Notable quotes from 2024 Cup playoff media day

The 16 NASCAR Cup Series drivers who will set course on their playoff journey this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway first stopped by the Charlotte Convention Center for Playoff Media Day. Scroll through the gallery to read  their most notable quotes.

Christopher Bell on the Round of 16 tracks: "The first round is the scariest it's been in a long time. You know, with Atlanta, a superspeedway starting us off, we all know how that can go. And then we go to Watkins Glen, which should be a normal race track, but with the expected tire degradation with the tire change that we've had, I mean, it could be a Bristol-style race where people are wearing tires out really early and struggling to make laps and having to pit all the time. So that could be another wild-card race. And then Bristol, I think everybody's expecting it to be more of the same as what we had in the spring. So, the first round could be very different than what we've seen in the past."

Kyle Larson on having a points cushion: "I think having the playoff points that we've earned throughout the regular season is nice, but it still doesn't guarantee anything. You've still got to not run into any trouble, especially in back-to-back weeks."

Tyler Reddick on what 4-year-old son Beau is aware of: "He knows what's going on for sure. He's, he's only, you know, four, right? So, I mean, he hasn't been around for the whole process of getting to this point, you know, I'd say from the time he was born, you know, I was just only raised up, so that's all he's ever seen me do. But I think he understands it. I think as he continues to get older, he'll understand better just how hard it is to get to this spot.

Ryan Blaney on the intimidation factor: "That's what I've told my guys: I want to scare every other team. Like, I want you guys to be so good that everyone is nervous about us when we unload. That's kind of the mindset that we've tried to have because I think that's a great mindset for everyone on the team to have, is like, you want everybody worrying about you, because you can be that dangerous. And I think we definitely are."

Alex Bowman on playoff aggression: It's gotten crazy over the last couple years, for sure. I think if we raced 10 years ago the way we do now, we would get out of the car and get our ass kicked. So it's changed a lot, right, and it has changed for everybody. I feel like I'm not the overly aggressive dirty-race car driver, and the races have played out to really benefit the overly aggressive dirty race-car drivers. So trying to get myself there, for sure. Yeah, it's definitely changed.

Austin Cindric on playoff goals vs. golf goals: "It's huge to be in the playoffs. I mean, that was the only goal I set out for this year. I'm not much of like a numbers goal setter, but playoffs was a must in my opinion. So the only two goals I've set for myself, personally or professionally this year, was make the playoffs and break 100 in golf. So if that tells you how hard golf is, I'm still working on the other one.

Chase Briscoe on finding momentum at the right time: "Momentum is a crazy thing in sports, you know, and I kind of related it to N.C. State this past year in the NCAA basketball tournament. They go from not even having a prayer to make the NCAA Tournament to winning the ACC Tournament and going all the way to the Final Four, and I feel like we certainly could relate to that. When you have momentum and confidence, it just goes such a long way, and I don't see what team right now in the sport would have more momentum or confidence than we do. So yeah, it's just a different feel for the playoffs than I've ever had."