NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
QUAKER STATE 400
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 28, 2014

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 3RD
THIS IS YOUR BEST RUN OF THE YEAR. KNOW YOU WANTED TO WIN THIS THING, BUT DOES 3RD PLACE PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AT THE END OF THE NIGHT?
“It’s a big gain for us and our Caterpillar Chevrolet. All the guys at RCR and ECR got us that first top five of the season. I’ve got to thank everybody from Caterpillar and Quicken Loans for the opportunity they’ve given us this year. It was a good run. The No. 2 (Brad Keselowski, race winner) was obviously the fastest car all night. The No. 18 (Kyle Busch) got a little bit better there at the end. We were pretty solid. We never really changed the car. It felt like we were pretty neutral and didn’t want to screw it up. So, we ended up where we did.”

IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK YOU CAN REPLICATE AT FUTURE 1.5-MILE TRACKS?
“Well, we sure don’t come back here (laughs). So I hope it translates. And I think it will. I think we’ve got some stuff coming. Pocono and Indy are a couple of races that I really look forward to.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 5TH
YOU WORKED YOUR WAY TO GET YOUR THIRD TOP-5 IN THE LAST 1.5-MILE TRACKS. THAT’S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE
“Yeah, I didn’t have any answers for why we were struggling yesterday. Steve (Letarte, crew chief) and the engineers got in the hauler and talked all night long, and all day today and put a great car underneath us. And the pit crew did an amazing job tonight. Those guys were gaining spots for me every stop. Even when we were taking four tires, we were beating a lot of guys off pit road. They’re just a great group and deserve a lot of credit, too. The National Guard Chevy was way better today; a lot more fun to drive. This place is a bit of a handful for me. I don’t think I’ve got it figured out just yet. And I don’t exactly know what I’m looking for and how I need the car to drive. So Steve and the guys did a good job in having to deal with me and trying to put a good car under me this weekend. It was a lot of fun in the race. The strategy was good on pit road. Steve’s fuel strategy gained us a lot of track position.”

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 8TH
ON HIS NIGHT:
“We battled hard.  I had to fight we had some damage when the No. 1 (Jamie McMurray) stopped when another car was spinning.  I couldn’t get stopped I hit him, the No. 43 (Aric Almirola) hit him, just too many cars in one spot on the road.  We had a bad pit stop at the end that put us 18th and got back to eighth so I was really happy with the speed of our Great Clips Chevy just too many errors if you want to run up front.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 10TH
WAS THE PENSKE DOMINATION TONIGHT DEMORALIZING AT ALL? OR WERE YOU ABLE TO RUN YOUR RACE DESPITE WHAT THEY WERE DOING?
“We had issues that started on Friday.  We didn’t qualify well that had us in a terrible spot with track position.  I would work my way to the front and get in the top 10, top five and then come down pit road and because of our poor qualifying position we just didn’t have a good pit stall.  I was between the No. 10 (Danica Patrick) and the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) and they were both fast all night long.  I would lose five or six spots on pit road each time.  According to lap times what I heard in my ear I think we were a competitive car and we could have been up there and maybe had a look at those guys in some clean air.  But we just messed up on Friday and got behind the eight ball.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 RUSH TRUCK CENTERS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 11TH
STARTED BACK IN THE BACK BUT BATTLED FOR A GOOD FINISH:
“Yeah I mean I would have liked to have been a little better than what we were there at the end, but I think we definitely had to fight our way up there through the day.  We never did anything trick to get track position.  We pitted every time the pits were open.  We didn’t do any less than anybody else did on any stop.  All in all I thought we had a pretty honest day there can’t complain about that.”

WAS IT ANY HARDER TO GET THROUGH TRAFFIC HERE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE?
“No, the race track was wide enough and guys were moving around enough that if your car was working you could get through there.  It’s just we just weren’t working good enough.  I was kind of stuck in one or two spots on the track and not in a wide enough spot to really do anything.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS ARE MAKING PROGRESS?
“Yeah, I think so across the board.  Kurt (Busch) and I talked about our cars right after the race and we both were fighting the same thing with our cars.  I think the No. 10 (Danica Patrick) and the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) were fighting a different set of problems.  I think as an organization as a whole we were pretty good.  Danica (Patrick) was pretty good all night just got kind of off on the tire sequence there and I think that bit them.  I think all four of the cars were pretty good.”

MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 19TH
“We had a lack of grip and no rhythm tonight. We fought for every inch to finish 19th.  At the beginning of the race we didn’t have any rear grip. Once that got better we started to have trouble with our front-end grip.  Leaving our pit stall was also a problem tonight. We took a good hit from behind on one pit stop that caused damage to our Chevrolet and later in the race we were blocked in after taking two tires and hoping to gain on track position. We obviously wanted a better finish for World Vision but hopefully we’ll get another opportunity with them down the road.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – EXPERIENCED A TIRE ISSUE ON LAP 77 WHICH RESULTED IN CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE WALL

ARE YOU OKAY?
‘Yeah, I’m okay. Blew a right front (tire). This is the first time that’s ever happened to me in stock car racing. So, big hits. But is sucks. We were hoping for a good points day to pad our points were we are before we go to Daytona where it’s a real crapshoot. It’s disappointing to have two weekends that didn’t end up very well the last couple of races. Oh, well. That’s how it goes. We’ll try and go to Daytona and rebound and gain some more points.”

DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THAT WAS COMING?
“No, not really. I saw Denny (Hamlin) blew his right front and I’d been pretty tight. But I didn’t think we had any tire issues all weekend, so I was kind of shocked when he blew his right front. And then we were pretty tight on our run. I felt like I was using up my right sides; and run up in the grey a lot trying to get the top working. I told myself to get back down just in case there would be tire problems and I guess I just used up my tires too much.”

IT APPEARED THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENED WITH DENNY HAMLIN EARLIER HAPPENED TO YOU IS THAT ACCURATE?
“Yeah the same thing that happened to Denny (Hamlin) I think.  It looked like he blew a right-front (tire) and so did I.  I heard a big ‘pop’ and then it just went straight.  It sucks it happened, but I didn’t know we had any tire issues at all throughout the weekend.  I don’t know if the rain had an effect and washed the rubber off the track or what.  It sucks it happened but we will go to Daytona next week and try to get the Target Chevy into Victory Lane.”

ANY INDICATION IT WAS GOING DOWN?
“No I didn’t have any warning just was a little bit tight the whole race so far.  I didn’t really feel like I was abusing my right-front tire that bad, but apparently I was.  It just went.”

IT SEEMS REALLY ODD THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TWO ISSUES SO CLOSE TOGETHER ALMOST WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF LAPS ON THE TIRES:
“Yeah, I was surprised to see Denny (Hamlin) blow a right-front because I didn’t think that many teams had tire issues at all.  I hadn’t heard anything.  Then it happened to us.  Hopefully, it doesn’t happen to anybody else out there tonight because those hits definitely hurt.  Oh well, we will go to Daytona and try and do better.”

CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
SHELL PENNZOIL GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON
MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST RACE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 28, 2014

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA LEADS CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6 CONTINGENT AT GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON

HOUSTON (June 28, 2014) – Team Penske driver Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 2 Verizon Chevrolet, saw a fantastic chance at his first win since returning to the Verizon IndyCar Series slip through his fingers on the final restart of Race One of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston double header.

Lined up in second place, Montoya was ready to make his move in his Chevrolet IndyCar V6 twin turbo powered car with time running short in the event. But before he could make a challenge for the lead in the first corner, the caution flew for the final time because of a spin behind him.  The race ended under caution as time expired.

With his fourth top-five finish of the year, Montoya moves up two positions in the point standings to fifth.

The event was scheduled to run a total of 90 laps but due to heavy rains that delayed the start, IndyCar officials elected to make this a timed race that would last one hour and fifty minutes.

Montoya’s Team Penske teammates Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet, and Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Pennzoil Chevrolet maintained their 1-2 lead in the series standings despite a challenging day for both on track.  Power started in 18th position and was looking to overcome the deficit and treacherous conditions.  However, he was involved in an incident late in the race that he could not overcome and finished 14th.

Castroneves started on the outside front row and raced inside the top-five for most of the event.  The team decided to pit for tires on the final stop and he could not overcome the lost track position as many others decided to stay out and the team would finish ninth.

Other Chevrolet IndyCar V6 finishers were:
Sebastien Bourdais, No. 11 Mistic KVSH Racing Chevrolet, finished 4th
Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Team Penske Chevrolet, finished 9th
Ryan Briscoe, No. 8 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finished 12th
Tony Kanaan, No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finished 13th
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, finished 14th
Sebastian Saavedra, No. 17 Automatic Fire Sprinklers KV AFS Chevrolet, finished 15th
Mike Conway, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka/Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, finished 17th
Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Levemir Flex Touch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finished 18th
Scott Dixon, No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finished 19th

Qualifying for Race No. 2 of the second doubleheader of the season is set for 10:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, June 29, 2014.

The 90-lap/153-mile race on the 10-turn/1.683-mile temporary circuit is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. ET with live coverage on NBCSN. The action will be carried live on IMS Radio Network XM 209/Sirius 213 as well as IndyCar.com

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2ND:
COULD YOU HAVE WON THAT RACE? “Yes, I had a good jump (on the restart) there. It is one of those deals; it’s racing. That’s what happens.  I had a shot once at passing. It was really close. I thought he wasn’t going to make it on gas, but congratulations to Carlos (Huertas). I think my Verizon Chevy was unbelievable today. This race, especially when it rains, is all about keeping it off the wall and running smart all day, and we did that. I liked passing Tony (Kanaan), I really enjoyed that. I’m starting to get there, and I’m pretty happy.”

AGAIN, IT CAME DOWN TO STRATEGY AND MAKING THE CALLS ON PIT ROAD
“Yeah, we were running pretty good, like seventh or something; and then we came in and put on black tires and that really hurt us. We suffered there a little bit, but in a way it forced us to do something different and it paid off. I was amazed with this timed race. There were like 35 minutes to go and I am counting 30 laps, you can’t make it. At this pace, you can’t make it. Why are they not stopping? I was kind of surprised nobody pitted. And I’m like oh, thank you.”

YOU GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND WENT IMMEDIATELY OVER TO CARLOS (HUERTAS, RACE WINNER) AND GAVE HIM SOME ADVICE. WHAT WAS THAT?
“No, I just told him congratulations. He’s a good kid; you know what I mean? And he did a good job today. He did what he had to do to win.”

YOU WERE TEASING HIM TELLING HIM TO ZIP-UP HIS DRIVING SUIT
“I’ll be honest with you. Our Verizon Chevy was really good today and I thought we had a chance to win, but at the end the tires went off. But I do tease him a lot. He had the suit all open and I’m like, you’ve got to look good (laughs).”
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS:  NO. 11 TEAM MISTIC E-CIGS – KVSH RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 4TH: ON HIS RACE:  “A very solid day for the KVSH Racing Mistic machine and the whole group. We did everything right and everything we had to do. We just got hurt by the yellows. The first yellow, when we switch to slick tires, a lot of things didn’t quite work out, but we seemed to come out of it strong, P2 behind Hinchcliffe. Unfortunately, another yellow came out and that really did it because we were good to go on fuel with one more stop and some of the other guys behind us stopped on an earlier yellow. But since it was a timed race, every time there was a yellow the race got shorter and shorter and they were not using as much fuel. So, a few of them stayed in front of us, but we salvaged a fourth which was a very solid result. Of course I am disappointed in a way because I think we could have finished higher, but I am pretty happy for the Mistic crew.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 PENNZOIL ULTRA PREMIUM TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 9TH: “Obviously we were looking for a better day today after qualifying on the front row with the Pennzoil Chevrolet. With Brazil winning their World Cup match on penalty kicks I was really feeling good about the day. The rain, I think, through all of us for a bit of a loop. It was very wet to start and there were some corners that never dried. We just weren’t prepared for that. But we know we have a fast car in dry conditions. Hopefully we will qualify well again tomorrow and have a better ending.
TONY KANAAN, NO. 10 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET –FINISHED 13TH:  YOU HAD AT LEAST A PODIUM FINISH, MAYBE MORE, BUT YOU WERE TURNED BY GRAHAM RAHAL GOING INTO THE LAST RESTART. YOU ARE NOT SHOWING ANY EMOTION. I KNOW YOU ARE STEAMING (ANGRY). HOW ARE YOU DEALING WITH THIS? WHAT HAPPENED?
“Well, you’ve got to be professional. I have a team to defend and a lot of good sponsors. So, I can’t do what I really want to do. What a shame. It was a great run by the Target Chip Ganassi boys. We fought all the way; all day long. And to be taken out like that I think it’s stupid. But he was having a good day, too and then ruined his day. I guess I wanted to believe the best. I wanted to believe he didn’t do it on purpose. Of course he came and apologized. But that still doesn’t take the frustration out of me.”

DID HE ACCEPT ALL THE BLAME FOR THAT?
“Yeah, he has to man, come on. He’s a humble guy. It’s just a shame. What am I going to say? Am I mad at him? Yes. Can I turn back in time? No. So, we’ve got to turn the page and move on to tomorrow.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 14TH: “Hard day today if we could have hung in there a little longer we could have been in good shape. I made a mistake there and I feel bad for the Verizon Chevy boys after I went into the wall. That’s racing. We’ll try it again tomorrow and go for better result.”

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA
NO. 17 AUTOMATIC FIRE SPRINKLERS, INC. – KV AFS RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED: 15TH: ON HIS RACE: “It was a crazy race. I am very sad because the result does not show what an amazing car we had. We were very strong in the wet, making a lot of passes when the conditions were at there worst. With a great strategy and fantastic  pit stops by the Automatic Fire Sprinklers – KV AFS Racing crew we were able to get up front. Unfortunately at the end I got taken out by Ryan Briscoe while looking to have a top-five or better finish. I’m disappointed, we came from so far back in the field and worked so hard that we deserve a lot better. We have a good car and just need to re-group for tomorrow. Big congratulations on the Colombian 1, 2, 3 finish today and of course in the World Cup with Colombia winning their game, which is huge for my country…I wish I could be there!”

MIKE CONWAY, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA CHEVROLET, FINISHED 17TH:  ON HIS RACE: “The track was drying and we decided to pit (on lap 26) and put on the red Firestones slicks.  I wanted to make some time but I locked up the tires in turn 3. It was still a little wet on the outside.  And I got the car into the tire barrier.  The right front wing was wrecked and the car stalled.  The impact bent the steering column a bit and it twisted my left thumb pretty well too.  It is hurting but nothing serious.  It will be sore tomorrow.  I just feel badly for the ECR/Fuzzy’s team because the way the race finished up.  We could have been in the mix at the end. We need to get ready for Sunday’s race now.”

POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE:
An Interview With:

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA

THE MODERATOR:  We’ll get started with today’s post‑race press conference.  We’re please to be joined by Team Penske’s Juan Pablo Montoya who finished second in today’s race.  We are very pleased to have three Colombians on the podium so they will be accepting questions in both Spanish and English.  Juan, a second‑place finish here.  This is Juan’s best finish since returning to the Verizon IndyCar Series.  His previous best finish this season was third at Texas.  So, Juan, the state of Texas has been very good to you.  How excited are you to get another podium finish here?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  It’s exciting.  Our Verizon Chevy was very good.  Yesterday was a difficult practice.  We really struggled in the morning.  I had a lot of braking issues, and we fixed them.  In the afternoon I felt like we made good gains.  Qualifying was good, and I was kind of mad we put black tires on the dump truck.  I was going on the radio going what are we doing, what are we thinking?  Everybody was passing us, so that wasn’t the best.  But it is what it is.
I was kind of amazed nobody took that caution.  When it’s a timed race, you look at it, I mean, why?  Why wouldn’t you?  You know what I mean?  You could make it to the end, and I passed Tony ‑‑ I really felt I was going to be racing with Tony for the win, and I passed Tony when I needed to pass him, and with Huertas, a couple of times I could have passed him, but I just don’t risk the car.  It’s pointless, and then we’re here and he won the race.

Q.  Juan, did you think that you were in the position for the win I guess before the caution, and then under caution what was your plan going to be if you had one lap was green?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I was going for it.

Q.  How do you go for it?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I felt like I had a hell of a restart.  Like oh, I’m there, I’m there, and caution came out, and I’m like, oh.  I thought the caution came out because he jumped the start a little bit, but it seems you can jump the start here.

Q.  Did you have any ‑‑ did you not know what Huertas had?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  No, I never thought he could make it to the end.  On the radio it was like ‑‑ I mean, those two haven’t pitted, they’re not going to make it, we’re good.  You’ve only got to protect from behind, and then they said, oh, I think you might want to try to pass Huertas, and I said, I think I’m out of tires.
It’s good.  We got another good finish.  It’s something we can build on.  I thought we had a pretty good car at the beginning of the rain and I was very cautious.  Here you’ve end of losing your place and taking your time than stuffing it in the wall or spinning or anything.  When we went to black tires I was running sixth or seventh or something and they went on like an anchor.  When it was completely dry, it was okay, but whenever it was damp it was like oil on the track, and everybody else was like beautiful.  It was kind of frustrating.

Q.  Juan, you had some complaints about restarts over at Texas and possibly here with Huertas jumping the restart like you just said, but you had a pretty good start on him.  Do you feel like there’s an inconsistency there with restarts?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  The line is in the middle of the corner, and when we passed the entrance we were wide open.  He wasn’t as fast ‑‑ he jumped it by 50 yards or something like that.  I don’t mind that.  In Texas it was like 300 yards and he was already wide open, I’m like, you know ‑‑ I talked to IndyCar, you were a little bit behind.  I said, look, if you think I’m trying to tag him, then penalize me, too, but two wrongs doesn’t make one right.

Q.  This is for both of you.  Juan, the winner and the third‑place finisher all say that you were their idol when they were coming up racing.  How do you feel ‑‑
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  They should have respected me and let me win.

