What drivers said Monday during and after the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway:Martin Truex Jr. — Winner: “Man, it feels incredible. It felt like we’ve been close a bunch of times, and we gave some away, that’s for sure. Thought today, man, late caution, what’s going to happen here? But just a great call by James (crew chief James Small) to take two and then was able to get a pretty good restart and get (Dave) Blaney there. He raced me hard but clean. I’m out of breath, I’m breathing so much Goodyear rubber. Thanks to everybody that stuck with us, all our fans, Bass Pro Shops, Auto Owners, Reser’s, Toyota, TRD, all my personal sponsors. We know we could do this. We’ve showed it. We’ve led laps. We’ve dominated races, and it just would never all come together. I kept saying that we’ve got to just keep doing what we’re doing and not overthink it. Tough day today with a few pit stops early and then obviously the guys got it going at the end, so really psyched and happy for everybody. Just thanks to everybody at JGR, as well. Awesome job.”Ross Chastain — Finished 2nd: “Whoever got in the lead was going to have a shot at it. First, I want to say so sorry to Brennan Poole and everybody at Rick Ware Racing. I owe them a big apology and a bit more. I’ll head over there tomorrow and talk to those guys, and make some of that right. We were just so close again for our No. 1 Jockey Chevy team and everybody at Trackhouse Racing, Advent Health, Moose Fraternity, Worldwide Express. It’s surreal to continue to do this and get to race against my heroes. I guess I told him (Martin Truex Jr.) too many of my secrets last year after we went fishing.”MORE: Brennan Poole says Ross Chastain ‘probably needs his butt whooped’MORE: Dover Cup results, driver pointsRyan Blaney — Finished 3rd: “Either two (tires) or we’re staying out was the call, and we came in and took two. It got us on the front row. I think if we had taken four, we would have lined up fourth. So it really wouldn’t have been much different. But, being on the front row gave us a shot to win. I tried to send it into (turn) 3 to clear the No. 19, and he did the same thing and was able to get around us. It was a really smooth day for us, honestly. We ran third all day. Just didn’t have quite enough speed for those top-two guys at the end there. Overall, really great effort – especially for how we’ve been here in the past. It’s kind of been a struggle track for us, and I’m proud of the gains we made.”William Byron — Finished 4th: “The middle section – I don’t know, I need to maybe do a little better job on the feedback, and then just us communicating the adjustments there. We took off, had clean air and the car was just too loose. I couldn’t load the rear tires, and we were just hanging on. That run was obviously really bad – we fell from first to seventh. We just had to work our way up from there. Proud of the effort. Getting a top five is great. The No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevy was really good today. Definitely needed some more, but we’re having speed at all different kinds of tracks. In our history, this hasn’t been our best track. We came with something a little bit different to try and help that. I think it did for the majority of the race, but just got too loose.”Denny Hamlin — Finished 5th: “Our car was really fast. Long run was pretty good. I’m proud of this FedEx team for bringing me a car capable of winning today, but sometimes you can’t get those last few spots. It is what it is. We will work hard and try to get better.”Brad Keselowski — Finished 8th: “We had a good recovery. Had top five in the first stage, had a pit road issue, and we recovered from that. Solid top-10 day — drove back through. We’re not far off here. Just looking for a little more, and I felt like we were pretty close. Excited about that, proud of our day – especially Chris (Buescher) running well. Just a strong showing. It was just a big day for us. We’re just grinding. The whole company is just grinding and committed to taking us to the next level to get both these cars in the playoffs.”Chris Buescher — Finished 9th: “It was a solid day. I’m really proud of our group. This Fastenal Mustang had good speed in it all day – probably fifth to 10th is probably where we were going to be. Ended up ninth with the late restart and had a lap-down car racing us pretty hard. Jacked us up there, but at the end of the day it was solid. Everyone did a good job on pit road, kept track position, worked hard on-track, and it’s a solid one. Just wanted to be a little more free on that last race restart to see if we could drive forward a little bit more, but it was good to stay up there all day and in contention. This was a really good day. Especially when it’s eight or nine cars on the lead lap at the