CAMARO Z/28.R AT INDIANAPOLIS: Racing with Momentum
Two straight GS victories in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge
· Three wins on season has Chevrolet leading class manufacturer championship
· Stevenson Motorsports on two-race win streak
· CKS Autosport winner of inaugural Indy race in 2012
Continue reading Chevy Racing–CAMARO Z/28.R AT INDIANAPOLIS: Racing with Momentum
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1/BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS, WAS THE GUEST OF THIS WEEK’S NASCAR TELECONFERENCE.
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. We’re joined today by Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for Stewart‑Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and owner of Eldora Speedway. Tony, thank you for joining us.
TONY STEWART: Thank you.
THE MODERATOR: You have a busy week ahead starting with Wednesday’s Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora. A few interesting notes, fans are coming from 45 different states and as far as Canada, Australia, Great Britain and Sweden to attend the second annual Mudsummer Classic. Talk about the popularity of the event and what it’s like for you to see it all coming together and watching from the owner’s seat?
Continue reading Chevy Racing–Nascar Tuesday Teleconference–Tony Stewart
CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY TORONTO – 2 IN T.O.
STREETS OF TORONTO – EXHIBITION PLACE
TEAM CHEVY RACE TWO RECAP
JULY 20, 2014
Mike Conway Wins Race Two in Toronto to Give Chevy Doubleheader Victories
Tony Kanaan and Will Power Give Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Second Podium Sweep of Day
TORONTO (July 20, 2014) – Mike Conway along with team owner Ed Carpenter made the strategy call of Race Two on the Streets of Toronto for the Verizon IndyCar Series that took Conway and the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet team to Victory Lane. It was the second win of the season for Conway, the third win of the year for the team, the second win of the Toronto Doubleheader weekend for Chevrolet and the eighth IndyCar win of the season for the Bowtie brand.
CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY TORONTO – 2 IN T.O.
STREETS OF TORONTO – EXHIBITION PLACE
TEAM CHEVY RACE TWO DRIVER QUOTES
JULY 20, 2014
MIKE CONWAY, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING, RACE WINNER: MIKE, AFTER THE STRUGGLES THE LAST FEW RACES AND EARLIER THIS WEEKEND, HOW MUCH REDEMPTION DO YOU GET FROM THIS? “It feels so good. It was really difficult conditions in the wet and we were kind of struggling for a bit but as soon as I saw the path and a dry line, I knew it was time to come it. It was a great call and the guys were up for it. I wasn’t sure what they were going to say. It was great from there and we just kind of took off and just controlled the race. I was getting nervous there when the red flag came out but I knew with Justin behind me I knew I would be able to cover it. So it was good fun out there.”
Continue reading Chevy Racing–IndyCar–Honda Indy Toronto 2
CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY TORONTO – 2 IN T.O.
STREETS OF TORONTO – EXHIBITION PLACE
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST RACE QUOTES
JULY 20, 2014
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 11 TEAM HYDROXYCUT KVSH RACING CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER: ITS BEEN A WHILE, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING RIGHT NOW? “So many things. I am a bit speechless to be honest because it’s the kind of race you do not want to lose kind of thing. It just went perfect from green to checkered flag and these guys, Hydroxycut gave us great support this weekend. Lone Star and Circle K and having a celebration with these guys.”
Continue reading Chevy Racing–IndyCar–Honda Indy Toronto
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS, WAS THE GUEST OF THIS WEEK’S NASCAR TELECONFERENCE.
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
AMANDA ELLIS: Good morning, everyone. With us today is Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Jeff has one win and currently leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings. Jeff, thanks for joining us. Next week we head to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where you’ll celebrate the 20th anniversary of your win in the inaugural Brickyard race. Talk a little bit about that win and what it’s like going back now 20 years later.
Continue reading Chevy Racing–Tuesday Teleconference–Jeff Gordon
CORVETTE RACING IN CANADA: Garcia, Magnussen Earn Hard-Fought GTLM Win
Corvette DPs take two spots on overall podium at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
· Second victory in a row at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for Corvette Racing
· Westbrook, Valiante finish second overall for Spirit of Daytona
· Chevrolet maintains leads in both Prototype, GTLM manufacturer championships
Continue reading Chevy Racing–CORVETTE RACING IN CANADA: Garcia, Magnussen Earn Hard-Fought GTLM Win
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
CAMPING WORLD RV SALES 301
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JULY 13, 2014
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – SIDELINED ON LAP 11 DUE TO TIRE ISSUES
WHAT HAPPENED?: “The first one (tire) I was able to drive the car all the way through Turns 1 and 2. I knew I had a flat and then got down the back and came in. The other one just blew on the straight as soon as I hit the brakes. I’m not sure what caused it. I’m sure there will be a lot of speculation and I’m sure finger pointing back to the teams or our team. But we saw some issues here especially with that particular tire the last couple of days. We will try to dig in and learn more, but I can promise you one thing is wasn’t low tire pressure. I’ve been out here for two days running around and haven’t had a flat.”
CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
IOWA CORN INDY 300 PRESENTED BY DEKALB
IOWA SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
JULY 12, 2014
TONY KANAAN, NO. 10 TNT ENERGY DRINK CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 3RD
CORVETTE RACING IN CANADA: Garcia Second in GTLM to Lead Qualifying Efforts
Gavin fourth in GTLM; Westbrook third in Prototype qualifying
· Garcia, Magnussen on GTLM front-row for shot at fourth straight win
· Westbrook third overall in Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP
· Chevrolet leads both Prototype, GTLM manufacturer championships
CAMARO Z.28.R AT CTMP: Bell, Lally Score Tough GS Victory for Stevenson Motorsports
Chevrolet grows lead in Grand Sport manufacturer championship
· Second consecutive and season’s third victory for Camaro Z/28.R
· Call for two tires on last stop proves to be difference for No. 9 duo
· Four Camaros finish in top-seven in lone Canadian stop
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada (July 12, 2014) – Matt Bell and Andy Lally made the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R a winner again Saturday with a victory for Stevenson Motorsports at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in the seventh round of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Lally led the final 46 minutes to take the first win of the year for he and Bell by 1.014 seconds in the No. 9 Camaro Z/28.R.
The No. 9 Stevenson crew opted to take two tires on its last stop just before a full-course caution period. Lally left in fifth but moved back into first for good minutes later when the leaders pitted under yellow.
“Congratulations to Andy, Matt, John Stevenson and everyone at Stevenson Motorsports on an outstanding effort and victory today at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet Director of Racing. “The performance of the Camaro Z/28.R was very solid with all four of them competing today placing in the top-seven of the race. This win was also important as it increased Chevrolet’s lead in the manufacturer championship standings.”
The Camaros were strong from the start. Andrew Davis in the No. 6 Stevenson Camaro qualified on pole and led the first 35 laps. Eric Curran set the fastest race lap in the No. 01 CKS Autosport Camaro. Saturday’s victory was the third for the Z/28.R in its first season of competition. Liddell and Davis were winners at Sebring and Watkins Glen – the championship’s previous round.
“It was a great day for all four of our Camaro Z/28.Rs,” said Lisa Talarico, Chevrolet Program Manager for the Continental Tire Sports Car Championship. “The No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports team ran a near-perfect race with a great call on the last stop for two tires. Both Matt and Andy did exactly what they needed to do to deliver the third win for the Camaro Z/28.R.”
The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge next races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, July 25.
ANDY LALLY, NO. 9 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO Z/28.R – RACE WINNER
ON THAT FINAL LAP WHEN YOU GOT TO TRAFFIC, WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND?
“That was tough because we hit traffic in a couple of difficult spots. There were some guys that tried to do the right thing, but unfortunately didn’t judge the gap right and it really hurt our gap. Matt (Bell) was talking about tire conservation, but I tell you this is a 3,500-pound car. We beat the heck out of these Continental tires and they took it all day and pulled away from the competition. I’m really thrilled with the Stevenson Motorsports team and Team Chevy… the Camaro Z/28.R is awesome. I really have to give a shout out, Mike (Johnson, team manager) and I haven’t won a race together in 10 years. This is Matt and I’s first race (win) together after I raced against Stevenson Motorsports for all these years. Finally getting a win with them is really cool… Especially at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. This is a special place; everybody knows this is a driver’s track. I knew I had some good cars behind me to hold off. It was fun race.”
MATT BELL, NO. 9 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO Z/28.R – RACE WINNER
YOU DROVE THE OPENING STINT AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD SAY THAT IS THE MORE DIFFICULT STINT. CONSERVING TIRES IN THE BEGINNING AND MAKING SURE YOU HAD A CAR TO HAND OVER… HOW DIFFICULT WAS THAT?
“It is tough. This is the greasiest we’ve seen this track all week. It was the hottest. Coming out of (Turn) 5 with this much torque, you are not full throttle until it feels like you are halfway down the straight and you actually roll all the way into it. It’s very tempting just to light them up and come off the corner, but when you take a look at the big picture you’ve got to take it easy. I know I was trying to save the car for Andy (Lally). I didn’t know how long I was going to stay in the car. We did a full-fuel stint so it was good that I saved my tires. The guys setup this Camaro Z/28.R perfect. We were taking not big swings, but it felt like big swings; we kind of fine-tuned it a little bit. It was just what I needed… just a little bit of understeer in and a little bit of oversteer out. Andy did an awesome job. He was just running the same lap time all day long. I believe one of his faster laps was one toward the end. He killed it.”
CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
IOWA CORN INDY 300 PRESENTED BY DEKALB
IOWA SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST QUALIFYING RELEASE AND TRANSCRIPT
JULY 11, 2014
Scott Dixon Puts Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Power on the Pole at Iowa
Chip Ganassi Racing Teammate Tony Kanaan will Start Second
Chevrolet Sweeps First Two Rows of Starting Grid of Iowa Corn Indy 300
NEWTON, Iowa (July 11, 2014) – It will be an all Chevrolet powered Target Chip Ganassi Racing front row as Scott Dixon put the No. 9 Target Chevrolet on the pole, and teammate Tony Kanaan, No. 10 TNT Energy Drink Chevrolet posted the second fastest time to lock down the front row for the Iowa Corn Indy 300 at Iowa Speedway.
It is the first pole of the 2014 season for the Verizon IndyCar Series defending champion, and the 21st of the three-time champion’s career. It is Dixon’s second pole at the .0875-mile oval track.
“Congratulations to Scott Dixon and the whole Chip Ganassi Racing Team for securing the pole as well as the front row with teammate Tony Kanaan,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, Verizon IndyCar Series. “Team Chevy carried the momentum from Pocono into Iowa tonight with a very strong qualifying result and all four of the Chevy teams represented in the top 10. The intermittent wet weather today demanded some flexibility from our teams and technical partners but we worked together to put up an impressive result. We are looking forward to racing under the lights tomorrow night in Iowa.”
Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves will start the No. 3 Hitachi Chevrolet in third, and Ryan Briscoe put the No. 8 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in the fourth starting position to give the Bowtie Brand sole possession to the front two rows for the 12th race of the season.
In total, eight drivers powered by the Chevrolet V6 2.2 liter direct injected twin turbocharged engine will start in the top-10 of the 300-lap/262.5-mile race: Sebastien Bourdais, No. 11 Mistic E-Cig KVSH Chevrolet – 6th; Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Levemir® FlexTouch® Chevrolet – 7th; Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet – 9th and Ed Carpenter, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet – 10th.
Carlos Munoz (Honda) completed the top-five qualifiers.
Live television coverage of the Iowa Corn Indy 300 is set to start on Saturday, July 12 at 8:00 ET on NBC Sports Network. Live radio coverage will be on IMS Radio broadcast on XM Radio Channel 209 and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 213. In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at www.indy.car.com.
An interview with:
TONY KANAAN
SCOTT DIXON
THE MODERATOR: We’ll get started with our post qualifying press conference. We’re joined again today by Tony Kanaan. Tony Kanaan was the winner here at Iowa Speedway in 2010 and finished on podium in the last four seasons, qualifying second for tomorrow night’s race.
Tony, we were talking this morning about how with different teams in different situations you never know if you’re going to come back and have the same strong results you’ve had before. But obviously a great result for tomorrow night’s race.
TONY KANAAN: Yes, it’s part of the job. The result will be tomorrow. But obviously a great qualifying effort from the team. Four cars in the top seven, that’s pretty good. The two Target cars in the front row, that makes Chip happy, makes Target happy.
I’m pleased with the car. The way the qualifying draw works, which is by luck, you just got to draw your number. Drawing an early number hurt us just a little bit. But front row, it’s all right.
THE MODERATOR: With all of the rain today and also different rubbers on the track, what were track conditions like for qualifying?
TONY KANAAN: Track was fine. The truck rubber plays a little bit of a fact, but I don’t want to make that as an excuse why I’m not on the pole. We got an early draw. Scott had the opportunity to change his car a little bit according to my run. That’s what we do for each other.
I told him next time if he gets an early draw, he’s going to pay me back (laughter).
I think the truck rubber was a little bit of an effect. It will be much bigger tomorrow. If they race tonight and it doesn’t rain all day tomorrow, the first two stops during the race definitely, you know, going to have to adjust the car.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Tony.
Q. When it comes to Chip Ganassi Racing, do you feel in some ways the sleeping giant has been woken up a little bit the last couple of weeks?
TONY KANAAN: I think Chip would never want the giant to sleep, I have to say.
So, yeah, I think we’re coming along. We’re doing a lot of hard work. We did a lot of tests in the past few weeks. That’s the nature of that team. They’re here to win. They proved that the past 25 years. So it’s not going to be any different.
I think if people count us out just because we were struggling in the beginning of the year, that’s a big mistake. We’re going to come back and we’re going to try to do our thing, minimize our mistakes, keep the level that Chip and Target expect us to be, which is winning races.
Q. You just mentioned you struggled in the beginning of the season. What was the weakest area, chassis or…
TONY KANAAN: It’s tough to point it out. I can’t get into much details. I think we took a direction with our setups that probably wasn’t the right one. We thought it was the right one. It cost us a little bit in the beginning of the year.
As a team we have a lot of capable people. Me and Scott work really hard. People don’t realize how the chemistry of the team has changed since we lost Dario. It was a big change. It was an unexpected change. For me to try to work with Scott, it took a little bit.
I think the more that we spend time and test together, we kind of find out what those cars need. We’re keeping on making it better.
I can’t single out one thing why we struggled. The reality was we were struggling. I don’t know. I can’t say we’re completely out of the hole yet. I mean, we had good results the past three weekends, with some unfortunate mistakes not by the setup of the car.
Hopefully we’ll keep at the same level we are right now and ramp it up and we’ll fight for this championship.
THE MODERATOR: Tony, good luck in tomorrow night’s race.
TONY KANAAN: Thank you.
THE MODERATOR: We’re also joined by the pole winner, Scott Dixon, with Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Scott started on pole here in 2007. Also started first in 2008 when the field was set by points. With this pole, Scott ties Gil de Ferran for 13th career all-time list for pole wins. Also Scott’s 21st pole. He also has won one pole for the last eight consecutive seasons in his career.
Scott, a great qualifying finish for you and the team. Tell us about your qualifying run.
SCOTT DIXON: I think we had a bit of a tough test here a few weeks ago with the setting on the car that we missed all day.
Coming back and having the car set properly has been a dream to drive. I think it’s been a lot of different things. I think with new people on the team, new engineers, teammates, I think we’ve changed some of the short track oval setups that we’ve maybe had in the past.
It’s kind of been eye opening and a lot of fun to drive something different. But, yeah, this weekend the car rolled off the truck really well. The first session we didn’t do a (indiscernible). The second one we kind of missed on the balance and had to lift quite a bit. But we still had the fifth quickest time so we knew that we had some good speed in the car.
With my qualifying going 14th and T.K. and Ryan having to go before me, we were able to translate how the track was. It seemed like the track had a bit of understeer, so we were able to put some front wing in and the car balance was pretty good.
The qualifying I think for all of us went very smooth. It’s great to see all four Ganassi cars in the top seven.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Scott.
Q. Tony said earlier four cars in the top seven. I think you share all of the information, setup. Is it fair to say you have nearly identical setups or totally different from driver to driver?
SCOTT DIXON: You know, I think the past two weekends actually we’ve been fairly close. The dampers can be kind of one thing. I think a couple of the cars were on the same dampers. I know Charlie went a little bit more conservative in qualifying. He could have been probably a little bit further up on their side of the team.
But, yeah, it’s hard when you get a lot of different people into the room for the first year. For us, all four cars are run out of one truck which definitely changes the dynamic. Trying to get all of us to agree on the same thing is pretty tough and most of the time it is unrealistic. But the cars are fairly close this weekend.
THE MODERATOR: Tony was just in here saying because he went before you, he gave you some advice before you went out and next time you go before him, you will have to return the favor. Will you be willing to do that?
SCOTT DIXON: Yeah, absolutely. I think I had to do that at Pocono, but my speed was so slow, I don’t think he even listened to me. So we’ll see.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Scott.
SCOTT DIXON: Thank you.
CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
IOWA CORN INDY 300 PRESENTED BY DEKALB
IOWA SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
JULY 11, 2014
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET – POLE WINNER
WILL THIS CAR RACE AS WELL TOMORROW AS IT QUALIFIED TONIGHT?
“Well let’s hope so. It’s obviously a great day. I think to have all four Ganassi cars in the top seven it’s incredible. Especially for me it’s been a little while since we’ve been on the pole, especially on an oval. We have been close, but all the credit goes to the team. We have been in a bit of a rut right now, but thanks to all my teammates and everybody at Target Chip Ganassi Racing for having a strong run. Tomorrow is what counts. We are starting obviously on the pole and we are going to try to stay there and get a victory for this team. We are winless right now so we have a little bit of work to do. Hopefully we will put on a great show for everyone.”
DO YOU FEEL PRETTY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT YOUR CHANCES TOMORROW GIVEN THIS POLE WIN TODAY?
“Yeah it’s a nice feeling and it’s been a little while which is unfortunate especially for a team like this and still winless. I don’t want to be a downer right now we are sitting on the pole. We are starting at the right end of the field. We haven’t really been in this part. I’m excited for the race. Iowa is a fun track and we have never really had good luck here. We’ve had some great cars and had some great finishes, but hopefully we can put on a fantastic race for the fans tomorrow that is number one on the priority list and obviously try and win it for us.”
YOUR TEAMMATE TONY KANAAN GAVE YOU SOME INFORMATION HE THOUGHT WOULD HELP YOU GET POLE WHAT DID HE SAY?
“Both TK and Ryan (Briscoe) luckily went before us out there. They thought the track had a fair bit of understeer so we were able to make some wing changes to the car obviously to get it to turn a little bit better and it worked out perfectly for us. You never really know sometimes how your car is going to be compared to theirs. Putting more front wing sitting in the qualifying line is not always something you want to hear because it just makes the car looser, but it was definitely the right call. Huge credit to team Target just excited.”
TONY KANAAN, NO. 10 TNT ENERGY DRINK CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 2ND
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR RUN?
“Yeah we took what we had and with the Trucks running before us the track is going to get quicker so hopefully we end up up-front. I’ve got to thank my team they did a great job setting up the car. That is the fastest we’ve ever went here. I’m happy let’s see what is going to happen.”
TO PUT THE RUN DOWN YOU DID EARLY IN QUALIFYING ONLY SHOWS HOW STRONG YOUR CAR IS:
“For sure it was a great effort by the Target team to go 1-2. We have even (Ryan) Briscoe at fourth and Charlie (Kimball) at seventh. Great effort. We jeopardized that run a little bit by going early but that is the luck of the draw. When I got out of the car I told (Scott) Dixie that I think it would take a little bit more front wing and he did and ended up beating me. If I’m going to get beat I would rather be beat by my teammate.”
YOU ARE DUE FOR SOME LUCK:
“I wouldn’t call it luck. I think we are due to some focusing on doing our job right. We haven’t delivered yet so tomorrow will be the opportunity to redeem what happened last week.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 3RD
HOW WAS YOUR RUN?
“I was fine in Turn 4. I was having issue with Turn 1. Thanks for the Hitachi boys they did a great job again. It was just the first lap unfortunately because it was really good. You’ve got to do two laps here, not only one. Still so far if you are starting up there it is not that bad.”
THAT TURNED OUT TO BE A FANTASTIC SECOND LAP FOR YOU DID YOU MAKE CHANGES IN THE CAR?
“I just trusted the car was tough this morning. The first lap was I was loose like my teammates and the second lap I did some adjustment and went for it. It was a very tough one. Hopefully it pays off in the end.”
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 4TH
HAPPY WITH YOUR RUN?
“Yeah, very happy that is the quickest I’ve ever gone around this place. It was a solid run. We struggled a little bit in practice earlier so we made some changes coming into qualifying. With a little bit of information from TK (Tony Kanaan) it sort of helped us out moving into our run there. Really happy so hopefully we can get all four Ganassi cars up front.”
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 11 MISTIC KVSH RACING CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 6TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“Pretty good; pretty good. Very happy. We didn’t come and test here. It was a bit of a compromise trying to keep the guys fresh, and keep some money for this winter as well, a little bit. So it was a bit of a gamble because it is only my second time here. Jimmy (Vasser) was confident that the car would be good, so I said okay, your call. We struggled a little bit this morning (in practice), and made some changes in the afternoon and it kind of all worked out in the end. I’m happy for the Mistic crew and the whole KVSH organization. The track just warmed up as the session was going down. Pretty sure it picked up understeer. I was very understeer on my run. We might have been a bit conservative, but we didn’t get any kind of read on the qualie sim (qualifying simulated lap) we did this afternoon because we had the front wing collapse. So we left and said ‘Okay, poker face. Let’s go out now’. A lot of Chevys at the front, so you guys did a good job again.”
CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 83 LEVEMIR FLEXTOUCH CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 7TH
WALK US THROUGH YOUR RUN:
“We had to work on some mileage for the engine earlier in the day and with the rain we didn’t have a lot of time to do a qualifying simulation. Following what our teammates did and the whole Chip Ganassi Racing team we had a really good test here. We knew we were going to have a good car we just had to see what the No. 83 Levemir Flextouch car could do.”
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 9TH
“I was a little too loose coming to the green I had a big moment on that lap. I was worried is the car going to stick for me. Made some adjustments and the second lap was not bad. It’s as good as I think we can expect. Hopefully we end up in the top 10 that would be nice.”
ON HIS RUN:
“Coming to the green I had a big wiggle so I didn’t know what to expect into (Turn) 1 so I lifted and adjusted the car. By the second one I was definitely had another moment coming to the checker, but not bad. It was all I could deal with as the car was being the first one out.”
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S VODKA/ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 10TH
“It’s not a bad run for here but the car did get a little loose on the second lap or we would have had better starting spot. You always want a better speed when you aren’t on the pole. But it has been a tricky day with the weather conditions. Waiting out the rain and the drying of the track is always tough. I think we have a good car for the race. We’ll have to see how the conditions go after the rubber from the truck race and possible rain. We were fast last year here and I feel like our race setup will be good. The 50 extra laps could prove to be a factor towards the finish. The track could really change throughout the race and you have to be able to adjust to that element.”
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO. 17 AUTOMATIC FIRE SPRINKLERS KV AFS CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 17TH
“We went in to qualifying blind as we weren’t able to do a qualifying simulation during the final practice session. That of course influenced the small lift I had during my run, which really killed the speed at a track where you need to be running flat the whole time. The Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. – KV AFS Racing car feels great in race mode, very fun to drive and we made a lot of passes during the practice session, it’s just unfortunate that we’re not starting a little further up. We will move forward to tomorrow and with the combination of a good strategy from the team and great pit stops, I’m confident we will have a good result.”
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 19TH
“I just made some changes and I think we went a little far. We have been struggling a little bit with the unpredictability of the car. The PPG Chevy has been pretty good we just tried a little hard. I went for it and it just wasn’t there. It stepped out and I thought ‘oh this is going to hurt’ and I was happy it came back to be honest.”
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
CAMPING WORLD RV SALES 301
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
JULY 11, 2014
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 2ND
YOU MISSED THE POLE BY JUST A COUPLE THOUSANDTHS OF A SECOND:
“It’s so tough to get a good lap around here. The first outing put up a decent time fastest of the day for ourselves still knew that we had to go faster and to come out for the second session on older tires and improve by over two tenths is something to be proud of. Of course we want to get the pole, want to be faster, but Kyle (Busch) found a little bit more out there than us. We feel really good about our Lowe’s Chevrolet. We did some race runs to start practice off. The car was right where we wanted it based on our test session here a month ago and q-trim went really well too. This helps make the weekend so much easier to race. You get a good pit stall pick, good track position and you can fine tune from here. Hopefully we will be able to fine tune and make a race winning car.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 5TH
“We had a good session. So that was nice. It’s always frustrating to not back up what you do in practice, but it was really good. It’s a really hard race track I think, for everybody. I don’t know anyone that says Loudon is easy. It’s hard to pass on. It’s hard to be fast here. It’s hard to have your car right.
“Our McDonald’s Chevy is good in race trim, we’ll get a good pit stall; it takes a lot of things to get a good result here so, we’ve got a lot of things going our way.”
HOW’S THE CAR FOR RACE DAY?
“It’s so hard to practice here because we’re not on ‘our’ rubber. We’re on the Modified rubber a lot. So on Friday, you don’t really get to work on your car because you’re on the wrong rubber and you’re working on qualifying trim. But we tested here. So I think we have a really good notebook of what we need to do. The race, I think, this is all about having good pit stops and the crew chief being on the right strategy because you can take a really good car here and put it in the back and it’s not a very good car; or you can take a bad car here and put it in the front and it’s pretty fast all of a sudden. So, track position will be massive.”
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 9TH
“The guys did a great job from practice to qualifying to find a bunch of speed. I am proud of their effort because the starting position is important here. It gives you a good feeling going to bed and getting ready for two practice sessions tomorrow. We learned a lot today that can help us on Sunday. New Hampshire is a special track for me and the Truex family and it would mean a lot to me to run well here.
So far this is a solid start to the second half of the season.”
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 11TH
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO MANAGE THE CAT AND MOUSE GAME THAT HAPPENS OUT THERE WITH KNOCK-OUT STYLE QUALIFYING?
“Well I don’t know. I think sometimes if you have a shot at the pole then there is cat and mouse if you are trying to make it in the top 12 some of that. But most of the time we just focus on what we are doing trying to get the best clean lap and best track conditions and me trying to hit my marks and get a good solid lap and today that was a real challenge. We just missed it a little bit with our Drive to End Chevrolet. We were just really struggling trying to put both ends together. We felt fortunate to make it in the top 12. Unfortunately there at the end we just didn’t have anything left after all the laps we put on the tires.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 13TH
WAS THERE A PARTICULAR AREA OF THE RACE TRACK OR YOUR RACE CAR THAT YOU WANTED A LITTLE BIT MORE TO GET MORE SPEED?
“I guess looking back I wish we would have run two laps the first time out on the track. In practice our first lap was fastest. We thought we would just run one and come in. But it seemed like a lot of the people went faster on their second lap. Maybe if we had done that we could have made it to the final round. We tried really hard. We were close, just missed it by a little bit. Not too bad. We had a pretty good day for the Target Chevy. We were pretty good in practice in race trim. We still have some work to do there, but we will figure it out tomorrow and hopefully have a good run on Sunday.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KINGSFORD CHARCOAL CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 20TH
“It is so close here. I’m proud of the guys because in the first run we were a little bit loose and in the second run we picked up almost two tenths. Lap times were so close, there. You can nitpick everything and think oh, I could have found a half a tenth here or there. I think with the new rules package it makes it tough to get around this place. Overall, I’d always like to be a little bit better but it’s a good start for tomorrow.”
WHY IS IT SO TOUGH TO GET AROUND HERE?
“Well, it’s just flat. Last year I only did one of the two races. So I’m trying to figure out whether it’s the ride heights or that the track has gotten a little bit bumpier. It seems like there are more cracks and seams in the race track. I’m just trying to figure that out and get the car stable to get in the corner and make sure you roll around the center and get off the corner.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 23RD
TALK ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING RUN AND WHAT YOU HAVE TO WORK ON TOMORROW:
“Disappointed with our qualifying run. I think we will figure it out tomorrow in race trim. We have put ourselves behind all year qualifying truthfully. I don’t know what it is, what we are lacking, air pressure or what, but we just have to do a better job at qualifying.”
JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 ACCUDOC SOLUTIONS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 25TH
“Our Chevy is pretty good. We feel like we learned a lot in race trim today. We tried a couple of things that we learned in race trim and unfortunately in Q-trim it just didn’t seem to have quite the speed we were looking for. We fought grip a little bit there. But, it is a solid starting spot for where we were when we started qualifying and I think we can keep working on it tomorrow and get to where we need to be.”
CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
IOWA CORN INDY 300 PRESENTED BY DEKALB
IOWA SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JULY 5, 2014
TONY KANAAN, NO. 10 TNT ENERGY DRINK CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Iowa Speedway and discussed his success at Iowa Speedway, being with Chip Ganassi Racing and other topics. Partial transcript:
ON WEATHER ISSUES: “First of all, we’d like to have more track time. Hopefully the weather works out. Iowa (Speedway) has been a good track for me. I’ve actually finished on the podium the last four years in a row. We’re hoping for a much better weekend than last weekend for sure and try to get our first win of the season here.”
ABOUT CONSISTENT PODIUM FINISHES IMPROVING CONFIDENCE:“It does help, but it’s a different year. The weather and some other things are different. So you can’t say that just because we had such good results in the past four years that we’ll have a good year again this year. It doesn’t relate to it, but this has been a track where I’ve done well.” “The biggest thing is how fast you can come up to speed during qualifying since it’s such a short track. It’s green second time by which usually happens very fast. This track feels the quickest as far as speed. It’s not as quick as Indy or Pocono or Texas, but because it’s so short and so fast, the speed feels much quicker.”
ABOUT LONGER RACE AT IOWA: “It’s a longer race. It will add one more stop to the race and that’s pretty much it.”
ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DAY AND NIGHT RACES: “Night races are cooler. The track is completely different. We never have a chance to test at night for a night race. The track will change a lot between practice and the race. It’s a bigger challenge, an extra thing we have to think about, how the track will change and come up to you.”
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Iowa Speedway and discussed his thoughts on Iowa Speedway so far, winning last weekend at Pocono, his current position of fourth in the point standings and many other topics. Full Transcript:
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THIS TRACK SO FAR?
“We tested here and it’s weird because it’s very different this morning. I don’t know if it is because of the NASCAR rubber, but it was a handful this morning. Like when we tested it was nice, predictable, fun to drive and this morning it was like ‘oh really’ how many more? We don’t want to be that unstable. It looks like we will be okay for practice. We will see whatever it brings.”
YOUR ONLY EXPERIENCE HERE WAS VERY DIFFERENT IT WAS EIGHT YEARS AGO IT WAS AN ARCA RACE. YOU WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT STOCK CARS. CAN YOU TAKE ANYTHING FROM THAT EXPERIENCE?
“The track when I came here the track was brand-new there were no bumps. It was really smooth. There is a big bump in the tunnel. [Turns] Three and four is still pretty smooth, but now you run pretty close to wide open. Some people actually do run wide open all the way around.”
IS THIS THE FIRST TIME YOU’VE DONE A COMBO RACE LIKE THIS WHERE THE RUBBER IS SO DIFFERENT?
“No the only difference is the first time I’m going to race a short oval with high wings. Back in the day we used to run the little wings, superspeedway wings on the road courses.”
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
“We have the bigger wings we will have twice as much downforce in the car.”
HOW MUCH IS HAVING A VICTORY NOW PUT A LITTLE MORE SPRING IN YOUR STEP?
“People are happy because a lot of people are still around from back in the day so they are happy for me. That is pretty cool. I still try not to get overly excited about it. It’s fun. I had a great time, the guys loved it. It was really good for Verizon and PPG and Hook Performance, everybody that supports us, Chevy as well. I mean we still have to come here and get the job done. I think it does build a lot of momentum. It gives a lot of confidence that you can get it done.”
300 LAPS TOMORROW IT GETS TO BE A TRAFFIC JAM AT TIMES WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT IS GOING TO BE LIKE?
