NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SPRINT ALL-STAR
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 16, 2014
 
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CARES CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed her performance last week at Kansas, the upcoming 600 race next weekend and more. Full Transcript:
 
HOW DOES YOUR 7TH PLACE FINISH AT KANSAS GIVE YOU MOMENTUM FOR THIS WEEKEND?
“We’re just doing our best as a team to take the positive from Kansas. Sure, emotionally, but really set-up wise and things like that we think will translate and carry those one. I think that’s a good part about doing well is it gives some confidence but it also helps show what stuff works out there. Your car has to be right. You have to qualify well. You have to run strong. You have to make good calls. It all has to get put together. The car is just one part of it.”
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR NEW PUPPY          
‘It was a pretty magical weekend. It was a good night on Saturday night (at Kansas) and then on Mother’s Day I picked up my dog; or our dog I should say. We got a little girl miniature Siberian Husky. Her name is Dallas. She’s really cute. I’m itching my face because she licked it and it itches. So, I just came from seeing her. As I walked away, Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) was holding her and I’m like see babe, you have a little bit of a bad day and you come back and it’s just a little better when you have a little dog to go play with and that will lay with you. She’s been a lot of fun. But she definitely acts like a baby. She wakes up all the time. She poops on the floor, she goes to the bathroom all the time. She’s due for more shots next week, you know, all that stuff.”
 
ONE THING ABOUT A DOG: IT NEVER HAS A BAD DAY
“No, no. No they don’t. Not if you show some love to them. It’s always good because in this cruel sport of racing very rarely are you on Cloud 9. It’s nice to come home to that.”
 
HOW MUCH CONFIDENCE, IF ANY, DID YOU GET FROM KANSAS? IS THAT SOMETHING YOU KNEW YOU HAD IN YOU AND THAT YOU COULD DO, OR WAS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU LEFT THERE LIKE ON CLOUD 9?
“Honestly, I really believe I can do that. I don’t think I would be where I am today without the confidence that I can. At this point in time, after where I’ve been and where I’ve run, it was a little bit of a surprise. But I guess if things had been going well, progressively, from the beginning, these are the kind of races that I would have hoped to have every now and again starting now. But, obviously it hasn’t been nearly that good yet. But that’s really an example of putting a whole weekend together; everything from getting help from my teammates to qualifying well, making good race calls, making good decisions on the car before the race, using our teammates and all the information we have to do that and building a really great new car. You have to have everything together to be able to run up front in the Cup Series. It’s just so hard. So, I’m very proud of everyone for putting it all together and doing a great job.”
 
THE ALL-STAR RACE HAS A HISTORY. RUSTY AND DW IN ’89, KYLE PETTY AND DAVEY ALLISON IN ’92; CRAZY FINISHES IN THE END WHERE DRIVERS DO THINGS THEY MIGHT NOT ORDINARILY DO. WITH A MILLION DOLLARS ON THE LINE, ASSUMING YOU RACE IN, ON SATURDAY NIGHT, WHAT WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO DO FOR THAT MONEY?
“When you’re in the car, you’re not thinking about the fact that I need to pass for a million dollars. If it was about money, I don’t think that would be enough for any of us. It’s about heart and it’s about doing your best and it’s about making the most of the night. So, that’s what’s running through your head is passing the car in front of you. Now, more than anything since it’s not really about money more than anything; it’s just a one-off race, so the results don’t necessarily matter unless you win, so you might as well go for it. For me, that’s what my attitude is toward it. Now if you win a million dollars, that’s great. But if you win the race, you probably already have a million dollars. So, it’s icing on the cake. Now if it was like $5 million, it might make you think. I’ll pass for $5 million.”
 
WHAT WORKED SO WELL AT KANSAS? DID THE CAR JUST GO WHEREVER YOU PUT IT? WERE YOU JUST MORE DARING?
“It’s something that happens two-fold. I think when the car is good, you can be more daring because it’s not going to step out on you and you trust it and you know what it’s going to do. When things aren’t as good on track and the car doesn’t feel as good, then it’s a lot harder to be more brave because there is a higher likelihood that it’s not going to end well. So, for me, the big difference was that it was really good on restarts. It was really stuck in traffic. And it was really good in the long run. I never noticed a lack of grip at any point. For me that was what I noticed last weekend above any other weekend was the consistency of it. That’s what allowed me to be able to have great restarts, or definitely not really lose a lot, which has been qualifying I would say. And restarts are a place where it comes up that I need to work on it and it’s true. Yes, that is the case, but I think last weekend, you see what can happen when the car is right and that gives me the confidence to do more. And I think that as time goes on and you get more seasoned as a driver, you can overcome some of that, for sure. But it’s still got to be good.”
 
SOME DRIVERS TALK ABOUT THE DAY THE LIGHT WENT ON AND THAT THEY SORT OF GOT WHAT’S GOING ON OUT THERE. WAS THERE ANY OF THAT ASPECT TO IT FOR YOU AT KANSAS? DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’VE TURNED A CORNER WITH THAT PERFORMANCE?
“No. It was a good weekend. I feel like I’m feeling the car better and better, but I don’t think it was a light switch for me. It was just a weekend that so many good things happened in the race and we ran with such good cars and passed such good cars that for me it gives me confidence, for sure. Like I said, I’ve always believed I can do that but when you’re head-to-head with guys like Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson and Dale Jr.’ when you’re head-to-head with those guys then it’s another story on it’s own. I think that if we keep doing what we’re doing and keep our heads down and not get flustered; not every single weekend is going to be like that for anyone. But we’ll have more of those, for sure.”
 
IN LOOKING AHEAD TO THE COCA-COLA 600, HOW DO YOU MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THAT RACE WITH IT BEING SO LONG?
“Oh, what’s another 100 miles on top of 500? It really doesn’t seem that long. I did it the last two years, right? Last year seemed pretty quick. Mind you, I did get crashed. A lot of it has to do with how you’re doing and how the car is; what’s happening on track, are you actually racing people throughout the race? I always felt like Darlington was the longest race in the whole world. It felt like 800 miles to me. But for some reason this year it went quick. So, actually, I just think it has to do with how your race is going. Another 100 miles, if you’re running well, is going to help; if not, then it’s not. Other than that, it’s just another long race and we have a lot of them.”
 
IS THERE LESS GRIP HERE THAN IN KANSAS? DOES THE CHALLENGE RESUME HERE AT CHARLOTTE? ALSO, MARK MARTIN IS BACK. HAVE YOU HAD MUCH CONVERSATION WITH HIM?
“Yeah, the grip level at Kansas is higher, but they also give you a harder tire. It’s not as though they are worlds apart, but there is less grip here. And the track is rougher and seems to wear the tires out a little bit more. So there is a little bit more of a difference in getting to the end of a run. And yeah, Mark is back. I walked into the hauler this morning and saw him. He’s been not feeling so great throughout the beginning of the year and was intending to be around every weekend or most weekends, to sort of
help out and fast-forward the learning curve and play a part as much as he could to help with that. It’s good to see him. He’s obviously great around here so it’s nice for him to come to this one (race). It’s nice to have one more driver on my side who has a ton of experience that can help me; especially on e that’s not in the car that can see everything that’s going on and hear it. Every little bit helps. I’m never mad when someone has a suggestion or something they think will help me. I’ll always try it. And sometimes they are just nice little reminders every now and again about getting down to the line or trying high. I mean you kind of get in such a rhythm of trying to make the most out of what you think is best that you think you need to step out. Sometimes it’s just simple little reminders that are nice.”
 
REGARDING YOUR RECENT SUCCESS IN KNOCK-OUT QUALIFYING AND IF THAT MOMENTUM CAN HELP YOU TODAY IN THE SHOWDOWN QUALIFYING FORMAT
“It’s definitely better.  It’s obviously something that I needed to work on but you still have to have a good car and the first top-10 was at Martinsville.   We saw how I ran that day, and I was absolutely terrible that day.  It’s not everything, but it definitely helps.  I would venture to say that when knock-out qualifying happens and we all get done with our first run, there are a heck of a lot more times that I have been in the top-15.  Most of the time when I finally get things going in knock-out qualifying, then it’s like last weekend everybody goes out again and goes faster. So, no, it’s like I said at the beginning of the year; it all evens out in the end.  There are times when you find speed, and you make something happen and you get in.  Then there are times that you get in on a good time and you go out and you go from being 11th overall in first round and then you are 24th – and that sucked.  So if it’s more interesting for the fans, then that is the most important thing for our sport because we are fan-driven so much.   We have to keep them entertained for sure, keep them watching and interesting.  At the end of the day it’s just racing, driving as fast as you can, and more of it.”
 
DID THE KANSAS FINISH LAST WEEK CHANGE YOUR CONFIDENCE IN YOUR 1.5 MILE PROGRAM, OR OVERALL?
“Weekends like that are just good signs.  They show hard work by everybody and they make you excited to do it more. So I think the optimism level goes up because you are riding high and you want to keep doing that.  I think we have to keep our expectation levels in check a little bit and make sure we don’t just expect to go out there and run in the top-five or top-ten every time now.  We have to remember that there is a process to it and we skipped over top-15s and went straight to top-10s.  Shoot we pretty much skipped over top-20s and didn’t have many of those either.  We have to keep improving and have to keep getting in the thick of the good drivers and move up like that. It definitely gives confidence, it’s definitely a good sign, and definitely good to have those races.  We just hope to have them more often.”
 
REGARDING THE FAN VOTE AND IF THAT GIVES YOU CONFIDENCE IN THE RACE
“I was very fortunate to win the Sprint Fan Vote last year and it was great, great racing and practice.  It was a good challenge for me before the Coke 600, which we were having a pretty good race in the Coke 600
and it definitely helped.  What can I say? I am just really fortunate.  My fans are awesome, there are so many of them that defend me and support me to the bitter end.  It’s cool that they can play a part in my racing career, and that is what they do. For them to be able to use their voice or their fingers to vote for me, get me more track time, and help me be better – that is playing a part. So, I am really fortunate for that. And hopefully that happens; and if not, then not. Definitely every driver wants to race their way in and not even have to think about the fan vote, and that is my plan tonight.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 16, 2014
 
PARKER KLIGERMAN, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway and discussed his role as Kurt Busch’s backup at this weekend’s Sprint All-Star Race and next weekend’s Coca-Cola 600, among other topics. Full Transcript:
 
TELL US ABOUT YOUR SITUATION FOR THIS TWO WEEKS HERE.
“It’s obviously a unique opportunity. It’s not kind of something that is conventional in our sport – to show up and having the chance to drive one of the top cars in our sport in a practice session and be a fly on the wall for the rest of the situations that are going on and the races. I kind of harken it back to my time at Penske when I did it for Brad (Keselowski) on the Nationwide side and also on the 22 car at the Cup level at Michigan two years ago. So I’ve done this at little bit before. But obviously jumping into a new team at Stewart-Haas Racing and Haas Automation, and having this opportunity from Kurt (Busch) and everyone here to have the belief in me to come in here and do a good job is flattering. Hopefully I’ll make the best of it.”
 
HOW DID IT COME ABOUT?
“Honestly, Kurt called me two weeks ago. Actually he was texting me first, and I was like ‘Why is Kurt texting me?’ Occasionally I’ve gone to him for some advice here and there, but this was out of the blue. I started thinking, ‘Why would he need to text me.’ Then he asked if he could call and I said ‘Yeah, call me.’ So he called me and said he knew about my situation and all but he said, ‘This is the kind of call you want to get. Would you be willing to come and practice my car for me and be on standby as I do this double deal (at the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600)?’
 
“We kind of fit in the same seat and we know this from our time at Penske. He knew my feedback and our driving styles are similar so I absolutely said yes; this is one of those opportunities where you can’t say anything other than yes.”
 
HOW MUCH HAVE YOU DONE ALREADY AT THE SHOP, AND WHAT’S THE PLAN AT THE TRACK?
“We did a seat fitting on Monday and Tuesday. We’re trying to keep it close to Kurt. His insert is in it, his seat belts are in it and his wheel position. The only we had to do is move the pedals back, which we’re not excited about. Kurt and I have to figure that out for the 600 just because he has longer legs. We’re about the same height but I have a little broader shoulders so I’m a little cramped in there. If I do have to drive the car for some extended hours, I will be a little beat up but that’s all in helping Kurt do this, complete 1,100 miles and help this Haas Automation Chevy SS team be at the level they are used to being… which is up front.”
 
WHAT’S THE PLAN STARTING HERE THIS WEEKEND TO GET YOU SEAT TIME?
“Kurt came in Wednesday when it was raining in Indy. He flew back and we were able to sit down with Daniel (Knost), his crew chief, to go over everything and see how it’s all going to work out. Honestly, it’s a
play-it-by-ear. We all have a plan and a set idea of how it should work out. If everything goes to plan, Kurt will be here for everything almost – aside from today. Obviously barring weather and situations that can happen, we have to be prepared for everyone on this No. 41 team. Hopefully everything falls in place and Kurt races 1,100 miles and run up front. That’s the most important thing.”
 
IS PART OF YOU HOPING YOU HE DOESN’T MAKE IT BACK AND YOU GET A CHANCE TO RACE A CAR OF THIS QUALITY?
“That’s not fair to say. I absolutely hope Kurt is able to do all 1,100 miles. Obviously if something were to happen, I’d be prepared to go out there and do the 600 miles and have the chance to run this Haas Automation Chevy SS. But as I’ve said before, that’s not my mindset. My mindset is to help this team be at the level they are used to being at, which is up front and being prepared to go out there and win races so that when Kurt shows up, he’s ready to go out there and have the best and easiest transition between an IndyCar and stock car, which is tough in itself.”
 
HAS IT BEEN HARD FOR YOU NOT TO BE IN THE CAR THIS WEEK?
“It’s been kind of refreshing, to be honest. When you’re at the back end of the Cup series and fighting and in those teams that are struggling a little bit, it can wear on you. I’ve been at this NASCAR deal for five years. I’m still young but I don’t look back. It’s one of those things that can wear on you and wear on you. It’s a little refreshing to step back, take account of where you’re at and look at the opportunities out there and say, ‘You know what…I’m not going to do opportunities like that any more.’ I’m going to look at opportunities that can forward my career and put me in better positions to win races no matter where it’s at and make sure I’m staying at the forefront of the series instead of trying to do the thing of building a team up, which as I think you saw just doesn’t really work.”
 
TWO WEEKS AGO, WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU’D BE DOING THIS WEEKEND?
“I was going to be going to Indy, and I still might go to Indy. I think I’ll be going there Sunday for Pole Day and some other things – meeting with some people, which will be fun. I would have been there earlier than I would have been there now, so I’ll fly back for the 600 weekend. I guess Kurt and I are both doing the same Indy-to-Charlotte travel. We’re kind of in the same boat a little bit but obviously he has a lot more going on.”
 
YOU’RE NOT GOING WITH KURT SUNDAY?
“We haven’t talked about it. Funny enough, last night we were talking about the travel situation and I said, ‘You know what, I think Kurt is flying out then.’ I don’t know exactly what his schedule is in that sense. I know it’s just all in the air in terms of were they qualify and how qualifying works out for him. A lot of his mindset, I think, is to cut down on the travel as much as possible so he’s rested and ready to go.”
 
ARE YOU LOOKING AT A MOVE TO OPEN-WHEEL? IS THAT THE REASON YOU’RE GOING TO INDY?
“We’ll see.”
 
