NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
QUICKEN LOANS RACE FOR HEROES 500
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
NOVEMBER 13, 2015
JIMMIE JOHNSON PUTS CHEVROLET ON THE POLE AT PHOENIX
Team Chevy Sweeps Front Row, Takes four of top-five and nine of top-12 Starting Spots
AVONDALE, AZ (Nov. 13, 2015) – Jimmie Johnson put the No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevrolet SS on the pole forSunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Phoenix International Speedway (PIR), the final race in the Eliminator round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. This was Johnson’s first pole of the season and third pole at PIR in 25 races.
While Johnson is no longer eligible for the 2015 championship, Chase contender, Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS posted the second fastest time in the final session. Busch, a former winner at PIR, is one of several drivers that will need to win Sunday’s event to move into the final Championship Four.
Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., qualified third in his No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS. Earnhardt, like teammate Johnson, has already been eliminated from Chase contention. Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet SS team are still in contention and notched a solid fifth place starting spot for Sunday’s race.
Kyle Larson posted the sixth fastest time in his No. 42 Target Camo Chevrolet SS, but is also a non-Chase Contender. Kevin Harvick, defending NSCS Champion and winner of the past four Sprint Cup Series races at PIR, will start eighth in his No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS. Harvick is still alive in the Chase contention and can solidify his spot in the Championship round with a fifth consecutive victory at PIR.
Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon helped the team get all four drivers into the top-12. Kahne, who is not Chase eligible, posted the ninth fastest time in his No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS; while Gordon was 11th in his No. 24 Pepsi Chevrolet SS. Gordon has already earned a Championship round spot at Homestead next week, but is also competing in his final race at PIR this weekend.
Jamie McMurray rounded-out the Chevrolet power in the top-12 by earning the 12th spot in his No. 1 Sherwin Williams Chevrolet SS.
Carl Edwards (Toyota) was fourth in the the top-five qualifiers.
The 312-lap/312-mile Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m., ET on Sunday November 15. Live coverage will be available on NBC, PRN, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
A WIN LAST WEEK AND A POLE THIS WEEK, TALK ABOUT THE ROLL YOU’RE ON RIGHT NOW
“Yeah, it’s a good roll, for sure. It’s nice to see all the hard work come together and us having the speed in the car and really have kind of a swagger back that we’re accustomed to having. So, it’s been a little in a lot of areas that’s led to this, from the engine department and chassis and aero and engineering and camaraderie amongst the team; all those things. We’ve been kind of stacking pennies for a while, and it’s nice to have the reward. Qualifying is certainly not my strong suit, so to get a pole here is really cool. I forgot what that whole pole ceremony was like and that was fun, and it’s time to go racing again.
YOU ARE ON THE VERGE OF TYING DALE EARNHARDT SR’S. RECORD. WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR THE TEAM AND FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS TO GET THAT DONE THIS WEEKEND?
“I was watching a clip before we came here and somebody remembered and posted that Jeff (Gordon) was able to match Earnhardt, Sr’s 76th and that we would have that opportunity this weekend. And man, if that happens, it was one of those meant-to-be things to honor Dale and then also honor Jeff in his final year if it was to happen. It’s a long shot and the stars all have to align. This hasn’t been our best track and it’s going to be a very scrappy race with all the drivers that need to win to advance. If it happens, then somebody was looking down on us from above.”
EVERYBODY IN THE CHASE IS GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT POINTS ON SUNDAY. YOU GUYS CAN JUST THINK ‘CHECKERED FLAG’
“Yeah, but when you go racing in most situations, you’re more worried about that position and trying to win and focused on it; that’s one easy aspect about our jobs is that when you get in the rhythm of it, you’re really worried about just winning the race and doing the best you can. What’s nice is out of the car and sleeping at night; I don’t have any pressure or anything to worry about. So, that aspect is much more relaxed for me versus the Chasers. So, I don’t mind being in this position. I’d rather have sleepless nights and be a championship contender and have to worry about the points, to be honest with you. But I think the way things have unfolded, there is more pressure on more teams this round, I think, than this round last year, here. They guys have got to win, that we’ve considered the favorites like the No. 22 and the No. 2. I’m pretty sure one of those is going to make it, if not both. It’s going to be a scrappy race, for sure.”
KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, IS THE OLD CHASE OR THE NEW CHASE HARDER TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP?
“My first reaction is this Chase. And my first championship in ’06, we had two bad races and we were still able to rally back. I don’t know for sure, but I sense it’s because of the format and others having problems and the way the points worked out, we were able to get ahead. But I’ve not gone back and looked at breaking them into three race groups and how that worked. I know we didn’t win that year in the Chase. I don’t know how it would play out. But these last two years have been difficult. I’d say though, that, it’s been more our own shoulders in not performing than it’s been the format. I don’t blame the format for us not having a chance. It’s been us.”
WHAT CHALLENGES HAS PHOENIX BROUGHT TO YOU SINCE THE REPAVE?