“Learning, it’s going to be harder because it’s all about learning again. I’ve got to figure out, okay I know with the superspeedway wings how close you can run to cars and how you’ve got to run. This is a little bit of a mix of like oval and road course with the road course wings. I’ve got to figure out how close you can run. Are you comfortable running the second groove and you’ve got to experiment, but you’ve got to experiment carefully because if you get it wrong you are out. Right now we just really need to be smart about how we do things.”
IS IT BETTER TO BE AGGRESSIVE OR A LITTLE MORE PATIENT ON THE SHORT TRACK?
“I mean if you are leading there is not a lot of rush because you are going to get to traffic in 150 laps, but if you extend that a little bit it’s not a bad deal. It doesn’t matter how easy you are going to take it you are still going to get to traffic. I think managing traffic is going to be really important. If you are not leading keeping up with the leaders is going to be key.”
SEVEN RACES TO GO YOU ARE UP TO FOURTH IN POINTS TWO RACES NEXT WEEKEND AND THEN A DOUBLE POINTS ONE AT THE END OF THE YEAR. YOU ARE RIGHT THERE HOW DO YOU LOOK AT THE REST OF THE SEASON?
“I think we have been doing a good job we have been smart about how we run races. We just have to keep doing what we are doing. I told the guys this week it’s great that we won, but one thing is getting there the other thing is staying there and to stay there we are going to have to really step it up.”
WITH WILL IN FIRST, HELIO IN SECOND AND YOU IN FOURTH IN THE STANDINGS WHAT IS THE FEELING AROUND THIS TEAM RIGHT NOW? YOU HAVE TO REALLY FEEL LIKE THINGS ARE ROLLING.
“We have but we have been in this position before. The last few years they haven’t won so we just have to make sure and we talked about it as a team. We’ve got to be smart about how we race against each other and then we can seal the deal.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, met with member of the media at Iowa Speedway and discussed his outlook on this weekend’s race, the challenge of different rubber on the track and many other topics. Full Transcript:
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS 300 LAP SHORT TRACK EVENT?
“It’s always good to stay in the front. I don’t think it’s an advantage in terms of to win the race especially now that they have added 50 more laps. But like I said it’s always good to start at the front. At least it’s one less problem, especially if the leaders are really fast. If you are in the back of the pack you could be facing issues with set-up because of the lack of time you are practicing so it’s always good to start up front.”
WE ARE AT THE HEIGHT OF THE SEASON WITH THIS RACE AND GOING TO A DOUBLE- HEADER AT TORONTO YOU HAVE BEEN IN THIS SITUATION BEFORE BUT YOU KNOW HOW TO TAKE IT IN STRIDE:
“Any type of double-header is always a tough one. I haven’t thought ahead much right now I’m thinking Iowa first and so we are just hoping that we come out of here with a good result as well so we can continue fighting.”
WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET A WIN AT IOWA?
“We keep working. Now they have added 50 more laps so we keep trying to make sure that we know what we need to do. We led a lot of laps before in the past, but we want to lead the last lap. But it’s just the name of the game. The competitors learn from it as well and we learn from them so it’s both scenarios.”
WHAT WOULD BE MORE IMPRESSIVE TO FINISH 1-2-3 TODAY OR TO HAVE DONE IT BACK IN 1994 WHEN TEAM PENSKE ACCOMPLISHED THAT FEAT?
“Today not taking anything from the past, but because everybody has most of the same chassis, same tire and most of the engines it certainly a different phase. It would be amazing to finish 1-2-3. Hopefully it would be one (point’s at himself), two and three with whatever happens with my teammates. That is the goal that we always go and try to reach every weekend. That is what we are going to try to do here at Iowa.”
HAVE YOU EVER HAD A RACE AT WENT AS POORLY AS THE BRAZIL VS. GERMANY GAME IN THE WORLD CUP?
“Oh I have had several races that I wish ‘okay let’s pack and go home’. I just hope it will not be this one. For sure things get out of hand sometimes. It happens. It’s tough when it’s a team because to get 11 players to get in that same rhythm it’s hard. I guess it happens.”
WHEN YOU DID TALK TO WILL (POWER) WHAT DID HE SAY? (IN REFERENCE TO LAST WEEK’S FINAL LAP BLOCKING INCIDENT)
“In that terms when I spoke with him it was right after he was still kind of like not knowing what happened. You know what it doesn’t make sense to bring it up and try to understand because first I don’t think he did in terms of purpose like some people try to take in a negative way. I just think it’s a reaction as a driver you are trying to protect the position. I think we already talked to the team and make sure that we want to bring this championship to the team and that is our goal and we are going to do whatever it takes.”
IS RACING AGAINST YOUR TEAMMATE FOR POINTS MORE DIFFICULT THAN WITH SOMEONE ON ANOTHER TEAM?
“Oh no it is as you said. The one goal here is to bring the championship and when you are fighting with your teammate that had the same chance how are you going to do that? Because not only he has the same equipment, the same set-up and you are on the same team. I dealt with this scenario before. This is not my first rodeo, which is a good problem to have.”
WILL (POWER) HAS SAID REPEATEDLY HE IS NOT WORRIED ABOUT CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS HE JUST WANTS TO GO OUT AND WIN RACES. DO YOU THINK THAT MENTALITY HAS MADE HIM MORE RECKLESS THIS YEAR?
“I don’t know. Certainly I don’t think the mentality of not looking for the points changes the way you drive. In the mind maybe subconscious maybe, but I don’t know. It’s a good question. I just think things happens and unfortunately one season one year you learn from your own mistakes, but at this point I don’t think just because he says he is not paying attention to the championship that he is in this position. He already in the past he was in the position before. I think it’s just the way of putting your mind set to get to where he wants.”
WITH THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES HERE AND THE RAIN IS IT HARDER TO ADJUST TO A GREEN RACE TRACK OR THE DIFFERENT RUBBER?
“I think the track is going to start with the different rubber no matter what. But it happens before like that. Probably the rain is cleaning the Truck rubber and I think it will be better in those conditions. If it is raining nobody can run. We just have to wait and see. If we complete qualifying great if not hopefully we have dry weather for the race.”
HOW MUCH DOES IT CHANGE YOUR APPROACH EITHER HANDLING OR DRIVING WITH THE DIFFERENT KIND OF RUBBER ON THE TRACK?
“Well you’ve got to adjust the tools that you have in the car. Remember the toughest thing here we are talking about 17 second lap times. You don’t have much of a luxury if the first stint your car is not very good to set-up on the next one. Here it’s going to be extremely important to at least have a decent start.”
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Iowa Speedway and discussed Iowa Speedway, difference in tracks and other topics . Partial transcript:
ON BEING AT IOWA SPEEDWAY: “I enjoy short-track racing. This is the most unique short-track we go to because short-track and high-downforce racing. At the same time it’s fast racing, multiple lanes, so it’s a lot of fun wheel-to-wheel action. I like the type of racing that’s close and fast and multiple lanes. It’s always nice when the high line develops, which usually can here. It’s fun.”
ON TRANSITIONING BETWEEN DRIVER AND TEAM OWNER “As awkward as it can be going back and forth, it’s become more natural, knowing when and how to transition between different mindsets. So it’s become a little easier, but I don’t know if it’s easier being out of the car. I still enjoy my time in the car as much as anything, but at the same time (being a team owner) is a different type of challenge working with Mike (Conway) on the stand outside of things. I enjoy the challenge of it, but I’d be lying if I told you I was having as much fun doing that as when I’m driving.”
ON DIFFERENCES IN SETUP BETWEEN SHORT OVAL AND SPEEDWAYS: “It is a totally different package with the short oval – high downforce package makes the car feel entirely different than it does in speedway trim. But when I look at a place like this it is similar to like how Kentucky used to be when we raced there. It is a very bumpy place. Very bumpy through turns one and two. I like that element, and the challenge that that adds to getting the balance right on the car, and managing those bumps and getting your car to work on multiple lines. But you’ve got to have good rear grip, which is something I think you have to have at Indy as well. It’s a different type of car. A different mindset, so not a whole lot crosses over.”
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
CAMPING WORLD RV SALES 301
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JULY 11, 2014
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS, met with media and discussed racing at New Hampshire, testing for future Chase races, the upcoming off-weekend, the newly-formed RTA, and more. Full Transcript:
YOU HAVE THREE WINS HERE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE. TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL THIS WEEKEND
“We’ve had great cars and things have been building through the course of the year and we’ve got a lot of speed in our race cars. And so, I’m happy to have so many top 10’s and three wins (here). Coming to a track that’s really important, obviously, this track is in the Chase, we felt it was important enough for Hendrick Motorsports and we came up here and tested. We’re definitely excited to be here and hope that the things we learned through our test session up here, although we did have some weather up here that we were dealing with, that we are able to advance and have fast race cars right off the truck today.”
IN LIGHT OF LAST WEEK’S RACE AT DAYTONA, TWO OF THE THREE ELIMINATION RACES IN THE CHASE ARE AT TRACKS THAT DO NOT HAVE LIGHTS. DOES NASCAR NEED TO LOOK AT PUTTING MORE EMPHASIS ON TRYING TO FINISH A CHASE RACE OR AN ILLUMINATION RACE REGARDLESS OF HOW LONG IT TAKES? OR, ONCE IT REACHES HALFWAY, THAT’S FINE BECAUSE EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT THE RULE IS?
“I was already in North Carolina so I don’t know how things looked at the end of that race (laughter). But my memory is saying that rained-out events that I have been a part of when we all knew it was going to keep raining and we’ve all fought the battle for days and there wasn’t an opportunity to go back racing. I don’t know if that was what happened in Daytona or not, but NASCAR of anybody, understands the importance of letting the racing take care of itself and letting a race win or a championship happen on the race track and not due to weather. So, my reaction has been they’ve always fought hard to get the race in and to do the right thing at each moment.”
GOING BACK TO THAT TEST HERE, WHAT WAS THE HENDRICK MOTIVATION TO BURN A TEST HERE? IS THERE STUFF YOU CAN LEARN HERE THAT CAN TRANSLATE TO OTHER TRACKS? WHAT WAS THE THINKING ABOUT NOT SAVING ALL FOUR TESTS FOR THE CHASE SINCE YOU ALREADY HAVE THREE CARS IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP?
“It really was Chase-focused. I think there are multiple factors a team looks at in picking the tracks you go to. If you lock-in early, that helps your strategy and you can look more toward the end of the year. But something teams also look at is where we are the weakest as an organization. Where do the four crew chiefs and drivers get the most frustrated? For Chase-related race tracks, this is one of them for us. That’s why the decision was made as a group. All four drivers and crew chiefs agreed; yeah, let’s go do Loudon. We need to work there. What we do work on and learn here can apply to Phoenix, if you’re looking at Chase-related tracks. Sometimes, what you learn here can help you at Richmond; which can also help us in the regular season with another event there. So, it was more about the group collectively saying that out of the Chase tracks, this is our weakest Chase track.”