Q.  How do you feel to know that you’ve kind of had this type of influence on a lot of the guys that are getting to the point where they can win races here in IndyCar?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  When I grew up, I had Guerrero, he was the only guy racing.  He made Formula 1, he made it in IndyCar.  He was on the pole in the Indy 500.  He was really good.  So for me, apart from Senna, I looked up to him.  So when I went up, karting and racing in Colombia was there, a couple people tried it but nobody ever thought you could make a career out of this.  I’ve been racing for so long at a top level, you know what I mean, I’ve been lucky enough to have a great career, great teams, people start realizing, I want my kids to do ‑‑ the same thing with golf.  Here Tiger Woods, everybody thinks they’ve got to practice when they’re five years old every day, 20 hours a day to hit golf balls and one day the kid turns 14, looks at a girl and throws away the golf club.  It’s definitely that kind of deal.

Q.  Colombia won their World Cup match right before this race ended.  Are we making too much of it?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  Oh, it’s going to be a huge day.  Three Colombians, I think the first time in the history of motor racing in the world that three Colombians are on a podium top at the IndyCar level, a top motorsport level, it’s unbelievable.  It’s really exciting.  On my team, I think they’ve got a good shot at the World Cup, as well.  They’re playing really well, and yeah, next match is against Brazil, so that’s going to be fun, having Helio as a teammate and kicking his ass.
CARLOS MUÑOZ:  I think right now we’re really lucky to be here in America, not in Colombia.  I think right now Colombia should be really crazy to go out in the streets and celebrate.  It’s been a big deal for us this year.  Today was a big day for Colombia, for the first time 1‑2‑3 on the podium in IndyCar in a motorsport race, and the first time we go to quarterfinals.  So should be a really fantastic day.  We show what Colombians are made of.  I think we show the bad image people have, because they don’t know about Colombians, they only know about one thing.  You know what I mean?  Finally we showed that we have plenty of talent in Colombia, not only in motor racing but there’s a lot of Colombians in other sports.

Q.  Carlos, did you ever think you’d be on a podium with Juan Pablo, and Juan, do you feel like an old guy?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I am old.  I don’t have to feel like.  Compared with them, yeah.

Q.  All these kids grew up idolizing you are now beating you.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I’m OK.  If I don’t do a good job I deserve to be beaten.  If I do a good job, I’m going to kick your ass.  It’s normal.  That’s what we’re here to do.  It’s about getting the job done, and I feel I’ve come up and proven that I can get the job done here, and every week it gets better and better.  We have really good days.  We keep building on it.  We keep getting better.  It’s just a matter of time, you know what I mean?  I think the wins are coming, and I think once it clicks, it’s going to click pretty well.  Finally starting to get the overtaking.  I felt I made a really good move on Kanaan today.  I was smiling in the car when I passed him.  Yeah, it was pretty cool.

Q.  Could both of you talk about how sloppy the race ended up being?  It seemed that obviously when you go to the slicks you’re going to have some sloppiness, but the driving today had a lot of moments that could have been avoided.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I don’t know, it’s just racing.  It’s hard because only the race line dries.  It’s very hard to make any moves because every time you get to somebody you’ve got to stay in line.  You can’t get into the damp and say, oh, here I go because you’re probably not going to make it.  I think every time somebody tried it, that’s what happened.

Q.  Juan, the last time that you raced in Houston you finished second.  Would you say that it’s a lot different now emotionally considering you’ve been away from IndyCar so long that it’s a lot better today?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I’ll tell you, the last time I finished second here, Jimmy Vasser was the guy who beat me and it really sucked and finishing second place really sucked.
Am I happy?  Yeah, I’m happy I finished second and I’ve shown that I can get the job done and everything, but it still sucks.  And I think that’s why I can get the job done.  I really want to win.  It’s all about performing, and I’ll tell you, this year right now in the IndyCar Series is really tough.  Our Verizon Chevy is really good, and even having such a good car, you’re off a little bit and you’re 15th.  You know what I mean?  It doesn’t take much to be nowhere.
It’s great racing, but you’ve got to be on your game every day.

Q.  Speaking about every day, what about coming back tomorrow?  Do you think each of you can get back on the podium, maybe you’ll get your win, and just how you feel physically going into tomorrow?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I think the rain really helped everybody.  The only thing was like I have leather gloves, and they were all wet, but my hands are fine.  I’m sure tomorrow when we get in the car, you’re going to go, oh, that hurt.  Like your elbows ‑‑ like the elbows, the only thing you can feel all the time here from racing when you’re turning is your arms are bouncing, like hitting against the chassis.  Really, can we stop bouncing, please?

CAMARO Z/28.R AT WATKINS GLEN: Victory at Watkins Glen for Stevenson Motorsports
Second win for Liddell, Davis nets GS manufacturer championship lead for Chevrolet

·         Liddell holds on for 0.169-second victory

·         Davis sets fastest lap of the race

·         Camaros ran 1-2-3 for much of event

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 28, 2014) – Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis drove the new Camaro Z/28.R to victory for the second time season in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge with a dramatic victory in the Continental Tire 150 on Saturday at Watkins Glen International. The win unofficially moved Chevrolet into the lead of the Grand Sport (GS) manufacturer championship after six rounds.

It ended a dynamic two days for the Camaro Z/28.R. Eric Curran claimed pole position for CKS Autosport in the No. 01 Camaro. In addition to winning the race Saturday, Davis also set the fastest lap at 2:01.790 (x mph) in the victorious No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro Z/28.R.

“What an great event for the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R program,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet Director of Racing. “Congratulations to Robin Liddell, Andrew Davis and everyone at Stevenson Motorsports on Saturday’s victory at Watkins Glen. The second win of the season was doubly important in terms of the GS championship standings. The progress of this first-year program is remarkable but a long season remains.”

Liddell held off a hard-charging B.J. Zacharias on the final lap to win by 0.169 seconds. The Liddell/Davis pairing scored the Camaro Z/28.R’s first victory in March at Sebring.

A trio of Camaro Z/28.Rs ran in the top three positions for most of the race. Matt Bell and Andy Lally went on to finish fourth in the No. 9 Stevenson Camaro with Curran and Aschenbach seventh. Ashley McCalmont and Bob Michaelian were 10th in the No. 00 CKS Camaro Z/28.R.

“Watkins Glen was an unqualified success for Team Chevy,” said Lisa Talarico, Chevrolet’s Program Manager for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. “The Camaro Z/28.R showed great speed and balance in practice, qualifying and the race. The work done by the team at Chevrolet Racing, Pratt & Miller and our partners at Stevenson Motorsports and CKS Autosport has been fantastic all season and our efforts continue to pay dividends.”

Saturday’s race will air on FOX Sports 1 at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 6. The next round of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is Saturday, July 12 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park outside Toronto.

ANDREW DAVIS, NO. 6 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO Z/28.R
“I’m very excited and proud for this Stevenson Motorsports crew and everyone at Team Chevy and Pratt & Miller Engineering. It’s always special to win a race but to win another race at Watkins Glen is a great achievement – such a historic track. I can’t say enough about our Camaro Z/28.R. The crew guys did a great job. I was able to get a great restart after a botched start of the race. I got a great jump and was able to get in the lead before Turn 1. From that point, I had the best view in the house so I put my head down, focused on that view and tried to drive away from everybody because I wanted to give Robin the car in first. The guys did a great job and we achieved that.”

ROBIN LIDDELL, NO.  6 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO Z/28.R
“The support from Chevrolet and Pratt & Miller with this new Camaro Z/28.R has been fantastic. Two wins in the debut season is great. Today was an interesting finish to say the least. It was a massive scrap over the last three corners. The guys made some great pit stops – both the No. 6 and the No. 9. In terms of strategy, we called it perfectly. We didn’t gamble for any yellows. We did our stops as if it were going to be a green race, and we ran out of gas on the last lap essentially with a loss of fuel pressure. I’m really happy with the execution from the team. Thanks to Stevenson, Pratt & Miller and Team Chevy. The Camaro Z/28.R was a brilliant car all weekend.”

JEFF GORDON, NASCAR SPRINT CUP POINT LEADER, LEADS THE WAY FOR
TEAM CHEVY AT KENTUCKY
Eight Team Chevy SS Drivers Qualify in Top 12

SPARTA, KY. – June 27, 2014 – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point leader, Jeff Gordon, led the way for Team Chevy in qualifying today at Kentucky Speedway, the 17th stop on the 2014 tour.  Gordon took his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy SS around the rough, 1.5-mile track with a fast lap of 28.903 seconds/186.832 mph, which was good enough to claim the third starting position for Saturday night’s 267 lap/400.5 mile race.  The four-time NSCS champion was one of only four drivers to break the 28 second barrier in the final round of knock-out qualifying.

“Oh my gosh you never want to be satisfied unless you are on the pole or in Victory Lane, but this sort of feels like a victory for me because that first run was not pretty,” said Gordon following the qualifying session. “That was a pretty wild session for the Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, but those last two or three runs were just so solid.  We made some good adjustments really proud of Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the guys on the adjustments they made. I don’t know how far off of those guys we were, but solid.  That is a great place to start this race.”

Out of three previous races completed at Kentucky Speedway this marks Gordon’s best qualifying effort to date at the track, the only track currently on the NSCS schedule where he has yet to capture a win.

In Saturday night’s 42-car field, Team Chevy will occupy eight of the top 12 starting positions. Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS team continued to show a strong qualifying program by recording their sixth top-five start of the season. When the green flag flies, Harvick will pilot his Chevy SS from the fifth position.  He will be followed by Rookie of the Year contender, Kyle Larson, who will start sixth in the No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS.

Nicknamed ‘The Rocket Man’, Ryan Newman will guide his No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS toward the top spot from the seventh starting position.  Last week’s pole sitter, Jamie McMurray, in the No. 1 Lexar Chevrolet SS, follows him in eighth.

Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS and Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Danica Patrick, No. 10 GoDaddy Chevy SS, will start ninth and 10th, respectively, in their Chevy SS race cars.   Paul Menard rounds out the top 12 Chevy qualifiers and will start 12th with his Chevy powered No. 27 Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet SS.

Brad Keselowski (Ford) won the pole, Joey Logano (Ford) will start second, and Denny Hamlin (Toyota) will start fourth, to round out the top five starters.

The Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday June 28th. Live coverage will be available on TNT, PRN Radio, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.

POST-QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 3RD
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 6TH (TOP ROTY CONTENDER)

YOU’VE BEEN A PRETTY AMAZING QUALIFIER ALL YEAR LONG. WAS THERE ANY SPECIAL CHALLENGE ABOUT THIS TRACK?
LARSON: “No, I knew we were going to have a good car after our mock runs and stuff and practice. Like I said, I was a little bit disappointed we ended up sixth because I thought we had a good shot for the pole before qualifying started. But yeah, we’ve been qualifying pretty good this year. Last year and for pretty much all my racing career I’ve been a really bad qualifier so I’ve been happy with how it’s been going this year. Our cars have just been really good is why we’ve been qualifying well. Jamie (McMurray) has been qualifying well, too. I think it’s all got to do with our team and how well our cars have been.”

KYLE LARSON DEPARTS AND JEFF GORDON JOINS.
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU’VE GOT A PRETTY GOOD RACE CAR THIS WEEKEND HERE IN KENTUCKY. I KNOW YOU’D LIKE TO CHECK THIS ONE OFF.

GORDON:  “Boy, we sure would. And we do. We have a great race car. That was an awesome qualifying session as far as I’m concerned with the No. 24 car. We’ve kind of been hit or miss with this sort of format. When we’re good and we qualify up front, we usually start good and stay pretty good but don’t seem to have it at the end. And today, we made our first run and it was not very good. And we decided to make another run. I thought it was going to rain the whole time. I have no idea where the rain went. I looked on the radar before I got in the car and there was no doubt in my mind it was going to rain, but we got the whole thing in. I’m just blown away but I’m really glad.

“I don’t like being too excited about third, because you always want to be on top and you always want to be in Victory Lane and I do; but I’m telling you that was an awesome third-place qualifying session and run for us. It’s a tough place. Our car has been good but our first run was mediocre at best. The second run was a little bit better. The third run we made was, I thought, all we had in it. And that last run, I really flew through (Turns) 1 and 2, but when I got to (Turns) 3 and 4, I got in there good, got it rotated, jumped back on the gas, but it just didn’t stick. So, I was a little disappointed with (Turns) 3 and 4, but came back third. Of course it was a long ways off from the No. 2 (Brad Keselowski, pole winner). They really have their act together when it comes to qualifying.”

DO YOU LOOK AT THE PENSKE CARS AND WONDER WHAT THEY ARE DOING?
“If they were beating us in the race every weekend, then I’d be concerned. But if you just look at practice, they have something that has that front-end speed. Even in race runs in practice; maybe they’ve got the balance figured out, something mechanically, or with air pressure that they’re doing. They get faster every run. Now of course, we did too, today. But I mean they take it to another level in the third session. So, at this point, we’ve kind of gotten used to it and accustomed to it and we’re going to always work hard to try to beat it and figure out what they’re doing. But they are really doing an amazing job with their cars for qualifying. But we seem to have something for them when they drop the green flag in the race. So whatever it is doesn’t seem to correlate to race runs as much.”

THERE WAS A TIME IN YOUR CAREER WHEN THAT’S EXACTLY WHERE YOU WERE. EVERYBODY LOOKED AT YOU DURING QUALIFYING AND WONDERED IF THEY COULD KEEP UP WITH YOU. DO YOU REMEMBER THOSE TIMES? IS THAT WHERE WE ARE NOW?
“I know what you’re saying and I’ve always been proud of being a good qualifier throughout my career, but I’ve always felt like when we qualified well, we backed it up in the race. Those guys are just so spectacular in qualifying. They’ve won races; don’t get me wrong. But they’ve typically won races when it’s a real short run and they kind of get it done in a short run. So, I would like to think that the times when I was sitting on the pole, all those weeks, and everybody was like what do they have? We had a fast race car and a great team that we were getting it done in qualifying as well as in the race.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
QUAKER STATE 400
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 27, 2014

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 3RD
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“Oh my gosh you never want to be satisfied unless you are on the pole or in Victory Lane, but this sort of feels like a victory for me because that first run was not pretty.  I don’t know the car just didn’t do what I wanted it to do.  It was so crazy we thought it was going to rain and then it didn’t.  That was a pretty wild session for the Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, but those last two or three runs were just so solid.  We made some good adjustments really proud of Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the guys on the adjustments they made.  Even that final lap there I really got through (Turns) one and two good.  I said ‘okay don’t mess up three and four’.  I got down into three got it turned just the way I wanted to got back in the gas and the front end just did not quite stick for me.  I don’t know how far off of those guys we were, but solid.  That is a great place to start this race.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 5TH
TOP FIVE IN QUALIFYING HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK THAT IS GOING TO BE FOR TOMORROW?
“I think it’s going to be pretty important.  We kind of have battled I think everybody has battled just a tough race track to get ahold of.  To get over the bumps and make your car turn and do all the things it needs to do. We didn’t have a great first run, made it better every run and wound up with a top five start.  I think that is a great improvement for our Budweiser team.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 SCOTT PRODUCTS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 15TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“I’m okay with it.  I think the first run we were so tight we tightened up from practice when it was really loose.  I probably over drove it just a little bit so that put us right on the edge of making it into the second group.  So we made one more run, the car was a lot better, still too tight overall throughout all of qualifying, but I think that second run on tires probably hurt us a little bit.  The third run I was proud of the guys they kept making the car a little bit better each time, but I think I hurt the right-front too much. That was all I had.  I was pleased with the lap.  I don’t think I could have got much more out of it.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CHEERIOS PROTEIN CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 16TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“I don’t know the car drove really good.  Just need some more speed.  The car is driving good that is the good thing.  I think we should be fine tomorrow night.  The car has been decent since we’ve been here and long run speed is good.  Didn’t have an issue right there as far as drive so I’m looking forward to tomorrow night.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 25TH
“Race-trim-wise, I think we’re in good shape. We made a qualifying run at the end of practice and went slower than our race run (laughs); so, it’s discouraging coming into qualifying. We didn’t get the lap that we needed out there and didn’t transfer. But I feel actually decent about our car in race trim. We put up a great two runs in the final practice session. We just couldn’t get out of our own way in Q-trim.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD SS – QUALIFIED 29TH
“We were slow in practice. We’ve been fighting the car all day and haven’t had any gains. We haven’t been able to figure out what we need to do. But we just haven’t had good speed. The car is rough. It’s just really bouncing all the way down the straightaway all the way through the corners. We’re having a real rough go of it. The car is just way too rough and has way too much movement and it’s hard to control it that way.”