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GET THIS OPPORTUNITY?
“As I said before, I’m very grateful and honored to have the opportunity and to have someone like Kurt, a champion of our sport, to have the belief in me to come here and do this for him. As we said Wednesday, there is a million dollars on the line in this practice session in what we do here will help him go out there and fight for a million bucks. That’s pretty cool. And obviously with the 600 weekend and all that he has going on, to know that in some ways he has the peace of mind to believe in me to do the right thing with his race car. As a driver it’s a great honor and confidence inspiring that a great champion of our sport has that respect for me. Hopefully I do a great job and other opportunities will come from it.”
 
HOW DOES ANOTHER DRIVER SET UP A CAR ESPECIALLY ON A TRACK WHERE YOU ARE PRACTICING DURING THE DAY FOR A RACE AT NIGHT?
“That’s really tough. Stepping into new equipment is tough and his seat and all that – it all adds up. I don’t expect to set the world on fire because that’s a tough situation, especially at this level. But the things that we can do with Daniel and everyone on this 41 Stewart-Hass Racing team… everyone is a professional. They have a great notebook of what Kurt likes, what they’ve been fighting and what they’ve been working on. They also have three great teammates in Danica (Patrick), Kevin (Harvick) and Tony (Stewart). And so all that information relays back to where I’m giving them feedback and direction on the 41 car – giving them a baseline. From there, they will make the decision on where the car goes through the other teammates and through all that info with what they decide
to do for when Kurt steps into the car.”
 
ARE YOU EXPECTED TO QUALIFY?
“I know I’m doing pit road practice; so that will be interesting. But we’re playing it by ear. I believe he should be here for qualifying and everything; he’s planning to be here for the drivers’ meeting and be on time and be ready to go.”
 
INAUDIBLE.
“It’s all in the working stages. Part of that is going to Indy and meeting with people. As I said before, my sole focus is when an opportunity comes, it’s the right opportunity. At 23 years old, I’m still very young to be at this level and at this height in the sport. I’ve got time on my side. So I feel like making sure that when the opportunity comes, it’s the right one and the one I want to do and that I’m enthused about. Hopefully that can forward my career and I can do a good job in that situation. The time in between is making sure it’s right and putting the puzzle pieces together to have all those things to go out there to win races.”
 
DID YOU GET ADVICE FROM ANYONE ABOUT WHAT YOU COULD DO RIGHT NOW?
“No. It’s such a unique thing. I think some people looked at me like I was crazy when I didn’t take some of the things I was offered – especially the people offering them. I guess sometimes you have to look in your heart at what you want to do. Just being here and being part of this isn’t in my interest. It’s not what I want to do as a racecar driver and a competitor. I want to be at the front. I want chances to win and chances to run for a championship. Just hanging around and surviving isn’t something I’m interested in. I would just as gladly do something else that I can be successful in rather than just survive and hang around. Taking the time to find those right opportunities to build the puzzle pieces and put them together… I’m more enthused about that. It’s fun and it’s exciting. I know those things will come together. You never know where everything will lead. But I’m just grateful for this opportunity in the Haas Automation Chevy with Stewart-Haas Racing and to be aligned with another great Sprint Cup team to see how they operate and see the professionalism of this organization and hopefully continue to align myself with teams of this caliber.”
 
IS IT TOUGH STAYING PATIENT?
“Yes, it is tough. Patience has never been a virtue of mine. But at this, I’m learning it. It’s the summer; it’s a beautiful time and I get some time off. When I come back, hopefully I’ll be refreshed and ready go to in a place where I can win races and run up front. That’s what keeps me calmed down and level. I know when it does come together, it will be the right thing.”
 
HOW MUCH INTERACTION HAVE YOU HAD WITH YOUR NEW TEAMMATES IN THE PAST – TONY, DANICA AND DANICA?
“Honestly not much. Those are three people in the sport that I haven’t associated with that much at all. Like I said, Kurt and I were associated a lot at Penske. That was kind of the connection here. I haven’t talked to them but hopefully I’ll get the chance to at least talk to them over the next two weeks and get to know them. Obviously all three are top-caliber drivers and champions of our sport. Kevin’s obviously on fire right now. It’s a great place to be. There is a lot of momentum and a massive amount of professionalism in this organization. It’s a great atmosphere to be around as a young driver.”
 
CAN YOU TALK MORE ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH KURT?
“We were at Penske together for years when I was a development driver. I did a lot of testing when he was in the 2 car then the 22 car. We were at tests a lot together. I was always at a race track around him and that sort of thing. He was a guy I was able to go for advice like when I went to Kyle Busch’s Nationwide team, which he had driven for the year before. So there were so many parallels there. Maybe we will go a couple months without talking but when we do we hit it right off again and never stop talking. So I was not surprised to get the call as much as being grateful and honored. For someone of his caliber to give me a call and as someone who I was thought was kind of a kid who annoyed him sometimes… he had a respect for me and my driving ability, and that was really gratifying.”
 
MENTALLY, DO YOU HAVE TO PREPARE YOURSELF TO START THE 600 REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS?
“Yeah, physically and mentally. The funniest thing is that I told Kurt two weeks ago when I got the call… I know he’s a little slimmer than me and I have a little broader shoulders. So I stopped weight training and lifting and started running and cardio – heat training and that sort of thing. I don’t know if it made a difference and I didn’t keep track. I don’t know if I am slimmer; I feel slimmer. But in the event that something were to happen and even to do this practice, making sure that we can be as aligned as possible in this seat is what matters most. In the event that did happened and I need to do 600 miles, yes I’m ready to do 600 miles.”
 
SO IF EVERYTHING GOES TO PLAN IN KURT’S FAVOR, THE ONLY TIME YOU’LL BE IN THE CAR OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS WILL BE TODAY?
“Today and a little bit for practice on either Thursday or (next) Saturday. I need to do a couple laps just to be able to start.”
 
SAYING THAT, CAN WE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT – NASCAR POSSIBLY  LETTING A ROOKIE DRIVER TO START A CUP RACE?
“Yeah, and a thank you NASCAR for allowing that for this whole opportunity. I’ve raced in the Trucks and Nationwide levels for now three years and obviously started in Cup for six months. I’m not a full-on rookie; it’s not like I haven’t raced at Charlotte at bunch of times. Maybe they looked at all that and were able to account for that. As long as I get to practice for a couple of laps, I’ll know the car and I’ll know the track. It should be all fine and we’ll go from there. I’m glad they were able to work that out otherwise it could have been a hitch.”
 
WERE YOU ABLE TO NEGOTIATE AN F1 TEST AS PART OF THE DEAL?
“I haven’t met Gene (Haas) yet but maybe if I see him I’ll nudge him or something! I think that’s a really exciting for everyone in our country. It’s amazing deal for someone like Gene Haas to take on. It shows once again his passion for the sport. When I walked into Stewart-Haas, I hadn’t ever been there and it was an amazing facility. You saw all the expansion that was going on. I started to realize that this is a guy who may have been a little quiet but he has a such a passion for the sport and is at such a high level in our sport that going to do F1 is no surprise. Hopefully it works out for him. Hey, if I could ever be a part of it, I’d take it!”
 
DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU MIGHT MEET HIM?
“I believe tomorrow. We’ll see. It’s down the road but I think it’s amazing for America to be represented in F1.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 16, 2014
 
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET, MET WITH MEDIA TODAY TO DISCUSS THE UPCOMING ALL-STAR RACE, THE FORMAT, NNS DRIVER CHASE ELLIOTT, MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, AND MORE.  Full Transcript:
 
DALE, YOU WON THIS RACE IN YOUR ROOKIE SEASON AND YOU LIKE COMING BACK AND RUNNING THIS RACE AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY, TALK ABOUT YOUR MINDSET FOR THE ALL STAR RACE AND COKE 600 OVER THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS
“Well, we will just use this weekend to see if we can find speed in the car and try and prepare ourselves for the 600.  It’s a great opportunity to really be at the race track and get some laps in race condition to try and give yourself the best opportunity to win the 600-miler.  There is a lot of money on the line this weekend, which is basically all we are going to be racing for, but there is a lot to be learned too.  So you try and pay attention to what you are doing and what you are feeling in your car so you can use those notes next week.  You try to look at what your teammates are doing, learning and what they are doing that you might not be able to try that you might want to do next week when you are going through next weekend.  There is a lot to be learned and hopefully we will get our car going pretty quick.”
 
REGARDING CHASE ELLIOTT, DO YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO SPEED UP HIS PREP BASED ON WHAT HE HAS BEEN DOING, OR DO YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO SLOW DOWN HIS PREP?
“I don’t think you do either one.  I think you just set a plan from the start, and you stick with it.  We have like a two-year plan I suppose, that he runs in the Nationwide Series and I think you just stick with the plan regardless of the success he is having.  You have the commitments in line with sponsors and what have you, so I think it will suit him well to relax and not have to worry about that and just follow the plan that he has had in front of him from the start.  He is really young too, so he has a lot of time on his hands and time to get to Cup level to realize that potential, one day.  But yes, I think he can just sit there and relax knowing what we tried to set out to do from the start and not really adjust.”
 
WHAT DO YOU THINK GUYS ARE WILLING TO DO THESE DAYS TO WIN A MILLION DOLLARS?  DO YOU THINK THE FINISH OF THIS RACE WILL BE LIKE ANY RACE OR WILL GUYS REALLY CROSS SOME LINES AT THE END HERE?
“I think it’s really going to depend how close and how much within reach the million dollars really is.  If you can reach out and grab somebody you will get pretty aggressive for a million dollars.  It just depends on if someone is in reach.  If a guy jumps out in that last 10 laps and gets a good lead, what can you do and what are you going to be able to do?  If you can run a guy down, it’s going to get interesting.  If anybody gets within reach of someone at any time within those final 10 laps then it’s going to get pretty aggressive between both drivers I believe.  I hope that it will be close, unless I am leading, and if we are leading I hope we are leading by a straightaway.  Hope it real boring.”
 
IS THE MEMORIAL DAY RACE A LITTLE MORE SPECIAL TO YOU SINCE YOU HAVE WORKED WITH THE NATIONAL GUARD AND DONE SO MANY THINGS WITH THEM OVER THE YEARS?
“That is a good question.  I think working with the Guard is, and I hate to keep saying it over and over, but it’s so different than working with a corporate sponsor.  It’s such a heavy responsibility and it’s just a big deal.  I learned working with the Navy years ago, that working with the military in a primary sponsor role is a big deal, and a little heavier than the things I had done in the past.  The Guard is a lot of fun and they are very creative with what we do together.  We have gotten to shoot some big guns, drive tanks, and get to do a lot of things people don’t get to do.
 
“I have met some great people that have heard some great stories.  Whether it was their experience in the Guard, or why they joined.  I always find it really fascinating to ask someone what encouraged them to make that decision because it’s such a life choice.  It’s really interesting to hear what makes somebody choose to make that choice to join the military.  Obviously hearing their experiences is really interesting but just about the choice and why they make that choice.
 
“Everybody has a different reason but I have had a great experience and really appreciate it.  I really cherish it, and think it’s affected me to just be that close to it and see the things that go on behind the scenes.”
 
CAN YOU GIVE US ANY INSIGHT INTO YOUR MATCH RACE WITH CHARLES BARKLEY TODAY?
“I am not supposed to tell you how it went because they want to leave it for the episode.  I guess it’s going to run on TNT with their pre-race coverage, somewhere like Pocono.  I will tell you this.  I was really surprised about how nice he was.  I expected him to be a competitor, a little more aggressive in just his personality in knowing what kind of basketball player he was and the kind of guy he was on the court.  He was fiery, and aggressive, and getting in tussles.  But he was super nice.  He just came in and was just really gracious and has an appreciation for our sport and was just a real nice guy to be around. We will just have to save the results for later, but you can imagine how it went.”
 
WHAT IS THE ART FOR RACING THE ALL-STAR, A RACE THAT IS SO INTENSE AND SO SHORT?
“I don’t know that there’s an art to it. You need to be up front at the last re-start. Obviously you’re not going to drive through a handful of guys. As late as it gets in the night, at this track, the groove narrows-up. It gets faster and faster on the bottom and there’s no time to be gained in trying to step-up the race track or run the high line like you might during the afternoon. So, it’s a really fascinating race track in the middle of the day. But as it gets darker and darker and cooler and cooler, the groove really shortens up. So you need to be in that top 3 I think, to have a shot at it. Unless those guys kind of get bottled up banging on each other and somebody scoots around on the top on the restart real quick, I don’t know that you’re going to have much of a chance at winning the race.
 
“That doesn’t sound all that great. But what that does do is it makes everything in the first several segments count. And it makes you really have to hustle in all those segments to get everything you can to give yourself that opportunity to start as high as you can in the last segment. So, the way it’s laid out actually, it really pushes you to work every lap, every single restart, and every opportunity you can seize a position, you want to do it.”
 
YOUR TEAMMATE JIMMIE JOHNSON HASN’T WON ALL YEAR AND HE HASN’T WON FOR 14 RACES. DOES THAT MEAN THAT HE’S A ‘NORMAL’ DRIVER NOW?
“That’s like a 72 race slump, almost, for him (laughs). Somebody gets that one (laughter). I don’t think it’s a big deal, man. They are obviously still kind of searching for what they’re looking for. They’re still searching for some speed. They had bad luck with the clutch last week. I saw the speed and potential in his car when he got the lead last week and I’m thinking he could win the race if he stays up there. But, they had the clutch (problem) and changed their strategy. But you know, I think it says a lot about the competition in the rest of the teams, the changes in drivers and crew chief; for example in the No. 4 car (Kevin Harvick), you’ve got new players and guys up there mixing it up. We’ve gotten better. Jeff’s (Gordon) team has gotten better. I think there’s just a little bit tougher competition.
 
“That’s just a little bit of it. Bu
t I think they’re just kind of searching with the new rules and where to get Jimmie comfortable and fast and find the speed. I’ve seen them have speed and then sometimes they just don’t, for whatever reason. And when they get in traffic or something they’ve had a little trouble in traffic. It seems like that was the case last week when he’d get back there in the pack he couldn’t really do much. But if he was out front, he was perfectly fine. But they’ll figure it out. It will happen at some damn race race track like this. He’ll go out and just wax everybody and then everything is fine for the rest of the year. They’ll just hit on it and keep going.”
 
WHEN YOU WON THE WINSTON BACK IN 2000, THE WINNER’S SHARE WAS HALF A MILLION DOLLARS. IS THAT LIKE THE BIGGEST CHECK YOU HAD EVER SEEN? DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU DID WITH THE MONEY?
“I don’t think I ever saw it (laughter). I was driving for Daddy back then (more laughter). He got all that money (laughs). But yeah, I really didn’t care about it you know? I mean it was a big deal, money-wise, but just him being there in Victory Lane and him being in the race and passing him in the last 10 laps like we did. And just winning it blew us away. And we were thinking bigger than a half-million dollars with how we were a rookie and we come in and won a few races and then we win the All-Star race and man, we were thinking far further ahead than that check we had. It was a very cool deal. And really one of the most fun Victory Lanes I can remember aside from the Daytona race this year. It was really just a lot of raw emotion and it just felt great.”
 