GIVEN THAT YOU HAVE THREE WINS AND GIVEN THAT THIS WILL BE THE SECOND RACE IN THE CHASE WHEN YOU COME BACK, WHAT DO YOU LOOK TO ACCOMPLISH ON SUNDAY? IS IT DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF THOSE FACTS?
“For us, we hope that we work through all the little details and when we get on the track today that we’re able to be in the top 5 in speed and qualify in the top 5 and have track position working on our side from the start of the race. This is a short event. If you can have track position at the start, and maintain it, it can set you up for a little different fuel strategy and tire strategy and just make life so much easier. Honestly, in the afternoon today, we’ll know if things went well and if we’re setting up how we want for the rest of the weekend.”
ARE YOU MORE FOCUSED ON SEPTEMBER THAN YOU NORMALLY WOULD BE FOR A RACE LET’S SAY, LIKE, MICHIGAN THIS WEEKEND?
“From that perspective, absolutely; notes and understanding what the track does and all of that, yeah. We work hard at all of them, but when you compete at event that you know is in the Chase, there seems to be an extra little step-up in paying attention to the fine details.”
HOW WAS IT THAT YOU LEARNED THIS TRACK? THIS IS A TRICKY TRACK. CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW YOUR LEARNED IT?
“There are points in time when I feel like I’ve had this track under control and other times that I don’t. I think it speaks to the car set-up and how important it is here. You just can’t say it’s the car’s fault because the driver and crew chief are responsible for how the car acts and responds, but there are times that we have just had it. When you have a good driving car here, you can make stuff happen. And that’s what makes this place fun. On the flip side, if you’re off, it’s a flat track and it’s a small track. You’re in the way. It can be such a frustrating track if you’re off. And I think we won one year back-to-back here and I had so much fun around here (laughs). So, the opportunity is there to have a lot of fun.”
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON, EVERYBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT THE NO. 48 WASN’T WINNING. THAT OBVIOUSLY CHANGED. MATT KENSETH IS STILL IN THAT SITUATION. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE HIM TO GET THROUGH HIS SITUATION LIKE YOU GUYS GOT THROUGH YOURS?
“I don’t know if I want to give Matt any advice (laughter). He’s pretty damned good. Just generally speaking, it doesn’t take much for it to shift and change. I can say that the No. 20 has been on the right side of the computer sheet and the monitors that we look at on the left side. They’ve had speed. They’ve been up front. It’s coming. And it doesn’t take much just to have that crossover center and have it work for them. I think our team was proof of that earlier this year. I’m not counting them out. Even though they haven’t been to Victory Lane yet, I feel that they are going to make it into the Chase. With the Chase being ten weeks long, it’s still a long, long period of time to find your way and get going. So, I’m not counting those guys out.”
OFF-WEEKEND IS COMING UP. IS IT ONE YOU WANT TO SEE OR NOT WANT TO SEE BECAUSE YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SO GOOD LATELY?
“I’m happy to see it. I think we could use six or seven more of them. I think everybody in the room would agree. Get down to a 25-race schedule or something with more weekends off would be awesome. I’m excited. Even if we were winning and didn’t want it to stop from that momentum stand point, I can’t wait to chill out with family and relax.”
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? DO YOU HAVE PLANS?
“As little as possible.”
THERE WAS A LOT OF SURPRISE THROUGH THE NASCAR WORLD WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED ABOUT THE RACE TEAM ALLIANCE (RTA) EARLIER THIS WEEK. WERE YOU SURPRISED? WHAT IS JIMMIE JOHNSON’S REACTION TO THIS?
“I’m excited for the teams and the opportunity they have to work together and hopefully drive costs down. And have a more clear and concise voice in the industry on a variety of aspects, not only to NASCAR, but across the board. We will see how things go. It’s obviously very new, but I’m happy that they teams are working together to drive costs down. It’s a very expensive sport and I’m fortunate to drive at Hendrick Motorsports and have the best of any situation and it’s still tough and it’s still lean. Hopefully we are able to have all of the stakeholders strengthen their positions and make our sport stronger.”
LAST YEAR AT THIS RACE BRIAN VICKERS WON AND YOU AND SEVERAL OTHER DRIVERS TALKED A LOT ABOUT BEING EXCITED ABOUT THAT JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT HE’S GONE THROUGH. CAN YOU TAKE US BACK THROUGH THAT, AND THE EMOTION OF THAT WEEKEND?
“Brain (Vickers) has overcome a lot of issues that many drivers never will go through. To have to step out of the seat due to injury for a long period of time and then try to come back into the sport, find your way, find a team, find a sponsor and get it going again. It’s so difficult and knowing him as I do I think it has helped him see the world in a different light. See our industry in a different light and have a stronger passion for our sport. When he went to Victory Lane last year I know that it meant far more to him than a traditional win would. From climbing the mountain and he has been up that mountain a couple of times now. So he’s done a nice job with that.”
DID RICK (HENDRICK) TELL YOU OR GIVE YOU A HEADS UP, YOU AND THE OTHER DRIVERS, ABOUT THE RTA? IS IT SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS WILL BE MONITORING IN THE FUTURE?
“No everybody is paying attention for sure. We were briefed on it at the beginning of the week that the announcement would be coming out. That was the first that I had heard of it. Absolutely, I think there are a lot of people; it doesn’t matter if you are an owner or a driver, NASCAR, or a fan, everybody wants to see this sport succeed and grow. Everybody is paying attention to whatever alliances maybe put together or opinions that someone may have or the direction NASCAR wants to take things in. Absolutely, I love this sport and want the best for it and paying attention to what others do that care for this sport as well.”
THERE WILL BE THOSE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE WORRIED THAT THE RTA COULD CREATE A SPLIT. WHY SHOULD OR WHY SHOULD PEOPLE NOT BE WORRIED ABOUT THIS CREATING DIVISION?
“I just think it is human nature for some to worry. It doesn’t matter what the topic is. A third probably care, a third don’t care and a third are mad, it doesn’t matter what the topic is. I just don’t see any downside in the owner’s working closer together in sharing what is important to them, what is important to them to run their business, to run a successful business and to be able to put a race car in the field each week. I don’t see anything wrong with that. That environment is there today it is a far looser structure than it has been and now hopefully it’s going in a direction where there could be a more calm and clear voice. If it is within our own industry from a team owner’s side, if it’s directed toward NASCAR, directed towards license merchandising, a variety of angles this could be beneficial in a lot of ways to have a clear voice. Instead of well I was over at Hendrick and I heard this and I was at Roush and I heard that and I was at Penske and heard something altogether different. For everybody to be together on all topics I don’t think there is any down side in being organized.”
DOES THAT MEAN THE DRIVERS SHOULD BE NEXT?
“That opportunity is definitely there. I don’t know where others stand and feel with it. I haven’t put any thought into it myself. I guess in some ways Pandora’s Box has been opened with this topic and discussion. We will see where it leads. Again, the way I see this is everybody cares for our sport and people are trying to be more organized to help lead and direct our sport in all ways. We will see what the future holds and I feel like there is a positive outcome. This is a good thing. I don’t feel like this is going to drive separation or a split. And I don’t even know where that separation or split would take place. The things that have been discussed through the RTA, it’s all about saving costs. It’s all about driving costs down I don’t see how that’s a bad thing. I know the conversation is owners against NASCAR, but NASCAR is trying to help bring costs down. So is the RTA. I think everybody is working the same direction.”
LOOKING AHEAD TO INDIANAPOLIS DO YOU CIRCLE THAT ON THE CALENDAR STILL AS A MUST WIN NO MATTER WHAT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE CHASE WISE? WHAT KIND OF RACE DO YOU EXPECT THIS YEAR?
“For sure, Daytona and Indy everybody is going to risk it all for those two events. I’m excited because for a long stretch now we have been able to go there and get it right and be competitive. For the longest time the responsibility and the fault fell on my shoulders. I wouldn’t drive the car right until we got in the race, spent two or three days of setting the car up and drive it wrong. Get in the race and I’m like ‘oh wow’ man I’ve been doing it wrong. We need to go behind pit wall and change spring and all kinds of other things to get this thing right for the race. So now I unload there and I understand how to drive the track and I’m able to get us in that window to be competitive.”
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
CAMPING WORLD RV SALES 301
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JULY 11, 2014
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and discussed his outlook for this weekend at New Hampshire, recent testing at the track, his Chase hopes and many other topics. Full Transcript:
TALK ABOUT YOUR OUTLOOK FOR THIS WEEKEND:
“I always kind of like coming to New Hampshire. It’s a pretty neat race track. It’s the only one on the circuit quite like this. It reminds me a little bit of IRP (Indianapolis Raceway Park) in Indiana. I enjoy it. We got to come here and test a few weeks ago and I thought that went pretty well. We learned a lot of stuff. Then we learned even some things at Richmond the other day that I think might help us here too. Excited to get on the track for practice and hoping for good things this weekend because we have had some bad luck the last three weeks. We’ve got to get back to finishing races and get back up in the points because now we have fallen out of being in the Chase.”
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT TESTING:
“It went pretty good. We were here with the Hendrick (Motorsports) cars and I thought they were a little bit better than us, but at the midway point of the test I thought we were pretty good. We just kept testing different things and slowed down a little bit. The conditions that day were a lot cooler than what they will be this weekend. It’s hard to judge off that, but I thought it was a decent test. Anytime you test you are learning a lot. It was good to get here to New Hampshire a place where I haven’t raced a Cup car yet and get some laps.”
THERE WERE FOUR TEAMS THAT TESTED, ALL TEAMS THAT ARE LOOKING TO GET DRIVERS IN THE CHASE. DO YOU THINK THE STRATEGY WAS IF YOU TEST MAYBE THIS IS A PLACE YOU OR JAMIE (MCMURRAY) COULD GET THAT COULD GET YOU IN THE CHASE?
“I don’t know. I don’t know if they struggled here last year is why they came or what. I don’t seem to do particularly well on short tracks or tracks you have to use a lot of braking. That might be a reason we came here. I don’t know if there is any strategy for the Chase to come here and test or not.”
YOU GUYS DIDN’T REALLY DISCUSS THAT? I MEAN YOU ONLY GET FOUR TESTS…
“I’m sure when you only get four any test they use is to get yourself in a better position for the Chase. I would say so.”
DO YOU FEEL BETTER COMING HERE AFTER THE TEST? DOES THAT GIVE YOU SOME CONFIDENCE NOW THINKING MAYBE YOU COULD BE A FACTOR ON SUNDAY?
“Yeah I think so. I feel like anytime we’ve gone to a track to test we usually race pretty good. At Pocono we went there and tested and ran fifth. I’m not quite sure where else we tested. You look at last year they tested at Dover and almost won that. Anytime you go to test somewhere you gain some confidence going back because you know your car is going to be better than had you not spent 300 laps on the track already. I know the team loves testing because they get to learn as much as they can and it always helps them at other race track too. Like I said I think we learned a lot at Richmond probably that will help us here too. I’m definitely excited because I think our car will be pretty fast.”
