. Way to not be here. No, I am kidding. She has been super busy. She joined a church and has been super busy with that. My mom has helped me out a ton form the struggle standpoint, giving me words of wisdom and motivational speeches and quotes and things to keep me on the same level and not let the highs get too high and lows too low. I actually won’t be seeing my mom next weekend. That is a bummer. I have an appearance in L.A. and I will be out there the whole weekend. She is going to the cabin in Gatlinburg and is going to take my grandma down and have a good time with her. There has been a lot going on. It will be nice for her to get away. If anybody knew my mom, she puts herself last. I think that catches up to her a lot and you can see it. It is like, ‘Mom, get away and go shop, do your nails, do something.’ I don’t know. She is the most outstanding woman for sure. So happy Mother’s Day to my mother coming up. I need to get her out to a race. That is our problem.”
