NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
FOOD CITY 500
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
APRIL 17, 2015
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S/BUDWEISER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 4TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“We just got really loose on entry into the corner. We carried that through all three session. Just kind of really had to guard against it all three runs. All-in-all the Jimmy John’s team did a great job and still a solid starting spot. We have a lot to work on, but a good starting spot for us.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 7TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“Qualifying at Bristol spring 2015 was a scramble the first time out with traffic jumping up in front of us. We were fighting loose in the whole run in practice, again that whole lap. Run 2, Run 3 it was a matter of how much we could control it and not affect the car on the exit. The first time out when we got held up in traffic the car had a whole different balance. The second time out ‘wow’ we surprised ourselves, we were fourth quick. And then it was like ‘hey lets go for the pole’ and I drove too conservative. I didn’t lay down the throttle hard enough on both ends. I was a bit conservative and maybe lost a ½ a tenth on each end. Position 7 it’s not – top four get good pit boxes here so we will see what a seventh-place qualifying effort gets us.”
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 MOUNTAIN DEW DEWSHINE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 13TH
EXPLAIN WHAT THE CAR WAS DOING FOR YOU OUT THERE:
“We have been fighting several balance issues today, pretty extreme. The car didn’t feel like it was running very good laps. We are not lacking too much speed. We just have to improve on the balance a little bit where the car can race well. We will be very good this weekend. We love racing here, love this race track. We just have to improve how the car drives. We have decent speed there and that is a good result for us in qualifying especially at this track.”
A LOT OF THE DRIVERS SAID HOW LOOSE THE TRACK WAS. WOULD YOU AGREE THAT THE SURFACE KIND OF SURPRISED YOU?
“The surface has been a surprise all day long. We have been really loose in race trim and in qualifying trim. We have been trying to work on it, but you have to be careful. If you get your car real comfortable you get real slow in the middle of the corner and not get off the corner it will drive better, but it will be slower. You’ve got to handle some of the looseness. It’s pretty crazy today.”
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 16TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“Since we went to qualifying trim we have just been really loose getting in the corner. We fought that. Still that was a good pick up for us. We were 21st in practice, 23rd in the first round (of qualifying) and picked up to 16th. All-in-all we will take the positives out of that. The guys made some good adjustments. We just really fought getting in the corner for some reason. We were really good in race trim. Looking forward to tomorrow and Sunday.”
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 3M CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 23RD:
YOU’VE WON HERE SO MANY TIMES. DO YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR STRATEGY NOW AFTER QUALIFYING 23RD?
“Yeah, that’s going to be challenging. We’re known for qualifying really well here. This year, we’re really struggling with this package being consistent. The first lap was not bad. The second lap, I just couldn’t keep the back end underneath me getting in the corner. Twenty-third is not good. That is not at all where we want to start, but it’s a long race. We’ve got a great team and between pit road and pit strategy and adjustments and me searching around the race track, I feel like we’ll be able to get up front. But, first you’ve got to get the car dialed in the way that we need it to run different multiple grooves on this race track. And pretty soon that top groove is going to come in at some point and we’ll have to be ready for it.”
SOUNDS LIKE YOUR CAR DIDN’T REACT TO THE HEAT CYCLE AFTER THAT FIRST ROUND:
“We kind of managed a good lap there in the first round but I was dealing with a lot of the same characteristics. When the tires did get that cycle on them it just wouldn’t do the things that I needed it to go quick. You only have one lap to get it done and with the tires you just can’t go right back out. There is just not enough time to cool them down enough. My first lap in the second session, I knew I was in trouble. I went in the corner and I got real loose and then the car got real tight in the center and I knew that lap was done. I was hoping to do something on the next lap but it wasn’t any better. We tried to go back out there but it just wasn’t there.”
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 26TH
ON HER QUALIFYING RUN:
“It was a little bit tight actually. Which I don’t know, I’m mildly pleased that it was at least tight because in practice it was loose, loose, loose. I couldn’t get into the corner the way that I felt like I really needed to. I couldn’t carry the speed through the center. We just kind of went the other side of it. We were faster than we were in practice, so it’s not a great qualifying position at all. But it was still I suppose better than where we were practicing. Today hasn’t been the best day, but I think these are the kind of days where you just have to keep your head down. You have to keep working hard and you just have to make the most of what you have. Really lean on the resources that we have around us, with my teammates and Hendrick and just trying to look at everything that everybody is running. And try and find a direction to go because we need to make the most of those next two hours tomorrow so that we are good for the race. The GoDaddy car is not starting where I want it to, but a lot can happen, because you know what ‘It’s Bristol Baby’.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 28TH
YOU WERE LOOSE. WHAT ALL DID YOU HAVE GOING ON WITH THAT CAR?
“It’s just been a struggle. I mean in practice we were on one side of it, and then in qualifying we were on a different side. It’s a frustrating Friday. Bristol can be that way for us. We always race a lot better so we’ll settle-in during the race and I think, come out with a good finish. I love this race track. I just wish that I could show up and walk in the gates and to it like I do at a lot of my other tracks that I’m strong at. There’s still a lot to learn here at Bristol even after coming here for 16 years.”
HOW DOES THIS CHANGE YOUR RACE STRATEGY?
“If you can stay on the lead lap and deal with the attrition, you’ll be in decent shape. We won’t have any favors on pit road. In some ways it’s nice that we qualified so bad that we might find an opportunity on pit road to make up somewhere and work some slower traffic that way, but we’re in a big hole. There’s no way around it. But it is a long race. You can still salvage a nice finish here out of being smart and running a strong race and that’s what we’re going to have to do.”