WHAT IS YOUR PERCEPTION AS WE APPROACH KIND OF THE CRUNCH TIME IN RELATION TO THE CHASE OF WHERE YOU STAND AND WHAT YOUR CHANCES ARE IN THESE FINAL RACES LEADING UP TO THE CUT OFF?
“Our chances were really good up until three weeks ago. Then we lost power steering at Sonoma and finished in the high 20’s. Kentucky we were pretty fast and blew a right-front tire and then at Daytona we got caught up in a typical Daytona crash and got a 36th-place finish or something like that. I think we went from being tied for seventh to eighteenth in points over three weeks. It was looking great up until now. It makes you stress out a little bit just because each week it gets closer and closer to the Chase. Now we have fallen to where we have to fight really hard again. It makes it nerve racking, but we are all pretty close. I think there are six or so guys that are pretty close in points. I have to have a couple of good runs and hopefully get back up there. It would be nice to get a win soon for sure.”
YOU GOT OFF TO SUCH A STRONG START FOR A ROOKIE HOW HUMBLING HAS IT BEEN ALL OF A SUDDEN TO HAVE THESE THREE WEEKS IN A ROW?
“I knew at some point with how well we were running everybody is going to run into some bad luck. I was just hoping it wouldn’t be three weeks in a row worth of bad luck. I figured we may have some bad luck one week or two weeks in a row not three. It makes you stress out coming here to New Hampshire hoping that you get a good finish. You can’t have four bad finishes in a row. I mean I understand the whole luck factor so it was humbling, but didn’t surprise me.”
HOW DO YOU VIEW THE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR BATTLE BETWEEN YOU AND AUSTIN DILLON RIGHT NOW?
“I mean I feel like we have been a little bit stronger than Austin (Dillon) mostly so I think once we get back to finishing some races hopefully we can pad that gap between him and myself in the rookie points. I’m not really even sure how the whole rookie thing works. I don’t know if they base off points or votes or what.”
MEDIA INTERJECTS – A LITTLE OF BOTH:
“Yeah, so hopefully we have a big gap in points. But I mean it sucks the last few weeks I think he’s been the highest finishing rookie, but I feel like our stats have been a little bit better than his so far this season. Just got to keep sticking with it and trying to set it as a goal to beat him every weekend as well as get top 10’s.”
TALK ABOUT HOW YOU LIKE THE NEW QUALIFYING FORMAT CONSIDERING A TRACK LIKE THIS WHERE TRACK POSITION IS SO IMPORTANT:
“I like the new qualifying format. It’s not like there are a ton of cars out on the track, it’s not like all 43 of us are out on the track at the same time qualifying. We kind of all respect each other and maybe there are five or six cars out at a time and you are evenly spaced. You are not getting messed up by the guy in front of you. Where the qualifying format sucks is the superspeedways where you have to have a bunch of buddies or get lucky. I guess in the Cup Series nobody wants to be the lead pack because everybody is getting a draft off you. So like last week we saw where we roll around there at 20 mph that makes it really frustrating and probably not fun for the fans either. It would be nice if they could tweak the superspeedway qualifying format a little bit, but I’ve enjoyed it everywhere else.”
HOW DO YOU DO OR LIKE FLAT TRACKS LIKE THIS?
“I would say they are probably my biggest weakness. I feel like I’ve struggled at most flat tracks where you have to use a lot of braking. Phoenix, Martinsville, Richmond and here last year in the Nationwide Series it is definitely a style of track I’ve got to get better at. I’m sure that will come with time. It’s a lot different than kind of the sort of style or racing I grew up doing. Nothing I ever did you were hard on the brakes almost coming to a stop and making a U-turn and going the other way. I think that is why I have struggled so far on flat tracks.”
CORVETTE DPs AT CTMP: New Challenge North of the Border
Championship-leading Corvette DPs to run for first time at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
· New stop for contingent of Corvette Daytona Prototypes
· Spirit of Daytona Racing, Action Express Racing coming off strong showing at Watkins Glen
· Chevrolet, Wayne Taylor Racing remain out front in Prototype championships
DETROIT (July 8, 2014) – A new stop beckons for Chevrolet’s Corvette Daytona Prototypes as the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship hits its stride for its summer schedule. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) is one of Canada’s oldest permanent road-racing venues and was the site of the first Formula One Canadian Grand Prix in 1967. It holds its first TUDOR Championship race this weekend – the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance.
The circuit played host to the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) from 1999-2013. With the advent of the TUDOR Championship – a merger of the ALMS and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series – a new age of sports car racing is set to make its mark at the track. The Corvette DPs will be at the forefront and look for a third straight victory in the TUDOR Championship. Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante won the last round at Watkins Glen International for Spirit of Daytona Racing. Heading to Canada, Chevrolet continues to lead the Prototype engine manufacturer championship lead with three wins on the season.
Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor lead the driver’s championship in their No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP, which also is up front in the team standings. Action Express Racing’s Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi – winners of the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the season – moved into second-place following a third-place showing at Watkins Glen.
Marsh Racing’s Corvette DP of Eric Curran and Boris Said finished sixth in class at Watkins Glen to tie its best result of the year. Of all the teams in the Corvette DP camp, the Whelen Engineering group has the most experience at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with a number of races and victories there in SCCA World Challenge competition with a Corvette GT car; Curran won back-to-back races in 2007 and 2008.
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – still known as Mosport to many – is a classic track and one of the fastest in North America. It has a number of medium- to high-speed corners that can amplify mistakes. Those sections also should favor the lighter P2 cars in the Prototype class.
“Our Corvette DP teams carry a tremendous amount of momentum to our only stop in Canada,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet’s Corvette Daytona Prototype Program Manager. “We have shown good pace and reliability with our Chevrolet V-8 power. We are faced with a new challenge at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, which should be a thrill for our drivers and fans alike. It is one of the fastest tracks we run with huge amounts of elevation change and long, sweeping corners. The lighter P2 cars may have a slight advantage in those areas, but overall the performances of all the cars in the Prototype class appear to be good. It should make for a great race Sunday.”
Camaro Z/28.R Continuing Strong Debut Season
Chevrolet also had a bountiful weekend at Watkins Glen in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge thanks to a second victory for the new Camaro Z/28.R of Stevenson Motorsports’ Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis. The duo’s victory moved Chevrolet into the manufacturer championship lead of the series’ Grand Sport (GS) class.
CKS Autosport’s Eric Curran added to the history-making weekend with the first pole for the Z/28.R. Camaros ran 1-2-3 for much of the race, a testament to the amount of development by the teams, Chevrolet engineers and GM’s Powertrain group.
Stevenson Motorsports and CKS Autosport each will have two Camaros for the race. CKS’ Ashley McCalmont, driving this weekend with Mike Skeen, will race at her home track for the first time in the Continental series.
“Watkins Glen was a bit of a dream weekend for Chevrolet and the Camaro Z/28.R,” said Lisa Talarico, Chevrolet’s Camaro Z/28.R Program Manager. “Gaining the lead in manufacturer points is a huge accomplishment for everyone involved with this program. Keeping it will prove just as difficult. This will be the first time for the Continental Sports Car Challenge at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, so every minute on the track will be a learning experience.”
CORVETTE RACING IN CANADA: Aiming for Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Repeat
Team seeking fourth straight GT Le Mans victory in TUDOR Championship
· Gavin, Milner enter as defending race winners
· Garcia, Magnussen lead GTLM driver championship
· Watkins Glen victory moved Chevrolet into manufacturer points lead
DETROIT (July 9, 2014) – After winning a round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship at an unfamiliar venue, Corvette Racing heads this weekend to more recognizable surroundings. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) plays host to the TUDOR Championship as Corvette Racing goes for an 11th victory at the storied road course just outside Toronto.
Following a victory in the last round at Watkins Glen International, Corvette Racing will arrive at the circuit formerly known as Mosport International Raceway with championship leads in the TUDOR Championship’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) driver, team and manufacturer standings. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen rank first in points after their third straight series victory but teammates Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner are the defending race winners.
Last season, Milner held on in a pressure-packed final stint to win by 0.267 seconds in the final year of the Corvette C6.R. This year’s race sees the Canadian debut of the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, which has proven itself as a front-runner at each TUDOR Championship round to date.
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is one of the most daunting on the schedule. The 2.459-mile, 10-turn layout is known for high speeds and high risks. The first three turns, drivers say, are among the biggest challenges on any track in North America.
The circuit has been like a second home to Corvette Racing since its first race there in 2000. Its 10 victories there are the most at any circuit – a tie with Road Atlanta – and the team has won two of the last three races there. Three of those wins were by Corvette Racing star and Canadian legend Ron Fellows, now a co-owner of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
The character of the track hasn’t changed much since its first race in 1961. Through the years, CTMP has played host to Can-Am, Formula 5000, USAC stock cars, IndyCar, Trans-Am, Formula Atlantic, and of course the American Le Mans Series and IMSA. Most notably, the circuit was the site of the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix eight times between 1967-77.
Live television coverage of the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance starts at 2 p.m. ET, Sunday on FOX Sports 1.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is similar to Watkins Glen in that it is a track where you need good momentum over the lap. They are both classic circuits with a very old-school feel and very fast. For a driver, it is a big thrill to race there because of the speed and history. Corvette Racing has a strong history there with a number of wins and I hope Jan and I can continue that. It would be great to get my first victory there. Winning three races in the TUDOR Championship in the first year of the Corvette C7.R is remarkable. We knew we had a great team behind us and a good car that is being developed all the time. Even while we are racing, we continue to test new things.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“I do enjoy going to Mosport every year and I am glad it is part of the TUDOR Championship. It’s very fast and incredibly challenging especially on the first part of the lap – Turn 1 and Turn 2. You have to be fully committed each lap. It’s where I won my first sports car race in a prototype in the ALMS. So the track has been a good place for me and of course for Corvette Racing. We go there with a lot of momentum – more than I think we could have expected when the year started, I have to say. Three straight wins is a great feeling with the new Corvette C7.R. First in the driver, team and manufacturer championship is a good place to be.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“In a funny way, Watkins Glen should be a pretty good barometer for how things will go at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. You need downforce there to be quick, but you also have that very long backstraight where you need decent straight-line speed. It’s always a little bit of a toss-up between how you much downforce you run and how much drag you run. You have to decide before the start of the race which strategy you’re going to go with, particularly with where you are on the grid and whether you’re going to have pass cars or whether you feel you have the pace to drive away and fight from the front. There is plenty to think about going into the event and while we are there in order to maximize the performance of the Corvette C7.R. So it should be a fun weekend, as it always is.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It was a great race last year – one of the races I feel was one of my best. To have that much pressure from a car that was quicker than us in the Viper… pushing me hard and running qualifying laps for an hour. The last couple of laps were definitely exciting. I had a disabled car that slowed me up into Turn 1 and that allowed the gap I had built up to go back to basically zero. So over the last two laps I had to defend in a lot of places. I used every bit of road and every car I could on the last lap to try and stay ahead and was just barely able to. I don’t think I was able to breathe until after the checkered flag. It was definitely a great feeling. It came at a time where we had a couple of bad races, but Oliver and I had been pushing hard to get some points and it reinvigorated our championship challenge. We’re hoping for the same this coming weekend.”