“It’s something to do with the asphalt and tire combination. This asphalt is really fast, it’s not abrasive – yet and the tires last forever. And another piece of that is Goodyear has to bring a very durable tire here because the speeds are so high. I have always struggled on hard tires on repaved tracks. Old worn out tracks, soft tires that wear out, that just fits my style since I’ve ever been in a racecar/stockcar. This track is slowly evolving. I think we have our stuff together this weekend and should be an interesting race.”
DID YOU WATCH JEFF GORDON WHEN HE DID HIS SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE DEAL? COULD YOU EVER IMAGINE YOURSELF DOING THAT?
“Yeah, I did watch. And was talking to him leading up to it and understood how stressed and uncomfortable he was. He pulled it off well, far better than I ever would. That takes a lot of bravery to pull that off. I did watch it. We had a party, actually Ricky Hendrick had a party and we all sat around and watched it.”
HAVE YOUR FEELINGS CHANGED AT ALL ABOUT PLAYING SPOILER LAST WEEK AT TEXAS?
“I don’t think I’m going to play spoiler. I just want to go fast. I just want to sit on the pole, I want to win races, I want to lead laps. I want to be the No. 48 that we know we are capable of. My motivation comes through that. I want to be the race team we are and the driver that I am. It’s not because I want to be the spoiler and I’m not in the Chase so let me get in the way. It has nothing to do with that. I think people were trying to have a little fun in that interview and play into it a touch, but my motivation comes from wanting to win and go fast more than anything else.”
CAN YOU EXPAND ON THE IMPROVE COMRADERY WITH THE TEAM?
“From the team aspect to really with me and Chad (Knaus) that we were as frustrated as we have ever been. In those moments it’s tough to lead on his side for his engineers. It’s tough for me to lead the team in the adjustments that I need. Prior to the Chase starting we were heading the right direction there. We focus a lot better when we are having fun and we are relaxed. As the Chase grew closer we kind of recognized it, started making changes, saw improvements and now with the pressure off from the championship stand point we’ve been running with it further and further and our cars kept getting faster.”
LIKE CHANGES IN PERSONNEL?
“No, no personnel just having fun. Like tonight I’ve got my guys set to go to Nitro Circus and watch Travis Pastrana do backflips. I’ve got a suite over there full of beer and food and we are going to go hang out and watch Nitro Circus. Things like that just bonding and hanging out and being friends because when the pressure is on we all head back. I go to my motorhome, Chad goes to his, the guys grab some pizza on the way back to the hotel and just spend all night look at the computer. After a while, after weeks and weeks of that it’s just hard on you. We are trying to lighten the environment, have some fun, make better gut reactions and such like computer driven scientific answers. Let that happen at the shop and get to the track and just kind of shoot from the hip.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 2ND
TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF STARTING ON THE FRONT ROW IN A PIVOTAL RACE LIKE THIS:
“It can mean a lot of different things, but most importantly is the car has speed. That is the biggest thing that I take away from a Friday qualifying session. The way it acted in race trim and the way the team put together this great set-up and great car, I feel like I let them down a little bit in qualifying. That is how good the car feels. To be outside pole that is a great start. We will go into Sunday now with the confidence from today’s sessions and we will go through tomorrow’s practice sessions with a confident feel, but also at the same time we have to stay focused on getting this No. 41 car a punched ticket down into Homestead.”
IS THERE A LOT TO BE DONE IN PRACTICE TOMORROW?
“There is a lot to be done just with the amount of tires we have sitting on the ground, but yes it’s more fine tuning when you are running at the speeds that we are running. The speed though tonight it’s because the qualifying session was so late. I don’t think we have ever qualified here at night before. There was incredible speed in the track. We just have to keep track of that once we are in race trim tomorrow because the race starts at 1 p.m. and then you have the sunshine beating down on Turns 3 and 4, where (Turns) 1 and 2 does get in the shade. There are things we have to balance out and it’s just a matter of keeping a keen eye on track conditions and going through our checklist like we normally do.”
WOULD YOU BE DOING THE SAME THING TOMORROW REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU ARE STARTING?
“I think if we qualified poorly we would be in a different mindset. We would be in a bit more of a scramble trying to understand where the speed is in the car. At 1-mile racetracks that are flat like this there is not much you change between race trim and qualifying trim versus a 1.5-mile where you really put a lot of effort into qualifying trim. It’s exciting to have the speed in our car and now we go through our checklist. If you don’t have speed then you are searching. Then you are really hitting the computer’s hard, looking at the set-up notes and relying on teammate information at that point.”
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE PHOENIX HAVE A NIGHT RACE?
“I think the way that we could shake up some of these dates that have two in the NASCAR circuit at the Cup level is to have one of them day and one of them night if there is that opportunity. I know Richmond is going to that with the spring race will be a day race on Sunday. That helps get the engineers on their toes a little bit. It puts the drivers out on the grid to look for things to find out on the track instead of just going off of notes. Anything we can do to mix it up and inject a little bit of difference and newness because our schedule has been the same for so long I think that would help.”