GIVEN THE NATURE OF THIS RACE AND THE SEGMENTS THAT ARE RUN; AND YOU MENTIONED YOU HOPE IT’S BORING IF YOU’RE A STRAIGHTAWAY AHEAD IN THE LAST TEN. WOULD YOU BE IN FAVOR OF LEAVING THE ALL-STAR RACE HERE OR WOULD YOU BE IN FAVOR OF MOVING IT TO A TRACK WHERE THINGS COULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE DOWN THE STRETCH IN THAT LAST SEGMENT?
“I think that I wouldn’t be opposed to changing it up a little bit. I kind of thought it wasn’t broke in ’87. I thought that was a pretty good All-Star race. And you’re not going to have that every year. And the track has changed. Obviously we’ve got the repave and the surface. The surface here is indestructible. I mean we can’t wear it out for some reason. But I think that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take it to Bristol or somewhere like that and mix it up a little bit. But I’m really in favor of the older format where it was like 50/25/10 or whatever it was back in the late 80’s. The 10-lap segment at the end has got to be that way. You’ve got to really make a fourth-in-one kind of deal. But the track itself, I think you could take it to several tracks and have different results. You could run it at Bristol ten years in a row and some are going to be awesome and some aren’t. It’s just the same way you’re going to have it here. I think that the venue can make a little bit of a difference, but we just have to hope that everything works out in our favor and we get an exciting finish however it needs to happen. And sometimes it will and sometimes it won’t.”

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY                 
 
CHIP GANASSI – TEAM OWNER, MIKE HULL – TEAM MANAGER, .SCOTT DIXON – NO. 9 TARGET CHEVROLET,  TONY KANAAN – NO. 10 TARGET CHEVROLET, RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHEVROLET AND
CHARLIE KIMBALL – NO. 83 NOVOLOG FLEXPEN CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Full transcript:
 
THE MODERATOR:  We’re joined by Chip Ganassi Racing, their fleet of drivers.  We have Chip Ganassi with us, Mike Hull, Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Charlie Kimball, and also Ryan Briscoe.
A quick question to each.
Charlie, really nice finish in the Grand Prix.  I’m going to roll back the clock to the last race of the year last year.  I know there were some problems, but you were running very strong in the 500.  Having come here now as a race winner in the series, a good performance, and at California, you have to be pretty confident.
CHARLIE KIMBALL:  Yeah, I think any time you show up to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a Chip Ganassi car, you’re confident.
The equipment we have is capable of winning.  We all believe that as a team.  That’s the expectation every time you show up here.
As a team, it’s nice to have that opportunity.  As a driver coming in with that confidence from my first race win last year, as well as the progress we made through the 500-mile races last year, part of the Chip Ganassi podium sweep at Pocono, then the 500-miler at California, leading near the end with a mechanical problem.
We definitely come into the month with a little bit of confidence in the whole team.  But as I said, any time you show up in a Chip Ganassi Racing car, as drivers I think you believe you have the opportunity to go out and win the race.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Ryan, we see you back in a familiar team with familiar folks around you.  You have to be awfully happy about your opportunities this month.
RYAN BRISCOE:  Yeah, it’s great.  It’s so good to be here.  It’s a great team.  I’ve got an unbelievable group of guys around me.  A lot of familiar faces, great teammates.
So far the month has been going really well.  Car has been feeling strong out there.  Yeah, it’s been good.
We’re just going to keep that momentum going, just looking forward to the new qualifying procedures this weekend and getting ready for the race.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Scott, I look back to your championship year, I often think back, how many championships you could have under your belt with a cup or two of extra of fuel.  You come back to a place where you tasted the milk.
SCOTT DIXON:  Last year was one of the most enjoyable ones.  It was very hairy through the mid part.  The start of the season was a bit soft.  To come back the way we did as a group was a tremendous feat.  Really excited about that.
This year we tried to kick it off a little smoother.  It hasn’t gone to plan as of yet.  But I think the team has great speed.  We’ve come up short in a couple different places.  But excited for the month of May as always.  We would have liked to have started the month a little stronger on the road course without the collision that we had.
This month is one of the toughest, but also one of the most rewarding in many ways.  Our plan is obviously to try and come as a team, and one of us be drinking the milk.
I think we’ve put ourselves in a good position so far.  Once we get to qualifying we’ll see where we really stand.  As far as the racecars go, we’ve been pretty happy so far.
As always, excited to be here.  Hopefully we can come through.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Tony, I don’t think there’s any question that your victory is one of the most popular we’ve seen at this place in a long time.  Fan reaction was clear.  Then we have the unusual situation where your future is a little unsettled as an Indianapolis 500 winner.  You have to feel awfully good about where you landed.
TONY KANAAN:  Oh, for sure.  Chip made sure my future was extremely settled after that.  I can’t thank him enough for that.
The win helped us big-time.  There’s no secret how much we struggled with sponsorship last year.  We didn’t even know if we were going to continue after this race at this point.  It was extremely important, really cool.  Because of that I am where I am right now.
I’m in a good place, happy to be here, working hard with my teammates to give Target Chip Ganassi Racing another win.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Mike, when we talk to individuals who have had experience in Formula One, one thing they mark as very different is the notion of sharing information, the teamwork that goes into IndyCar-style racing.  You have a driver in Scott Dixon who has had a remarkably long relationship with this team.  You lose a guy like Dario Franchitti, but you add a guy like Tony Kanaan.  How important is experience and leadership among drivers when you’re trying to orchestrate a team effort?
MIKE HULL:  I think what’s in common with all four of the drivers we have here is they’re closers.  That’s what you need.  You have to have drivers that when they have the opportunity they get it done.
The information they share among themselves, we do it we think in an unselfish manner.
You put those two things together, the information stream, the fact they can get the job done, if you put yourself in a position to win the race, then it’s up to you from that point onward.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Chip, in any successful business you surround yourself with the best possible people to be successful.  You come here with one objective like all the teams, and that’s to win.  I take a look at the lineup of the guys you have.  In your perspective, I would think, You’ve come here with a squad winning the Borg-Warner again.
CHIP GANASSI:  Thanks.  Each year you make improvements to your team, you add people, you look at your competitors.  They’re not standing still either.  I think that’s important to keep in mind.  Everybody improves in the off-season.
We feel the improvements we made are what we needed.  We obviously had a curve ball thrown at us with Dario.  But to have a guy like Tony Kanaan there to step in, I think it’s been seamless and very good.
We haven’t given Tony the car that he needs yet.  We’ve had a few little issues in the first few races, but we feel those are pretty much behind us now.  We’re looking forward to the month of May.
In terms of Scott, same thing with Dixon.  He never seems to come out of the blocks hard at the beginning of the season, but that’s sort of our normal thing.  But we’re happy where we are.  We’re happy coming into May.
And Ryan, Charlie, Charlie coming back as a race winner, had a great run at Fontana.  I think that’s important to keep in mind.  Ryan stepping up, coming back to a familiar group of people.  We’re very, very happy to have him a part of this.
I’m honored to have all these five guys sitting next to me, I can tell you.
 
THE MODERATOR:  We’ll take questions.
Q.        Mike, your team changed from last year to this year with the engine manufacturer.  Installation-wise, was it necessary to modify the chassis or are they equal?
MIKE HULL:  That’s a good question, first of all.
If it would have been in the first year of the engine formula, then there would be big change, big teething things.  When the engine architecturally is moving forward slightly, the installation is quite easy by comparison to what it was at the beginning.  It’s been a
seamless transition.
If you look at that with the addition of the fact that the entire General Motors group works extremely hard to make sure that we hit the ground running.  We did that at the very first test we did in the off-season.  I think we looked at each other and didn’t even realize we changed engines.
It’s been a great opportunity for us with Chevrolet. 
 
Q.        Chip and Mike, you both talked about Scott’s legacy at this point in his career.  Why has he been so consistent for so long, been such a good fit for this organization, and where do you feel he ranks among the all-time open-wheel racers?
MIKE HULL:  I think because he doesn’t stop learning.  He doesn’t allow what he’s just done to be the high point in his life, in his career.  He only uses that as a springboard for the next day.
We sometimes say that he treats it like a tear-off.  He just keeps going.  He’s frustrated when he doesn’t do well.  We feel the frustration.  But he’s happy when he does well.  We feel that happiness, too.
I think his personality matches our group very well.  We just do not stop learning together, and he represents us.  I wish we could clone him, to be honest about it, moving forward because he’s the kind of person you need driving your racecar.
He gets it done today.  That’s what counts.
CHIP GANASSI:  Yeah, I would echo Mike’s comments.  I would only add that one of the things we liked early on about Scott Dixon was he doesn’t seem to carry much baggage with him.  We liked that about him.  That might explain the longevity with the team, and I hope the other drivers are listening to that (laughter).
But, no, we’re obviously very proud to have Scott.  When you talk about legacies, you have to add the driver that was his teammate last year, as well, in that conversation when you talk about great drivers.
That will be something someday for you in the media to talk about.  I don’t think it’s our position in the race team to talk about that.  We certainly think his name deserves to be up there as well.
 
Q.        Chip and Mike, how much of what you do and decide, how much of it is science and how much of it is gut?
CHIP GANASSI:  Mike does more of the science thing and I do more of the gut thing (smiling).
Obviously from track to track that changes, I think.  When your car is fast, you can start thinking about the science.  When your car is slow, you’re thinking about anything and everything.  You lean more on your gut maybe when you’re challenged in your performance that particular day.
So I think that changes.  At a place like Indianapolis, that may change three or four times during the race.  You may go from science to gut or gut to science or back and forth a few times.
I think if you rely on one too much you’re going to be sadly left out of the celebration at the end.  I think you need a combination of both.
MIKE HULL:  Yeah, I think they probably go together much more so than what people might realize.  It’s about the people that surround your program.  You can’t make decisions from the gut without the reliance of the people that help you make that decision.  That includes the race driver because the race driver is the integral part of what happens when the wheels are going around the racetrack.
But the way those wheels turn is all about making sure that it’s eyes wide open with the people’s input that you listen to when you make those decisions.
It goes from choosing the driver to then listening to the driver on the racetrack.
 
Q.        For the drivers, managing the race inside the helmet, traffic, strategy, stress, against desire, is this the most difficult race to manage of the season inside the helmet?
SCOTT DIXON:  I think it goes through stages.  Obviously it depends a lot on how the race is playing out for you.  I think if you’re in a comfortable situation, your demeanor is a little more comfortable throughout.
I think with the style of racing we saw last year, it’s pretty hectic for the three and a half hours straight up.  Your emotions go through rollercoasters like anybody in a high-stress situation.  I think the biggest thing is trying to concentrate on what’s ahead, what you need to improve.  You have to think about the big picture, keeping an open mind because things change constantly.
I think if you get too hung up on certain things, it’s going to ruin your day.
When it comes down to the end, a little aggression sure does go a long way.
TONY KANAAN:  Yeah, I agree.  Obviously, this is the Indy 500, but I take every race as a race you have to win.  It is a longer race than some of the others.  The way I approach it is just other race we have to win.
Like Scott said, it’s a longer race, so things could happen to you in the beginning, you don’t lose your cool, things will come around and work it out towards the end.
If you use an extra pressure, you’re going to put an extra effort just because it’s the 500, to me you’re not a complete driver.  You should put extra effort every time you go on the racetrack.  I try to take that pressure off and not think about it’s the Indy 500, it’s another race that we have to win.  We’re here to win every one of them if we can.
CHARLIE KIMBALL:  Echoing what Scott and Tony said, also about what Mike said about what makes Scott so good, you have to handle things during the race that you can’t let get to you.  You have to pull that tear off mentally and focus on what’s important.
For me in my fourth year here, the perspective changes a little better.  It continues to evolve.  The first year was about getting laps and building a foundation that we as a team and myself personally could build a race-winning effort on in the future.
The last year taught me a lot.  The first 100 miles, we had an electrical issue.  We qualified well, but by the end of the first lap, we were last.  40 laps in, we spotted the field a straightaway.  You can’t focus on that, you can’t dwell on that.  You have to focus on making the most of the racecar you have.
For me, the confidence in the team, the personnel on the stand, the pit crew, I don’t worry about strategy because they have it covered.  I tell them what the car is doing.  If I can tell them what it’s doing, they’ll make it better.  I have to focus on doing my job in the car and focusing on getting the best result possible as the race develops.
RYAN BRISCOE:  Yeah, this race is definitely unique.  From the buildup, the ceremonies, everything, the three-wide start, there are a few more things to think about at this race that you don’t have every weekend.
You have a lot more pit stops during the race.  You just need to make sure you’re getting in and out smoothly every time.  It’s a bit more pressure on the mechanics, as well.  They’ve got a lot more work cut out for them, too, at this event.
Another unique thing is we can change wing angles.  A lot of times you get into a race, you’re kind of stuck with the speed you have.  Here we can kind of adjust that during the race.  That’s something else to think about, you don’t want to do it too late in the race and make the wrong decision, so sort of make changes early and know where you are in the race so you have time to come back on it if it wasn’t right.
There are definitely a lot of things to think about, setting yourself up for the finish.  Obviously if you’re in the top 10 in the closing stages of the race here, you’ve got a chance to win.
 
Q.        Chip and Mike, we have qualifying tomorrow, a lot of points available for the championship.  You could fill half of the
top nine.  What is your strategy for tomorrow?
MIKE HULL:  If I told you that, everybody would know what it is.
The way we’ll approach tomorrow is the way that we’re going to approach today.  We’re going to get the most out of it.  That’s the way that we work.  That’s really the simple answer.
The strategy is developed simply from there.  Yeah, we’ll have a very defined strategy internally for us.  But we work really, really hard to get the most out of the day we have in front of us.
People in sports talk about process.  That’s what we’re all about.  We’re about today’s process.  It’s not a global view, it’s a process view.  That’s exactly how we’ll work tomorrow.
CHIP GANASSI:  I think it’s obviously qualifying.  It’s a big day in the month of May.  Hopefully it won’t be raining tomorrow like it is right now.  We’re going to play every card we have to play tomorrow for qualifying.
 
Q.        Dream case scenario, last year we ended with three Andretti cars and a KV car in that cluster at the front.  If there’s four Ganassi cars up front, any team orders with three laps to go on the restart?
CHIP GANASSI:  I’ve said many times there’s only one team order around here, it’s don’t hit each other.  Every man for himself.
 
Q.        In years past it seems like blocking has been something that’s been discussed by the folks in the tower a lot.  This year we’re being told you will be allowed to defend a position.  Looking at last year’s final laps, some have said if that rule had been in effect last year, T.K. would have had a hard time making the last pass.  If the defense is encouraged this year and the blocking is not legislated against, how does that change what you guys do?
TONY KANAAN:  If we going to go by if’s, I should have won five Indy 500s already.  If blocking was allowed, I wouldn’t have made that move, I would have made a different move.
In such a big race like this, and the race last year with so close with so many passings, I think we all felt you should be able to defend because every time they made a rule of not defending, it wasn’t really clear to us.  What is not defending?
You talk about the biggest race of the year for everybody, you’re in the lead, you’re second, you’re trying to win in the last few laps, this is not a gentlemen’s race, You go ahead please.
We’re going to try to defend.  My opinion, it’s the right thing to do.  You’re there, and if the guy is good, he’ll go around you.  We go from there, instead of leaving the decision up to the race stewards at the end of the race, who blocked who, why did that happen.  Obviously, there has to be some discrepancy, in my opinion, about how good or bad you want to put a block on somebody, how safe or unsafe that is.  But they should allow us to race.  It’s a race.
 