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“When it comes to testing a driver’s mettle, there is no more demanding track in North America than Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It is super quick and may very well be the fastest track we visit all season…and, from my perspective, Turn Two is one of the most challenging corners in all of road racing. We have had some serious success there and this week’s race should be a real shootout. I would encourage everyone to come out and see some great racing and all the improvements to Canada’s best professional racing circuit.”
CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
POCONO INDYCAR 500 FUELED BY SUNOCO
POCONO RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST QUALIFYING RELEASE AND TRANSCRIPT
JULY 6, 2014
Juan Pablo Montoya Puts Chevrolet IndyCar V6 in Victory Lane at Pocono
Team Penske Teammate Helio Castroneves Finishes Second to Give Team Chevy Top-Two Spots on Podium
LONG POND, Pa. (July 6, 2014) – Juan Pablo Montoya crowned his return to Verizon IndyCar Series competition by driving his No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet to the victory in the Pocono IndyCar 500. It is the sixth 2014 win by a Chevrolet driver and extended the Bowtie brand’s lead in the Series’ manufacturer championship battle with seven races remaining in 2014.
Montoya’s Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Hitachi Chevrolet, was second to give Team Chevy the top-two rungs on the podium of the 200-lap/500-mile race on the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway, also known as the “Tricky Triangle”.
“Congratulations to Juan Pablo Montoya and Team Penske for making such a strong statement by winning this 500 mile race from the pole,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, Verizon IndyCar Series. “Juan Pablo and his crew managed their fuel mileage and track position over the numerous pit stops even with a missing front wing endplate. Congrats to Helio and his crew for taking P2 on the podium, along with Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon in 4th and 5th respectively to round out a Team Chevy 4 out of the top 5 positions. This result comes with a substantial tally of points from this double points event and raises the Team Chevy momentum heading into Iowa next weekend.”
Starting from the pole, the win is the 11th IndyCar victory for Montoya, who last competed in the Series in 2000 before moving to Formula One and then to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He was credited with leading six times for a total of 45 laps in the race that went caution-free for 159 laps, before being slowed for the only yellow-flag of the race that lasted until lap 164.
The win moved Montoya from fifth to fourth in the point standings.
Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Ryan Briscoe, No. 8 NTT Data Chevrolet and Scott Dixon, No. 9 Target Chevrolet, finished fourth and fifth respectively to give the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 engine four of the top-five finishing positions in the 11th race of the 18-race season.
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, was the point leader coming into the race. Power started in the middle of the front row alongside his Team Penske teammate Montoya and jumped to the lead at the start of the race. He led four times for a total of 69 laps before serving a drive-through penalty that put him back in the field. As a result of the penalty he was relegated to a 10th-place finish. As a result, Power and Castroneves are now tied atop the standings with 446 points apiece.
Tony Kanaan, No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, led a race-high four times for a total of 78 laps and looked poised to capture his first victory of 2014, but fuel strategy forced him down pit lane with only four laps remaining for splash of fuel and had to settle for the 11th finishing position.
Carlos Munoz (Honda) completed the podium finishing third.
Next on the schedule is the Iowa Corn Indy 300 on Saturday, July 12 at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Live radio coverage will be on IMS Radio broadcast on XM Radio Channel 209 and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 213. In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at www.indy.car.com..
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
AN INTERVIEW WITH:
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 2ND
THE MODERATOR: We’ll continue with our Verizon IndyCar Series post‑race press conference. Before we begin with our race winner I would like to announce that this is the fastest 500‑mile race in IndyCar history with an average speed of 202.402 miles per hour. The previous fastest race was Fontana in 2002 with a speed of 197.995 miles per hour.
Juan, we’ll start with you. You have led laps in all three oval races this season. You’re third 500‑mile race win with other wins at Indianapolis in 2000 and Michigan in 2000. A big win here at Pocono Raceway. Tell us about your race today.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I think it was a really good race. I felt a did a good jump on the start and for some reason you’re kind of a sitting duck. I was kind of surprised how much of a sitting duck I was. When I got into Turn 1 I was like four wide. From as soon as I started winning the back straight and changed my feel, make sure and turn down the engine and just started saving fuel from that moment, I felt that’s what we needed to do early, make sure we opened the race and opened the windows, and I felt we did a really good job with that.
From there on, I mean, it’s a matter of being in the right strategy, just making the right calls and hoping things go your way.
THE MODERATOR: I know you noticed a big band of Colombian fans in the audience today. What did you say to them when you went over and embraced them after the race?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: It was more about signing autographs and saying thanks for coming. They’re really cool fans. I’ll tell you the truth, I was amazed how many people were in the grandstands today for an oval race. It’s unbelievable. It’s pretty cool.
Q. I have a technical question. When you lost the front plate at lap 165, you said after the race you had a little bit of understeer. In principle can you drive the car without? Is it absolutely necessary?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yeah, I think they just generate more downforce, not only front wing but overall downforce, but it is what it is. My pace, it slowed down a little bit. I could run 217s, 218s by myself and I lost about a mile an hour when we did it. But I mean, track position is everything, and that was the only shot I had at passing Will and I had to take it. It was either there or there or there, and we did it, you know. It was fun.
Q. Can you just take me through that incident with Will or at least the contact?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: The contact, we did the restart, and we went side by side. When I went into Turn 2 I said I think I can hold him, and I said, there’s no point. We’re teammates, let’s be a little smarter, and we went into Turn 3, and he lifted a little bit, and I felt like I said, I’m just going to go in wide open, hopefully ‑‑ you know what I mean, go in really, really low and make sure I can run wide open. I’m going to run wide open behind him, I’m pretty close. I got a hold of the toe at the corner and he started going left and more left and more left, so I got to a point I finally got to him, and he like ‑‑ at that point I had to either hope he went right or I went right, and I went right at the same time he did, and I had to lift. I actually got out of the gas. If you look at my trace, I got off the gas and as soon as I cleared him I went wide open again. I think he thought it was because he went through so much dirt, he went so shallow into Turn 1, he lifted. He lifted too early and I held it wide open, and I said until I don’t clear him, I’m not lifting.
I knew from going around people like they were pitting you could run the second groove you would get a little more understeer, but like I said, run wide open, get ahead of him and then downshift and get out of the corner, and that was it.
Q. For last week you said you’re almost there. I guess today you can say that you are here. Talk about the comeback, first victory since 2000.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: It’s been a long road. It’s a lot harder than people realize because as I said the other day, driving open wheels is so different than what I’ve been driving the last few years, and it’s just ‑‑ it was going to take time. I don’t like jinxing it and saying, oh, it’s coming, it’s coming. I’d rather be let’s just keep working on it. I feel at this point we’ve got to step it up and work a little bit harder because I think we’re in a position now to win the championship. So we’ve really got to step it up.
You know, we’ve been having really good finishes and everything, but if we want to win the championship, we’ve got to make sure we perform a little better on the street courses and stuff like that. We haven’t run on short ovals so I have no idea what to expect. Hopefully it’s as good as this.
Q. Juan, on the TV show, Paul Tracy said when you first came here you drove like a wild man back in the kart days. You drove like a wild man, flat stick all the time, and then you had all this experience in Formula 1 and NASCAR, and he said particularly today all that experience you had in NASCAR came to the fore and you drove a really smart race. Did you see it a similar way?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yeah, I think he’s right. The good thing with who I am and my character, it’s I can kind of unplug myself and go at it. I still don’t care. But you can run a lot smarter races. You can look at the bigger picture. NASCAR really showed me to look at the bigger picture that you never did, and I think 90 percent of the open wheel guys never look at the bigger picture, and I probably lost formula championships and everything by not looking at the bigger picture. Now that you do, you go, oh ‑‑ you know what I mean? It’s a shame you can’t turn back to be 20 again with this experience, but it’s what it is.
Q. You just mentioned NASCAR. Was your NASCAR experience at this track any advantage or any help for you?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Not really. The cars are so different. We go over 10 seconds a lap quicker, so no. I mean, I wish it would. The only thing that helped was I knew where the corners were when we came here and tested. But we run ‑‑ even there were laps in the race you could run wide open all the way around, even in race trim. It was pretty hectic.
Q. Are you surprised to be talking about the championship at this point because a few months ago that didn’t seem to be on your radar at all?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: It wasn’t. I was, I don’t know, nearly 200 points out or something, and now I’m within 50. I’m still a ways away, but hey, I think people know that I’m coming, and it’s good. It’s definitely a plus. I think it’s something that is helping and I’ve got to keep that in mind is I got to here because I’ve been really smart about it, and it’s got to be that way. With Hawksworth in Houston, I could have been stupid or braver or whatever you want to call it and ended up in tires with him and prove a point, and what’s the point. The point is that would have gave away 20 or 30 points, and then you get to the end of the year, and you go, oh, I shouldn’t be fighting with that dude, you know?
Q. What did you think when you saw TK pit?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Big relief because like when he pitted, like I looked ‑‑ we have a little display with the laps, and I knew there was no way he was going to make it from here. I mean, there is no, no way. So I thought, okay, so there’s two ways. One for him to make it is he’s got to run really slow, and if he runs really slow, we’ll get to him. And if he runs a little bit hard, he’s going to run out of gas. So they were planning on a caution. If you get a caution with four or five laps to go, he wins the race. But it’s what it is, you know?
Q. Juan, first of all, great race today. You had a really smart race. Two questions for you. One: Did you ever have any doubt in your mind that you can come back after so many years and win in IndyCar again? Was there ever a doubt? And number two, you’re going to be running one or more NASCAR races for Roger. Do you expect that transition back and forth to be difficult?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I think now I’m really settled on the IndyCar. Honestly I believed from how well I performed back in the day and how well I always ran in Formula 1 and like when I ran the Daytona Prototype and anything with grip, I could perform. I knew it was going to take a little bit of time, but I mean, having the opportunity to run for Roger, it’s unbelievable. I’ve worked really hard physically and mentally to get here, and I feel in a really good place right now. I’m really happy.
I think adjusting back to the Cup car, that was a bit of a shock in Michigan, but by the time the race started, it was good. It was just a matter of what I want from the car is very different than what they want. I think going to Indy, it’s a really good racetrack for me. I have really good knowledge of what I need to do, mental knowledge of like I could tell you exactly where I need to brake, where I need to turn, where I need to position the car, every frigging corner now. I’m going to go there and do that, and I know if I do that, I’m going to be pretty close already.