IS IT THE CAR YOU’RE FIGHTING, OR THE TRACK?
“The car bounces because of the track. But it doesn’t take a scientist to figure it out. But this front straightaway is pretty mean. The corners are fine. We can figure that out. But this is something else. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
SHELL PENNZOIL GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON
MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 27, 2014
HOUSTON (June 27, 2014) – Will Power, Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves all posted practice times today fast enough to land them in the top-five quickest as the opening day of the Shell Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston for the Verizon IndyCar Series concluded. Power was second in the order, Briscoe third and Castroneves fifth as the Chevrolet teams prepared for Race One of the Houston doubleheader weekend.
Firestone Fast Six qualifying for Race One is schedules for 10 a.m. CT Saturday, June 28.
The first of the two 90-lap races of the weekend around the 1.683-mile/10 turn temporary street circuit is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. CT with live TV coverage on NBC Sports Network. Additionally IMS Radio Network will carry the action live on XM 209/Sirius 213 as well as IndyCar.com
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET-2ND IN COMBINED PRACTICE,  AND RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET – 3RD IN COMBINED PRACTICE, met with members of the media at the Shell Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston at the conclusion of Friday practice.
WILL POWER: IT SEEMS LIKE YOU PICKED UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF LAST YEAR FINISHING FASTEST OVERALL IN TODAY’S COMBINED PRACTICE.  HOW HAS TEAM PENSKE HELPING YOU PREPARE FOR THE RACE TOMORROW AFTERNOON AND QUALIFYING TOMORROW MORNING?  “It’s hard to tell actually we didn’t have a good session that last run was really difficult to get a lap.  It’s normal IndyCar it’s really difficult.  Obviously being in that front bunch is very competitive, but I think we’ve got a good chance tomorrow with about 10 other guys so we are doing everything we can tonight to really work out the set-up.”
IN YOUR WORDS HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE TRACK FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR?  “It’s a little bit different.  It’s very similar honestly.  It’s no big deal it’s basically the same track to me it’s just you getting your car to ride the bumps well.  I think that is the key.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL IF EITHER OF THESE TWO RACES GOES TO RACING IN THE WET?  “Well that always makes things really interesting.  I mean it just depends how much it rains and how it dries up and when you go to slicks and when you put on wets and so on.  It’s all stuff you’ve got to do on the fly you just can’t predict it.  You don’t know how it’s going to be but it will definitely make it exciting for the fans.”
HOW DO YOU THINK THE STANDING START PRACTICE ON THE FRONT STRETCH WENT AND IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WAS NEEDED FOR YOU GUYS? “Yeah I think it was a good idea.  No one stalled so hopefully that is the case in the race.  The reason we are doing it is because of what happened at the Indianapolis road course. Obviously we had a pretty big crash there so trying to prevent that.  Obviously things are a little different when there is a bit of pressure on and everyone is packed up there on the grid.  Hopefully everyone gets away.”
I KNOW YOU HEAR A LOT THAT FANS THINK INDYCAR RACE CONTROL FAVORS YOU OR DOESN’T MAKE CALLS AGAINST YOU:  “I thought that was the other way around.”
DO YOU THINK THAT IT’S ACTUALLY THE OTHER WAY AROUND?  “Yeah, I mean I probably have gotten the most penalties of anyone this year.  Four of them have come in the last five races.  I would be surprised if anyone has had even two drive through penalties let alone four.  I’ve been penalized enough.  Everyone has that.  When people stop talking about you that is when you’ve got a problem.”
IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE THE CAR HAD ANY DAMAGE FROM JUMPING THE CURB IN THIS MORNINGS PRACTICE SESSION.  THIS AFTERNOON ANOTHER DRIVER DID THE SAME THING AND ENDED UP IN THE WALL.  HOW WAS YOUR CAR AFTER THAT CONTACT WITH THE CURB?  “The car was fine. I just kept going.  Luckily it was early in the session and we were running very slow and I didn’t even make the wall.  That hurts.  You don’t want to do that.  It jolts your neck.  Yeah, I’m sure it hurt more for (James) Hawksworth if he did the same, but got to the wall.”
RYAN BRISCOE:  YOU RACED HERE IN 2007 IN A SPORTSCAR, WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE BACK HERE AT HOUSTON IN AN INDYCAR? “Still bumpy.  It feels way better than last year looked, so I am thankful for that. I’m thankful for all the changes and upgrades to the track. I think it is going to be a tough weekend for sure. It is an exciting track. It’s not that hot outside, but it feels hot. It is just the humidity. It takes it out of you. It is going to be grueling weekend. But, really pleased with the way we have opened up today with the car. The first session was really about me getting back into the groove of getting around this track. Sort of re-learning it after, what, seven years since I was here in a sports car. We’ve had a pretty busy schedule since the last race in Texas. We went to Iowa, then Milwaukee and then a couple of days in Sebring. I feel like that has really helped this team, and especially on the No. 8 car. We will just keep building on what we’ve been learning all year long. Hopefully we keep going strong tomorrow.”
ON KICKING OFF THE LONG STRETCH OF RACES THE SERIES HAS IN FRONT OF THE TEAMS: “The next four weeks, we have six races including a double-points race in Pocono. It is going to have a huge impact on championship points. It is crucial to get it kicked off with a strong result in both races here at Houston is important. We’ve seen in the past what can happen over a doubleheader weekend. You always hope to be on the positive side of that.”
THERE IS A CURB IN TURN TWO THAT SEEMED TO HAVE CAUSED A PROBLEM TODAY FOR A COUPLE OF DRIVERS, ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? “I think it is alright. It is very usable, you just can’t hit it with the center of your tub. I think it is really nice that IndyCar has been going towards standard curbing around the whole track. At least that way we know what to sort of expect around each corner. That has been a huge improvement since last year, and the year before.”
HOW CRUCIAL WAS THIS BREAK BEEN TO HELP RAISE PERFORMANCE OF ALL FOUR TEAMS? “It has been crucial. We were looking forward to having those tests come around. It’s been a battle, and we’ve been learning a lot, making improvements as the season moves forward, but it is so hard when you come to these race weekends and you have such short practice sessions. It is hard to go too far out of the box, and go too far out there on trying things. The testing the last couple of weeks gave us that opportunity. We definitely learned some things. This is a unique track for sure, it’s difficult at Sebring to simulate what you are going to get here at Houston. I believe we found some really good items that we carried over, and we have confirmed as being positive. We just need to keep working hard, keep going. I know the team has always been known as getting stronger, and stronger as the season is going forward. The No. 8 team guys are all working hard. We are looking forward to winning races. We’ve worked on a bit of everything. For sure, depending where we are going, you work hard on that track, but we don’t’ give up anywhere. You can’t look past the superspeedways. There is Indy, then the other two are double points and mean so much. We are working on things for Indy to apply at Pocono and Fontana. But, so much of what we do is street course racing, and that is probably where the most time has spent.
OTHER TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES:
TONY KANAAN, NO. 10 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 10TH IN COMBINED PRACTICE:  “We tried a couple of different things in the second session and they obviously didn’t work as well as we would have liked.  We know exactly what needs to be changed and we have a teammate in the top two, so we want to head in that direction and see what we can do tomorrow.”
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 11TH IN COMBINED PRACTICE:  “We were able to get a lot of good practice in today and Tony and I both were able to work on qualifying on both sets of tires.  We had a little bit of contact in the first practice, but we rebounded pretty quickly with that and finished both practices in the top 10.  We obviously want to be higher than that, but we’ll put in some time tonight and get the car ready for the first race tomorrow afternoon.
CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 83 LEVEMIR® FLEXTOUCH® CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 17TH IN COMBINED PRACTICE:  “Overall we were pretty happy with the second session.  We didn’t get a chance to run new right there at the end like most of the guys did.  We made some changes to the car that weren’t quite as good, so I think we’ll go back and take that direction and head into qualifying in the morning.  The No. 83 Levemir® FlexTouch® Chevrolet looks great and it seems to be pretty quick already.”
MIKE CONWAY, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 23RD IN COMBINED PRACTICE:  “The car just didn’t handle as we would have liked today.  We made some changes from the morning to the afternoon but it just wasn’t enough.  We’ll have to work overnight to find some settings that can handle this circuit.  I feel they have improved the surface of the track from last year.  Especially the turn one surface is much better and it feels smoother.  There are smoother spots in other portions of the circuit too.  Overall, we just have to find the setup that works well on this new surface.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
QUAKER STATE 400
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 27, 2014

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media and discussed the bumpy Kentucky track, his thoughts on marking Kentucky off as the final track on the schedule he has yet to record a victory at and many other topics.  Full Transcript:

TELL US HOW PRACTICE WENT FOR YOU GUYS:
“It went pretty good.  This is a tough place obviously you hear a lot about the bumps.  We expected that coming in.  It’s hot and slick like normal as well, but I thought the Drive to End Hunger Chevy was pretty good.  I’ve been happy with the grip level just working with the balance and then we switched over into qualifying trim and had a pretty good run there too.  Yeah, right now I’m fairly pleased.”

IS THIS TRACK HARD ON YOUR BACK?
“Yeah, I mean this track is hard on everybody’s back.  If they could just repave the front straightaway I think we would be good here.  I love the corners.  I love the challenges of the grip, the cracks, the bumps and the corners.  Those don’t bother us.  That front straightaway is pretty absurd.  Yeah, it’s going to play a slight toll on my back, but that kind of stuff is not what really bothers my back like what happened at Charlotte.”

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT HOW STOKED YOU WOULD BE IF YOU CROSSED THIS ONE OFF THE LIST AND HAD WON AT EVERY SINGLE TRACK ON THE CIRCUIT?
“Yeah I mean I have thought about it a little bit.  It would be very cool.  Most of my energy is spent with do we have a shot at winning at this track.  I feel like we have run solid here the last few times we have been here.  I feel like as good as our cars are this year that this is probably the most legitimate shot that we’ve had of crossing that one off the list.  It would mean a lot.  It would be quite an accomplishment and it’s something that I would love to say I have done.”

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SECRETS TO SUCCESS TO WIN AT THIS TRACK?
“Being out front when the checkered flag waives which is the secret of success everywhere.  Last year it was a day race on Sunday and I feel like we were really in position and I just didn’t get the best restart.  That was one thing.  The challenge is that you are practicing during the day when it’s hot and it’s slick and you are racing basically at night.  It’s that guessing game of what the track conditions are going to be like, how the car is going to react, how the pace is going to pick up and what your car is going to do.  Especially these days we’ve got these ride heights down so low on a rough track like this it’s about trying to keep that splitter sealed up or as low as possible and the platform being right on the car. Yet you are crashing into the race track like you do here it’s a compromise.  The team that does the best job managing that I think is going to be the team to beat that is going to have a fast race car.  But the tire is so hard.  This is such a conservative tire.  I haven’t had a chance to talk to Goodyear about what challenges this surface has for them.  Because they have an ultra conservative tire which is making track position so important.”

WHEN YOU SAY THEY BROUGHT A CONSERVATIVE TIRE WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
“That means it’s really hard, not a lot of grip and it doesn’t wear at all.”

YOUR TEAMMATE DALE EARNHARDT, JR. WAS PRETTY AGGRESSIVE AT SONOMA.  DO YOU THINK THAT JR FEELS IT?  YOU KNOW THE FEELING OF KNOWING THAT YOU’VE GOT A SHOT AT A CHAMPIONSHIP DO YOU THINK JR. FEELS IT THIS YEAR?
“I think when you hear people say ‘oh that guy’s got confidence that is a different driver’.  The cars are giving you that feeling.  When it happens week in and week out on a consistent basis it doesn’t matter if you go to a road course that you don’t typically run well at or what track you go to.  You have confidence that you can get the job done.  When you are in that position it makes you drive a little harder.  It makes you get up on the wheel a little bit more and just gets you more excited.  I feel like other than Kasey (Kahne) having some bad luck that is kind of how all of us feel at Hendrick right now.”

DO YOU SENSE ANYTHING DIFFERENT ABOUT DALE, JR. THIS YEAR?
“I haven’t seen anything different other than the confidence.  I have seen that ever since he and Steve (Letarte, crew chief) got together.  It just seems like the communication is more open he is sharing more and I think he feels like he has cars and a team that are capable of winning on a weekly basis.  I think his driving is showing.”

WHAT IS THE KEY TO FINISHING UP FRONT AT DAYTONA?
“I have no idea.  It’s been a long time since I’ve done a very good job of it.  In Daytona this year we got fortunate and missed the wrecks and were there at the end.  It felt great. We didn’t pull that off in Talladega.  We will try to go back in July and do the same thing.  Daytona in July is a little bit different because it’s hot and slick and the car has to handle good. It’s really just these days to me it’s just pure luck.  There are some guys that seem to do a better job of it than others that find their way to the front and get to stay there and avoid some of the big ones.  Most of all I think it’s just purely coincidental and luck.”

DO YOU THINK WE WILL SEE THE SAME CHAOS WE SAW AT TALLADEGA DURING DAYTONA KNOCK-OUT QUALIFYING?
“Oh yeah it’s going to be hairy.  It’s going to be chaotic.  As much as we all sit there and go ‘okay qualifying is not that important here’ we still all want to be starting up front.  It’s obvious there you want to be the last car off pit road at the back of a big pack and everybody is jockeying for position and playing all kinds of games.  It gets really interesting.  It was pretty exciting in Talladega.  I think we all learned a lot from that session that we will take to Daytona.”

WILL YOU TRY TO RUN QUALIFYING AGAIN LIKE YOU DID IN TALLADEGA WITH ALL THE HENDRICK POWERED CARS TRYING TO GET TOGETHER?
“We didn’t do that in Talladega.  So we will probably do a better job of that in July at Daytona.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS CHASE FORMAT WILL BE LIKE WITH THE KNOCK-OUT ROUNDS?  WILL IT JUST BE SUPER AGGRESSIVE?
“I think so.  I think it’s going to be exciting.  I’m looking forward to it.  It’s certainly going to be intense.  I think everybody keeps talking about how important it is to win.  I don’t think it’s that important to win the first couple of rounds.  I think it’s important to really run solid.  I think that after those first knock-out rounds you are going to have to be on your ‘A’ game.  I think the best team is going to win like usual, but it’s which team is going to be rising to the top and the best at that time and through those final 10 races is what is going to be so interesting.  Then can they be the best in that final race at Homestead.”

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY SINCE DOVER IN 1996 WHERE A FULL FIELD DID NOT SHOW UP.  SHOULD ANYBODY READ INTO ANYTHING ABOUT THE HEALTH OF THE SPORT OR IS THAT NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE A CONCERN?
“We don’t need 43 cars out there to put on a great race.  I’m not really that focused on it. There is no doubt that times have changed with how much the cost has gone up.  How much we are asking out of our sponsors and some of the crowds have gone down.  We are searching hard to find the income to match what the cost is.  That is about the only thing that anybody should make of anything that is going on out there.  Whether there are 35 cars or 45 cars to me that doesn’t really make a big difference.”

CAN YOU PUT WHAT JIMMIE JOHNSON HAS ACCOMPLISHED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS IN PERSPECTIVE AND WILL WE EVER SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN?
“I don’t see how we will ever see that again.  I think it is incredible.  I don’t think he gets nearly enough credit for it and I think down the road he is going to have to struggle at some point in his career for people to really appreciate it and maybe give him the credit that he’s really due.  It is so difficult I don’t care how good you are, how good your team is, it’s so difficult to do what they did and very impressive.  They are a great team and Jimmie is a great driver and I think that he deserves more credit for that.”

YOU’VE HAD THESE BACK PROBLEMS AND SOME OTHER INJURIES THAT HAVE SLOWED YOU UP IS SOMETIMES JUST THE PHYSICAL WEAR AND TEAR THAT YOU TAKE BEING A DRIVER DOES THAT PRECLUDE SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENING AGAIN?
“It’s a long schedule it is hectic there is testing.  We all have health issues, maybe family and friends that we have to attend to.  All of us have obstacles in our life so when you look at a 38 week schedule that you have to be basically at every one of those races and then you have to be on top of your best ‘A’ game.  Then you look at all the obstacles that are in your way in each race, especially those final 10 how difficult that is.  That is to me what makes it even that much more impressive to go do five in a row like that.”

TALK ABOUT THE KENTUCKY TRACK YOU SAID A LOT OF DRIVERS AT FIRST WERE CRITICAL NOW THEY LIKE THE CHALLENGE WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
“Nobody enjoys it from about 100 feet off of Turn 4 to about 200 feet getting into Turn 1.  There is nothing enjoyable about that, but we put up with it because it’s on the straightaway and it’s just uncomfortable.  Once you get in the corners this place is fun.  We all like a challenge of the grip level going away, maybe a crack or a bump that you have to get over and you can use that to your advantage.  Just search around the race track before somebody else gets out of shape and you take advantage of that.  So the corners here are great.  We don’t want them to repave this track, none of us do.  But I would like for them to pave that front straightaway.”

WHAT IS THE HOTTEST YOU HAVE EVER BEEN IN THE RACE CAR AND DO YOU REMEMBER THE DAY JIMMIE JOHNSON CAME INTO YOUR COACH AND ABOUT COLLAPSED OF HEAT EXHAUSTION?
“Well I went to his.  He had the text message that said ‘help, mayday, mayday’ he was in bad shape that day.  He had run that Daytona Prototype race in July.  I don’t know the air conditioner or drink system something failed in the car and it usually doesn’t catch up to you for about 45 minutes to an hour after.  Boy it did and I happened to be parked next to him and his fingers could only dial a few different numbers and it got to me.  I was happy to help him out and get him to the infield care center to get him some fluids.

“I have been through some situations not as bad as that but that was about the worst I have ever seen.  It shows you just, especially when I watch LeBron James go through what he went through recently it reminded me of Jimmie actually.  It was even worse than that. The hottest I’ve ever been, the only time I’ve ever had cramps like that was after a Pocono race where there were a lot of green flag runs and I just didn’t hydrate myself well enough throughout the race.  I started cramping after the race.  The hottest I can remember being inside the car was one year at Sonoma it was really hot and they had a red flag late in the race and we just sat and cooked inside the cars on the back straightaway.  I remember that.  We are doing such a better job of cooling inside the cars and hydration and preparation just in general now.  I’ve been in pretty good shape so far.”

HOW PHYSICALLY DEMANDING IS KENTUCKY?
“Well I mean the bumps are not physically demanding they are just aggravating.  It’s just you are sitting there getting beat up.  You just kind of ride it out. The day after, yeah, you might feel the effects.  In the corners it’s pretty slick the tires don’t have much grip and the track is fairly abrasive so it loses grip very fast.  Other than the bumps it is not physically demanding expect for the humidity and how warm it can be inside the cars.  Compared to some of the other tracks, Charlotte to me is the most physically demanding because the speeds that we carry, the G-Loads that we have in the corners especially when it’s cool there.  When it’s hot it slows down so you don’t pull the G’s but yet you hot set the car.  That is kind of where we are at here.  It’s not the most physically demanding because of the speeds and the grip level in the corners, but the heat definitely and the bumps get to you.”

CAN WE COUNT YOU AS A FAN OF KENTUCKY?
“I am a fan. Yeah, I like it because it’s a challenging race track and I like a good challenge and our cars have been good here the last few times and so if I feel like we have a shot at winning I usually like that track.”

DO YOU DO ANY TYPE OF BEEFING UP THE SUSPENSION WHEN YOU COME HERE?
“I was talking about that earlier.  I think that most of our suspension components are beefed up so much that we find out just what they are truly capable of when we come here.  I don’t know if we beat up anything as much as we beat it up last week at Sonoma bouncing off the curbs the way you do there.  That is probably about as much abuse as you could put on a car.  But if you throw in the high speeds here, yeah, this is definitely a good test.  As far as I know we don’t.  I hope that doesn’t bite us, but I think that we have a pretty good indication when we go through a race after a race is over we look at what is cracking, what is showing signs of stress and we address it.  Unless something completely out of left field is going to pop up on us here I think we feel pretty comfortable with it.”