Q.        For the drivers, Kurt Busch has put up some nice numbers this week in practice.  What do you think of what he’s trying to do?  How hard is it?  How would it reflect, if at all, on the series if he was somehow able to win?
SCOTT DIXON:  Well, there’s no doubt he’s a fantastic driver, well-accomplished.  He’s with a great team.  I think the speeds that we’ve seen so far, that team has been strong in race traffic, getting big tows, things like that.
He will be very racy during the duration of the 500.  How it plays out, we have no idea.
To do the double, I don’t really know how tough it would be.  I’m sure it’s extremely tough just mentally trying to figure out the difference between the cars and optimizing it.  It’s somewhat not easy, but you can get close.  To close out either race is going to be extremely tough.
Maybe one day one of us will get that opportunity to see what it really is like.
CHIP GANASSI:  Careful.
SCOTT DIXON:  Maybe next year, all four of us (laughter).
So I don’t know.  I expect him to do well, being the good driver that he is, with the great team that he’s with.  We’ll just have to see how it plays out.  It’s a very strange race.
THE MODERATOR:  Guys, thank you very much for coming in.
 

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
 
ROGER PENSKE – TEAM OWNER, RICK MEARS – TEAM CONSULTANT, TIM CINDRIC – PRESIDENT, HELIO CASTRONEVES – NO. 3 PENNZOIL ULTRA PLATINUM CHEVROLET, WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON CHEVROLET, JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Full Transcript:
 
THE MODERATOR:  We’re joined by Team Penske.  No introductions needed.  Rick Mears, Helio Castroneves, Juan Pablo, Will Power, Tim Cindric, and the boss himself Roger Penske.
We’ll ask a question to each of the participants.
How much more speed will we see?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  The car has been very good.  The car has been super.  I’m extremely excited, not only with Pennzoil coming with the retro colors, but with the product as well.  It’s great to be here in Indianapolis introducing this.  And the car seems to be great.  So far we’ve been able to work well, all three of us, working well trying to develop not only a good car for racing but also for qualifying.
With the boost coming racing a little bit now, we’re certainly going to see speeds about 229.  Who knows if it will be 230 as well.  I feel that the weather will help a lot because you can take a lot of downforce out and the car will still be able to be pretty good.
It will certainly be Fast Friday and hopefully the weather holds up so we can go out and have fun.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Juan Pablo, is the car different?  Do you feel different than you did in 2000?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  Not really.  I’ll tell you the truth, I was really surprised when I came on Sunday.  I went out and I said, I’m going to take my time.  Full throttle, lifted on three and four, second lap, third lap, fourth lap, I’m good.  It was nice.
One of the cool things about being with Team Penske, they do such a good job with the cars.  The experience here is so good.  They really know what they’re doing.  It makes it so easy for us, it really does.
I mean, when you’re trying, like yesterday we were starting to trim the car out in case it rained today, okay, I have a little bit of understeer, they change it.  They really know how much to change the car, to adjust the car.  It makes it fun.
I had one moment yesterday in three where it was a little too much.  I was like, Oh, that’s a little bit too much for me.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Will, points leader coming in.  Last year we saw a record number of lead changes in the 500.  Are the cars the same as they were in terms of aerodynamics and the ability to pass?  Will we see possibly the same number of lead changes this year?
WILL POWER:  Yeah, they’ll be a little faster because of the engine.  It punches such a big hole, that no one really wants to lead.  If you’re leading, you’re burning fuel, doing yourself no good.
It’s created this whole pack where you have to really understand how to run very close to cars, because that’s what you’ll be doing all day no matter where you are in the field.  You can’t get away.
I really feel as though this year we turned up with a better car.  I think last year we struggled a little in traffic.  So far it’s been better for us.  I think the team’s worked really hard.
Obviously we’ve had absolutely zero gauge of where the engine manufacturers stand.  I think today will be the first time you see people do single runs not in traffic, start to get a feel for where we stand there.
Hopefully Chevy’s got a good engine and we have a good shot at the pole.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Tim, in addition to being president of Penske Racing, you’re now a racing dad.  Tell us about that.
TIM CINDRIC:  It was pretty cool to see him go around the track.  I told him the bricks feel different going the other way.
I’m proud of what he’s accomplished.  These guys have helped him out in terms of which way to go.  I know the biggest race to him.  He’s got no idea what it even means to be on that track.  It wasn’t a negative.  He understands all the tradition here.  Yeah, it’s my night job.
 
THE MODERATOR:  15 wins at the Indianapolis 500 for Roger Penske.  You’ve seen many changes here, including the inclusion of NASCAR and the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.  Were you in favor of that race and if so what do you think of it?
ROGER PENSKE:  I think the Grand Prix race was terrific.  I spoke with Miles and some of the guys here, We’ve got an asset here.  You have a track like the Indianapolis track, why not use it?  The tradition was broken when we had the Brickyard.  From what the drivers have told me, it’s one of the great road courses they’ve run on.  It’s safe, fast.  I think the turnout by the fans was outstanding.  We look forward to doing it again.
I’d give them an A-plus for execution.  I saw a lot of young people, which is important in our sport.  A lot of young people have a lot of other things to do in their lives.  To see them sitting up with their families, sitting up on the mounds, is great.
Obviously, for Verizon, they were very happy with the turnout because this was their first chance to be at Indianapolis Speedway for a race.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Rick, would you have liked to have run in that race last Saturday on the road course?
RICK MEARS:  It would have been a lot of fun.  From listening to the guys, the track was great.  Like everything Roger said, I think it was a great turnout, great event.  I think it’s going to continue to grow and get better.
 
THE MODERATOR:  When you were driving, did it bother you having to be interrupted by rain or be completely washed out in some cases?
RICK MEARS:  It always bothered you to a point, but you have to sit there and say it’s the same for everybody.  To me, Team Penske was the best-prepared team.  It was going to be a help to us, if anything.  It never really bothered me.  You have to get geared back up and go when it was time.  It never was too bad.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.
Q.      It’s a different format.  In its simplest form you have to put together the four best laps you can on Saturday and then on Sunday.  Talk about the ability to do that.  It’s more pressure than maybe back in the old days when you had one shot at it.
ROGER PENSKE:  We talked last night, Helio and I did, you have to be in that top nine tomorrow for Sunday.  I think that’s going to be critical to get the three cars in that Fast 9, Fast 10.  We have a meeting after this to go over specific rules.
We’ll have qualifying at key TV time on Sunday.  As we promote the sport, someone is thinking about strategy from the standpoint of how we can execute better and get more fans.
For these guys, they’ll make a run once, twice.  They’ve done it before.  You’ll see us take our time down, go out and run again.
The way the cars are this year, we’re ready to go.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  With any new format, it will be interesting.  Looks like the weather is going to be good.  If the weather gets in the way of the format, we have a lot of different things to do.  Certainly as these guys said today, understanding really what your shot is here is really what you have to do.
You have to understand, do you have a shot for the pole, is that realistic?  And if you don’t, do you have a shot for the top nine?  Your goals change throughout the day.  That changes your strategy and how much risk you take.
WILL POWER:  First goal is to get in the top nine with not too much risk.  You don’t want to go in the wall.  That puts you really
on the back foot.
Like I said before, we’ve got no feel for it right now where we stack up.  We’ll have to see how the format plays out.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I believe our cars are good enough.  Maybe they’re good enough Saturday to put us in the top nine.  We’ll see for Sunday how much more we need.  If we run Saturday, we’re not fast enough, we’ll see what we have to take out of the car and try to go quicker again.
ROGER PENSKE:  As far as changing the thing, this sport is really about change.  In a racecar, you’re changing every lap, every corner.  It’s about adapting.  I never would have known I could make it flat through one until I tried it.  Worst-case scenario, you go a different way.
 
Q.      Would you talk about the qualifying strategy in terms of points.  I understand there are a lot of points available.  Is it worth taking a risk to go back out, to be higher up for a few more points?
WILL POWER:  Yeah.  This point spread is really close between positions.  You would expect all the championship contenders would be pretty close anyway.  I’m sure if you were the one with the fast cars at the front competing for the championship, you would definitely go back out to gain some points.
 
Q.      Roger, could you reminisce a little bit about engine development in ’94, how you kept it secret.
ROGER PENSKE:  Well, going back to ’94, obviously we had been racing here for a number of years, we saw the stock block Buicks come, blow everybody off on the pole.  They’d run for 100 or 150 miles and have a technical issue.  Well more, we felt we could build an engine that obviously had the power.  I told our guys, We’re not going to talk about it.  It’s like taking your paycheck and cutting it in half if we talk about it.
To the extent we kept it a secret, I know Paul Tracy was in a toboggan suit running around Nazareth, we didn’t have transient dynos in those days, didn’t have one available to us.
While we were practicing here, we were running a 500-mile test run at Michigan.  A lot went into that.  It was exciting.
As usual, we won the race.  They reduced the boost five or six inches the next week, then the next week they outlawed the engine.  If you do too well, typical, you get slapped.
We’re excited about the Chevy engine this year.  The development, when you think about both Honda and Chevy have come with engines, I think they’re pretty equal.  Can’t really tell until we qualify.  The reliability has been good.
We couldn’t take the engines out of our cars this week until we had 2500 miles.  Think about racing miles, that’s qualifying, racing.  We’ve had that engine in since the beginning of the season, since the Barber test.  That shows you the reliability on the engines for both manufacturers, which is terrific.
Quite honestly, it’s something we don’t think about.  The gearbox, engine, power train is so reliable, it’s more about the setup.  This year I would say Firestone has come back with the best tire I’ve ever seen them have here.  We can run 50, 55 laps on those tires.
I think the feel is close.  The reliability of the engines.  The cars, we’ll get to know those better.  I think from a reliability standpoint, we’re in great shape.  Hope we have the same success we had in ’94.
 
Q.      Roger, when all the right circumstances come into play, do you have a plan to go back and build your own chassis one day?
ROGER PENSKE:  Obviously we had that capability in the UK to build the chassis.  Once the rules changed, we closed that down.  It would be difficult for us today.  We’d probably have to go to a third party to partner with.
Our main manufacturing capability today is from NASCAR where we build our cars from the ground up.
 
Q.      Juan Pablo, you’ve gone from one series to another a number of times in your career.  Which is more difficult, going from open-wheel to NASCAR or NASCAR back to open-wheel?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  Coming back to open-wheel is something I already did.  It was just readjusting to the car, understanding the car, the tools that I had, get myself and the team on the same page on what I want out of the car.
It’s funny because there were certain things we tried earlier in the car that we couldn’t try because I was uncomfortable, that now it’s way better.  As time goes on, I’m definitely getting more comfortable in the car.
I probably had the fastest car here on Saturday.  It’s a shame we didn’t get a better result out of that.
But, I mean, when I went to Cup it was hard because it was something I’d never done.  After a while, it’s whatever the car will give you.  You know what I mean?  It’s kind of hard because you go one year, you make the Chase, and the next year we as a team we went backwards and you finish 25th in the championship.  It’s like, What happened?  It’s what you got.
It’s really close racing, so it’s what it is.  I don’t want to even really talk about it too much.  It is what it is.
 
Q.      Given how loaded qualifying and the race are this year, is there a chance that a lot of the championship contenders are going to be thinking about getting points instead of getting a victory and the part-timers are going to have an advantage?
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  In my opinion, I don’t think so.  You’re going to finish second behind me just because you want the points…
WILL POWER:  No.  I don’t think anybody is going to be thinking about that with 10 to go.
 
Q.      Helio, would you let that slip away?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  No.  This place is a unique place.  Certainly everybody is going for it.  But maybe if you don’t have a chance, you might not be just crazy about it, do something stupid out there.  You might think twice before you take a chance.  At least that’s the way I feel.
But Indianapolis is Indianapolis.  You have an opportunity.  It doesn’t come quite often, so you got to take it.
 
Q.      (No microphone.)
ROGER PENSKE:  I think winning the Indy 500 is at the top of any driver or team owner’s list.  The double points I think is good.  If you execute these 500-mile races, you should get more points.
 
Q.      For Juan’s return, how has it gone for you and for him?
ROGER PENSKE:  We had to change the whole outfit when he showed up (laughter).  Look at him.  He’s got his black shirt on.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  Everything (laughter).
ROGER PENSKE:  Quite honestly, I’ve known Juan from the very beginning of his career here in the United States.  He’s been a guy that’s fast.  Quite honestly, I think Will and Helio and Tim and the guys look forward to having him come with us.
He’s pushing the guys.  There’s been a great cross-pollination of information getting Juan to where he wants to be.  For us, it was an opportunity.  We didn’t start thinking till the end of last year that we would run a third car.  When that asset came available, it’s a matter of, Let’s go.  We’re very happy to have him on the team.
 
Q.      Roger, when folks look at the IndyCar Series, particularly the Indy 500, there’s a rivalry between Penske and Ganassi.  How important is it to have a heated rivalry in this series?  Also talk about, is that more important than maybe having parity in the series?
ROGER PENSKE:  I guess I’m not sure I understood the question.
As far as our rivalry with Ganassi, he set the bar here.  He’s the guy we have to beat.  But we also see other t
eams.  Andretti has done a terrific job.  Quite honestly across the field, some of the smaller teams have shown a lot of speed here.  We can’t count anybody out.
Obviously with Juan having driven for Ganassi, it’s nice to have one of his guys over on our side.  I’m sure they’re watching him.  We’re counting on him to execute for us.
From a competitive standpoint, we’re here to focus on our own game.  Quite honestly that’s what we have to do here.  You get too emotional about things, for the wrong reasons, you don’t get the success.
My feeling here is we’re going to go out and execute.  Ganassi is going to be very competitive.  Dixon is one of the very best.  Kanaan won the race last year so he knows what it’s like to be in the winner’s circle.
Helio and Juan have been in the winner’s circle.  Will, he wants to check that off here this year.  We have a lot of commitment from our drivers to execute.
 
Q.      Helio, if the opportunity arises to win again, would that eclipse the others?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  In this case, certainly a very unique opportunity.  You can’t thinking about that.  To make it happen, you got to work.  You got to execute.  That’s what we’re doing the entire month.  We want to make sure that we have a competitive car to put in that opportunity to make that happen.
So I’m really confident right now that we have the best equipment out there.  It’s about being in the right place at the right time because the race is about 500 miles, so it’s almost three hours of racing.  I feel that we just got to understand everything.
It would be awesome for sure because it’s only three guys did that.  However, I do feel that Rick did more than that because he helped me with my other three, so he has a little bit more than four.
RICK MEARS:  I can tell you, you’ll like the fourth one more.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Thanks.  I have something to look forward to it.  I feel that not only myself, but for a lot of fans, as well.  I’ll work hard to make that happen.
In terms of just my head, same procedure, start from zero.  Every time you come over here, there’s something new, something absolutely different from the years past.  You have to adapt when it comes.
 
Q.      Rick, when you won your fourth, did you ever think about climbing a fence?
RICK MEARS:  No, not at all (laughter).  They didn’t have fences back then.
It was nice watching that yellow Pennzoil car go around there.  I felt, That’s the closest I’m ever going to get to coming out of retirement. 
 