end. We stayed in it that whole time. That’s strong. I think this was about the time we hit our stride last year. I feel like we’ve had a little bit of a stronger start to the season, but not always had the results. But we have speed, and we were able to work steadily today and be solid. We got the result we deserve and worked for.”Josh Berry — Finished 10th: “Happy to get another top 10. I think it was a really solid day for the No. 48 Ally Chevy team. We needed a little bit more there to be a little bit better, but overall with the amount of experience I have in Cup cars, I feel like to run about where we did was really solid. Just proud of Blake (Harris, crew chief) and everybody on this team for a great job.”Erik Jones — Finished 16th: “It’s a good day for our No. 43 Allegiant Chevy, you know, we were kind of back and forth on the balance throughout the day just trying to get some stuff better, but we came a long way from where we were in practice. Obviously, we were pretty off there from when we unloaded, but we got quite a bit better, quite a bit closer, but we just needed to get the balance. We missed one run and kind of got mired back and lost a lap, so we couldn’t really come back from it that late in the race. We’ll take it, move on and learn from it, and take it to Kansas next week!”Austin Cindric — Finished 20th: “I definitely learned a lot today in the Menards/Great Stuff Ford Mustang. I feel like I could come back here tomorrow and make some good decisions. I got really loose during one of the early runs and went a lap down and just got trapped there. I felt like we had a car that could run in the top 10 at times, if not the majority of the race. I just got trapped and could never make it back up. We also had an issue on our green flag stop to end it. We’ll regroup and head to Kansas.”Justin Haley — Finished 23rd: “We showed a lot of promise early on in our No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1. We fired off so well and had a ton of speed. Unfortunately, as the track built up rubber and I got in dirty air, we just couldn’t find the grip we needed. The first five laps on tires we would be so good, but then we would lose grip and get super-free. By the end of the race I felt like we had improved and learned so much — we just couldn’t get the track position back. We will keep focusing to get back where we need to be starting next week in Kansas.”Joey Logano — Finished 31st: “There was fire, so something broke. Something broke a long time ago, like halfway through the race. We were so slow and the car wouldn’t turn. Whatever it was, it finally broke.”Brennan Poole — Finished 33rd: “I’m not exactly sure, but I feel like I just got ran over. As soon as he ran into me, I just kind of got shoved into the corner, like way too deep, and then I was just immediately turned around. So, I think it was the No. 1? Go figure. I mean, just a joke… 80-something laps into a race? No reason. I was side-by-side with the No. 3 (Austin Dillon), just got to the outside and it’s not like I can go anywhere or give him any more room than what I had. He just ran me over. So it’s kind of pathetic. I don’t know. It seems to be something he does a lot recently. Just uncalled for. It was my first time in a new Cup car, and 80 laps out… for what? I really wasn’t using a lot of brake at all. You’re kind of just rolling out of the gas. Maybe if you came in a little too hot in dirty air you would brake, but no. I just drove in side-by-side with No. 3, rolled out of the gas and just got ran over. It may have even been before I needed to roll out of the gas. I don’t know. I’ll have to look at the replay. I just feel like it’s not necessary. It just kind of sucks to tear up a car when you’re getting an opportunity to be here on Sunday. I’m grateful for this opportunity, grateful to be here. I got another shot next week to go prove myself again, and hopefully it turns into more.”Noah Gragson — Finished 34th: “I don’t know what happened. I tried to get to the top and search for clean air. It was a mistake on my part. The air was tricky in the back of the pack. It was tight and it got loose. I don’t know, I need to go back and look at it. It’s just been a disappointing year overall. I’m thankful for all of the guys’ efforts on our No. 42 Legacy Motor Club team. We’ll take our Sunseeker Resorts Chevy off to Kansas next week and move on from here.”Daniel Suarez — Finished 35th: “The conditions were perfect. I don’t think it had anything to do with the track. The track was good, the car was really good. For how quick I lost the car, I think I had a tire going down or something because it happened instantly. My car wasn’t loose, and I didn’t have a warning or anything. It’s unfortunate to be out of the race this early at a race track that we normally run very well at.”