DO YOU THINK THEY SHOULD PAVE THE TRACK OR LEAVE IT ALONE?
“I don’t want them to pave this race track. I want them to pave the front straightaway.  But I don’t want them to pave the rest of it.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
QUAKER STATE 400
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 27, 2014

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed his ‘best/worst’ season to date, the characteristics of the Kentucky race track, upcoming qualifying at Daytona, and more. Full Transcript:

TALK ABOUT CATERPILLAR RENEWING THEIR SPONSORSHIP AND WHAT THAT MEANS TO THE TEAM
“It’s great for all of RCR and it’s great for me, personally. Caterpillar has been such a big sponsor and a great name in NASCAR for so long. It’s a great way for them to get their dealers involved, and the dealers who are fans involved, and some that don’t know it yet. It’s been a lot of fun this year working with Caterpillar, so it’s nice to see them sign-up to come back and keep doing this.”

YOU HAVEN’T WON A RACE THIS YEAR YET, BUT THERE ARE SOME GUYS WHO WILL GET IN ON POINTS. YOU ARE CURRENTLY RANKED #2 OUT OF THE SIX THAT ARE POTENTIALLY IN THERE NOW. ARE YOU BASICALLY TRYING TO FIND TWO WAYS TO SKIN THE CAT?
“This is probably the best worst season I’ve had (laughs) as far as just not having the ultimate numbers. Our average is good, which is still a part of getting yourself into the Chase if there are not 16 winners. So, we have to win. We want to win. If you’re going to win the championship, you’re probably going to have to win something. I don’t see that the winner of the championship doesn’t have a race victory under his belt.

“But we’ve been working hard at it. The guys at RCR as well as ECR have been working really hard at it and I think that we have some things in the works that are going to make us better. But I know that everybody else does, too.”

IN LOOKING AT YOUR FINISHES. YOU HAVE CONSISTENCY
“It’s probably the longest in my career to not have a top 5 in any given season, but at the same time we’re sitting eighth in points, which is probably twice as good as I was at this time last year if I remember roughly. So, that part of it is better. That’s why I said it’s the best/worst year I’ve had without top 5’s and a few top 10’s; and yet consistency-wise, we’re eighth in points.”

IS THERE SOMETHING TECHNICALLY THAT YOU THINK CAN MAKE THINGS A LITTLE BIT BETTER?
“It takes a little bit of everything. From underneath the hood to pit stops to myself; the race car, strategy-wise, some racing luck.  We’ve probably had about as bad of racing luck as you could have had last week at Sonoma. We were going to pit twice when the caution came out twice, two different times. So it changed our strategy and our track position. Had we have gotten to the pits when we wanted to, or if the caution didn’t come out, we would have been right there with Carl (Edwards, winner) and Ambrose right up front.  Not to say that we would have won the race, but we were good. We had to fight back from 21st to 11th in the last 17 laps. Just things like that. We’ve made mountains out of molehills and we’ve made molehills out of mountains.”

THERE IS AN OLD SAYING IN BASEBALL THAT THE LONGER YOU PLAY; THE MORE LUCK TURNS YOUR WAY. IS THAT TRUE IN NASCAR?
“You can create your own luck. And some of it is there to haunt you. In the end, you’re going to catch a piece of debris and run over it and get a flat tire. It’s going to happen throughout the year. But it doesn’t mean it happens on the first lap or the last lap, but that’s where the good luck or the back luck comes in, is if you have a chance to rebound. When it’s happened to us, we haven’t had a chance to rebound. It’s usually been on the last pit stop or the last cycle and here we are fighting back at the end of the race and you can’t do that after everybody gets their stuff sorted out.”

HOW DOES THE KENTUCKY TRACK DIFFER FROM OTHERS
“Well it really is a big circle with the exception of the back straightaway. So that’s one of the biggest things. It’s got a D-shape appearance from the sky, but it drives like a big circle with a small straight. And the character of the bumps is probably like no other right now, as far as the roughness of the race track. It seems like Goodyear has brought a really good tire here that hangs on and it’s rubbering the race track up. One of the best things I think I’ve seen all weekend so far is the fact that the track rubbered up before we even got through half of our practice. Usually it takes, like Michigan, it takes until the end of the race for the track to get good. And we’re starting with a better race track here.”

CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW BUMPY IT IS WITH THE NEW SET-UP NOW?
“It bumps you around to the point that it’s difficult to see at times. The front straightaway is really, really rough.”

WHEN YOU SAY ‘ROUGH’, IS IT ‘CORNFIELD-ROUGH’ (LAUGHTER).
“You’ll see the in-cars (cameras) and if you just do that with your head and try to stay focused, it’s not easy.”

HOW MUCH DOES IT CHANGE FROM YEAR TO YEAR?
“Well, the cars have changed more than the track has. It’s always been a typically rough track, but we’ve gotten stiffer with the chassis because we’ve gotten lower with the chassis and that part of it just makes it that much rougher. It’s like taking a car with no suspension over the railroad tracks. It doesn’t ride like a Cadillac.”

AT DAYTONA COMING UP, WHAT’S THE KEY TO FINISHING UP FRONT THERE?
“Daytona, it’s just so much different than it used to be, which is how I liked it when you could slip and slide around. But you have to have a fast race car and you have to put yourself in position for that last little section. And you have to have a good enough car to not get shucked out of line. It all depends. It could end up being a fuel mileage race. It could end up being a multiple green-white-checkered race. You just never know there.”

WE WILL HAVE KNOCKOUT QUALIFYING THERE FOR THE FIRST TIME. DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE LIKE THE CHAOS WE SAW AT TALLADEGA?
“Yeah, I’m not a fan of it at all.”

WILL YOU HAVE A PLAN WITH YOUR TEAMMATES?
“Oh, we’ll have a plan; but to me it’s not what qualifying is all about.”

WHY?
“Well, it’s not qualifying. Qualifying shouldn’t be chaos. You said it yourself. It’s not what we’re here for. It’s not what I’m here for.”

CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
SHELL PENNZOIL GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON
MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 27, 2014

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET,  HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 PENNZOIL ULTRA PLATINUM TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET AND JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET met with members of the media at the Shell Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston. Selected quotes below:

HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING SPECIAL FOR THE WEATHER THEY PREDICT THIS WEEKEND?  “I think you would have had to do that in the off season like just turn up fit.  Which I did turn up pretty fit and then maintain it.  You couldn’t do much in a two week break.  It’s going to be hot for sure.”

HOW WAS THE LACK ON THE CURB? “Uh that was hard.  Man, you think they would at least make tape for that nicely when cars are going to … oh my God that was hard.  But I kept going.”

YOU’VE HAD BACK TROUBLE WHEN YOU GET A WHACK LIKE THAT… “Yeah I know that is not good.  I don’t need it.  I know so well when I break my back now because I’ve done it so many times.  Usually you get winded and it’s like ‘oh,ugh, uh’.  Yeah that is bad to hit that at high speed.  Man that would be bad.”

ANY DAMAGE TO THE CAR?
“No I was actually at low speed.  I didn’t even make it to the wall.  It was just violent the way it goes up like that.  Just horrible.”

HAVE THE CHANGES TO THE TRACK BEEN SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FROM A YEAR AGO?  “Yeah they have totally resurfaced the area there was a big problem with.  It’s a lot better.”

WHAT ABOUT THE WEATHER SITUATION?  IT’S NOT NEARLY AS HOT AS SOME PEOPLE EXPECTED IT TO BE AND IT MIGHT RAIN TOMORROW:   “It definitely affects the way the race rolls if it rains during.  You just have to be ready for it.  You’ve just got to be on your game.  If it rains it’s going to make us pit sooner and then go to slicks or wet/dries (tires).”

HELIO CASTRONEVES:
ON THE HEAT: “It is challenging. But I think it is more challenging for the mechanics. Standing out there with helmets and (fire) suits. At least, we (drivers) have air conditioning. (SMILES) Just open the visor, and everything is good.  It’s a challenge. The drivers are all fit, and really strong. I guess we have to see who is the strongest. Hopefully with a good setup combination, will be in good shape. All the performance for everyone is very tough. We are talking the heat – engine performance, sometimes it could be troublesome. Like I said, in terms of us, pit stops could also be a crucial moment because you are losing a lot of fluids. You have to think of all of the details so when you get to race day, you don’t have any issues.”

ON BEING AT HOUSTON: “It is a great atmosphere. You see fans coming over. It is pretty cool Especially having the Shell Pennzoil headquarters here, it’s awesome.

“It is very humid, and it is tough, but we have trained well enough to make sure we don’t have any problems out there.”

ARE YOU MORE ABLE TO ADAPT TO THE HEAT? “It is hot out there.  For Juan (Pablo Montoya) it probably feels more cool, because coming from (NASCAR) Cup when you have the engine in front and the heat comes inside, that is probably nothing. A 45 minute practice is not a practice. But, when you are talking about a two-hour race, the last half-an-hour, when you put full fuel in the car, that is going to be the toughest.  Last year unfortunately we were 50 laps down. We had a little break. We intend this year to not have that kind of scenario.”

HOW DO YOU NOT HATE THIS PLACE AFTER LAST YEAR? “You can’t. That is why racing is challenging. Just because something out of your control goes wrong, I don’t want to think that way. I want to overcome that result. It gives me a purpose to come here, and make it even more of…trust me, I want to win as much as anybody. Plus, Shell Pennzoil headquarters are here, and want to make sure their party is complete!”

IS THE TRACK BEING BUMPY THE ONLY CONCERN? “Yes. It is very difficult to pass. I wish we had a little more straightaway. But, it is fun to drive. But at the end of the day, whoever starts in front will have a huge advantage.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:
THIS TRACK IS NEW FOR YOU WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS PLACE?
“I only had 45 minutes out there and out of 45 minutes you probably get 20 minutes on the track and 25 minutes working on the car.  We had a lot of issues the car was pulling to the right really bad so we were trying to figure out what it was.  Changed shocks, we changed a lot of stuff and it got a little better at the end. I think it’s a process about learning the track and figuring out where to brake and what to do.  The left-front tire was locking a lot.  I don’t know why.  It was making it pretty hard because I was more focusing on not going off than going fast.  You get to the braking area the front tires smoke you are like ‘I will get off the brakes’, I overdrove this corner, oh don’t hit the wall, it was one of those days.  But it’s okay being the first session it is what it is.  You are going to be a little bit behind.  I’ve got some time to look at the data and understand a little more what they are doing and how we go from there.”

IS IT AS BUMPY AS YOU HAVE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE?  “It’s normal.  I don’t see what is the big deal.”

WHAT DID PEOPLE TELL YOU TO EXPECT COMING HERE AND RACING THIS COURSE?
“Oh it’s so bumpy, ‘oh my God’.  It’s okay it’s just a race track.  I don’t know.  Is it bumpy?  Yeah, but I think it’s fun.  I think it’s got a lot of character.  The only thing I don’t like is there are no apexes.  The apexes are curves not walls.  I don’t know why.  I think the drivers all complained that ‘oh you don’t see, you don’t see’, but I think that is the nature of a street course.  That is where when you have an open apex it’s really easy to commit to the wall.  When you don’t have an open apex and it’s a wall it makes it a lot harder for a driver and I think it makes it a lot more fun.”

WHAT ABOUT THE WEATHER?  NOT THE TYPICAL 110 PEOPLE WERE EXPECTING:
“It hasn’t been.  It doesn’t look that bad.  It’s been nice and windy and I don’t know it’s been okay.”

ON PRACTICE:
“Yeah we had a practice.  It was okay.  It is not as bad as people you hear them talking ‘oh my God it’s so bumpy’.  Yeah it’s a street course.  I’ve never been bothered by stuff like that.”

ARE YOU HYDRATING A LOT?
“Yeah, but I always do you have to.”

IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE IN GREAT SHAPE:
“Yeah it’s kind of funny because I was talking to my guys today.  They asked me if I was going to be overweight and I said I think it’s going to be up. It’s kind of crazy this week I trained and every day I trained the weight going up.  I know I’m hydrating I know I’m training a lot, but it should go the other way and it doesn’t with me.  It’s kind of frustrating.”

ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO SONOMA IN THIS CAR?
“Oh my God yes I tested there and we run like an extra mile and we run the same lap times as them (NASCAR).  Yeah we do the whole course and I think our lap times are within a second or two.”

DO YOU LIKE THE WHOLE COURSE OUT THERE?
“You know what is amazing I’ve been out there for so many years in the Cup (NASCAR Sprint Cup) that to get used to the Indy car was hard.  Because you see them like they showed (Kevin) Harvick that on-board of his pedals and you see how easy he is driving.  In this thing (the Indy car) you are like pedal to the medal you are going.  It’s completely different.”

ARE YOU AFRAID YOU MIGHT TAKE A WRONG TURN?
“No, because the only place you can make a wrong turn is on top of the hill like 3A or whatever it is.  For us it’s nearly wide open so.”

CHEVROLET RACING
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
SHELL PENNZOIL GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON
MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 27, 2014

MIKE CONWAY, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at the Shell Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston. Full transcript:

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE THE LAST RACE YOU COMPETED IN AT DETROIT?
“Not racing anything, but was in Le Mans.That is about it really.  Spent a bit of time in Europe and then back here about a week ago.  Not loads to report I’m afraid.”

YOUR TEAM HAS BEEN PRETTY BUSY IN THAT PERIOD WINNING AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY.  HOW IS PRACTICE HEADING OFF OF THAT MOMENTUM?
“A huge congrats to the team on Texas, I was watching it at about 3 a.m. in the UK (United Kingdom).  So far it’s been okay.  Some good track improvements from last year which has been good.  We struggled a little bit in the first session I think.  We put on new tires at the end, but just didn’t get to execute a good time.  We have some work to do I think between the two sessions, but not too bad of a start I suppose in terms of what we think we can get out of the car.”

CAN YOU TALK A BIT MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE CHANGES TO THE TRACK? WHAT HAVE THEY IMPROVED AND HOW IS IT REFLECTED IN HOW YOU DRIVE THE CAR AND THE LAP TIME?
“I suppose the biggest one was as you went through Turn 1 big improvement on the straight there.  We are not taking off anymore.  It’s really smooth now you hardly notice that section which is good.  It feels like the curbs have changed slightly through (Turns) two and three.  It just seems like it’s more of a chicane now whereas last year you could kind of really pound through it.  I don’t know if there is much of a change there, but the rest of it is not too bad.  Typical kind of street track, very bumpy into (Turn) three and then it feels a bit smoother through four, five, that seems like they have ground down some more areas through there.  Yeah, pulled the curbs back in three I believe or four and then the rest is fairly similar.  Still pretty bumpy most places, but the trick is I think the last corner where it’s so quick.  You’ve got big kind of rise and then a dip as you go in.  But it’s not too bad but yeah it gets your attention if you get sideways through there that is for sure.”

ED CARPENTER SEEMED TO SUGGEST DURING THE RADIO BROADCAST FOR PRACTICE THAT THE TEAM WAS REALLY STRESSED OR FRUSTRATED GIVEN THE CURRENT CONSTRUCTION OF THE SCHEDULE.  WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN OUT OF YOUR TEAM DURING THE TESTING AND LEADING UP TO THIS RACE WEEKEND?
“Yeah, they have had a really busy schedule, three test days after Texas.  They had everybody on a coach and they kind of toured around for like a week and a half.  They are really busy and I think the guys got a few days off, but it’s been a really hectic schedule this year.  They all look fresh and rejuvenated and ready to roll this weekend.”

BEING THAT THIS IS A STREET COURSE LIKE DETROIT WHERE WE JUST HAD ANOTHER DOUBLE HEADER DOES YOUR TEAM SHOW UP WITH THE SAME KIND OF SET-UP OR ARE THERE CHANGES THAT YOU MAKE TO IT?
“I think since Long Beach we have had quite a good base set-up for the car.  We pretty much turned out to most of them with that base set-up and then we just tweak it with some things and final adjustments that the circuits need.  But it’s fairly similar to what we rolled out with at Detroit and not too dissimilar to what we had at Long Beach.  We need to make a few adjustments, but nothing drastic.  It’s normally the smaller things once you are in the window.”

DO YOU FEEL THAT ED CARPENTER RACING MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE BOTH YOU AND ED (CARPENTER) GET TO BE A LITTLE BIT FRESH GOING INTO THE STRETCH OF RACES COMING UP?
“Maybe, yeah, I suppose there could be some of that, but I think all the boys are pretty fit in this paddock.  I think the more seat time whatever the track is, is better anyway.  I think it is pretty similar.”

WHAT DO YOU RATE YOUR CHANCES OF HAVING ED CARPENTER RACING SWEEP THE TEXAS ROUNDS OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP?  THE LAST TIME THAT WAS DONE WAS A LITTLE OVER 30 YEARS AGO?
“I would like to think we’ve got a good chance to. Ed (Carpenter) got some guns and a Stetson (cowboy hat) and we got the chance to get some boots to match the outfit this weekend (laughs).  We could have a complete outfit.  I don’t know we will see. I think everyone is pretty confident, but double-headers are always tough and this track is I don’t know.  They are long races, tough races and hot temperatures.  We will see.”

CAMARO Z/28.R AT WATKINS GLEN: Curran Lands First Pole Position for New Camaro
Watkins Glen veteran quick and consistent in qualifying; Stevenson Camaros second and fourth

·         Curran quick and consistent at a home track for CKS Autosport

·         Davis P2 and Bell P4 in Stevenson Camaros

·         Camaros quickest in practices as well ahead of Saturday race

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 27, 2014) – Eric Curran made Camaro history Friday with the first pole position for the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R. The Massachusetts native driving for CKS Autosport set the fastest time in qualifying for Saturday’s 150-minute race for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Watkins Glen International – 2:00.749 (101.367 mph) in the No. 01 Camaro.

Three Camaro Z/28.Rs will start from the first four positions on the Grand Sport (GS) grid for the series’ sixth round of 2014.

“Congratulations to Eric Curran and everyone at CKS Autosport on the first pole position for the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R,” said Lisa Talarico, Chevrolet’s Camaro Z/28.R Program Manager. “It’s the result of many hours of development and engineering to have three Camaro Z/28.Rs in the top four of qualifying at Watkins Glen. We are seeing the potential of this program with our partners at CKS and Stevenson Motorsports. Everyone is cautiously optimistic for tomorrow’s race.”