Q.      Under the long time qualifying format that was used for decades, nobody was better at that than you.  How would you have liked doing this format when you were in your prime?
RICK MEARS:  Well, again, it’s whatever the circumstance is.  It’s all relative.  It’s the same for everybody.  You just look at the situation, you figure out, How am I going to do this better than the rest of them?  You start doing your homework, digging into things, figure out all the scenarios, angles, everything you can do to figure out how to do a better job than they do.
Either way I think maybe just having the one shot, I enjoyed that, only having one shot at it.  I felt it really put the pressure on.  You had to get four laps, every corner.  If you blew one corner, you blew the whole deal.  I enjoyed that pressure.
So it’s how do we do it better than they do, that’s the main thing.
 
Q.      As far as the extra boost, do you have to actually change anything in the engine in terms of the gearing to adapt for that extra boost?  What does five miles an hour more feel like?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Straight line you don’t feel anything.  In the corner you change a little bit the adjusting on the car.  In the end of the day, yes, we do change the gearing so we adapt for that kind of speed.
Just small tuning for the car to make sure you keep going four laps in a row.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I don’t know (laughter).  I know we’re doing gears, I know that.  We talked about that.  I know we’re doing gears, yeah.  A couple of changes in the car and stuff.
But I don’t know, I just drive it.  Should be fun.
WILL POWER:  Yeah, I mean, the gearing, obviously then you start changing downforce anyway, so it all kind of comes together for us.  It’s not a big deal.
 
Q.      A question about qualifying.  A few years ago when Helio went out, later that evening you shared with us some of the changes you tried to accommodate for the wind.  How much do you look up to look at the wind when you’re qualifying?  Say Will goes out and qualifies first among the group, how much information does he share?  If you’re in the car waiting to go, what do you want to hear from Will’s run that’s going to help you, or do you want information?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  The first question, yes, you do look around to make sure you understand.  Every corner looks the same, but they’re not.  Even when the wind hits the nose of the car or the back of the car, you have to at least understand when you’re approaching that corner.  So, yes, normally I tend to check that out.
The second one, depends the information for what qualifying you’re in.  Qualifying one, you tell them.  If it’s qualifying two, maybe you just keep quiet (laughter).  No, just kidding.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  He’s not kidding, by the way (laughter).  You know what the biggest problem is, Roger is too competitive.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  That’s good.  I like it.
But you do, you have a sense of the car is pushing or the car is loose, one of those things.  But normally with this format, it changed quite a bit.  As Rick is saying, in the past, you got to take the opportunity to take the car away and the time away to go again and try it.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  You can run with the same time.  It’s going to be two lines, isn’t it?  They don’t take the time away.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  I understand that.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  Now you don’t take the time away.  Like if you’re seven, eight or nine, you’re in risk.  You know what I mean?  At the same time people doing it are in risk.  By trying to get in that top nine, if you’re on that bubble, you can put yourself in a bad situation for the risk.
To tell you the truth, we all know what everybody else is running.  You know if they didn’t change anything what they had in practice.  You can look at the data and say it’s definitely more neutral now without changing.  On the basis of data you can look at that, know where they are, what to do.
If you look at the qualifying run, you can see what they did with the tools.  Did they put a stiffer bar, a softer bar, a wedge, the gears he was running.
WILL POWER:  Put some wedge in it (laughter).
THE MODERATOR:  Thanks to all members of Team Penske for being with us here today.
 

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
DAY FIVE PRACTICE
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
 
INDIANAPOLIS (May 15, 2014) – After a short 45-minute weather delay to conclude track drying, the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 teams and drivers got a solid afternoon of practice in for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500. The track time was invaluable after two days of virtually no on-track activity due to inclement weather.
 
Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Team Penske Chevrolet, paced the field with a lap of 227.166 mph/39.6186 seconds.  The three-time winner of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is the first driver over the 227 mph mark this year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
The 2012 Indy Pole winner, Ed Carpenter, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, was second on the speed charts followed by Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and Townsend Bell, No. 6 Robert Graham – KV Racing Technology Chevrolet, in third and fourth respectively.
 
Fast Friday is next on the schedule from noon to 6:00 p.m. to fine-tune final preparations for qualifying for the May 25th race.
 
Qualifying for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 will begin Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. and conclude Sunday, May 18 with the Fast 9 Qualifying beginning at 2:00 p.m.  ABC TV will air live coverage of qualifying from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
 
DRIVER QUOTES:
HELIO CASTRONEVES, No. 3 PENNZOIL ULTRA PLATINUM TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FASTEST IN PRACTICE: HOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING TO COME DOWN THIS WEEKEND FROM A QUALIFYING STANDPOINT?  DO YOU TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THE PROCEDURE? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW PROCEDURE?
“No, tomorrow is a day that I believe talking to (Tim) Cindric, Roger (Penske) they will also have a little meeting so that they understand more into the new format.  For me it’s just a matter of understanding what the car is doing.  I really like what I have obviously tomorrow we are going to go to a bigger boost.  So you are going to see big numbers up there as well.  We are looking for tomorrow to see those numbers keep going high.”
 
INAUDIBLE:
“Yeah, always anytime you are going for qualifying in Indianapolis it’s always very stressful.  I always repeat myself because that is true.  Rick Mears says that there are two types of races and it’s true it’s the qualifying and the race.  Now we are definitely going to go for Saturday and for Sunday so that is going to be nerve racking, I tell you, because to go four laps out there in this place you guys don’t realize how tough it is.  To do two days in a row it will be really tough.  I don’t think they are going to have much sleeping or I don’t think nine guys are not going to have much sleeping.”
 
WILL POWER HAS BEEN OUT SPOKEN ABOUT EXTRA POINTS FOR QUALIFYING AND THE CROWN JEWEL RACES WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?
“Well it’s the same for everyone I guess.  At this point obviously we are trying to make the three 500 miles race distinguish from itself from the other areas that is why probably create this type of challenge.  People will now have to think about, before it was just one race and going for it.  Because it’s the Indy 500 so you are going to go for it no matter what, but now you’ve got to think double here.  To make sure you don’t lose that many points and double header weekend you can lose a lot of points.  Double points here you can lose a lot of points.  At the end of the day it’s the same for everyone.  I’m not worried about the point’s right now I’m worried about having a fast car and going for another win.”
 
DO YOU HAVE A SENSE YET WHAT IT’S GOING TO TAKE TO WIN THIS POLE AND IF SO WHAT?
“I don’t.  With this new format I’m a little bit – I don’t to be honest.  As I said talking to (Tim) Cindric this morning a little bit they said they have got to sit down and kind of like check everything.  So it’s new for everyone and everybody needs to understand better.  I tell you what Team Penske they really push to the limit to make sure they try any kind of situation.  That is why I’m not going to even worry about it.  I’m just going to go and make sure my car is good.”
 
ANY GUESS ON THE NUMBER IT WILL TAKE TO CAPTURE THE POLE?
“I mean we did 227 (mph).  I feel that with the boost that going up probably about five mile an hour.  I’m not very good at math by the way, but I would say 229/230 it’s possible.”
 
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 2ND IN PRACTICE:  IN REGARDS TO HIS DAY:
“It’s going well.  It’s really been fun working with JR (Hildebrand) and things are going well.  We make a little progress every day.  It’s a lot of fun.  Helio (Castroneves) nipped us at the end, but a good day at the speedway.  It was nice to get a lot of running in finally and have some more track time available, especially since tomorrow kind of doesn’t look so great again.  Definitely happy that James (Hinchcliffe) is going to be back out there with us as well it’s awesome.”
 
GETTING BACK IN THE CAR FOLLOWING AN ACCIDENT ANY RESERVATIONS?
“I would echo it.  I think having done this for a long time it’s harder to come back from an accident when you are not sure what happened.  Like if you crash a car and you’re not sure why you crashed that is when it’s nerve racking coming back, but if there was a mistake made or it was a fluke kind of thing like what happened with James (Hinchcliffe) I think we have a lot easier time just kind of not worrying about what happened in the past.”
 
DOES THIS QUALIFYING FORMAT MAKE SENSE TO YOU AT ALL?
“It’s not that complicated.  We are in agreement since January.  We get it.”
 
THEY KEEP ADDING RULES LIKE 31-33…
“I think that is kind of a moot point right now though.  There are 33 cars here so I don’t think that is of big of a deal at the moment.”
 
WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEONE CRASHES IN QUALIFYING?
“That is what that provision is made for.  So it sounds like you get it to me.”
 
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WROTE THE RULE:
“I did not I like last year’s format just fine.”
HOW DOES THIS CAR FEEL COMPARED TO LAST YEAR’S CAR WHEN YOU WON THE POLE?
“It feels pretty good.  A day like today when it’s this cool it’s hard to make the car not feel good sometimes.  I think we have made some improvements.  We had some things that we wanted to try last year and really just didn’t have the time to.  That is one of the hard things when you are a single car team is you can’t do as many things.  You just don’t have the tires to do it, you don’t have the miles to do it all the time and even though we have had limited running this week we have been able to kind of venture out with my car a little bit.  JR has kind of been working from what I would call our base package from last year and kind of fine tuning that and having a good option there.  Then I have been able to try some things that we had on the list to try last year and just never got around to. I feel like we are learning some things that will hopefully definitely make for a better race car.  Some of them I think will be good for qualifying too.”
 
IF YOU WERE A DRIVER THAT WAS 15TH TO 33RD COULD THERE POSSIBLY BE A SITUATION WHERE THEY DON’T GO OUT ON SATURDAY TO SHOW ALL THAT THEY HAVE GOT MAYBE HOLD A LITTLE BIT BACK?
“I thought that you would see some of that until they came out with the updated points structure.  For all full-time cars I think you are going to see guys really work hard at it on Saturday just because points are valuable and
there are a lot of them up for grabs on Saturday.  I think it’s going to be pretty intense.  If you are a part-time guy and you are not worried about points for the year then I don’t know that you really need to risk a whole lot especially if you don’t think you are going to be in the Fast Nine.  That is my take.”
 
IF THIS RACE STAYS GREEN CLOSER TO THE END WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE ON THAT LAST LAP?
“I don’t know.  I mean it’s hard to not say the lead.  It’s hard to not say that is your best chance because it may not be like last year you just don’t know.  We don’t know what the weather is going to be.  It was a cool race last year.  If it was hot it wouldn’t have been quite as tight at the front I don’t think so a lot of it is just going to depend on the weather.  Anytime you can be in the lead with a couple of laps to go or one lap to go it’s hard to not have that spacing.  Can block like crazy and make them call a penalty (laughs).”
 
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 3RD IN PRACTICE: “The No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet had a good day today.  After our engine change yesterday, we went out there today and a had a few good couple of qualifying runs today.  The weather created some tough conditions with it being so cold, but we got what we needed done and we’re getting where we need to be for qualifying.”
 
TOWNSEND BELL, NO. 6 ROBERT GRAHAM – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET, 4TH IN PRACTICE:
 
TONY KANAAN, NO.10 TARGET CHIP GANASSI CHEVROLET, 6TH IN PRACTICE:  “We worked on logging laps today and knew that we were getting close to maxing out the engine mileage of the Target car.  We ran for a few hours this morning and did long runs, then the team did an engine change before finishing out the afternoon on track.”
 
JR HILDEBRAND, NO. 21 PREFERRED FREEZER ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 7TH IN PRACTICE:  “We weren’t sure about the weather today, but we were able to get in quite few laps.  That was good for both Ed and I.  I think Ed is pretty happy with his car and my team went through some different changes today.  We had to get through twice as much stuff as normal because we are concerned about the weather on Friday.  We did some race prep early in the practice with some full tanks runs.  We are pretty happy with it but we need to look through the data.  There might be some think we steal from the No. 20 car because they ended up more positive changes. All in all, the car feels pretty good.  We did a couple of qual (ifying) runs to see if things are in the right direction.  We seem to have some good grip. Hopefully we get out on Friday with the extra (turbocharged) boost and see what we have for qualifying.”
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 8TH IN PRACTICE:  “We ran out the miles on our first engine this morning and had an engine change this afternoon. The guys on the No. 2 Verizon Chevy did a really quick job on that to make sure we got as many laps as we could afterwards. Now we are starting to understand a little bit of what we need for qualifying; just trying to get the basics of how the car feels in that trim. We’ll start taking more downforce off to get ready for the weekend.”
 
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS:  No. 11 No. 11 HYDROXYCUT/MISTIC E-CIGS – KVSH RACING CHEVROLET, 11TH IN PRACTICE:
 
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 14TH IN PRACTICE:  “It was great to finally get in a full day of on-track time here at IMS.  It was really important for us to be out there today running as many laps as we could so that we could hit the mileage mark to change our engine.  I think it’ll really benefit us to have a fresh engine during qualifying and I was really happy with the way the No. 8 NTT DATA Chevrolet performed today on the long fuel runs.  I’m looking forward to Fast Friday tomorrow and qualifying this weekend.”  
 
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO. AFS 17 KV AFS RACING CHEVROLET, 17TH IN PRACTICE:
 
SAGE KARAM, NO. 22 COMFORT REVOLUTION/BRANTLEY GILBERT  DREYER & REINBOLD KINGDOM RACING CHEVROLET, 18TH IN PRACTICE:
 
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 20TH IN PRACTICE: “It was overcast all day today with the temperature just hovering over 50 degrees.  It was cold but we got some good track time in after the engine change [last night].  We mostly worked on aerodynamics today as well as began trimming the Target cars out for qualifying this weekend.”
 
CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 83 NOVOLOG FLEXPEN CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET,  27TH IN PRACTICE:  “Today was really good.  We got a lot of running in with the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet.  We were able to do a lot of race work and do a couple of full-tank runs.  We were even able to get in a few runs looking towards qualifying.  Overall we’re pretty happy with the day and I think we’re in really good shape for the weekend.  We’ll start working towards Fast Friday tomorrow then onto qualifying.  Once we get through the weekend, we can really just focus on race-day setup.”
 
BUDDY LAZIER, NO. 91 WYNN INSTITUTE FOR VISION RESEARCH CHEVROLET, 32ND IN PRACTICE: “For me, (shaking off the rust) was much easier than last year when I had never been in the car. It feels really good. We have some continuity from last year. We have some of the same guys back. I’m enjoying starting the process. I would have liked to start earlier, but I’m enjoying starting the process with our engineers and with the car. Bottom line is that I’m thrilled to be here. Happy to be part of this group of drivers. It’s a great group of drivers and I’m looking forward to advancing our car as quickly as possible.”
 
JAMES DAVISON, NO. 33 KV RACING TECHNOLOGY/ALWAYS EVOLVING RACING CHEVROLET, 33RD IN PRACTICE: ABOUT COMPLETING ROOKIE ORIENTATION PROGRAM TODAY: “I can go to bed resting easier knowing we got through our first day at IMS smoothly and completed ROP. We now know what to expect, any anxiety has dried up and I am excited to continue working on our program. I am pleased with my first laps in an Indy car at IMS. We got up to speed conservatively. In the end, we trimmed the car one stage and I was happy with the balance. In terms of speed, we know where we’re at since we didn’t run in traffic or with a tow. The No. 33 KV Racing Technology/Always Evolving Racing team had a good day and we will build on it tomorrow.”