Legacy Motor Club’s move to Toyota in 2024 is viewed as a “foundational move” by the team but could be just part of how Toyota evolves in NASCAR.Here’s a look at the impact of Tuesday’s announcement.2024 Toyota lineupLegacy MC will be Toyota’s third Cup organization in 2024, joining Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing. That will give Toyota such high-profile owners as Joe Gibbs, Michael Jordan and Jimmie Johnson, who co-owns Legacy MC with Maury Gallagher.Legacy MC drivers Erik Jones and Noah Gragson will join a Toyota stable that has former Cup champion Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick.Benefit to Legacy MCBy moving from Chevrolet to Toyota after this season, Legacy MC is no worse than third on the manufacturer’s depth chart. At Chevrolet, Legacy MC is behind at least Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and Trackhouse Racing, if not others.Johnson called the move a “foundational piece” for the organization. The team started as GMS Racing in 2021, became Petty GMS when Gallagher purchased Richard Petty Motorsports after the 2021 season, and changed its name in January 2023 to Legacy Motor Club.“This gives us the best opportunity we have to be successful year after year,” Johnson said Tuesday.New dynamicGallagher made it clear Tuesday that while Legacy MC will be united with Toyota’s other teams, it wants to be self-sufficient.“One of the things when we talked (to Toyota) is we wanted to stand alone,” Gallagher said Tuesday. “We wanted to be our own team. Historically, most of the teams in Toyota has had (Joe Gibbs Racing) as their technical partner.“We want a direct relationship with Toyota at this point. We built the shop to do that. … It’s something that, I think, is the best outcome for the team and gives you the best control of your future.”Future of GMS Racing’s Truck teamThe new deal does not include GMS Racing, which Gallagher owns and fields entries in the Craftsman Truck Series. The truck operation is separate from Legacy MC.“We haven’t really addressed the Truck Series and exactly what we’re going to do next year,” Gallagher said Tuesday.Further expansion for Toyota?Toyota’s eight-car lineup for 2024 will be its largest Cup lineup since 2011. There could be room for more expansion for Toyota, which joined Cup in 2007.“I think there’s room for a couple more cars potentially,” David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development said Tuesday in response to a question from NBC Sports. “I think the sweet spot is somewhere between eight to 10 (teams). If they are quality teams and capable drivers, I think that’s enough.“As it relates to 2024, you can rest assured that we are done. Our focus is on making sure that we deliver to this new partner. … Maury and Jimmie have taken a chance on Toyota. We’re humbled by it and now the pressure is on us to deliver.“So that is going to be the focus. It goes without saying that this has to be done without compromising the relationships and the strength that we have already established with Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing.”Benefit for ToyotaWilson said the Next Gen car has made it easier for Toyota to add teams without a comparable expansion of its Cup budget.With more work done by single-sourced suppliers and reductions on wind tunnel time, Wilson notes that it provides Toyota more flexibility in expanding its roster of teams. More teams provides more information and that can mean more success.“Data, software, strategy, those are all knobs we’re turning like crazy right now,” Wilson said. “With this new car, that’s where a lot of the advantages will be secured. So we’ve got a lot work in front of us.”Toyota has won three of the first 11 races this season: Reddick won for 23XI Racing at Circuit of the Americas, Bell won for Joe Gibbs Racing at the Bristol Dirt Race and Truex won Monday for JGR at Dover Motor Speedway.

Legacy MC will change from Chevrolet to Toyota beginning in 2024, Toyota Racing Development announced Tuesday.The move will give Toyota eight cars in Cup in 2024. Toyota will have four cars with Joe Gibbs Racing, two cars with 23XI Racing and the two Legacy MC cars. The eight-team lineup will be the largest for Toyota in Cup since 2011.“Maury Gallagher and I are very excited about the partnership with Toyota and TRD beginning in 2024,” said Legacy MC co-owner Jimmie Johnson in a statement. “We admire and respect the level at which Toyota conducts their business in this sport and look forward to forging a new legacy for the future.“I will always be appreciative to Chevrolet and everything we have accomplished together. I’m so thankful they took a chance on a kid from California so long ago and proud that the history books will forever memorialize our record-breaking success we shared.”Erik Jones and rookie Noah Gragson drive for Legacy MC in Cup. Both have driven for Toyota in the past. Jones won rookie of the year honors in Cup, Xfinity and Trucks with Toyota. He made his Toyota debut in 2013 in the Truck Series and won the series title in 2015. He scored two Cup wins with Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing.Gragson made his Truck and Xfinity debuts with Toyota. He ran 47 Truck races for Toyota at Kyle Busch Motorsports, winning twice. He made his Xfinity debut with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018 at Richmond.“We are humbled and delighted to welcome Legacy Motor Club into the Toyota and TRD NASCAR family,” said David Wilson, President of TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development), in a statement. “Jimmie Johnson and Maury Gallagher have impressed us with their long-term vision and commitment to building a championship caliber organization. More importantly, their character and values are aligned with ours and our current Cup Series partners, Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing. Of course, we also look forward to being reunited with our old friends, Erik Jones and Noah Gragson.”The move to add another organization was hinted at by Wilson in an interview with NBC Sports in January. Wilson said at the time: “We’ve got some good irons in the fire now. What was once a very effective strategy to amass our resources across fewer cars, with the marginalization of the areas that we have to play in and the flattening out of the playing field, we definitely need some more help.”Wilson went on to tell NBC Sports in January: “We’re talking to a lot of the incumbents. It’s a very dynamic time right now. If you’re a team, you want to have an association with a manufacturer. Again, even in spite of the new car, the flattening of the playing field, there’s still something about having an alliance and partnership. The good news is there’s a lot of interest. The bad news is you don’t have to worry about Penske or Hendrick.“So what’s interesting from a fan standpoint, what’s going to continue to drive interest in our sport is the trajectory of some of the smaller organizations. The Tier 2 or 3 and how they get better. And that’s good for the sport, because as we saw last year, the number of teams that won, the number of drivers that won was historically unprecedented.”