Curran, driving with Lawson Aschenbach, set the two fastest times of the session. He was 0.155 seconds quicker than Andrew Davis in Stevenson Motorsports’ No. 6 Camaro Z/28.R. His best time was a 2:00.904 (101.237 mph) to make the two Camaros the only cars under the 2:01 mark in qualifying.

“For me, this is one of my home tracks. I grew up in the Northeast and I’ve been coming here since 1996 or so,” Curran said. “I get in the car and ‘boom’. I know this place like the back of my hand. The combination of that and having such a good Camaro Z/28.R was perfect. The car was perfect and consistent. It shows that all the work is paying off. We’re getting better and better.”

Matt Bell was fourth in Stevenson’s No. 9 Camaro at 2:01.563 (100.689 mph). Both the Stevenson and CKS teams will go for the Camaro Z/28.R’s second victory of the season. Davis and Robin Liddell won at Sebring in the Camaro’s second race.

Live coverage of Saturday’s race begins at 11:35 a.m. ET on IMSA.com. FOX Sports 1 will broadcast the race at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 6.

ERIC CURRAN, NO. 01 CKS AUTOSPORT CAMARO Z/28.R
“Kirk Spencer and the guys at CKS Autosport have been working like crazy. This is the most amount of work I’ve ever seen them do in a year. All that is paying off, and you see it today. The Camaro Z/28.R has been really good all year but it’s the first year for it. It’s still sorting it out and trying to find little tweaks. We’ve been fast and consistent.”
(The Camaro in race trim) “Lawson did the long run today in practice because he will finish the race tomorrow. We gave him that longer run to feel it out and he was still pretty quick even then. We keep making the car better and better and sorting it more and more. This Camaro is so much fun – love the car and it’s such a blast. I’m hoping we can finish tomorrow where we start.”

ANDREW DAVIS, NO. 6 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO Z/28.R
“I’m excited. It’s our best starting position of the year, and it’s exciting to have our No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro Z/28.R up there. The car was really quite good in qualifying. We struggled a little bit in the first session yesterday and missed some time there and a little this morning. But the guys rallied and we made a good change for qualifying. I put down a really good lap on first lap, and I thought that would actually be good enough. But Eric (Curran) had a great run as well and nipped me by a couple tenths. We’ll have a really good car and a good race tomorrow.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
QUAKER STATE 400
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 27, 2014

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed visiting the White House last week, how his season is progressing, the rough track at Kentucky, his teammates, and more. Full Transcript:

TALK ABOUT BEING AT THE WHITE HOUSE THIS WEEK AND BEING RECOGNIZED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
“Of course it was a huge honor for myself and the team. The fact that I was able to be there with my teammates to experience the tour and those few minutes that we had with the President, was great. Honestly, we’ve moved on from the 2013 season and are heavy into the 2014 season, so it was a nice opportunity to reflect back and to bring back those memories and feelings of accomplishment and to share that with my crew guys. Mr. Hendrick was there, of course, and Chad (Knaus, crew chief) for the first time after all these years. It was just an awesome experience. To look out into the audience and see my daughter there and my wife, it was just a very cool experience.”

CAN YOU EXPAND ON THAT? I THINK HE COMPARES YOU TO MICHAEL JORDAN
“Yeah, it was a surreal moment standing on stage next to him and hearing him reference or compare me to Michael Jordan, with the six championships I assume is where he was going with that, and hear our foundation mentioned and all the hard work that we’ve put in there. I didn’t know what his speech would be. But to hear him go through and articulate with great detail, the things that we’ve accomplished as a team on and off the track and what the foundation has done, I sat there with goose bumps, head to toe just hearing all that stuff. It was pretty neat.”

TALK ABOUT HOW YOU STARTED THE SEASON AND HOW THINGS ARE GOING NOW AND WHY
“We’ve been learning this new package. We didn’t get off to the start we wanted to at the start of the season. Even though we were slow, I really feel there were opportunities to win. We had flat tires and various issues that kept us from going to Victory Lane. And, starting in Charlotte, we didn’t drop the ball. And when we had the chance to win, we took advantage of it and got it done. We won two or three there pretty quick. Really, I feel like the last five or six; we’ve been in position to win. Pocono, I think we had a car plenty capable of winning the race. Had the contact on pit lane and hurt our opportunity there. And then last week in Sonoma, we were one of the better cars on the track all day long. On one of those restarts and bumping and banging, bent the left front suspension on the car and slowed us down quite a bit. I’m happy that the speed is there and it’s just a little more consistent for us compared to especially the first quarter of the year. But more than anything, we’re taking advantage of opportunity and have been able to pull into Victory Lane.”

THE LAST TIME A FULL FIELD DIDN’T SHOW UP FOR QUALIFYING WAS 1996 AT DOVER. TODAY THERE ARE SUPPOSEDLY ONLY 42 CARS HERE. IS THAT ANY CAUSE FOR CONCERN? WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?
“I don’t have any concern with it. When you compare our form of racing to others, we have double the fields compared to a lot of other major auto racing series’. I hate to see it, obviously. There’s that prestige of having 43 since way back. But I don’t think it has any bearing on the strength of our sport. When I look at all the markers our sponsors look at and why they’re partners on our race car, things are going in the right direction. So, I don’t think it’s a real reflection of the strength of our sport, (or) the strength of the competition on the track. The fact of the matter is this is the top form of racing, in my mind, in the world, and some maybe just in North America. And it’s not cheap. I understand why there could be a short field, but there’s no concern on my behalf.”

YOU KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO FEEL LIKE YOU CAN TASTE A CHAMPIONSHIP; EVEN THIS EARLY IN THE YEAR, AND KNOW YOU’RE GOING TO BE A FACTOR. YOUR TEAMMATE, DALE EARNHARDT JR., HAS BEEN PRETTY FRISKY BEHIND THE WHEEL THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. DO YOU THINK JUNIOR FEELS THAT THIS YEAR, AND THAT THESE OPPORTUNITIES ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN? IS HE UP ON THE WHEEL THIS YEAR BECAUSE HE CAN TASTE IT?
“I haven’t been around him at some of those friskier moments. It’s hard for me to speak for him on-track. But in a large respect, yes; he is taking advantage of opportunity. What he and (crew chief) Steve (Letarte) have built with the No. 88 team; we all know that the driver/crew chief pairing is the most important part, and Steve and Junior have hit it off. And there’s no guarantees that next year’s crew chief is going to be able to connect with Junior and create the same speed in the cars. In theory, yeah; I’m sure he’s trying to take advantage of opportunity.

“But sitting in meetings and being around him as close as I am with our situation of the No. 48 and No. 88 being in the same shop, I see a guy that knows his race car better than ever; and a guy that’s focused on all the details. He’s thoroughly involved, is much more open and communicating on a far deeper level than I’ve seen him, especially when he started at Hendrick Motorsports. As my years go on, teams slow down when the communication stops. And his team has gotten faster and faster and he is more talkative and involved and engaged and sits in meetings with notes and set-up sheets. He’s really in the game.”

WITH THE NEW CHASE FORMAT, THERE IS MORE EMPHASIS ON WINNING RACES. WHAT’S THAT LIKE FOR A DRIVER? DO YOU THINK THAT’S MADE IT BETTER FOR THE FANS AND HAS MADE FOR BETTER RACING?
“Inside the car, nothing has changed my approach. It might open up the door for some other teams, maybe teams that aren’t in the big four or five (like) Hendrick, Roush, and Gibbs-type organizations. But I firmly believe there won’t be 16 different winners. So points still matter in transferring into that first phase. I was saying that when we hadn’t won a race and I still believe it today even after winning three. I still think we’ll get a couple of guys in on points. That’s very similar to what we’ve had in the past. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t have a problem with that.

“I am excited to see how the conversation has changed and that so many people are talking about winning. I think that’s good for our sport. But as we work through the Chase, winning I think gets more important the deeper we’re into the Chase than it ever, ever has been. And then Homestead, we’ve never had that scenario before. We’ve never had four drivers with a chance to win the championship; let alone (be) tied for the championship going into it. As the season wears on, things will continue to heat up. Especially deep into the Chase, it’s going to be a pressure cooker.”

EXPLAIN TO RACE FANS HOW ROUGH THIS TRACK IS WHEN YOU’RE BOUNCING ALL OVER THE PLACE AND YOU SAY WE LOVE IT, DON’T TOUCH IT. AND FANS THINK YOU WANT GLASSY-SMOOTH TRACKS. DESCRIBE THIS TRACK AND WHY YOU GUYS LIKE IT SO MUCH
“The glassy-smooth tracks really give us one lane to race on. With the speeds we’re going, in order to pass a driver with one-lane of racing surface to really utilize, you’ve got to be half a second faster. And there really isn’t a half a second worth of speed the way the cars are anymore. It’s so well regulated through NASCAR and so competitive, that you’re lucky to get a tenth, maybe two, is as much as you get. So when you have a surface that throws the cars around and forces drivers to make mistakes, it forces a second lane, a third lane. I don’t think we really have a third lane here. And a lot of it has to do with the grinding that’s been done on the track. Last year I tried to explore outside the black and think about a fourth lane or a third lane near the wall, but the surface just won’t allow it. So we’ve got a good couple of lanes from the three-quarter mark down on the race track that we can use. And the bumps make mistakes out of drivers. They put us in situations where we blow it, and open a door to get passed or look for an opportunity to pass someone.”

WITH THESE CARS NOW PLANTED TO THE GROUND MORE THAN THEY WERE A YEAR AGO, ARE YOU GOING TO GET MORE OF A JARRING SENSE THROUGH THESE BUMPS AND PITCH YOU HARDER OR MAKE IT MORE PHYSICAL?
“Yeah, I think so. We hadn’t had ride quality issues at a lot of the tracks leading up to this point with the old car. We show up with the new car going man, the ride quality is terrible. But we’re going so much faster and on and on. So, yeah, the ride quality is definitely going to be compromised here.”

FOR JEFF GORDON, THE FIFTH CHAMPIONSHIP HAS BEEN ILLUSIVE. HOW FRUSTRATED DO YOU THINK HE IS WITH THE WAY THE SECOND HALF OF HIS CAREER HAS GONE? AND HOW DOES HE HANDLE IT?
“I don’t know exactly. It’s not something really that we spend time talking about. But, I know that the speed is there. I know that the desire is there. The last few years, luck has really played a factor in him making the Chase and the success in the Chase. I feel like a championship is a real opportunity for him. And this year, this format could really be the one. I know it means a lot to him. I know it’s what he wants. But as far as his mindset and frustration or whatever it might be, I’m not all that sure. But I see a guy that loves his job and is highly committed to it in all of our meetings. He’s got spring in his step and is ready to go racing.”

WAS THERE ANYTHING DIFFERENT AT YOUR WHITE HOUSE VISIT LAST WEEK THAN PREVIOUS VISITS THAT STANDS OUT IN YOUR MIND?
“I’ve been there, not for all of our championships but in general. The top 10 drivers that made the stage were able to go. So, I’ve been on that tour and on that trip eight or 10 times. You end up seeing the same stuff. They are only going to give you so much access to look around in the White House. There are only so many rooms you can go in. But, back to my earlier comments, to have my team there was the difference. Before, you were walking around with the other drivers and it was a great experience and fun, but to actually share those moments and watch the tour take place and all those fresh faces that are my teammates; and hear the story, go to all those different rooms, meet different Secret Service folks was fun. They hosted a very nice lunch for us in a private dining hall, which they said was the second most famous dining hall in the world. The first would be the President’s private space. We were able to share and experience a lot of things together and that really was the difference.”

YOU’VE COME CLOSE TO WINNING AT KENTUCKY, BUT HAVEN’T CLOSED THE DEAL. TALK ABOUT THAT
“We’ve been close. It’s just on that last run; varying mistakes have kept us from going to Victory Lane. We’ve had a car capable of winning; I think two of them, at least. I’m not sure about the third. So, it’s just executing in that final run.”

YOU WERE UPSET LAST YEAR WHEN YOU DOMINATED THIS RACE, BUT WITH THE RESTART YOU DIDN’T WIN. FOR A GUY WHO HAS ACCOMPLISHED AS MUCH AS YOU HAVE, DOES THAT STICK WITH YOU AS MOTIVATION A YEAR LATER?
“Yeah, and a lot has changed since then. Our restart procedure has changed and there were a lot of cat and mouse games going on through last year. That stuff has changed quite a bit now. So I’m happy with the rule changes and certainly still today, feel that the scenario and the games played there is what led to our issue down there in Turns 1 and 2.”

ON YOUR JACKMAN, ANDREW CHILDERS, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HIS IMPORTANCE AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR YOU TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TEAM THROUGHOUT THE SEASON?
“Those are your guys. That’s your group. They don’t get the credit they deserve. Not only the guys that go over the wall, but everybody back at the shop. We go out there and look good in the race car and pull into Victory Lane if you’re fortunate enough to do that, and smile and get all the accolades, but we’re just a piece of the puzzle. The way today’s racing is, pit road is just as important as out on the race track and creates as many opportunities. Andrew does an awesome job of being the jackman on the No. 48 car. Not a ton of experience; he’s in his second season of being the guy for us and is doing a great job.”

Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Teams Ready for Second Doubleheader Weekend on Verizon IndyCar Series Schedule
Team Chevy’s Will Power and Scott Dixon Looking to Make Return
Trip to Shell Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston Victory Lane
·         Chevrolet  Leads Series Manufacturer Standings heading into 9th race of 18 race schedule

·         Chevrolet IndyCar V6 has won 5 of 8 races held to-date in 2014

·         Will Power Continues to Lead Driver Point Standings at Season Half-way Point

DETROIT (June 25, 2014) – This weekend the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 contingent of teams and drivers head to the MD Anderson Cancer Center Speedway at NRG Park, in Houston Texas for the second doubleheader weekend of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season. The Shell Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston is on deck with two full points-paying races, one Saturday and one Sunday, around the 10-turn/1.683-mile temporary street circuit.
“Last year, the Houston circuit was pivotal in the ultimate outcome of the 2013 Driver’s Championship,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, Verizon IndyCar Series. “This year the event takes place earlier on the schedule and being a double header again, coupled with the new Manufacturer’s points system in place for 2014, carries a serious impact to the championships.  The continued refinement of standing starts will be shown on Saturday and the allowed use of optional radiators for the first time will keep the engineers busy this weekend.  The added challenge of racing in Houston during the mid-afternoon in late June will definitely test the thermal vigor of the engines, drivers and crews.  Team Chevy is up for the challenge.”
Six of the first eight races of the 2014 season have been contested on either a road or street course.  Team Chevy driver Will Power scored the first victory in 2014, bringing the Chevrolet 2.2 liter direct injected twin turbocharged powered No. 12 Verizon Team Penske to Victory Lane at the Streets of St. Petersburg.  His second victory of the year that propelled him to the lead in the point standings was race one of the Chevrolet Dual at Detroit.  Power heads to Houston with a 39 point lead in the driver standings.

The first oval was the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Three time Indy 500 winner, Helio Castroneves, came within just six one-hundredths of a second from claiming his fourth victory in the iconic track.

However, Castroneves took the momentum to Detroit and scored a top-five finish in race one in the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit, and a dominating victory in Sunday’s race two of Chevrolet sponsored weekend.  He is second in the standings behind his Team Penske Chevrolet teammate, Power.

Despite having nearly three weeks away from competition none of the Chevrolet powered teams have sat on their laurels and rested on recent success.  Teams have been hard at work testing and preparing themselves for the final stretch to finish out the season.

As the teams resume competition at Houston, two Chevrolet powered drivers are looking to repeat last year’s success. Power was victorious in the second race at the track last season.  Scott Dixon, new to Team Chevy this season, is also looking to capture a repeat win at Houston and turn his 2014 season around and place his No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Chevrolet in Victory Lane for the first time carrying the Chevrolet banner.

While these two drivers look to repeat as winners, Castroneves is looking for redemption.  Last season the driver of the No. 3 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Team Penske Chevrolet watched his championship hopes fade away at Houston as two mechanical issues ended his pursuit of victory early.  He hopes this season he can ride the momentum from his win at Detroit and conquer Houston to add to his championship quest in 2014,

The most recent Team Chevy winner, Ed Carpenter – Texas Motor Speedway – will return to the role as owner at the GP of Houston.  Long Beach winner Mike Conway returns to the cockpit of the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet.

Race number one of The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston is set to start on Saturday, June 28th at 3:00 p.m. ET with live television coverage on NBC Sports Network. Race number two is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 29th with live television coverage on NBC Sports Network.

CORVETTE RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: One Word…FINALLY!
Landmark first trip to historic road course for ALMS champions

·         Corvette C7.Rs face new challenge at Six Hours of The Glen

·         Garcia, Magnussen go for third straight win in TUDOR Championship

·         Coming off second, fourth in class at Le Mans

DETROIT (June 25, 2014) – It’s only about an hour’s flight from Detroit to Watkins Glen International. But over the years, the two have been worlds away from the perspective of Corvette Racing. With the advent of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship however, that distance is no more. America’s leading production-based racing team gets its first shot this weekend at the famed road course during the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.

The event is the second endurance race in two weeks for Corvette Racing, which finished second and fourth in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen – runners-up at Le Mans with Jordan Taylor – are on a two-race winning streak in the TUDOR Championship and stand second in GT Le Mans points in their No. 3 Corvette C7.R.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette are tied for third in the championship and look for their first victory of the season. They were fourth at Le Mans with Richard Westbrook.

Although the team has not raced at The Glen, the four Corvette Racing drivers aren’t complete strangers to the circuit. At the fore is Garcia, who hasn’t missed the Six Hours since 2010 when he finished third overall for Spirit of Daytona. Magnussen was a GT winner in 2005, and Gavin (2000 overall) and Milner (2011 GT) have runner-up finishes.

Climbing back on the podium – much less the top step – will require plenty of skill with a little luck. Sunday’s race marks the first since Sebring in March where all four TUDOR Championship classes will share the track at the same time. The grid stands at 55 cars for the 3.37-mile, 11-turn circuit.

The construction and performance of the Corvette C7.R gives Corvette Racing a key advantage. Based on the 2015 Corvette Z06 production car, the C7.R’s rigid frame gives the car improved cornering ability and stability. Those factors plus the Corvette’s impressive braking performance and throttle response along with Corvette Racing’s strategy and execution will be keys to success.