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
DAY FOUR  PRACTICE
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
 
INDIANAPOLIS (May 14, 2014) – For the second consecutive day, weather hampered the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 teams from getting valuable track time as they prepare for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 25, 2014. The rain cleared enough to get the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway dry and cars were on-track by 5:00 p.m. ET with the Verizon IndyCar Series extending the track time to 7:00 p.m. ET.
 
But a single-car accident at approximately 6:00 p.m. halted the action, and as they were cleaning up the debris, and repairing the safer barrier, the rain began again, and Series officials were forced to end the day’s activities.
 
JR Hildebrand, in his No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet entry, led the way for Team Chevy turning in the second quickest time of the day, 225.854 mph/39.8488 seconds.  Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet driver Scott Dixon was third in the final order, with Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves in the No. 3 Chevrolet in fourth.
 
Ryan Briscoe put his Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in the 225 mph club and the top-10 in the final order, as did Juan Pablo Montoya behind the wheel of his Team Penske Chevrolet
 
Practice resumes tomorrow, Thursday May 15, 2014 from noon to 6:00 p.m.
 
Qualifying for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 will begin Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. and conclude Sunday, May 18 with the Fast 9 Qualifying beginning at 2:00 p.m.  ABC TV will air live coverage of qualifying from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
 
DRIVER QUOTES:
 
JR HILDEBRAND, NO. 21 PREFERRED FREEZER ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 2ND IN PRACTICE:  ON HOW WEEK IS PROGRESSING: “I don’t care about putting up a big lap time; I care about how the car feels. It’s great to see that the car has the speed in it because you rarely go through practice with guys that are capable of setting those fast laps. They end up being the guys who have quicker cars. Certainly our focus is not that we can put up a big tow lap time, but we can catch-up to that guy, pass him and leap frog through the next guys ahead of that.  That is what we are working on right now. I think with myself and Ed (Carpenter) we’ve both had experiences over the last few years that have made us realize that the priority really is race day. And that is it. So far it has gone well. Glad we were able to get out today. We learned a few things with the conditions being quite different than they were over the last couple of days, and we will continue plugging away.
 
“Obviously we would rather be on the sharp end of the stick than not.  There’s two take aways I guess when looking at this. One is that Chevy and Honda seem to be quite evenly matched which I think is a good thing generally for the series. Two years ago when the engine competition first started, there was a pretty definitive difference – the Hondas were better on race day; the Chevys were better in qualifying. Last year Chevy had a little bit of an advantage across the board. It seems like we are in for a bit of a fight.  That is always good to make sure everyone is in contention out there.”
 
ON WHAT IMS MEANS TO HIM: “It is certainly the most important event that we run during the year. For me specifically, coming back here is starting over a little bit this year. Running with Ed Carpenter Racing is a nice new beginning for me. It is a great environment for me to come back to Indianapolis. On top of that, the equipment is as good as any bodies’. I found that to be a really refreshing change from being here in the past. We are excited to see what we can do together. For myself and for Ed, we are both in different situations, so being able to work together than we have been in a long time. Once you get here, the reminiscing of what’s happened for me goes away. For me coming here means time to get down to business. It’s hard to ignore. We are in the same garage area that I’ve been in for that last couple of years. Have the same crew chief. It is a lot of the same people around.  It is a new situation; it is a different environment. But there are some friendly reminders of where we have been at. For all of us we take what we’ve been strong at here in the past to try to put that into this year’s program.”
 
ON PREPARING FOR INDY BEING FIRST RACE: “Thank goodness once I get out on the race track, it doesn’t change that much. I was glad about that I was able to get back in the swing of things and get back in the swing of things and have it feel fairly normal.  When I first went out, I had a proverbial rusty couple of laps. But I kicked myself, and realize I did the last oval race that everyone else has done, it is time to get with the program, and we are quickly up to 220 and moving along. It is great to be back. It is a little bit different. We look at this as a team something to build upon for the second half of the year.  Hopefully we can show well enough and be strong enough that is where this moves along.”
 
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 3RD IN PRACTICE:  “We worked on just a few things today really, given the limited track time.  A lot of our focus today was on dampers and spring combinations.  We made some changes, but again very limited time on track today for Team Target and everyone else.”
 
HELIO CASTRONEVES, No. 3 PENNZOIL ULTRA PLATINUM TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 4TH IN PRACTICE: “It was a quick day due to the amount of rain we got this morning. The No. 3 Pennzoil team had planned to only run one lap due to our engine change last night but ended up taking it out for a few more laps to try an adjustment. Looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully the rain holds off so we can get more laps in.”
 
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 6TH IN PRACTICE:
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 7TH IN PRACTICE:  “There are so many things that are within our control, but the weather isn’t one of them. We didn’t need to see that rain today, but it is what it is. The No. 2 Verizon Chevy team is sticking to the plan. The good news is the car continues to show speed out there. Hopefully tomorrow is drier than the last couple of days.”
 
TONY KANAAN, NO.10 TARGET CHIP GANASSI CHEVROLET (IN T CAR), 11THIN PRACTICE:  “Well we waited all day for the weather to clear and we ended up getting some track time today, so I guess something is better than nothing in this case.  Just more of the same running really today. We worked on long runs in the Target car and our speeds improved a bit as well so that was a plus for us.”
 
CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 83 NOVOLOG FLEXPEN CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET,  13TH IN PRACTICE:
 
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 14TH IN PRACTICE:  “It was kind of nice to get out at all today.  We thought it was going to be a wash out.  I felt like it was a bonus session today.  We were able to learn a couple of things and we are itching closer to where we want to be with the race cars.  Both J.R. and I have been trying a couple of things likely and I think we are both making progress.  I think we are making a step forward now.  Obviously, the cars have speed.  J.R. put up a big number today. That’s encouraging also.  Hope to get more track time on Thursday.”
 
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS:  No. 11 No. 11 HYDROXYCUT/MISTIC E-CIGS – KVSH RACING CHEVROLET, 17TH IN PRACTICE:
 
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO. AFS 17 KV AFS RACING CHEVROLET, 23RD IN PRACTICE:
 
SAGE KARAM, NO. 22 COMFORT REVOLUTION/BRANTLEY GILBERT  DREYER & REINBOLD KINGDOM RACING CHEVROLET, 26TH IN PRACTICE: “The day went well. It was
kind of a weird day, waiting around for the weather to clear up. We actually didn’t think we were going to get out at all today, so just to get some laps in was a plus. I got to feel a new wind direction (a tailwind into turn one), which I think was the most beneficial thing for us this afternoon. Also it was a bit colder, so I got to feel what pit road is like in cool conditions. As far as lap times, we didn’t get into a strong draft today, so we mostly worked on setting up the car to run alone or with one car in front. We’ll see how it goes the rest of the week, and we’ll try to get the No. 22 car higher up on the charts before qualifying weekend.”
 
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 29TH IN PRACTICE:  Only made one lap today
 

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET SS, WAS THE GUEST ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
 
 
THE MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Today we’re joined by Jimmie Johnson.  Jimmie made his first Sprint Cup Series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2001 and he’s currently tied with Bobby Allison and Darrel Waltrip for the all‑time wins lead at the speedway with six victories.
 
Jimmie, a win this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway would be your third consecutive All‑Star Race win.  How would that help with your momentum going into the Coca‑Cola 600 the following week?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, I didn’t realize some of the stats.  It’s really cool to hear.  I know the track has been strong for myself and Hendrick Motorsports really if you look at their history.  Want to keep those winning ways alive.
 
If we were able to win a third consecutive All‑Star Race, that would be something.  I’m not sure if that’s happened before.  I would love to have that honor.
 
Momentum is very helpful.  A race win does a lot for teams.  I think we’ve been knocking on the door throughout the year.  It would be a nice boost, shot in the arm for the team if we were able to do so.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Next week you’ll be the first active athlete to vote for a professional sports Hall of Fame.  Talk a little bit about that honor.
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, that is a huge honor.  I’ve enjoyed studying up on everybody.  I have a huge booklet with 30, 35 names in it.  It’s the Hall of Fame, then there’s also another award that we’ll be voting on.
 
It’s been a fun process.  From what I gather, I guess it’s the 21st when we sit down and meet for a couple of hours.  It will be a fun and educational meetings.
 
I’m looking forward to more of the process and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve been a part of so far.
 
THE MODERATOR:  We’ll now go to the media for question for Jimmie Johnson.
 
Q.  There’s been a lot of talk this season about the intensity of the racing given the new championship format.  From what you’ve seen so far, just how aggressive do you think the driving and the overall racing might be when we get into the Chase, especially these elimination races like Phoenix?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I think it depends on circumstances.  Everybody is always racing hard.  I think there have been a lot of efforts made in a lot of areas to increase the competition on the racetrack.
 
Look at rules packages, they’re always evolving.  We’re working on different tires.  Tracks are resurfacing.  The points system has changed.  I think there’s a little help from all areas to put on a great show for the fans and have a great product in NASCAR.
 
I assume it will continue to ratchet up, especially if you have drivers trying to move forward in the Chase that are near one another and a win is vital for them to transfer to the next segment.  You can get into those circumstances and scenarios as we get late in the year, and it can be exciting, especially like on a short track like Phoenix.
 
Q.  This creates a situation that’s basically an unknown.  Do you look forward to that kind of challenge or is it something that worries you?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, we don’t mind new challenges.  Our team has always adapted well.  At times we seem to grab things faster than others, at other times we don’t. We’ll take our chances.  We’ve been able to win with all types of Chase formats, all types of cars.  We’re up for the challenge.  We enjoy it.
 
Q.  I’m not sure how much you’re following him, but yesterday Kurt Busch was second fastest at Indianapolis Motor Speedway practice, up above 224 miles an hour.  Are you paying attention much?  Are you surprised or impressed by it?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I missed yesterday.  That’s great news.  I’m stoked for him.  I’ve been talking with him some on fitness and hydration and nutrition.  He’s got a long, active month leading up to the big race next week.  He and I have been chatting more about hydration and nutrition than anything.  I’m happy to hear that.  I missed that yesterday.
 
I think he’s going to do an awesome job.  I’ve always wondered if you take somebody from a low downforce vehicle and put them in a high downforce vehicle, to see how they would do.  Yesterday is a great sign.
 
I feel it’s more difficult for an open‑wheel guy to come to a stockcar and have downforce taken away from them.  I’ll be interested to see if that’s Kurt’s opinion and how that all plays out in the end.
 
Q.  I know you explored it at one point.  What do you think the biggest challenge is for him?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Man, I think stress.  Stress takes a big toll on the body.  You’re stressed about your balance and your setup for your stockcar. You’re stressed about your balance and setup for your IndyCar.  Practice sessions.  Are you eating, drinking, getting enough rest.  Media obligations.  On Sunday, is it going to affect the IndyCar race.  Is the helicopter or plane on time.
 
I think it’s stress.  We all know what it does to our system.  It wears you down pretty quick.  I think it’s stress.  He’s got a lot of stress on his plate right now.
 
Q.  Given your history of success at Charlotte, the All‑Star Race in particular, do you bring just as much confidence into this weekend as you would if, say, you already had a couple wins under your belt this season?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, for sure.  That’s the one thing that I learned maybe year two or three in Cup, is that every weekend’s a new weekend. It’s a new track.  Even if you go from a mile‑and‑a‑half to another mile‑and‑a‑half, they’re so different in how they drive and the setup that’s required.  It is nice.  You can start on a clean sheet of paper and hit the racetrack and go.
 
Momentum that you do carry is I think noticeable maybe on Friday, opening practice, qualifying.  By the time you get to the race, you’re dealing with that weekend’s circumstances.  Just because you won the previous race or many races beforehand doesn’t change things on that given race day.
Believe me, it’s a nice week.  I’d say from Sunday evening after the race until maybe Friday, Thursday or Friday, depending on the format, when NASCAR timing and scoring begins again, that’s a good period of time and where you feel momentum the most after a win.
 
Q.  In terms of what drivers can do to each other on the track, is there anything that you feel is out‑of‑bounds in the All‑Star Race?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  It definitely changes things.  I think people are willing to take more risks and opportunities if they’re there.  Again, you’re really looking from second to first.  I think second place, if he’s in reaching distance of the leader, will certainly do what he can for $1 million and no implications in points.
 
From fifth to fourth, it doesn’t pay much.  Why are you going to risk making the guy in fourth mad?  He’s going to come after you the following week. Given the race format, I think it certainly can make things exciting.
 
Q.  I understand when you were untouchable in the early to the mid 2000’s, the car and track are different to what they are now.  Do you still carry the same level of expectation for yourself as you did when you were winning every week there?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I do.  Honestly, I’d say most tracks I carry that same expectation, swagger, whatever it is.&nb
sp; We’ve been able to win at so many tracks, have been very successful for a long period of time; we’ve set the bar very high for ourselves.  Outside of maybe Bristol or Richmond, you know, there’s maybe one or two other ones in there where you seem to get beat up on pretty bad and we don’t have the performance we want.  Those are the only tracks I walk into with a little less confidence.
 
But Charlotte has been so good to us.  Even though our dominance was a while ago, we’ve been able to win the All‑Star a few times since.  We’ve definitely been in the money and have had a shot to win.  I’m carrying good confidence in there.
 
Q.  With two straight All‑Star wins, you’ve had some nice point’s runs there recently; do you feel you’re getting something of an edge back at that racetrack again?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Man, I want to.  But Kasey Kahne, whatever I seem to find, he has and has found.  Harvick has been strong there over the years.  With their performance of late, I would expect them to be awfully tough.  I think more people have figured it out.  The surface was so rough and abrasive; we hit on some stuff that just worked.  I don’t know if you can find that dominance today, especially with the asphalt like it is.
 
So I think there’s a larger group of guys racing for the win now than when I had that dominant streak.
 
Q.  They changed the format of the All‑Star Race over the last decade.  Do you have a format you prefer?  What is your opinion to moving the All‑Star Race around to different tracks?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Moving the race around?  I get it.  I think it would be very entertaining on a short track.  But living it like we do week after week, man, it’s so nice for us to be home for a couple weekends.  39 races in 41 weeks.  The teams are based here.  It’s nice to be in our own backyard. From a selfish standpoint, I’m happy with it being here in Charlotte so we get time at home and see our families and sleep in our own beds.  That’s a nice perk.
Format‑wise, honestly I’ve quit paying attention because it changes so much each year.  I guess it is semi similar this year, although qualifying is right before the race, which is different for sure.  We would do things far differently to the racecar if it wasn’t an impound qualifying procedure this weekend.
 
There are some differences.  This many years into my Cup career, you just got to learn to go with it.  Whatever changes are thrown at you, you take it, deal with it, move on.  I don’t have a strong opinion either way.
 
Q.  It’s been a different season for you and the 48 team.  What has it been like to have to be chasing after it?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  We’ve had to chase plenty of times.  I think some or many forget that, yes, we do have a lot of trophies and I’m very proud of them, but there have been plenty of slow starts, plenty of dry spells or stretches through a given season.
 
But one thing that’s always constant about the 48 is we’re going to work our guts out to figure it out.  That’s what we’re in the middle of doing now.  It isn’t fun, that’s for sure.  It isn’t a fun experience to work so hard and not get the reward that you want.  But that’s life.
 
I love to work and I know my team does, so we’ll just keep plugging away.
 
Q.  How about all this about it builds character, you would prefer it be easier?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I think we all prefer the easy road.  If we all had an easy button, I’m sure we’d push it multiple times a day just to make things better.  But it builds character.
 