A NASCAR appeals panel has upheld penalties assessed to driver Austin Dillon and Richard Childress Racing.The team was fined $75,000 and 60 points for a rules infraction at Martinsville Speedway last month.According to NASCAR’s penalty report, the team violated the assembled vehicle rules in the car’s underwing assembly and hardware, and the appeals panel agreed that illegal changes were made.MORE: William Byron No. 1 in NBC Sports NASCAR Power RankingsIn a Tuesday statement, the panel issued an explanation for upholding the penalties: “As submitted the nuts are not a thread locking device — they are connected and part of the turn buckle. The nuts do not lock the assembly. Therefore, the assembly has been modified.”RCR indicated it will not appeal to NASCAR’s final appeals officer. “While we are disappointed in today’s ruling, we look forward to having this issue in the rear-view mirror so we can focus on the rest of the 2023 NASCAR season,” the team said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.Crew chief Keith Rodden was fined $75,000 and suspended for two races. The team and Dillon were penalized 60 points and five playoff points, dropping Dillon from 21st in points to 28th. After Monday’s Dover race, Dillon is 31st.Dillon finished 12th in the Martinsville race.

Three drivers — Martin Truex Jr., Ross Chastain and William Byron — were the standouts Monday at Dover Motor Speedway before Truex powered to the front in the final stage and won the season’s 11th race.Byron finished a solid fourth after leading 193 laps and moves into the top spot in this week’s NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings. Byron, who has held the No. 1 position previously, moves up from No. 2.MORE: Dover winners and losersThe win lifted Truex to sixth place in the rankings.Kyle Busch, No. 1 last week, led early at Dover but struggled mightily most of the afternoon and finished a lackluster 21st.NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings1. William Byron (second last week) — For much of Monday’s race at Dover, Byron had the best car. He led 193 of the 400 laps before finishing fourth, his fourth top-five run this year.2. Ross Chastain (fourth last week) — Chastain remains aggressive — sometimes too aggressive. He admitted to making a big mistake in triggering the crash that robbed Kyle Larson of a chance for a good finish Monday. But Chastain led 98 laps and finished second, his best finish of the season. He leads the Cup points standings.3. Kyle Busch (first last week) — Busch continued the remarkable trend of drivers rising to the top of the rankings one week and having a rotten week the next (watch out, William Byron). Busch led 25 laps in the early going Monday but was nabbed for speeding on pit road and finished a sour 21st, three laps down.4. Kyle Larson (third last week) — Larson appeared to have a powerful car Monday, but his race took a bad turn when a bump from Ross Chastain sent Brennan Poole into his path. After repairs, Larson returned to the race but limped home in 32nd.5. Christopher Bell (seventh last week) — Bell led only one lap Monday but was at or near the front most of the day and scored points in both stages. He finished sixth and gains two spots in the rankings.6. Martin Truex Jr. (unranked last week) — Younger brother Ryan showed Truex the way to victory lane with a win in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, and Martin followed through on Monday, dominating the final stage and outrunning Ross Chastain to the finish. The win ended a 54-race streak for the former series champion.7. Denny Hamlin (eighth last week) — Hamlin remains winless this year, but he continues to stack up good finishes. Monday’s fifth-place run was his second top-five finish.8. Joey Logano (sixth last week) — Logano had a miserable Monday. He was missing from the action at the front and finally parked after a hard crash into the outside wall late in the race, finishing 31st and dropping two spots in the rankings.9. Ryan Blaney (ninth last week) — Blaney’s run-well-but-fail-to-win season rolls on. He was in the front pack much of the day Monday, ultimately finishing third, his third top-five run this year.10. Chase Elliott (10th last week) — Elliott had another representative race day in his third race back from injury, coming home 11th. He has finishes of ninth, 10th and 11th since returning to the No. 9 Chevrolet.Dropped out: Alex Bowman (fifth last week).

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