MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
APACHE WARRIOR 400
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
*Updated to include Dale Earnhardt, Jr. as one of the top Chevy Qualifiers
TOP TEAM CHEVY QUALIFIERS:
POS. DRIVER
3RD KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CHEVY SS
7TH DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
8TH RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 WASTE MASTERS CHEVROLET SS
12TH CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA CHEVROLET SS
TOP FIVE QUALIFIERS:
POS. DRIVER
1ST Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota)
2nd Kyle Busch (Toyota)
3rd Kyle Larson (Chevy)
4th Matt Kenseth (Toyota)
5TH Daniel Suarez (Toyota)
The Apache Warrior 400 is scheduled to begin on Sunday, October 1st at 2 pm, ET. Live coverage can be found on NBCSN, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
POST QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CHEVROLET SS – Qualified 3rd
TOP 10 START IS THAT WHAT YOU GUYS WERE LOOKING FOR?
“Yeah, I mean you always want to qualify well especially here, pit selection is important and track position as well. So, the No. 78 (Martin Truex, Jr.) and the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) have been really good and we have been right with them, so, we will work on race trim for tomorrow and hopefully be good on Sunday.”
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 WASTE MASTERS CHEVROLET SS – Qualified 8th
IT LOOKED LIKE A SOLID QUALIFYING SESSION FOR YOU. WHAT WERE YOU ABLE TO FIND ON THE RACE TRACK FOR BETTER SPEED TODAY?
“We had a good car all day. The Waste Masters Chevrolet has been good and we started in qualifying trim and just kind of kept it that way. We were a little bit better there in Q2 than Q3. My weakness was probably getting over the bumps in Turn 3 and through there. I think I had a good run going before that. But, nevertheless, we’ll keep digging.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 MOUNTAIN DEW CHEVROLET SS – Qualified 12th
YOU HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE BEST CARS THUS FAR THIS WEEKEND, WHAT WERE YOU MISSING IN THAT FINAL ROUND TO MAKE A RUN AT THE POLE?
“I’m not 100% sure. We went okay in the first one and freed it up to try to go a little better in the other rounds and really didn’t help. So, I don’t know if we shouldn’t have done that or what, but we will try to get it dialed in tomorrow.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – Qualified 17th
WHAT WERE YOU MISSING ON YOUR QUALIFYING RUN IN ORDER TO MAKE IT TO THE FINAL ROUND?
“The track changed a little more than we adjusted for is really what it boils down to. We felt like it was going to do that and made an effort at it and just didn’t go far enough.”
DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THAT STARTING SPOT?
“Yeah, the great thing is just how fast the car was off the truck. I know when it comes to race time we will be fine here. Qualifying for me is qualifying, so we had speed this morning and I know it’s in there.”
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – Qualified 21st
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CAR AND YOUR STARTING SPOT?
“We were just kind of on the tight side there. We weren’t able to really finish the throttle and get off the corner very well on each lap. We ran all.80’s there just couldn’t go any faster. So, we have a lot of work to do tomorrow, but I know my car is plenty capable we will just keep working on it.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AAA CHEVROLET SS – Qualified 23rd
“We just didn’t have the rotation we needed to kind of finish off the end of the corner. It’s tough. We have been not that great since we unloaded. We will keep working on it though. Usually, the race comes to us a lot more than qualifying does.”
DID YOU DO ANY RACE TRIM TODAY? IF NOT, WHAT IS THE AGENDA FOR TOMORROW?
“We worked on qualifying trim all day. So, tomorrow will be all race trim. I think we will get it better.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 GEARWRENCH CHEVROLET SS – Qualified 26th
WE HEARD YOU SAY YOU WERE A LITTLE BIT TIGHT ON THAT FIRST RUN. WHAT WERE YOU LACKING ON THE SECOND ONE?
“Actually, the balance was really similar on both runs. We were just a little bit loose on entry. And, I struggled to get the front to turn through the middle and then as soon as I’d get to the throttle, I couldn’t push the gas down because I would be loose. This is one of those places that requires a lot of throttle and I don’t know. I thought our balance was actually really good in practice. We didn’t change a whole lot. But the track slowed down and our car didn’t like that.”
HOW DO YOU OVERCOME STARTING 26TH ON SUNDAY?
“It’s actually a pretty tough track to pass on; for as wide as it gets, it is hard to pass here. But I feel like the first run is normally the easiest run. You see a few guys start in the back and be able to drive forward. If we can get our GearWrench Chevy handling well, it shouldn’t be a problem.”