13 years being the driver of the 48 car, we’ve had lots of ups and downs.  I think it’s safe to say we’ve probably had more ups than downs with all the success we’ve had on the team.  I take that into consideration, as well.
 
We’re going to work right now.  We’re trying to be a better race team.  That’s all.
 
Q.  I know your teammate Dale has his graveyard of racecars, all the wrecked racecars on his property.  Have you ever had a car donated to the graveyard?  You collect stuff from your wins, but do you have anything from any of your wrecks or would you even want any of that stuff?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I do have a car out there in his graveyard.  I can’t recall which one it is.  He’s very up to date on what car from what track and driver, all that kind of stuff.  I know there’s one out there of mine.
 
My crash at Watkins Glen in the Nationwide car in 2000, the next year I go up there and there’s a guy with a sign on the back of his pickup selling blocks of foam.  I bought a couple chunks from him.  I have those.  Fisher engines, who did our engines, gave us the oil pan that was twisted and mangled. So I had that.  I also had a steering wheel from it.
 
I found out with car was going to be cubed when Herzog Motorsports was going to be shut down.  So I found the car.  It was rusty and a mess.  I don’t have a car from that era of competing.  I’m going to restore it.
 
My brother has rebuilt it and restored it.  It’s sitting there and looks brand‑new and great in my warehouse.
 
It isn’t necessarily crashed, but it is the car I hit the wall with and I have it displayed there now.
 
Q.  Why would you want a wrecked car?  It’s understandable why a driver wants a championship car, but why would a driver want a memory of a car that was severely wrecked?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  My 2000 year wasn’t all that stellar.  The real highlight in the year, the point in time I was recognized, was in that car stuffed into the foam.  I guess there’s a little something to that, why I wanted the car (laughter).
 
Q.  I was in Lowe’s yesterday talking to a cashier about you.  I can remember doing the teleconferences in the past.  I got to thinking about the longevity you’ve had with your sponsor.  What effect do you think that has had on your career and on your success?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, I’m obviously very proud of the long‑term relationship that Hendrick, Lowe’s and myself have had.  Truthfully when I look back at the decisions I made, the way my life has gone independent of racing, it’s been in the same respect.  I’ve always had long‑term relationships with friends, even through dating.  I’ve just been that way.  I’ve only driven for a few race teams.  Really the same team in off‑road days, then as I moved on, I drove for a long period of time for the Herzogs, then the Hendricks.
 
It’s my style and it’s worked out.  It’s so nice to know the faces, to know the names, and to know we return a value to their sponsorship, the money they put into our race team and into marketing, that we are an important part of their marketing program.  We take great pride in it.
 
I think it’s the longest standing driver/owner/sponsorship relationship out there, and I think one of the last singular sponsors of a racecar in a series today.
 
All those stats mean a lot to myself and I know they mean a lot to Rick, too.
 
Q.  I was there restoring a brass lamp, a 102‑year‑old lamp.  What do you think the chances are that I would find a screw for it?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Judging by the tone of your voice, it went well, and I hope that’s the case.
 
Q.  It definitely went very well.  I was amazed.
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Good (laughter).  Glad you went there.
 
Q.  In all the years I’ve covered you, through all the challenges, you’re so calm when the craziest things happen.  I don’t see you riled too easily. What is the one thing that r
eally stresses you out?  You seem to have such calm blood going through your veins.
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, I get plenty stressed.  In the moment I guess my mind tries to stay calm and think things through.  I’ve had more success by handling the situation without fear, frustration, anxiety running through my veins.  I make better decisions in that space and I naturally kind of go there.
 
I get stressed out about plenty of things.  Speed in a racecar is top of my mind Friday to Sunday.  I find that in my personal life I fear and worry about a lot of things now that I’m a parent and have to worry about two little ones.
 
I would say between professional success on a Friday‑to‑Sunday routine, and then pretty much the entire week just worried about two little ones running around and their safety.  Those would be my two biggies.
 
Q.  With really no time to work on the car between qualifying and the race, will that change your approach at all, how you approach the weekend?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  It won’t change certain aspects of it.  From the way we go out and qualify, get our fast laps, do all that we do, that will be the same.  But the way we set the car up is going to be far different.
 
There are a few big things that you do when it’s not an impound race.  We take the ballast of the car and push a lot of that weight forward.  That really helps stabilize the car.  That’s clearly an adjustment you don’t want to do on pit road.  It’s pretty timely, as well.  We won’t have nose weight in the car.
 
Your goal in setting up your racecar for a race is to have it easy on the tires so they last as long as possible, whereas in qualifying you only need a couple laps, so you’re going to work a given corner or all four really hard.
 
We’ll definitely be doing things differently.  I don’t recall having an impound race this year for an open motor race, so it will be a new little twist on things.
 
I think it’s going to be exciting for the fans and create a little better show, a little more excitement through the course of the afternoon, with qualifying at 7:00 and the race at 9:00.
 
So I’m for it, but our race setup will be different.  The overall mindset will still be similar.  Track position is going to be everything and busting out a fast lap in qualifying is going to be key.
 
Q.  How much do you expect teams to be experimenting this weekend, or do you think there will be less experimenting considering that those guys that have wins can experiment throughout the season anyway?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Charlotte is always big for experimenting, largely because when you come back for the 600, the clock ticks so fast in practice, you can’t get to your list of things to try.
 
We practice during the day and race at night.  So things that show some promise, you’re always concerned to run them in the 600 because the bulk of the race is at night, and you just tried all these new experimental items in the sun.  Is it going to work?  Is handling going to change?
 
So it’s nice to get a race on your equipment if it’s setup‑wise or even engine stuff.  A lot of teams seem to debut new engine packages at the All‑Star Race.  They figure if they can survive the All‑Star Race, as hard as we run there, that we can take it to other racetracks.
 
I would say it’s safe to say that the majority of the field will be experimenting with something on their cars.
 
Q.  You said you bought the foam from a guy at Watkins Glen in 2001.
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I did.  I bought two chunks from him.  He was out there selling the chunks of foam that were flying all over the place.
 
Q.  Did he realize it was you?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Man, I don’t recall.  It was so long ago.  It was in 2001.  I don’t know if he did.  I believe I would remember that.  He wanted five bucks a chunk for foam.  I gave him 10 bucks, took two pieces of foam and went on my way.
 
Q.  How did you find out about it?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  We were roaming around through the campground looking for some trouble, I guess, just cruising around.  He had an old blue beat‑up pickup truck.  He had a plywood sign.  On the sign it said, Jimmie Johnson’s crash, the foam, all that kind of stuff, $5 a chunk.  I’m like, Man, I’m going to get me a few of those.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Jimmie, thanks so much for joining us today and good luck this weekend in the All‑Star Race.
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Good deal.  Thank you.  See everybody.
 

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET SS, WAS THE GUEST ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
 
 
THE MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Today we’re joined by Jimmie Johnson.  Jimmie made his first Sprint Cup Series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2001 and he’s currently tied with Bobby Allison and Darrel Waltrip for the all‑time wins lead at the speedway with six victories.
 
Jimmie, a win this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway would be your third consecutive All‑Star Race win.  How would that help with your momentum going into the Coca‑Cola 600 the following week?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, I didn’t realize some of the stats.  It’s really cool to hear.  I know the track has been strong for myself and Hendrick Motorsports really if you look at their history.  Want to keep those winning ways alive.
 
If we were able to win a third consecutive All‑Star Race, that would be something.  I’m not sure if that’s happened before.  I would love to have that honor.
 
Momentum is very helpful.  A race win does a lot for teams.  I think we’ve been knocking on the door throughout the year.  It would be a nice boost, shot in the arm for the team if we were able to do so.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Next week you’ll be the first active athlete to vote for a professional sports Hall of Fame.  Talk a little bit about that honor.
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, that is a huge honor.  I’ve enjoyed studying up on everybody.  I have a huge booklet with 30, 35 names in it.  It’s the Hall of Fame, then there’s also another award that we’ll be voting on.
 
It’s been a fun process.  From what I gather, I guess it’s the 21st when we sit down and meet for a couple of hours.  It will be a fun and educational meetings.
 
I’m looking forward to more of the process and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve been a part of so far.
 
THE MODERATOR:  We’ll now go to the media for question for Jimmie Johnson.
 
Q.  There’s been a lot of talk this season about the intensity of the racing given the new championship format.  From what you’ve seen so far, just how aggressive do you think the driving and the overall racing might be when we get into the Chase, especially these elimination races like Phoenix?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I think it depends on circumstances.  Everybody is always racing hard.  I think there have been a lot of efforts made in a lot of areas to increase the competition on the racetrack.
 
Look at rules packages, they’re always evolving.  We’re working on different tires.  Tracks are resurfacing.  The points system has changed.  I think there’s a little help from all areas to put on a great show for the fans and have a great product in NASCAR.
 
I assume it will continue to ratchet up, especially if you have drivers trying to move forward in the Chase that are near one another and a win is vital for them to transfer to the next segment.  You can get into those circumstances and scenarios as we get late in the year, and it can be exciting, especially like on a short track like Phoenix.
 
Q.  This creates a situation that’s basically an unknown.  Do you look forward to that kind of challenge or is it something that worries you?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, we don’t mind new challenges.  Our team has always adapted well.  At times we seem to grab things faster than others, at other times we don’t. We’ll take our chances.  We’ve been able to win with all types of Chase formats, all types of cars.  We’re up for the challenge.  We enjoy it.
 
Q.  I’m not sure how much you’re following him, but yesterday Kurt Busch was second fastest at Indianapolis Motor Speedway practice, up above 224 miles an hour.  Are you paying attention much?  Are you surprised or impressed by it?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I missed yesterday.  That’s great news.  I’m stoked for him.  I’ve been talking with him some on fitness and hydration and nutrition.  He’s got a long, active month leading up to the big race next week.  He and I have been chatting more about hydration and nutrition than anything.  I’m happy to hear that.  I missed that yesterday.
 
I think he’s going to do an awesome job.  I’ve always wondered if you take somebody from a low downforce vehicle and put them in a high downforce vehicle, to see how they would do.  Yesterday is a great sign.
 
I feel it’s more difficult for an open‑wheel guy to come to a stockcar and have downforce taken away from them.  I’ll be interested to see if that’s Kurt’s opinion and how that all plays out in the end.
 
Q.  I know you explored it at one point.  What do you think the biggest challenge is for him?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Man, I think stress.  Stress takes a big toll on the body.  You’re stressed about your balance and your setup for your stockcar. You’re stressed about your balance and setup for your IndyCar.  Practice sessions.  Are you eating, drinking, getting enough rest.  Media obligations.  On Sunday, is it going to affect the IndyCar race.  Is the helicopter or plane on time.
 
I think it’s stress.  We all know what it does to our system.  It wears you down pretty quick.  I think it’s stress.  He’s got a lot of stress on his plate right now.
 
Q.  Given your history of success at Charlotte, the All‑Star Race in particular, do you bring just as much confidence into this weekend as you would if, say, you already had a couple wins under your belt this season?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, for sure.  That’s the one thing that I learned maybe year two or three in Cup, is that every weekend’s a new weekend. It’s a new track.  Even if you go from a mile‑and‑a‑half to another mile‑and‑a‑half, they’re so different in how they drive and the setup that’s required.  It is nice.  You can start on a clean sheet of paper and hit the racetrack and go.
 
Momentum that you do carry is I think noticeable maybe on Friday, opening practice, qualifying.  By the time you get to the race, you’re dealing with that weekend’s circumstances.  Just because you won the previous race or many races beforehand doesn’t change things on that given race day.
Believe me, it’s a nice week.  I’d say from Sunday evening after the race until maybe Friday, Thursday or Friday, depending on the format, when NASCAR timing and scoring begins again, that’s a good period of time and where you feel momentum the most after a win.
 
Q.  In terms of what drivers can do to each other on the track, is there anything that you feel is out‑of‑bounds in the All‑Star Race?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  It definitely changes things.  I think people are willing to take more risks and opportunities if they’re there.  Again, you’re really looking from second to first.  I think second place, if he’s in reaching distance of the leader, will certainly do what he can for $1 million and no implications in points.
 
From fifth to fourth, it doesn’t pay much.  Why are you going to risk making the guy in fourth mad?  He’s going to come after you the following week. Given the race format, I think it certainly can make things exciting.
 
Q.  I understand when you were untouchable in the early to the mid 2000’s, the car and track are different to what they are now.  Do you still carry the same level of expectation for yourself as you did when you were winning every week there?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I do.  Honestly, I’d say most tracks I carry that same expectation, swagger, whatever it is.&nb
sp; We’ve been able to win at so many tracks, have been very successful for a long period of time; we’ve set the bar very high for ourselves.  Outside of maybe Bristol or Richmond, you know, there’s maybe one or two other ones in there where you seem to get beat up on pretty bad and we don’t have the performance we want.  Those are the only tracks I walk into with a little less confidence.
 
But Charlotte has been so good to us.  Even though our dominance was a while ago, we’ve been able to win the All‑Star a few times since.  We’ve definitely been in the money and have had a shot to win.  I’m carrying good confidence in there.
 
Q.  With two straight All‑Star wins, you’ve had some nice point’s runs there recently; do you feel you’re getting something of an edge back at that racetrack again?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Man, I want to.  But Kasey Kahne, whatever I seem to find, he has and has found.  Harvick has been strong there over the years.  With their performance of late, I would expect them to be awfully tough.  I think more people have figured it out.  The surface was so rough and abrasive; we hit on some stuff that just worked.  I don’t know if you can find that dominance today, especially with the asphalt like it is.
 
So I think there’s a larger group of guys racing for the win now than when I had that dominant streak.
 
Q.  They changed the format of the All‑Star Race over the last decade.  Do you have a format you prefer?  What is your opinion to moving the All‑Star Race around to different tracks?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Moving the race around?  I get it.  I think it would be very entertaining on a short track.  But living it like we do week after week, man, it’s so nice for us to be home for a couple weekends.  39 races in 41 weeks.  The teams are based here.  It’s nice to be in our own backyard. From a selfish standpoint, I’m happy with it being here in Charlotte so we get time at home and see our families and sleep in our own beds.  That’s a nice perk.
Format‑wise, honestly I’ve quit paying attention because it changes so much each year.  I guess it is semi similar this year, although qualifying is right before the race, which is different for sure.  We would do things far differently to the racecar if it wasn’t an impound qualifying procedure this weekend.
 
There are some differences.  This many years into my Cup career, you just got to learn to go with it.  Whatever changes are thrown at you, you take it, deal with it, move on.  I don’t have a strong opinion either way.
 
Q.  It’s been a different season for you and the 48 team.  What has it been like to have to be chasing after it?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  We’ve had to chase plenty of times.  I think some or many forget that, yes, we do have a lot of trophies and I’m very proud of them, but there have been plenty of slow starts, plenty of dry spells or stretches through a given season.
 
But one thing that’s always constant about the 48 is we’re going to work our guts out to figure it out.  That’s what we’re in the middle of doing now.  It isn’t fun, that’s for sure.  It isn’t a fun experience to work so hard and not get the reward that you want.  But that’s life.
 
I love to work and I know my team does, so we’ll just keep plugging away.
 