The Watkins Glen round also doubles as the third race of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. It is a special four-race competition made up of the TUDOR Championship’s true endurance rounds. Gavin and Milner are tied for second in GTLM with Garcia and Magnussen standing seventh.

Corvette Racing’s No. 4 Corvette is second in team points, as is Chevrolet in the manufacturer standings.

Live television coverage of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen starts at 11 a.m. ET, Sunday on FOX Sports 1.

The TUDOR Championship is the result of a merger between the ALMS and GRAND-AM’s Rolex Sports Car Series. Corvette Racing will compete in 11 races around North America plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Corvette Racing Display: For the Fans at Watkins Glen
Corvette Racing’s visit to Watkins Glen also means fans can take in a number of activities and at Chevrolet’s Corvette Racing Display in the Fan Midway Area:
Production vehicles such as the North American Truck of the Year, the Chevrolet Silverado, as well as the Camaro, Sonic and Impala
Showcars on location include a Corvette C7.R, and both a Corvette Stingray coupe and convertible, the North American Car of the Year
Fans can see a sample of engines, parts and accessories available for purchase from Chevrolet at their local Chevrolet dealer
Other activities at the Corvette Racing Display include a variety of interactive games for adults and kids
Fans who sign up with Corvette Racing will receive a special commemorative t-shirt
The Corvette Racing display opens 9 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It is a short turnaround after a difficult race like Le Mans, but I am happy to go back to Watkins Glen and race the Corvette C7.R for the first time. Certainly it will be much different competing with the C7.R than a DP. This track has a good blend of high-speed parts and technical areas, so Corvette Racing should be able to challenge for another win.  Things won’t be so easy with a six-hour race and lots of traffic. However, Corvette Racing has shown that we produce good strategies and excellent pit stops. It would be great if Jan and I could win our third straight TUDOR Championship race after a second-place at Le Mans. Regardless, a good finish would help us in the points race.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It will be the first time for me in a Corvette at Watkins Glen. It’s an interesting place with a lot of history. The times that I’ve been there in other cars, I’ve enjoyed it a lot. So I’m looking forward to go back there and get back into the TUDOR Championship where we have won consecutive races. We’ve proven the car is good in all conditions. I can’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be able to fight for a win. It’s longer than a standard TUDOR Championship race and puts a lot more importance on pit stops and strategy. In the past, Corvette Racing has been very, very good in those areas and absolutely have been one of the team’s strongest points.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It’s very much what you’d call an old-school track. It’s got three or four corners on it that are fast and really challenging. You get a huge amount of satisfaction from doing them well. It’s a circuit where you need courage and be fully committed all the time. If you’re at all timid or hesitant with it, then it can bite you. Generally the surface has a high level of grip. You can make a case for many different spots on the track being crucial for lap time, but I would stick my neck out and say that coming out of Turn 1 and uphill to the Esses is one of the biggest influencers.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“If you’re going to put together a calendar for sports car racing in the U.S., you have to have Watkins Glen. It’s one I’ve been looking forward to for awhile. I haven’t won there but definitely want to add it to my résumé. I feel pretty confident going there. We have some experience with the car in a low-downforce trim, so if we need to go in that direction we have some knowledge to build from. And we typically run max downforce in the U.S. So no matter what, we should have a good car there. For some of our competitors, a six-hour race will feel a little long. But for us having just come back from Le Mans and doing 24 hours, it will feel like a breeze!”

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“It has been a long time coming but I am personally thrilled to see Corvette Racing finally compete at Watkins Glen. It is an iconic track with such a rich global history, and everyone on the team is excited by the opportunity to see and hear our Corvette C7.Rs make their Glen debuts. As the fans know, it’s a very short turnaround time for us following our strong showing at Le Mans. Rest assured, we readily accept that challenge and are welcoming the opportunity to showcase some ‘Ground Pounding American Thunder’ to all the Corvette and TUDOR Championship fans!”

 
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 22, 2014
 
 
CHEVROLET SS DRIVERS COLLECT SIX OF TOP 10 FINISHING POSITIONS AT SONOMA
Jeff Gordon Maintains Points Lead with Second Place Finish
 
 
SONOMA, Calif. – June 22, 2014 – Jeff Gordon came within 0.591 seconds of earning his sixth win at Sonoma Raceway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Save Mart 350, but crossed the finish line in second. The driver of the No. 24 Panasonic Chevrolet SS led a contingent of Chevrolet power in the top-10, seven teams strong.  Gordon led three laps in the 110-lap race to capture his 18th top 10 finish in 22-races at the 1.99-mile road course in Napa Valley.  The strong run extended the four-time champion’s lead in the 2014 point standings to 20 markers over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson.
 
“I was making some ground up on (race winner) Carl (Edwards),” Gordon said following the race. “I was good in the fast sections and he was pretty good in the slow sections. So, I was having to hit everything so perfect. And I just overdrove it into (Turn) 4 one time and went real wide off and that gave him enough of a gap that I had to close it back in and I just couldn’t put enough pressure on him. And I think had I put some more pressure on him; I saw him really struggling with the grip level. He drove a clean race and he did everything you need to do.
 
“But of course, on that last lap, I gave it my best effort and closed up on him, but I just drove into (Turn) 11 as hard as I could,” Gordon continued. “We weren’t good in 11 anyway. He didn’t overdrive it. I was hoping he might slide up and I’d get a run underneath him. But all in all, it was a great weekend for this Panasonic Chevy and I could have been more proud of the calls made and everything the team did. We didn’t qualify good, but we had a great car in the race.”
 
Gordon’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. piloting the No. 88 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet SS, earned his best career finish at Sonoma Raceway in the third position.  Pole sitter Jamie McMurray had a solid day in his No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS by finishing fourth.  Paul Menard, aboard the No. 27 Richmond/Menards Chevrolet SS, rounded out the Chevy power in the top-five with a fifth place run.
 
Kasey Kahne came back from mid-race contact with Casey Mears (No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS) to take his No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet inside the top-10 to finish sixth.  Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Johnson had a solid day at Sonoma and navigated his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS up through the field from a 22nd-place starting spot to a seventh-place finish.
 
The day ended in disappointment for AJ Allmendinger in the No. 47 Kingsford/Clorox Chevrolet SS.  He led a race high 35 laps, but was involved in an on-track incident with 24 laps remaining and was relegated to a 37th-place finish.
 
Carl Edwards (Ford) was the race winner, his second victory of the season.
 
The Sprint Cup Series heads to Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky next week to compete under the lights on Saturday night June 28th.
 
CASEY MEARS, NO. 13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 13TH
ON HIS DAY:
“We had a pretty good day.  We started out real strong.  We got bottled up with the No. 5 and No. 15 ran into the back of us and it knocked our hood up.  I think we were running seventh at the time and it put us out of sequence.  The guys did a good job putting us with an option to get good track position there at the end.  We were able to kind of catch back up to I think around 25th or 24th and got new tires and had a good run all the way up to about 10th.  With about 13 (laps) to go I was passing the No. 41 and he kind of pinched me into the tires and it knocked the tow out of the right-front really bad.  The car just didn’t turn as well from there on out.  But we had an eventful day and after everything that happened we ended up with a pretty good result and it turned out pretty good.”
 
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 PANASONIC CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 2ND
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 3RD:
 
KRISTI KING:  We’ll get started with our post‑race press conference following today’s Toyota/SaveMart 350 here at Sonoma Raceway.  We are joined by Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet who finished third in today’s race.  Your best finish at Sonoma Raceway, third in points.  Talk about your race out there today.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Yeah, I had a fast car all weekend, and we figured that our best opportunity to run well here would be to pit and get newer tires more often than everybody else, so having the two wins in the season, it allowed us to really kind of gamble and go ahead and get back there in the mess and have newer tires, and it paid off.  We were able to drive up through there.

The two leaders, Jeff and Carl, didn’t fall off as much as the 1 did, so I was hoping they might, but they were strong right at the end, all the way up until the end there.

Q.  Dale, could you talk a little bit about the race that you had, an eventful day I guess it would be fair to say, and also I heard you saying on pit road to Stevie, drive every time like this is your last.  It seems to be working.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Yeah, I told Steve I think I figured out what the trick is to being a really, really good crew chief is to run every ‑‑ to call the season like it’s your last because his strategy is aggressive and a little bit out of the box, and that pays off in most cases because if you do everything everybody else is doing, you kind of fall into ‑‑ you’re racing a lot more people trying to do everything else they’re doing.  So when you do something different and get off the pattern pit‑wise, get off the strategy and stuff, it allows you to be a lot more aggressive.

My car had the tires and I was able to drive by those guys at the end, but I had an eventful race, and I tore Matt Kenseth’s car up pretty bad jumping that curb.  I was racing him a little hard there coming out of Turn 7.  He probably had the preferred line and I probably should have yielded to him, but I was ‑‑ I thought I was a little bit faster than him and didn’t want to be stuck behind him.  I straddled a curb, and it just lost my car in the air right into his car.  I hope he’s not too sore today.

Other than that, we got tangled up with the 47 somehow.  He wheel‑hopped my left rear tire and that spun him out.  Other than that we beat and banged a little bit, everything that you normally see here.  I had a lot of fun other than the deal with Matt made me pretty sick.  But other than that it was a fun day.

KRISTI KING:  Joining Dale, our second place finisher, Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Panasonic Chevrolet, who is our all‑time winningest driver here at Sonoma Raceway.  Talk a little bit about the race out there today and your second place finish.

JEFF GORDON:  Yeah, it was a fun race, a tough one, certainly tough for the guys making the calls in the pits.  You know, tire strategy as well as us on the track, because the cars just drove unbelievable on new tires, and you just felt like King Kong.  You could just drive it so aggressively.

And then eight laps later, it was where did all the grip go, and you were on ice.  There was some tire management, which I love.  I think that’s really cool to have that kind of a race and all the different strategies, and I mean, Carl, me and Dale were all on different tires as far as laps on them, and it made for a very interesting race.

Gosh, I wish I could have had those last five or six laps to do over again.&nbs
p; I started overdriving it a little bit trying to catch him a making a few mistakes, and I made one in particular that really cost me, and I think if I had just stayed smooth and stuck with it ‑‑ looked like his car really started falling off those last couple laps and I might have had a shot at least putting more pressure on Carl to force him to make a mistake or maybe get a run inside of him.

Our car was great today.  I felt confident it was going to be in the race, and it was exciting when they dropped the green that we did have a car like that.

Q.  Is the strategy now for the road courses to stay away from VIR and Road Atlanta?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Yeah, I think even on Friday practice was going so well, Steve said we weren’t going to do anything preparing for Watkins Glen since we were so good, or since it was going so well.  We weren’t the best car, but…

Yeah, I mean, I’ve been doing this a long, long time.  If you know what you’re doing driving these cars on a road course, you can go places and test and learn, but if you’re not a great road course driver, if you’re just kind of run‑of‑the‑mill going over there to Road Atlanta, you’re just going to work your guts out for nothing.  We sort of relied on our teammates a little bit that tested, and all that helped the most, really leaning on Jeff and those guys and what everybody learned when they came out here, and anybody that went to Road Atlanta or Kershaw, kind of leaning on that and just trusting what we were seeing in the data.

We went through ‑‑ it really gave us a bit of a better attitude when we got here, and I think that helped us be more productive on Friday, which that’s really important during those two practices to get everything you can, and if I get frustrated, Steve gets frustrated, we just don’t really figure anything out.  We stayed calm and I felt like we put a good car on the racetrack today.

Q.  Jeff, watching on the TV, it looks like friends or enemies, you were banging around pretty good.  You and Jimmie had a couple of tussles towards the middle of that race.

JEFF GORDON:  Those restarts when you’re double‑file like that, the first few corners get pretty hairy, and there’s not really enough room to go side by side, and so if you’re on the outside you’ve got to squeeze the guy on inside; if you’re on the inside you’ve got to push the guy on the outside.

I got a run off of 4, and I went to go to the outside of Ambrose, and I don’t know if Jimmie dove in there or if he was protecting from somebody else trying to dive in there on him, but as I made the corner, he got into my right rear pretty hard, and I almost went around.  At the moment you’re just mad that it happened, so I took it out on my right front fender, but it did more damage to my car than it did to his.

Then I calmed down and we just went back to racing, and I was able to get ‑‑ he kind of got into it with whoever, Ambrose in front of him, and I got a run on him, but I was able to make a clean pass.

You know, I don’t like to make judgment until you see the video, but we raced hard, and we had a great race and banged with a bunch of guys, but I thought it was all just in good racing.

Q.  Jeff, it looked like that last lap, Turn 11, you made it pretty close, got a little close to him.  Did it feel like a possible pass or was there just too much ground to make up at that point?

JEFF GORDON:  I mean, that particular area, my car was really good.  I could really get into Turn 11.  I was just trying to get him to overdrive the corner and get up off the bottom.  There’s such an advantage to hook around those tires that had he missed it, which he did about two laps before that, I thought that I might be able to make it interesting.  But no, he did lock up going in there, but he made the corner, and that was it.  At that point it’s a desperate move.  It’s not one worth wrecking the guy on because hey, if you’re racing the guy and you get a couple runs on him, he blocks you and he blocks you here and he blocks you there and you’re faster, then you might not give an inch.  You might go in there and you might use the bumper.

But I really had just caught him, and so that’s why I wish I could have had those last five laps to do over again because I think if I could have not made a couple mistakes, I would have been on him with more like two laps to go, and I think I would have had a shot.  But hey, that’s the way it goes, and we finished second.

Q.  Dale, you mentioned the incident with the 47 here at 11.  Is that just one of those things that happened and the hairpin as far as the contact there?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Yeah, I thought I gave him enough room on the outside.  He had a lot of wheel, we’re coming out of that corner and his right front poking out like that jumped the left rear of my car, and I felt it yank on the car real hard and looked in the mirror, and I thought he and about 10 other cars were wrecking, and I thought the caution was coming out.  I don’t know how bad it was for him, but I had just got around him and we got down into that corner and I ran low protecting my line, he shot to the outside and that’s his prerogative.  But I thought I gave him enough room.  I didn’t think I ran him in the fence.

Q.  Jeff, we’ve been seeing you in here a lot lately.  Is this the most optimistic maybe you’ve been about how you’ve been running maybe the last five, six years?

JEFF GORDON:  Absolutely.  It’s certainly the most consistent, great cars that I’ve had going week in and week out, to have cars that are capable of either winning or running up front.  I’m very confident in what I’m getting behind the wheel of every weekend, and that just is because of all the hard work that’s going on at Hendrick and all the data and work that everybody behind the scenes is doing as well as Alan and our engineers.  I’m just working really well with them, clicking with them, but the cars are just really, really good, and that’s making a lot of fun for me.

Q.  Dale, just the meaning of getting a top 5, is that beyond the expectations coming into this weekend, and what does it mean for you and your team to get this type of performance at this type of track?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Well, aside from holding a trophy, this is like a win for us.  We came in here and knew we had a good car throughout practice, and I’ve been in the top 10 in a lot of these races with two or three laps to go, but we’ve just never been able to finish.  So to be clear of the mess and just have an advantage with the tires at the end, there was a lot of confidence, and knowing we were going to be able to wrap it up or feel like we were in good position to wrap it up and really good.  The car was fun to drive all weekend, had a great time in practice, qualifying was fun, a little frustrating to get hung up there.  I thought we could have qualified a lot better, but still, the cars have been fun to drive.  We’ve been one of the better cars, and that certainly makes it fun with me not having to be defensive and root and gouge for every little spot.

Whatever the guys learned throughout testing and trying to prepare for this race really, I think, helped out the whole organization.  All the cars were real quick today.

Q.  For both of you, the tire testing here got rained out in March, and since tires were a big issue this race, I was wondering if you could tell me how you made up for that.  Second question is for Jeff Gordon:  It’s about when you got a chance to test over at New Smyrna Beach.  I was wondering what you learned at some of these short tracks.

JEFF GORDON:  I’ll take the first one since Dale wasn’t here during the tire test.  It was just the 24 and the 14 and a couple other guys.  It only rained out the first day.  The sec
ond day we actually pretty much got the full day in.  So we were able to learn something anyway, and even though we didn’t actually test on the tire that they brought here, we tested on similar ones, and maybe the 14 tested on this exact one.  But it was close to the one that I liked the most that had good grip at the beginning and it did fall off.  We knew it was going to fall off, but it seemed like some of the other ones fell off just as much or more.

You know, I like this tire.  I think it’s not easy to drive at the end, which can be good and bad.  But it’s got a lot of grip at the beginning.  I think it switches up the pit strategy where it’s not always just about fuel mileage.  We’ve been racing fuel mileage races out here for the last several years, and I think it’s nice that tires make a difference.  I like it.  I wish we had tires like this more places.

New Smyrna, I mean, we’re just short track testing stuff, just seeing what we can learn.  We go to all the tracks that we can’t race on, and if there’s someplace that’s close to Charlotte with good weather that might be able to teach us a little bit, then we’ll go there.

I thought that it was more for fun than learning anything, I’ll be honest.  There’s not another track that we go to that’s anything like that.  Not to mention that there was water seeping out of the track that we were driving on.  It was a fun day, but I don’t know if ‑‑ maybe Dale and those guys learned some things, but I didn’t think that we did.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  It’s a fun track, to be able to go run somewhere.  We’re going to have to test.  The drivers don’t line the tests up, the crew chiefs do.  So when you go somewhere fun, at least it makes it go by a little quicker.

Q.  Jeff, I seem to recall a conversation yesterday with you after qualifying and you said to me, you weren’t really one bit worried and I should talk to you today when all the Hendrick cars finish, and you had four in the top eight.  Is that how much confidence you have right now in the team and the program?  And Dale, you improved your finish here by quite a substantial deal, and you were running fast in practice and looking at your Twitter account it looked like you may have even surprised yourself a little bit how well you were running on Friday.  How big a boost is this for you personally in how you feel about road courses?  Are you starting to love them a little bit more now?

JEFF GORDON:  You like them when the cars are working good.  I’ve had some good cars over the years.