And something that is going to happen in Indy is that qualifying is after two practices. It’s between the practices and the race. So we’re going to be in a little bit better shape. Last time we had ran, I believe, six laps in Michigan and straight into qualifying. It was like, oh, what? I mean, it was kind of shocking.
Q. You never did much leading today; however, you always seemed to be going a lot farther with the fuel on your stints. Did you feel like even though you were not leading you were still in control of the race because you could go so much longer on fuel?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I didn’t want to lead. Like I told Will, if I can lead the first lap, I’ll lead the first lap and I’m going to back off and let you go, and he joked, I’m going to back off. I said, believe me, when I’m telling you I’m going to back off you’d better run because if not they’re going to freight train us, so I was kind of happy I wasn’t leading.
You know what I mean, it’s about making fuel, learning how you can make more fuel and running smart and controlling the situation and the gap. I don’t know, I feel like I do a really good job at that. I used to do a really good job back in the day, as well, with fuel. It’s pretty cool. It’s pretty cool when you can make fuel like that. I think it’s the Chevy, not me.
Q. You’re now one of a select few drivers who have won a race in IndyCar and NASCAR. Does that mean anything to you to be with some other noteworthy names or anything?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I did that years ago. I don’t know, it’s fun to do it again. I’ll be honest with you. I never race for the history of it. I’ve never been a history buff. You know what I mean? If you look at everything I did, I’ve accomplished so far in racing, people, I’m probably going to ‑‑ 20 years from now they’re going to go, oh, my God, this guy did this. Right now I don’t really care. Now I’m thinking about what are we going to do for Iowa. Tomorrow we’ll have fun with the team and plan how we’re going to run the weekend and what we did right this weekend, what we did wrong, just ‑‑ I think we’ve been doing a really good job of learning from every situation, you know, taking advantage of every situation and learning from it.
Q. I’m curious about how you feel about this track, IndyCar, coming back here, the fans, et cetera, because I asked your podium and they were really enthusiastic, and I’m wondering about you.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: It’s exciting. It’s a cool place because it’s so close to New York and there’s so many Latinos there, New Jersey and all that area. I mean, I think the crowd was really good. One thing that is hard is the overtaking is really hard. Overtaking is really hard. It makes for a hard race to watch, but I felt at the end of the race when everybody was like opening up the engines and went full ridge and full timing and everything, it was like, here we go, you know, man up.
Q. You kind of touched on it a couple minutes ago, talking about the Chevy engines. How key was that in your fuel strategy today. If you remember four of the top 5 were Chevy engines.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I think Chevy has been doing a really amazing job this year. I remember last year if you look at last year’s race they were getting really beat out of the pits and stuff, and we did a lot of work with that. We came here and tested a did a lot of work with that, and today our out laps and in laps were amazing. It’s pretty amazing, the tires were the same. You could run out of the pits and run wide open all the way around out of the pits. It was not easy but you could hold it wide open. By the time you get to Turn 3 you’re already at full speed with cold tires, low pressure, but what the heck.
Q. How good would IndyCar racing be if you’d had all the fuel you wanted to use?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Well, you can use as much fuel as you want. Are you going to have like a side tank next to you or something? (Laughter.)
I mean, it’s about strategy, you know what I mean? Because the way the race is, if you could do ‑‑ I mean, I’ll give you ‑‑ you could do, I don’t know, like four and a half, a little more, miles ‑‑ that’s what they were telling me, about four and a half miles per gallon with like five laps of yellow, you could do it in like five stops. If you run full ridge, you definitely had to run six stops. You had to make sure you covered that basics. It’s something we talked about is make sure our pace, we can make the fuel, but our pace is fast enough so nobody can make it in five. If you force people to pick up the pace, you know what I mean, if you can get 20 seconds on them and you will get 20 seconds from them if they are saving too much fuel, then their strategy is out the window. So you’ve got to push people for that.
I don’t know, some people say maybe a Push‑to‑Pass in the ovals like here would be good. I don’t know, I think it’s a lot of strategy. I think it’s always been a hard race to pass even in a Cup car and anything you come here. It’s the nature of the track.
Q. I know that when you made the decision to come back to IndyCar, you weren’t really putting a timetable on getting a victory, but did you kind of feel at your own pace that this was pretty much ‑‑ seeing what these cars are like, having a half a season, that this is about right for you to get back to victory lane?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yeah, things were going good, but you never know when you’re going to get the win. As the move today with Will, I was lucky the front wing didn’t break more. It could have been worse and both of us could have been out of the race, and it could have taken six more months to get a win. You never know. But we did the right things. We got the win, and I think it’s ‑‑ I mean, we’re in a good place at this point of the season; put it that way.
Q. Juan, I know you said about history and that sort of thing, but how impressed are you and what should we think about Roger Penske? Decades ago he won the first 500‑mile race here with Mark Donahue and here you are decades later. Sort of talk about that a little bit.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I think Roger is the man. I mean, it’s unbelievable everything he does. He’s head and shoulders above anybody else. That’s why everybody wants to be like him. He’s an example to anybody, and for me to be honest with you ‑‑ I’m not saying this because I run for him. I mean, I knew Roger a little bit, but now that I work with him, it’s unbelievable. He knows everybody’s names. The way he does things, you’re not surprised why you’re kicking everybody’s ass; put it that way.
Q. You came up through the open wheel ranks as a youngster. You’ve always done well in open wheel racing. You did okay in NASCAR but you didn’t win as many races as you did in open wheel racing. Now that you’re back in open wheel, do you feel like you’re here to stay? Is this what you want to do?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Oh, yeah, absolutely. I told Roger, if you want me to run some Cup races I will, and I think I can do a good job because of all my experience, but I really wanted to be here in IndyCar, so I’ll probably be here next year for sure, as well.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll begin with our Verizon IndyCar Series post‑race press conference. We are pleased to be joined by our second‑place finisher, Helio Castroneves. With this second‑place finish Helio moves into a tie for the points lead with his teammate Will Power. This is his fifth top‑5 and eighth top‑10 finish of the season and also his 80th career top‑3 finish. Helio, a great finish for you and for Team Penske. Tell us about your race.
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Yeah, first, I want to thank Hitachi, Shell‑Pennzoil, AAA, Verizon, SKF, and Chevy, of course, for giving me a great engine and keeping me up there. Yeah, it was tough. Yesterday because of the incident that we had in Houston, we decided to start with a car setup a little bit different from my teammates so I wouldn’t have any issue because I know the track gets a lot of grip, so I didn’t want to do anything to aggravate the injury, and today I said we’ve got 500‑miles, so I need to get used to it, and we changed it back.
I still don’t think I had the speed of the other guys. They were much faster than me and we’ve got to sit down and figure out why.
But in the end I was just getting better and better and the car was getting better, and we just were waiting there. It’s a tough race because the last year was winning by fuel mileage and this year the plan changed in the middle, but Roger had great strategies and put us in a great spot.
Yeah, finishing second no question is great. I want to win bad, but like I said, I did not have the speed that Juan Pablo had, and now tied for the championship, what a great deal. This is just absolutely awesome, and we’ve got to keep moving forward and not thinking back.
Q. Last week the Houston race was totally different racing. Is there any advice from the engine manufacturer to trim the engine, what to do to save fuel, or it’s up to the team to make the strategy?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: No, you have your mapping through the whole season and you are the one using your strategy, and I think with the Chevy people, they have the same thing most of every one, and you just decide when to save fuel or not.
Q. Helio, end of the race you’re racing Will Power. He got penalized for blocking. What was it from your point of view? What did you think when it happened?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Well, we were racing hard. That’s the beauty of Team Penske. There is no team order. I don’t think many teams are able to apply that rule. Obviously the only rule is do not take each other out, but race hard, and especially both of us in the championship. I wasn’t expecting anything different to be honest.
I’m not the one to make the call, but in the end, like I said, we are racing very aggressive.
Q. Carlos, what was your view on the last restart that IndyCar gave you a warning on?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: I didn’t know I have a warning really. For what?
Q. They gave you a warning on the last restart for ‑‑ I assume you nearly passed someone or things got wild in the back.
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Yeah, I think ‑‑
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I wondered, he was right beside me.
HELIO CASTRONEVES: It was close because I said, oh, man, I’m going to jump this turn so I lifted, also, and that’s why I think I didn’t get any penalty because in the end passing him on the finish line was really close, but the guys behind me, I think it was Aleshin and Dixon, for sure they did the same thing as me. It was a close one. I didn’t really know I have a warning. I knew it was really close, but I lifted to don’t overtake him on the finish line, and I think it worked out.
Q. Helio, seven races to go, you’ve won a lot of races in the series, you’ve won a lot of Indy 500s but never a championship, correct?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Correct.
Q. How bad do you want it?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Thanks for reminding me. Nice guy.
Big time. I want it as much as anybody probably because we’ve been here for a long time, and now a great opportunity. Houston was very disappointing for me because it was one of those opportunities that you don’t want to miss, and today for us it was great because we ended up collecting a lot of points, and that’s the way we’re going for it. So now we’re looking for the next ones and continuing with the same pace.
Q. Guys, on the last pit stop when new garden and Kanaan went for the fuel strategy, were either of your teams feeling at that point that maybe you had gotten outfoxed in the fuel strategy department?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: I just remember at one point which I was already tennis to that plan. I said, come on, guys, we’ve got to keep going. I can see they’re moving forward, but I don’t know their strategy to be honest. I knew they were pitting very early than us, but I remember them saying let’s change the plan. That was the only thing I heard but I cannot confirm in terms of where they were and what they were doing to be honest.
CARLOS MUÑOZ: They just said to me, follow the leader, and that’s what I did.
Q. Helio, you talked about racing hard, no team orders at Penske or anything, but how tough is it when that happens and it’s a teammate as opposed to just another driver, and have you had a chance to talk to Will? Have you guys discussed it, discussed what happened?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: No, I have not had a chance to talk to Will, and the good news is we try to ‑‑ what happens on the track stays on the track, and like I said, we were racing hard. I had a lot of teammates in the past, and we always try to keep that kind of way. Outside the track we can discuss or in the truck, if there was a problem, personal problem or something, but at the end of the day, we continue ‑‑ I have no hard feelings. I would have done something different probably, but I don’t think there is hard feelings for us in terms of what you do or not. And I think Juan Pablo also applies that same motto. Well, today he’s in the victory circle, so it does work. It’s not about us, it’s about Team Penske, and we want to get this championship no matter what, but obviously we need to be smart, as well.
Q. I’m just curious, how do you like Pocono Raceway?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Well, it’s always good when you finish up here. That means you had a good day. It is 500 miles. I believe it was actually great. It’s a difficult track for any type of cars to pass because of the way it’s designed in the corners, and it’s fun. I felt the fans were incredible from yesterday. Not only today but from yesterday. I mean, I don’t understand what these rumors regarding not coming back here because I feel that everybody enjoys it, everybody had fun, and hopefully we will continue coming back.