CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP
ROUND 9 OF 10
CAN-AM 500
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
NOVEMBER 11, 2016
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CHEVROLET SS, and RICHARD CHILDRESS, OWNER OF RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING, met with members of the media Friday at Phoenix International Raceway. The pairing discussed the use of E15 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the focus of this weekend’s Can-Am 500 and what the team’s performance and future may look like in 2017. Full Transcript:
IF YOU DIDN’T SEE IT EARLIER TODAY, NASCAR ANNOUNCED THAT IT WILL SURPASS 10 MILLION COMPETITION MILES ON SUNOCO GREEN E15 BY THE END OF THE 2016 SEASON. RICAHRD, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO THE SPORT?
“I think it’s 400 times around the world, isn’t it? It’s amazing what it’s done for our country and what it’s done for NASCAR, as well. We’ve run 10 million competitive, grueling miles without a single failure. That tells what you can do with E15 in your personal car. It’s an option for everyone at the pumps with a 2001 or later model car. It’s great for our farmers. There are so many positives about E15.”
AUSTIN, GROWTH ENERGY HAS BEEN A PARTNER OF YOURS FOR MANY YEARS NOW. WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN IN REGARDS FROM THE FANS ABOUT THE USAGE OF E15?
“Every week, we go outside the track and do an American Ethanol Fan Experience. Seeing people go through the experience and then sign autographs and talk to them, there’s a lot of positive momentum of what ethanol can do for America. I’m glad to represent American Ethanol and the jobs that it brings to our country.”
RICHARD, YOU MENTIONED E15… IS THERE ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER RUNNING E15 IN YOUR ENGINES?
“It’s a very easy transition. The fuel runs so much cleaner, cooler and makes more horsepower. I think we have 20 percent less emissions around the racetracks using E15. So it’s a win-win for everyone.”
AUSTIN, DOES KEVIN HARVICK NEED TO WATCH HIS BACK THIS WEEKEND OR ALL YOU ALL GOOD WITH THAT NOW?
“I don’t really have no comment. I’m here to race and win this race. We’ve had a good American Ethanol Chevy and I’m looking forward to showcasing that here in a little bit and trying to get two poles in a row.”
RICHARD, WERE YOU SURPRISED BY BRIAN SCOTT’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE IS RETIRING FROM FULL-TIME DRIVING. IF HE EVER DECIDED THAT HE WANTED TO TRY PART-TIME DRIVING IN XFINITY, WOULD HE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DRIVE FOR RCR AGAIN?
“I think he would. He did a great job for us when he was racing for us. We had some really great runs and we didn’t quite pull off the wins we were looking for. But he had some great, great runs. He’s a really good road-course racer, so if he wants to road race maybe we would find a spot for him.”
AUSTIN, YOU HAVE A NEW RULE PACKAGE FOR THE CARS IN 2017 AND CAN YOU GIVE ME AN IDICATION OF WHAT WILL BE DIFFERENT FROM THE CARS YOU RUN NOW?
“I haven’t really been focused on what I need to do as a driver for the last couple of races because I haven’t been thinking about 2017. I know there are some rule changes that are coming but we will do a lot of work in the offseason on what it is going to take for me to step it up and take it to the next level. It’s the same for our team because less downforce means you will have to tweak a few things on how you apply the throttle and brake. Hopefully those come into play and we figure it out first.”
RICHARD, IT WAS HERE THREE YEARS AGO THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION GOT ITS LAST CUP VICTORY. YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH SOME UPS AND DOWNS AND OBVIOUSLY ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN SUNDAY BUT WHERE DO YOU THINK YOUR ORGANIZATION IS AND HOW MUCH CLOSER ARE YOU TO VICTORY TO END THE DROUGHT?
“That is a good question. We have been disappointed with some of our finishes but the things we have worked on the last several months… I have seen a real good gain in the speed in our cars. We have been in the right position several times for a win but just couldn’t pull it off. I think the people that Eric Warren and Mike Dillon have gone out and found and been able to bring in is going to make a huge difference in our competition. I think you have seen some of the speed in Austin’s car down there at Texas and I think we will run pretty good here but I am really excited to go to Homestead with that same style car. I think we will be in really good shape next year and we have added Matt Borland, and we have added two or three new engineers. I think all of it that we are doing is just going to add to our whole competition department. We also have stepped it up in our engine program in Cup and now we know we have to work harder in Xfinity too. I think we have won five or six last year and three or four this year but we know we are down a little bit in our horsepower in our engines in Xfinity but we will be working on those and making them better in the winter.”