Yeah, I mean, you always say that when you qualify 15th.  You always say, hey, talk to me tomorrow when it’s all over.  I mean, I had confidence that we were much better than that, and that was just based on how our car drove in practice.  And I think that’s kind of what Dale is alluding to, as well.  You have a certain feel that you’re looking for and you look at the lap times and I thought our lap times were competitive and the car had a pretty good feel.  I didn’t feel like we were going to stay back there all day long, and I was hoping that all the Hendrick cars would ‑‑ that didn’t qualify good would come to the front, and I thought that they would.  It wasn’t being like so confident just in everything.  I mean, things are going well for us, but it was really just solely looking at the lap times and how my car felt.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  I really enjoy running at Watkins Glen, and I feel like that I understand what I need to do, not whether I do it every lap but what I need to do to get around there and what I’m looking for in the car to be competitive.  This is a real technical track where the corners are lined up one after the other, and if you make a mistake in Turn 2, you really don’t clean it up until Turn 4.  So everything sort of has to line up and the really need to put the corners together in succession, and that takes a certain mentality and a certain understanding of road course racing that guys like myself don’t have coming from late models and oval tracks and stuff like that.

You have to go to school.  You have to study.  You have to listen to people.  You have to run as many laps as you can at practices and tests and stuff like that early in your career to adapt and understand.  You know, just certain guys have certain backgrounds.  McMurray ran all those CART races and I think that paid off for him.  He’s very competitive at the road courses, especially this place, but the Glen has always kind of been fun.  It’s an equalizer because it has so many long straightaways.  You run down a straightaway and get through a turn and run down a straightaway and get through a turn.  Pretty much everybody can kind of figure that out.  But this place is really technical, and if the car is just a little bit off, I sort of get lost as to what I need and what I want the car to do and how I need the car to drive and what I’m looking for in the car.  We sort of ‑‑ when we get off the path in practice, we really never recover throughout the weekend, but we were fast all weekend and just kind of put it together.

KRISTI KING:  Jeff, Dale, congratulations on your run today.  Thank you very much for your time.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 22, 2014
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 PANASONIC CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 2ND
YOU SAID YOU MADE ONE MISTAKE ON THAT LAST LAP THAT COST YOU THE WIN, AND YOU NEEDED ONE MORE LAP. WHAT WAS THAT?
“Well, it was actually maybe five or six laps to go. I was making some ground up on (race winner) Carl (Edwards). I was good in the fast sections and he was pretty good in the slow sections. So, I was having to hit everything so perfect. And I just overdrove it into (Turn) 4 one time and went real wide off and that gave him enough of a gap that I had to close it back in and I just couldn’t put enough pressure on him. And I think had I put some more pressure on him; I saw him really struggling with the grip level. He drove a clean race and he did everything you need to do.
 
“But of course, on that last lap, I gave it my best effort and closed up on him, but I just drove into (Turn) 11 as hard as I could. We weren’t good in 11 anyway. He didn’t overdrive it. I was hoping he might slide up and I’d get a run underneath him. But all in all, it was a great weekend for this Panasonic Chevy and I could have been more proud of the calls made and everything the team did. We didn’t qualify good, but we had a great car in the race.”
 
CARL EDWARDS SAID IT WAS AN HONOR TO BEAT YOU BECAUSE HE GREW UP WATCHING YOU WIN HERE
“Yeah, I’m starting to hear that a lot more where somebody was born when I won my first championship or was watching me as a kit. But I love racing here. I love being competitive and leading the points and having a shot at winning races, at 22 years into my Cup career. It doesn’t matter; we’re having fun.”
 
DID YOU THINK YOU HAD A WAY AROUND CARL EDWARDS ON THAT LAST TURN?
“On that move, you just want to make the guy overdrive the corner, because if you miss the bottom down there, there is a real opportunity for someone to get inside of you. Carl (Edwards, race winner) was driving a really good race, and the tires were definitely falling off bad. So were mine. At that point, I was just trying to keep the wheel spin to a minimum, and see if I could inch up on him every little bit.  Those last couple of laps I really did. I made one mistake with about six (laps) to go where I overdrove – maybe five to go – where I overdrove (turn) four. I really think that was the difference. I think if I could have got to him, I probably would have had him. But, he was better in the slower sections; I was better in the faster sections. I would have liked to have a little bit closer shot at him going into (turn) 11 on that last lap. Can’t thank Panasonic Tough Book enough. Great having them on board. What a great way to finish this weekend out with a second place finish. Congrats to Carl. He did a great job.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 3RD
WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU THE MOST ABOUT YOUR RACE TODAY?
“Just putting the tires on and getting the strategy right. I told Steve (Letarte, crew chief) the secret of being a great crew chief is calling every year like it’s your last because he’s had the best strategy every week. The Kelley Blue Book Chevy was fast all weekend, really. And I tried to screw it up there a couple of times in the race but calmed down and was able to get a good finish out of it.
 
“I got into Matt (Kenseth) and jumped that curb and just jumped in there and ran into him. It was totally my fault. It’s kind of like what happened to him last year at Watkins Glen. Just racing a little too hard through there with him and probably should have let him have the spot. Other than that, we had a pretty good day. We’ll cut the shell of this thing and put it in the woods and go to Watkins Glen.”
 
ON HIS RACE:
“I am sick at my stomach getting into Matt (Kenseth) there. I just hopped that curb, and it threw me right into him. I shouldn’t have been running him hard I guess, I just got up on that curb and it just launched me over into the side of his car. I really hope he isn’t hurt too bad. I’m proud of my team. Kelly Blue Book sponsored this race. We had a fast car all weekend. The guys did a good job on the strategy, and gave me great tires at the end so I could be on the offense. Proud of Steve (Letarte); the whole job the team did. The car was fast all weekend. It was a lot of fun.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 4TH
YOU WERE ABLE TO KEEP IT IN THE TOP 5, TOP 10 ALL DAY LONG AND HAD A VERY CONSISTENT DAY
“I’m happy that I’m mad that I finished fourth, if that makes any sense. I thought I had a chance to win but when the last caution came out I was working Carl (Edwards) there a little bit, and I was just waiting on him to make a mistake. I felt like I was better than he was. And when we went back green, after the caution, I just used up too much car in (Turns) 1 and 2 and spun the tires really bad and paid the penalty for that the remainder of the run. But it was a really good day. Our pit crew did a really good job. We had a huge group of people with Cessna here today. So, overall, I’m mad that we finished fourth, but we had a great weekend.”
 
WHEN DALE JUNIOR CAME BY, WERE YOU LIKE MAN, TIRES DID MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE, DIDN’T THEY?
“Well, I could see how fast he was catching me and I came on the radio and I’m like, is he on a different strategy than we are? And it was like, yeah. So, when he caught me, I didn’t really put up a fight because I knew that he was going to get by. I was more worried about the No. 27 (Paul Menard). He was another ten seconds back, if he was going to be able to catch me at the end. It was a good race. I thought they had a great tire because it gave up a lot. And putting new tires on made a huge difference and it made it a lot of fun to pass.”
 
ON HIS RACE:
“We had a really good car. Before the last caution, I thought I was going to be able to work Carl (Edwards – race winner) over. He was struggling and I really did not have to drive that hard to keep up with him. I’m like ‘Well, I let him use his car up, and then I will get him when he starts sliding around’. But, then the next caution came out and we took off – it was like he had my car and I had his all of a sudden. I just couldn’t make it happen. But we had a good day, we qualified well. Really solid weekend. The guys did a good job on pit road. We were close, just didn’t have enough.”
 
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 RICHMOND/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 5TH
ON HIS RACE:
“It was a good day. We unloaded fast on Friday, and we qualified ninth. We were disappointed with ninth actually. We felt like we had a little bit better car than that actually. The first run was pretty brutal actually. We got really loose, and the guys tightened it up with some air pressure, and we got a lot better. From then on, we were a 10th place car probably and then drove up to top-five with tires.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 6TH
ON HIS DAY:
“We had a fast car from the start.  Our Great Clips Chevy was good.  I could pass cars early just a little bit, but definitely after like five laps I felt really good and competitive.  Then we started hurting the car.  We just didn’t have track position after that.  We fell back and luckily we got back to sixth.  We easily had a top-five car.  I don’t know how good it was definitely better than that.  I had a great car today.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 7TH
“Had a great car just got drilled by the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) and my steering was off from there. We had a great car and the guys with fresher tires got us at the end.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 OUTBACK/BUDWEISER FOLDS OF HONOR CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 20TH
“Today was just another day with the fastest car.  We had a chance to win the race and kind of flubbed it up again.  Ju
st got ourselves bad track position and crashed.”
 
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KINGSFORD/CLOROX CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 37TH
“We led a lot of laps today and we were good enough to win the thing no doubt. It’s just disappointing the way our day ended and to leave Sonoma with a car that’s tore up. I’m proud of my guys and all the hard work they put into this weekend. It’s just tough. We were hoping to bring home a win today for Kingsford and all our partners.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 20, 2014
 
MARTIN TRUEX JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Sonoma Raceway to talk about the first practice session, coming back as defending race-winner and the effect of race strategies on tire selection. Full transcript:
 
YOU HAD A HOT ROD IN PRACTICE EARLIER. TELL US WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO GET IT TO VICTORY LANE SUNDAY:
“As you said, practice went well with our Furniture Row Chevy, and we’re looking forward to the rest of the day. This track is difficult to keep the tires on. The key to the race will be being good on longer runs and having good tire management. Obviously pit strategy always come in to play here at Sonoma. Hopefully we will have the right pit strategy and have a good car on the longer runs. I felt like we had a good first practice and feel like the car is close. There is room for improvement. We are working on that now for the second practice.”
 
YOUR CAR HAS BEEN COMING ON AS WE GO INTO THE SUMMER MONTHS. TALK ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 78 TEAM AND HOW THAT IS COMING ALONG:
“It’s been a really tough season. It’s been a lot of tough luck and a lot of things that just keep happening. You wonder what’s going to happen next. So it’s been a tough season. But through it all, I feel like the team has done a really good job of staying positive, working on race cars and focusing on the things we have learned to try to get better. Certainly we haven’t been as competitive as we’d like to be, but we’re definitely nowhere near a 25th place team, which is where we are in points. Just keep plugging away and working on it. The guys are staying positive and that’s been a good thing for us. The car has been getting faster. We just have to finish races. Hopefully this weekend we turn it around and have a good solid run and a shot at defending the race win.”
 
THE TIMES YOU WERE TURNING PRACTICE, THE ONLY GUYS QUICKER THAN YOU WERE UNDER THE TRACK RECORD. THE TRACK SEEMS TO BE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. IS THAT YOUR VIEW?
“The track is in good shape. Today being hot and sunny is a good advantage for everyone as it will give us a good idea of what we’re going to have Sunday. Typically the track is a little better in practice than it is in the race, so you kind of get a false sense of ‘OK, I think my car is pretty good’, then race starts and you say, ‘Whoa, I was wrong.’ Today will give us a good indication of what we’ll have Sunday. The track is good shape. The tire that Goodyear brought here seems to have a little more grip taking off. But it still wears out like it always did. It will be a lot of fun Sunday and we have to hope we get our Furniture Row Chevy dialed in better than anyone else.”
 
COMING BACK AS THE CHAMPION HERE, DO YOU GET A DIFFERENT LOOK OR DIFFERENT WALK AROUND HERE? YOU TALKED ABOUT THE TIRES HERE AND THE PITS, BUT ISN’T IT TRUE THAT THIS IS ONE OF THOSE PLACES WHERE THE FASTEST CAR IS THE WINNING CAR?
“I think at any road course, a lot comes into the strategy. If the caution falls at the wrong time, you can have the fastest and be out front, but it can come out and ruin your race. You have to have a little bit of luck on your side, for sure. A fast car is the first thing you want to work on; that’s what we are doing here today. But on Sunday a lot of things change. Obviously we hope to have a little better luck than we’ve had this season because we haven’t had much of that. Hopefully that will turn around for us.
 
“As far as being the defending champion, it’s a great feeling. It definitely gives you a lot of confidence but you have to be careful with that. You can’t get stuck on what you did last year and what did we have in the race car. This is a new season. The rules are a lot different and the cars are a lot different. You have to be open-minded. I have a different race team and our cars are a lot different than what I ran here last year. You have to be open-minded and be ready for new things. Hopefully we make the right decisions to put ourselves in position to win this thing again. So far today has gone well and hopefully we can keep improving on that.”
 
I WANT TO LOOK AHEAD A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO DAYTONA. YOU HAD SUCH A GREAT WEEKEND BUT DIDN’T TURN OUT SO WELL. HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU GOING BACK?
“That’s a tough one to answer. Restrictor-plate racing is a crapshoot. We’ve had pretty bad luck this year and I don’t really want to talk about it to be honest with you. Let’s focus on this weekend first and see what we can do here.”
 
YOU RAN A THREE-STOP STRATEGY LAST YEAR? CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOU GUYS CAME ABOUT THAT AND THE CHALLENGE OF HAVING THOSE OLDER TIRES AT THE END WHEN OTHER PEOPLE HAD FRESHER TIRES AND WAS TRYING TO MAKE A RUN AT THE END?
“Yeah, it was a three-stop strategy but we only put tires on twice so it was more like a two-stop strategy. We were able to stop and top off; we may have run three or four laps after we went green and were risky on whether we could make it from there or not. I think everyone pitted with us so we didn’t lose track position so it worked out perfect. At the end of the race, you put yourself at risk if a caution comes out or if a few cautions come out, the guys that have tires are going to be hard to beat. Obviously last year, it went green for a long time which played into our hands, so that worked out good for us. I think two-stop strategies were the most successful here in the past but it’s risky for sure – not only on fuel mileage but on tires at the end if we do get a caution late. It could be hard to hold off a guy on newer tires.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 21, 2014
 
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – POLE SITTER
DESCRIBE THAT FINAL, QUICK LAP:
“I was really shocked that we could run fast on our third run. We made a change, but I’m not sure where that speed came front. That was a really good lap. The biggest thing here is to get off of (turns) 11 and seven with a drive.  I really could never get wide open in any gear – first, second or third – off of those corners. We kind of had all the rest of it down. Really good lap. I’m excited. It is cool. This is my third road course pole. That is pretty awesome.”

DESCRIBE HOW HARD IT WAS TO GET A CLEAN LAP OUT THERE:
“I think everybody in the garage area has been stressed out about trying to get that clean lap in qualifying all weekend long. I was really fortunate that we drew four, and I got to go right out. I didn’t hear of anyone getting in anyone’s way, but for me, I had two really clean laps so it was great.”

WILL WE SEE ANYTHING DIFFERENT TOMORROW?
“I think you are going to see more pit stops when cautions come out. Tires are so important, more important than ever.  Every time we go to a road course, we run backwards. Everyone pits 10 laps before they can make it on fuel hoping you are going to see some cautions, but I think you will see guys putting tires on tomorrow. Should be a good race.”

FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, YOU WILL PACE THE FIELD TO THE GREEN HERE. HOW IMPRESSED WERE YOU WITH THE WAY THE TIRES PERFORMED IN THAT SESSION?
“Our car, I feel like all weekend long, has not been good on the first lap. Even in qualifying it seemed like I could run quicker on my second (lap). And every weekend, in this qualifying format you’re blown away that someone goes faster on older tires than they can on new tires. The drive off of (Turns) 11 and 7 is so hard here. I didn’t feel like I had that, but I feel like we’ve got the balance of the car better. So, it was a great lap. I’m so excited.”
 
BASED ON THAT INFORMATION, HOW WILL YOU SET YOUR STRATEGY FOR TOMORROW?
“Well, I thought our car in race trim was really good. The No. 15 (Clint Bowyer), I don’t know what happened to him in qualifying. I thought maybe he had the best car in race trim. But our car was really good on the long run. Track position is important. I think for the race, I think you’re going to more pit stops than normal because the tires give up so much. But we’re not going to change a whole lot. I feel really good about it.”
 
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KINGSFORD/CLOROX CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 2ND
OH, SO CLOSE, BUT NOT QUITE THERE:
“Yes, Jamie (McMurray) put up a heck of a lap there. Two-tenths. Makes me feel a little bit better that he didn’t beat me by two-thousandths, because two-tenths is tough to find.  Just proud of everybody on the Kingsford Chevrolet No. 47 team. I think we have a good race car. Honestly, I was nervous about qualifying because we were that good in trim yesterday. So to be on the front row, it sure could be worse. We will go racing tomorrow.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 5TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“It was a good lap.  We prepared well for this race with a couple of test sessions and executed a good practice run yesterday.  The lap time we ran put us P1 in the first practice.  We knew we needed to gain a little more and today we got beat by a couple of guys that laid down really good laps.  For us it was a better than average lap.  That gets us fifth and the way the team is bolted together this qualifying set-up I think that gives us a good pattern for what we have to put under it for a race set-up.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 OUTBACK/BUDWEISER FOLDS OF HONOR CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 6TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“That was a good lap for us.  Road course qualifying kind of stresses me out because there are so many opportunities to make a mistake.  Our first goal was to get through the first round with a solid lap and we were able to do that.  Second round was good for us too, always want to do better, but we can see the front so that is a good thing on a road course.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 11TH
“The GoDaddy car was pretty good. We only made one qualifying run yesterday, but it felt good in the opening round today. It just got tight in the second session and we ended up 11th. We would have liked it to be better, but we’ll take it. We’ve got a lot of folks from GoDaddy here tomorrow, so I’m happy we are starting up front.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 PANASONIC CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 15TH:
“Some of the things you’ve just got to be aggressive and hope that it sticks and right away the nose started moving around on me. I knew from that point to just not overdrive it. I made one mistake off of (Turn) 4 and I think ultimately that cost us enough to just make it through. The question and concern for us is how all these guys went out the second time and went so much faster. I thought I put together a pretty good lap that second time; I did get loose coming out of the esses, which is not a good place to do it. And we didn’t have enough to make it through. So, we’ll just get it ready to race. I’m excited to have Panasonic onboard this weekend and we’ve got a great race car. But we certainly needed to have a faster car for qualifying. But with the tires the way they are, I think that track position is not going to be nearly as important as it has been in the past.”
 
DO YOU THINK IT NOW BECOMES A 3-STOP RACE TOMORROW BECAUSE THE FALLOFF HAS BEEN SO GREAT?
“Yeah, or four or five (laughs). It depends on how the cautions fall. But I think new tires are going to be big and I think having good rear grip on the long runs is going to be big. That’s where our focus is right now and I hate that it didn’t work out for qualifying. I love this new format though and while I wish I was in it, I’m looking forward to watching this next one.”
 
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“We pride ourselves on being good on the road courses especially here at Sonoma.  Sixth hundredths from a second from making it is disappointing. But I think the bigger disappointment for us is how many guys went out and were so much faster the second time out and we didn’t.  That is a bit of a concern. Obviously we will talk to our teammates, and see what they were dealing with as well.  Very disappoint to not have any Hendrick cars in the top-12, so something we are going to have to work on. But I feel really good about the race.  Our car has been really fast. We didn’t show a lot of speed in qualifying trim yesterday, and we didn’t show it again today. But, I feel good about the race.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 17TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“We had a good lap going, but the No. 66 run in the racing groove on his get up (to speed) lap and didn’t get out of the way.  We missed the top 12.  We would have made it.  We ran about a tenths slower than our best lap going around him on the outside of Turn 9.  That is real disappointing, but the car has been great.  Hopefully, we will be able to have a good run Sunday starting kind of mid-pack.  It’s going to be a little busy where we are going to be, but hopefully we can move forward.”
 
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 18TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“It wasn’t as crazy as we thought it would be.  Everybody was pretty nervous I think going into it, just about getting blocked and not getting a clean lap. Because the tires are so delicate here as far as how many times you run them.  We had a good clean lap.  We picked up a little bit of speed from yesterday which was good.  Just didn’t pic
k up enough. A lot of guys really picked up a lot from yesterday.  Not sure really what we missed there.  I feel like the car is in pretty good shape for tomorrow.  This is a long race it’s all about track position, getting on the right strategy and being up front.  I feel like our car will be good on the long runs and that is what is going to matter here. We will just see how it goes and we will find out tomorrow.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 22ND
“It was sixth-tenths faster than I had gone, so it felt plenty fast. Looking back, a lot of it probably went just me having the right flow and knowing where I can charge. Then you end up out there on warmer tires and scuffed tires, and the grip level changes so fast, you really want to get it on that first lap. We are just focused on the race tomorrow, and hopefully that pays off and get ourselves a nice finish here tomorrow.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 30TH
“The biggest thing is in Turn 4 when I come off the curb and land off the curb, I had to just stop and wait for the car; it just wants to run right into that wall. So, I’d just have to wait and then pick the throttle up down the road a little bit. So we gave up a lot of time right there. And then all the corners were just a touch snug. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have really good forward drive in this Great Clips Chevrolet. That’s going to be huge. I’d say we’ll be putting on more tires and wearing tires out quicker here this weekend than what I can remember in the past. Hopefully our car will play into our favor tomorrow and we can have a good run.”
 
WILL TIRE WEAR IMPACT YOUR STRATEGY FOR TOMORROW?
“I think everybody is talking about that. I think it’s just rear drive; I think it has a lot to do with getting into the corner, under braking, and then letting your car turn in and being able to really still enter the corner. Yesterday I noticed I had to back up the corners a ton just to turn into the corner and I don’t remember that nearly as much in the past in practice. So I would imagine tomorrow will be a little bit worse, especially if it stays sunny. Overall, I liked my car yesterday. It wasn’t the fastest car, but I felt like it was pretty consistent.”
 
JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 PHOENIX RACING CHEVROLET SS –  QUALIFIED 35TH
“We had a couple of situations on our laps out there. Obviously we weren’t up there battling for the pole or anything, but still trying to improve our spot and got blocked a few times.  In road course racing you obviously have a lot of that in the race, but really frustrating when you have that much in qualifying.”
 
 
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 21, 2014
 
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – POLE SITTER
DESCRIBE THAT FINAL, QUICK LAP:
“I was really shocked that we could run fast on our third run. We made a change, but I’m not sure where that speed came front. That was a really good lap. The biggest thing here is to get off of (turns) 11 and seven with a drive.  I really could never get wide open in any gear – first, second or third – off of those corners. We kind of had all the rest of it down. Really good lap. I’m excited. It is cool. This is my third road course pole. That is pretty awesome.”

DESCRIBE HOW HARD IT WAS TO GET A CLEAN LAP OUT THERE:
“I think everybody in the garage area has been stressed out about trying to get that clean lap in qualifying all weekend long. I was really fortunate that we drew four, and I got to go right out. I didn’t hear of anyone getting in anyone’s way, but for me, I had two really clean laps so it was great.”

WILL WE SEE ANYTHING DIFFERENT TOMORROW?
“I think you are going to see more pit stops when cautions come out. Tires are so important, more important than ever.  Every time we go to a road course, we run backwards. Everyone pits 10 laps before they can make it on fuel hoping you are going to see some cautions, but I think you will see guys putting tires on tomorrow. Should be a good race.”

FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, YOU WILL PACE THE FIELD TO THE GREEN HERE. HOW IMPRESSED WERE YOU WITH THE WAY THE TIRES PERFORMED IN THAT SESSION?
“Our car, I feel like all weekend long, has not been good on the first lap. Even in qualifying it seemed like I could run quicker on my second (lap). And every weekend, in this qualifying format you’re blown away that someone goes faster on older tires than they can on new tires. The drive off of (Turns) 11 and 7 is so hard here. I didn’t feel like I had that, but I feel like we’ve got the balance of the car better. So, it was a great lap. I’m so excited.”
 
BASED ON THAT INFORMATION, HOW WILL YOU SET YOUR STRATEGY FOR TOMORROW?
“Well, I thought our car in race trim was really good. The No. 15 (Clint Bowyer), I don’t know what happened to him in qualifying. I thought maybe he had the best car in race trim. But our car was really good on the long run. Track position is important. I think for the race, I think you’re going to more pit stops than normal because the tires give up so much. But we’re not going to change a whole lot. I feel really good about it.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 20, 2014
 
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 PANASONIC CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Sonoma Raceway and discussed road course racing, how he works with his spotter, aggressive driving at Sonoma, and more.   Full transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO REALLY BE SUCCESSFUL HERE AT SONOMA: “It’s been a little while since we won out here, so I feel like you constantly always have to challenge yourself, and just push the limited of your car. Yet, here at Sonoma, you have to be very careful not to overdrive it of course as well.  Same ingredients apply; a great race car always helps. Teamwork and communication – like for instance this weekend. We’ve got a really good car; very happy, but, I know that we have to make it better. In order to do that, I have to recognize the areas that we need to improve the car and try to articulate that to the team to find….I know they can help me in those areas, but I’ve got to be able to describe it in a way that they can understand it. Then, put those pieces together around the track.
 
“Once you get the green flag here on Sunday, there are very few adjustments you can make. So, it is really up to you to maintain the durability of the tires; they are really soft and fast in the beginning, but they are falling off quite a bit on the longer runs. So, wheel spin and trying not to lock-up front tires – managing that. As I mentioned, staying on course and being there for the finish when it counts.  I am pretty comfortable this weekend, and I’m really happy with the way things are going. I’m excited to have Panasonic on board.”
 
HOW IS YOUR BACK NOW? HAVE YOU HAD TO DO ANYTHING SINCE CHARLOTTE THAT YOU DON’T NORMALLY DO TO MAINTAIN IT? “Since that incident in Charlotte, of course I had the cortisone shots – that was the biggest difference in things that I hadn’t had to do before.  Then there was waiting for that to wear off to see what happens.  In between that, I’m just doing a lot of ice, some TENS, the stimulation – the electric stimulation, and then my normal stretching and exercise routine that I always do. Just trying not to push it too hard. I’ve really gotten into bike riding this year, and was in great shape right before that happened in Charlotte. I’ve had to stay off the bike, but I’m looking forward to getting back on it. It feels pretty good out here. I’m happy as hard as you are braking, and all the shifting you are doing out here, I was a little concerned, but it has gone really well. The plane ride out was harder than anything, sitting there for five, six hours.”
 
WOULD YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR RECEPTION AT SONOMA AS COMPARED TO OTHER TRACKS? “I got asked earlier this morning if this was my home track, and I had to think about it because it’s the closest track to my home, and a lot of my family is still here. But, I never saw this race track until 1993 when I drove my first Cup race. I mean, I drove by it; I knew of it.  It is hard to say it is my home track, but this is home for me. I love coming out here, and yet had I not moved to Indiana, I don’t know if I would be here today, and get the reception we get out here, which is a fantastic one. It is awesome. Even my truck driver was saying that the truck parade that was last night in Sacramento, he saw 24 hats everywhere. That is not necessarily the case in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is unique, and it is different. Of course the success we’ve had out here helps to contribute to that.   People like to pull for the hometown boy, or the old guy these days.”
 
TALK ABOUT THE AGGRESSIVE NATURE OF THE ROAD COURSE RACES NOW, AND SECONDLY, YOUR COUSIN IS RACING IN THE K & N RACE; HAVE YOU SPENT ANY TIME WITH HIM? “As far as the first part of the question, definitely road course races we’ve always seen aggressiveness, and sometimes mistakes by people trying to be overly aggressive and making mistakes. That has always been the nature of this track and road course racing because there are two opportunities to really pass, and you try and take advantage of those opportunities. Then when they did the double-file restarts – that is what really changes things. It changed things on the ovals too, but it really changed things on the road courses because it gives you that extra opportunity to be aggressive, to get the position and take some extra chances to try to get that position. Or maintain a position and causes a lot of incidents. We see a lot of people running into one another. But it has also made the road course some of the most exciting races that we have now on the circuit.
 
“As far as James (Bickford), yes I am excited for him. This is his first season in K & N, he’s young, he’s 16 years old and he’s doing really, really well. I know he was nervous about running his first road course. He’s never had to shift, or downshift on a road course before. We were here for a tire test earlier in the year, and I spent a lot of time talking to him. It looks like him doing fairly well, before I left the truck, looks like he was ninth on the board so that is pretty good.  I haven’t had a chance to talk to him because when I am off the track, he is on the track and when I’m on the track, they are off the track. We’ll see if I can catch up with him before his race.”
 
REGARDING THE PANASONIC SPONSORSHIP, WILL YOU BE DRIVING THE CAR FOR THE ENTIRE TIME OF THE SPONSORSHIP?
“I love it. I love it.  We have a lot of sponsors signed for long periods of time. And I know I’ve said in the past that’s how we kind of dictate when I’ll be in the car or I won’t be in the car. But Panasonic has been with Hendrick for a number of years. They’ve just never been on the car and this is a great extension of that for Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 24 car. It doesn’t necessarily say or mean anything of how long I’ll be in the car driving. But I don’t plan on quitting any time soon. Don’t push me; don’t talk me into something I’m not ready to do (laughs). I was smiling when I said that. Just wanted you to know in case I came across too sarcastic. (laughter).
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR SPOTTER
“We depend on our spotters so much at the ovals; sometimes too much, in my opinion. We blame it on the spotter when we’re still in control of the car. And so I think on a road course, when you know there are blind areas out there and that they have bad angles as well and they can’t see everything, you take that into account. Obviously in the closing laps you’re going to take more risk and you expect them to take more risk, but what I normally do here is I talk with my spotter before race day. And I ask where he’s having trouble or where he can see really good and where he can’t. So, in those areas, when somebody is in that blind spot in that area, I’ll probably give a little bit more, or just know it’s at risk in those areas.”
 
HAVE YOU DEVELOPED ANY SUPERSTITIONS OVER THE YEARS? DO YOU PUT A LOT OF STOCK IN THAT?
“Yeah, I can’t say I put a lot of stock into things like that. I think if my routine were to be broken up, and my routine is the schedule comes prior to getting to the race track that weekend. I look at it. I glance at it. And I have an idea of what the expectations are going into each day, especially on race day. If that changes at the last second, it does get me off; and so, we try to make sure that doesn’t happen. Other than that, I like to get dressed at a certain time. I like to have our team meeting at a certain time and get to the car at a certain time and all those things. But, that’s just routine. I don’t feel like it’s any superstitious thing. It’s just preparation for what you have in store for that day.”
 
CAN YOU PUT THE FANS BEHIND THE WHEEL TO DESCRIBE DRIVING A ROAD COURSE?
“It’s always hard to describe whether you’re at Da
ytona or Bristol or at a road course. I love it when I get to talk to people within our sport, or our fans, or anybody out there who gets a chance to get behind the wheel because they’re always blown away at what it takes, and the focus, and how hot it is, and their heart rate and all those things. But on a road course, especially this track in particular, you want to really charge into those corners and brake as deep as you can, but you have to be extremely careful of braking too hard and shifting the weight balance to the front. It really creates a light feeling in the back of the car where the tires start to skip and hop.
 
“And then probably the toughest thing is that braking and matching the rpms and the downshifts. We don’t have paddle shifting and some of the technology that’s out there in cars on the street. So, all that happens through a rhythm and timing of how you go about it. The fuel injection has really helped that quite a bit. It’s just more precise and crisp, so that’s nice. And then the next challenging part is handling the wheel spin. We’re 860 horsepower with a tremendous amount of torque in these engines and not a lot of grip once the tires start to fall off. I could spin the tires in probably every gear if I wanted to.
 
“So it’s just trying to maximize the rear grip and just feed that throttle like there’s an egg underneath it and try to maintain that grip and then go up through the gears. You’re bouncing off curbs. It’s sort of like controlling something that’s completely out of control is how I like to describe it on a road course because it’s pretty amazing that we throw these big heavy cars with so much power around at a track like this, and yet keep it on the course.”
 
REGARDING THE HENDRICK ENGINES, DOES THE TALK ABOUT THAT ACTUALLY DISCREDITS THE EFFORTS & SKILLS OF THE DRIVERS?
“We’re driving great cars. So, I think that Rick (Hendrick) does an excellent job of hiring quality people and I think that’s behind the wheel as well as the people that work on the cars, all the way from crew chiefs to the people that build the engines and chassis. Yeah, I think you’d be discrediting all those efforts and across the board. To go down the straightaways, you’ve got to get through the corners pretty good, too. And right now, I think we’re doing both. So I’m pretty proud of that. And a lot of effort has gone into that. I definitely saw some cars at Michigan last week that were not Hendrick, that didn’t need to be complaining about their engines. They were getting down the straightaway plenty good. We were beating them in the corner, though.
 
“All I know is that over the years when other teams are complaining about us, that’s usually when things are going really well for us. It’s like getting booed. When you’re getting boos, that’s usually a good sign. So, we’re just going to focus on what we’re doing and continue to try to maintain that high level of competition on the track.”
 
EVERYONE HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE HENDRICK ENGINES AND THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT THE TEAM IS REALLY ON A ROLL RIGHT NOW.  WHEN YOU HEAR SOME OF THE OTHER DRIVERS SAYING ABOUT HOW HARD IT IS TO BEAT THE HENDRICK ENGINE DEPARTMENT RIGHT NOW DO YOU FEEL LIKE THEY ARE ALMOST DOWNPLAYING THE SKILLS OF THE DRIVERS?
“We are driving great cars.  I think that Rick does an excellent job of hiring quality people and I think that is behind the wheel as well as the people that work on the cars.  All the way from crew chiefs to the people that build the engines and chassis.  Yeah, I think you would be discrediting all of those efforts and across the board.  To go down the straightaways you’ve got to get through the corners pretty good too.  Right now I think we are doing both.  I’m pretty proud of that.  A lot of effort has gone into that.
 
“I definitely saw some cars at Michigan last week that were not Hendrick cars that didn’t need to be complaining about their engines.  They were getting down the straightaway plenty good.  We were really beating them in the corner though.  All I know if over the years when other teams are complaining about us that is usually when things are going really well for us.  It’s like getting booed.  When you are getting boos that is usually a good sign.  We are just going to focus on what we are doing and continue to try to maintain that kind of high level of competition on the track.”
 
CHEVROLET HAS BEEN IMMENSELY SUCCESSFUL AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY.  CAN YOU SPEAK ON WHY THAT IS?
“It must be all that horsepower.  I just think that Chevrolet has great teams.  We are certainly seeing that this year and a lot of others are going to focus on the Chevrolet’s.  That is fine, that is great.  Certainly they deserve that.  But I think and I’ve seen this throughout my career, you also have to look at the depth of the teams.  I think that Hendrick has a lot of depth, Stewart-Haas has a lot of depth and Richard Childress Racing has a lot of depth.  All of the Chevrolet teams that are out there are just doing a really good job and have some great components to work with.   When you get to Indianapolis you need all of those ingredients.  You’ve got to get down the straightaways, you’ve got to get through the corners, you have got to have good pit stops and Chevrolet teams right now are leading the way in all those departments and have a lot of momentum and I am looking forward to hopefully another Chevrolet being in Victory Lane there.”
 
YOU ARE THE ONLY DRIVER WHO HAS COMPETED IN EVERY SINGLE BRICKYARD 400 WHAT DOES THAT RACE MEAN TO YOU?
“To me as a kid even when I lived her in California and I was racing here it was sprint car racing and the Indy 500 beside the quarter midget racing that I was doing that was what I dreamed about.  It’s what I followed and when we traveled back to Indiana when I was racing quarter midgets visiting the Stanley family we would go over to Indy.  I was just in awe of the museum, the track, the race and so to get that chance to race there is unbelievable.  To know I have won it four times and look at those trophies sitting on my shelf at home is something I am very proud of.”
 
YOU WERE SAYING IT’S BEEN AWHILE SINCE YOU WON HERE, BUT IT’S ALSO BEEN AWHILE SINCE YOU WERE THE POINTS LEADER.  CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW IN YOUR CONFIDENCE IN WHERE YOU ARE IN THE STANDING AND HOW THAT WILL DICTATE WHAT YOU WILL WANT TO DO AND HOW YOU RACE?
“I mean we are very strong team right now with great cars.  I think we have had one of the best starts to the season that I can remember possibly ever having.  When you are in the position that we are in we are happy with that, but at the same time we know we have to keep pushing hard and hard because we have Jimmie Johnson right there next to us with two more wins than us.  We know that we need to get to Victory Lane a few more times and I think we are capable of doing that.  I think that we are a team that can be very consistent and yet also be a real threat to win.  This year the way my cars are running everywhere we go I’m excited to get in it, push the limits of it and I’m having a blast. Every time they drop the green flag I feel like we have a car that can compete for a win. That is very exciting and I’m proud of the effort that has been put in to make that happen.”