Q.  How about all this about it builds character, you would prefer it be easier?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I think we all prefer the easy road.  If we all had an easy button, I’m sure we’d push it multiple times a day just to make things better.  But it builds character.
 
13 years being the driver of the 48 car, we’ve had lots of ups and downs.  I think it’s safe to say we’ve probably had more ups than downs with all the success we’ve had on the team.  I take that into consideration, as well.
 
We’re going to work right now.  We’re trying to be a better race team.  That’s all.
 
Q.  I know your teammate Dale has his graveyard of racecars, all the wrecked racecars on his property.  Have you ever had a car donated to the graveyard?  You collect stuff from your wins, but do you have anything from any of your wrecks or would you even want any of that stuff?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I do have a car out there in his graveyard.  I can’t recall which one it is.  He’s very up to date on what car from what track and driver, all that kind of stuff.  I know there’s one out there of mine.
 
My crash at Watkins Glen in the Nationwide car in 2000, the next year I go up there and there’s a guy with a sign on the back of his pickup selling blocks of foam.  I bought a couple chunks from him.  I have those.  Fisher engines, who did our engines, gave us the oil pan that was twisted and mangled. So I had that.  I also had a steering wheel from it.
 
I found out with car was going to be cubed when Herzog Motorsports was going to be shut down.  So I found the car.  It was rusty and a mess.  I don’t have a car from that era of competing.  I’m going to restore it.
 
My brother has rebuilt it and restored it.  It’s sitting there and looks brand‑new and great in my warehouse.
 
It isn’t necessarily crashed, but it is the car I hit the wall with and I have it displayed there now.
 
Q.  Why would you want a wrecked car?  It’s understandable why a driver wants a championship car, but why would a driver want a memory of a car that was severely wrecked?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  My 2000 year wasn’t all that stellar.  The real highlight in the year, the point in time I was recognized, was in that car stuffed into the foam.  I guess there’s a little something to that, why I wanted the car (laughter).
 
Q.  I was in Lowe’s yesterday talking to a cashier about you.  I can remember doing the teleconferences in the past.  I got to thinking about the longevity you’ve had with your sponsor.  What effect do you think that has had on your career and on your success?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, I’m obviously very proud of the long‑term relationship that Hendrick, Lowe’s and myself have had.  Truthfully when I look back at the decisions I made, the way my life has gone independent of racing, it’s been in the same respect.  I’ve always had long‑term relationships with friends, even through dating.  I’ve just been that way.  I’ve only driven for a few race teams.  Really the same team in off‑road days, then as I moved on, I drove for a long period of time for the Herzogs, then the Hendricks.
 
It’s my style and it’s worked out.  It’s so nice to know the faces, to know the names, and to know we return a value to their sponsorship, the money they put into our race team and into marketing, that we are an important part of their marketing program.  We take great pride in it.
 
I think it’s the longest standing driver/owner/sponsorship relationship out there, and I think one of the last singular sponsors of a racecar in a series today.
 
All those stats mean a lot to myself and I know they mean a lot to Rick, too.
 
Q.  I was there restoring a brass lamp, a 102‑year‑old lamp.  What do you think the chances are that I would find a screw for it?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Judging by the tone of your voice, it went well, and I hope that’s the case.
 
Q.  It definitely went very well.  I was amazed.
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Good (laughter).  Glad you went there.
 
Q.  In all the years I’ve covered you, through all the challenges, you’re so calm when the craziest things happen.  I don’t see you riled too easily. What is the one thing that r
eally stresses you out?  You seem to have such calm blood going through your veins.
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, I get plenty stressed.  In the moment I guess my mind tries to stay calm and think things through.  I’ve had more success by handling the situation without fear, frustration, anxiety running through my veins.  I make better decisions in that space and I naturally kind of go there.
 
I get stressed out about plenty of things.  Speed in a racecar is top of my mind Friday to Sunday.  I find that in my personal life I fear and worry about a lot of things now that I’m a parent and have to worry about two little ones.
 
I would say between professional success on a Friday‑to‑Sunday routine, and then pretty much the entire week just worried about two little ones running around and their safety.  Those would be my two biggies.
 
Q.  With really no time to work on the car between qualifying and the race, will that change your approach at all, how you approach the weekend?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  It won’t change certain aspects of it.  From the way we go out and qualify, get our fast laps, do all that we do, that will be the same.  But the way we set the car up is going to be far different.
 
There are a few big things that you do when it’s not an impound race.  We take the ballast of the car and push a lot of that weight forward.  That really helps stabilize the car.  That’s clearly an adjustment you don’t want to do on pit road.  It’s pretty timely, as well.  We won’t have nose weight in the car.
 
Your goal in setting up your racecar for a race is to have it easy on the tires so they last as long as possible, whereas in qualifying you only need a couple laps, so you’re going to work a given corner or all four really hard.
 
We’ll definitely be doing things differently.  I don’t recall having an impound race this year for an open motor race, so it will be a new little twist on things.
 
I think it’s going to be exciting for the fans and create a little better show, a little more excitement through the course of the afternoon, with qualifying at 7:00 and the race at 9:00.
 
So I’m for it, but our race setup will be different.  The overall mindset will still be similar.  Track position is going to be everything and busting out a fast lap in qualifying is going to be key.
 
Q.  How much do you expect teams to be experimenting this weekend, or do you think there will be less experimenting considering that those guys that have wins can experiment throughout the season anyway?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Charlotte is always big for experimenting, largely because when you come back for the 600, the clock ticks so fast in practice, you can’t get to your list of things to try.
 
We practice during the day and race at night.  So things that show some promise, you’re always concerned to run them in the 600 because the bulk of the race is at night, and you just tried all these new experimental items in the sun.  Is it going to work?  Is handling going to change?
 
So it’s nice to get a race on your equipment if it’s setup‑wise or even engine stuff.  A lot of teams seem to debut new engine packages at the All‑Star Race.  They figure if they can survive the All‑Star Race, as hard as we run there, that we can take it to other racetracks.
 
I would say it’s safe to say that the majority of the field will be experimenting with something on their cars.
 
Q.  You said you bought the foam from a guy at Watkins Glen in 2001.
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I did.  I bought two chunks from him.  He was out there selling the chunks of foam that were flying all over the place.
 
Q.  Did he realize it was you?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Man, I don’t recall.  It was so long ago.  It was in 2001.  I don’t know if he did.  I believe I would remember that.  He wanted five bucks a chunk for foam.  I gave him 10 bucks, took two pieces of foam and went on my way.
 
Q.  How did you find out about it?
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  We were roaming around through the campground looking for some trouble, I guess, just cruising around.  He had an old blue beat‑up pickup truck.  He had a plywood sign.  On the sign it said, Jimmie Johnson’s crash, the foam, all that kind of stuff, $5 a chunk.  I’m like, Man, I’m going to get me a few of those.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Jimmie, thanks so much for joining us today and good luck this weekend in the All‑Star Race.
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Good deal.  Thank you.  See everybody.
 

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
DAY THREE  PRACTICE
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
 
INDIANAPOLIS (May 12, 2014) –  The No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet driven by Juan Pablo Montoya led the way for Chevrolet IndyCar V6 in the third practice session for the Indianapolis 500.  The session was scheduled to run from noon to 6:00 p.m., but severe storms produced heavy rain forcing the Verizon IndyCar officials to cancel practice after an hour and a half of on-track activity.
 
Joining Montoya in the top-10 quickest of the 30 drivers who took time today were Scott Dixon, No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, and rookie Sage Karam, No. 22 Comfort Revolution/Brantley Gilbert Dreyer & Reinbold Kingdom Racing Chevrolet.
 
Practice resumes tomorrow, Wednesday May 14, 2014 from noon to 6:00 p.m.
 
Qualifying for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 will begin Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. and conclude Sunday, May 18 with the Fast 9 Qualifying beginning at 2:00 p.m.  ABC TV will air live coverage of qualifying from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
 
DRIVER QUOTES:
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 3RD IN PRACTICE:  “We started today off in a little more of a qualifying setup on the No. 2 Verizon Chevy, just trying to creep up on what we’ll need for this weekend’s pole days. The car felt good and had a lot of speed since it was a more trimmed out. Unfortunately we had an electrical issue and it took us a couple of runs to figure it out, but that’s why I was stopped on the grass. Then the rains came and that was the end of the session. We ran a lot of laps yesterday in preparation for it so it’s nothing major and it gives the guys time to catch up on the car.”
 
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 6TH IN PRACTICE:  “Well it ended up being a short day today.  We got rained out after about an hour or so of running.  We worked again on long runs and race preparation in the Target car.  It looked like the weather isn’t going to be much better tomorrow so we’ll just have to sit and wait. Typical May weather for Indianapolis.”
 
SAGE KARAM, NO. 22 COMFORT REVOLUTION/BRANTLEY GILBERT  DREYER & REINBOLD KINGDOM RACING CHEVROLET, 9TH IN PRACTICE: “Today went well. We made some good improvements to the car which allowed me to run in more traffic and in bigger packs of cars. I was able to put up some pretty good times similar to what guys were running yesterday and close to the fast guys today. Getting into the top 10 is a good confidence builder for myself and the team. We’re going to work very hard to tweak the car and get it a bit better for me in traffic so I am more comfortable. Once we that happens, we are going to have a very good car for this month.”
 
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 12TH IN PRACTICE:  “We didn’t get a lot of on-track time today because of the weather, but I think we still made some really positive strides forward in the laps we did get completed.  We were able to make some solid race runs and get the No. 8 NTT DATA Chevrolet into traffic.  We’ll take any time we can get out there, but we’re really hoping that the weather can come around and we can get a full day in on the track soon.”
 
TOWNSEND BELL, NO. 6 ROBERT GRAHAM – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET, 13TH IN PRACTICE:
 
HELIO CASTRONEVES, No. 3 PENNZOIL ULTRA PLATINUM TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 14TH IN PRACTICE: “Another great day for the Pennzoil Chevrolet. We did what we needed to do before the rain came in. Now we are just making sure that we are ready to go as soon as the track is open tomorrow. It looks like the weather is going to be hit and miss again, so when the track goes green we will be ready. But we are getting close to qualifying and that is what we are starting to think about.”
 
TONY KANAAN, NO.10 TARGET CHIP GANASSI CHEVROLET (IN T CAR), 15th IN PRACTICE:  “Not a lot on track today unfortunately.  We learned a little bit but really didn’t have a chance to go through our run plan like we would have liked to because of the rain.”
 
CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 83 NOVOLOG FLEXPEN CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET,  16TH IN PRACTICE:   “Even though we didn’t have a lot of on-track time today because of the rain, we were still able to work on some setup changes.  There are still some items on our test list that we need to work through and we’re hoping that the weather will clear up this week so we can make those changes.  We can’t control or change the weather, especially in Indianapolis in May, but Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing is great at adapting and making the best of the situation that we’re put in.  My engineers and I have a lot of confidence in the speed of the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet and we’re just looking forward to getting a full day on track.”
 
JR HILDEBRAND, NO. 21 PREFERRED FREEZER ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 17TH IN PRACTICE:  “With raining coming in, we tried to do a bunch of things early today.  We have a pretty extensive plan throughout the week, so we really want the track time.  Everyone is in the same boat on days like today.  We can then sit down and access our current situation with the cars.  We just hope that rain doesn’t come back in the few days.  It feels great to run with Ed and I am enjoying this team.  It is low key and very professional.  I hope to expand this program at Ed Carpenter Racing because I really like working with these guys.  Some of the them I have worked with in my Indy Lights and IndyCar career.  So it is pretty familiar territory for me.”
 
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 18TH IN PRACTICE:  “Surprisingly, the weather worked out for us earlier in the day to get enough laps in.  It was great to get out there today and the Verizon Penske Chevrolet is running very well and fast.  We’re making a lot of progress and, overall, I’m very happy with how the day went.”

ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 21ST IN PRACTICE: “It is tough when you can’t get a full day of running in at the Speedway.  But we expect some rain in May.  We just don’t pack everything up immediately too on a day like today. We have to take our cars through tech again and clean up some things so we are ready for qualifying.  I felt really good about day one (Sunday).  Then day two (Monday) and first part of day three (Tuesday) have been so-so.  I think we are better than what the time sheets have shown.  You want to be on track as much as possible with the changing conditions at IMS.  You don’t want to be surprised on race day.”
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS:  No. 11 No. 11 HYDROXYCUT/MISTIC E-CIGS – KVSH RACING CHEVROLET, 23RD  IN PRACTICE:
 
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO. AFS 17 KV AFS RACING CHEVROLET,  30TH IN PRACTICE:

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
DAY TWO PRACTICE
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
 
INDIANAPOLIS (May 12, 2014) – Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Team Penske Chevrolet,  led the way for Team Chevy on Day Two of practice for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500.  The on-track activity increased to 30 cars taking laps in preparation for the May 25th running of the historic race. Castroneves ran 96 laps in warm, muggy conditions with gusty winds and turned a lap at 223.635 mph.
 
Also putting their Chevrolet IndyCar V6 powered cars in the top-10 in the final order were Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, and Scott Dixon, No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.
 
Practice resumes tomorrow, Tuesday May 13, 2014 from noon to 6:00 p.m.
 
Qualifying for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 will begin Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. and conclude Sunday, May 18 with the Fast 9 Qualifying beginning at 2:00 p.m.  ABC TV will air live coverage of qualifying from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
 
DRIVER QUOTES:
HELIO CASTRONEVES, No. 3 PENNZOIL ULTRA PLATINUM TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 3RD IN PRACTICE: “I feel that the weather is the biggest contribution here. Sounds like tomorrow and Wednesday and even Thursday possible rains. So yea, exactly that’s why you want to take a chance with the hot weather conditions for the race plus when you put the turbo number, we’re going to put more pressure on turbo so the speeds going to go up and we’re still going to go with that kind of scenario so right now I’m very happy with our car. It’s not only pretty, it’s looking good. Pretty good. Like I said, we’re not looking for the times because if you like that way, it’s always a reference. It’s a little bit different. I think everybody is getting draft so that they understand what their car is doing in traffic. But at this point, the name of the game is the same for everyone. We’re just trying to put some mileage, especially on the engine and go for it.”
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 3RD IN PRACTICE:  “It was good to get out there and run a lot of laps today, which was important because we don’t know what the weather will be like for tomorrow. I will definitely sleep good tonight because that was a workout. I think the No. 2 Verizon Chevy showed good improvement from yesterday. We picked up some time, as did some other drivers. It’s all part of the step-by-step process to get to where we need to be for the race. All in all I think things are going according to plan.”
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHEVROLET, 13TH IN PRACTICE: “Today was the first true day of practice for us.  It was great to get out there and run for a while today.  We tried a number of things we’ve been working on, both in the offseason and in preparation for this first oval of the year.  It’s pretty cool having the silver Target cars here in May to celebrate 25 years of partnership with such a fantastic company.”
TONY KANAAN, NO.10 TARGET CHIP GANASSI CHEVROLET (IN T CAR), 10TH IN PRACTICE:  “We definitely put a full day in today with the Target car – well over 100 laps around Indy.  The No. 10 team is working really hard.  Lots and lots of running out there.  Today is only the first day of testing the primary car for the race, so we went through a laundry list of items we’ve been wanting to run.  Overall it was a good day of learning for us.”
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 12TH IN PRACTICE:  “It felt good to get out on track today and have some time to turn some real lap times.  Today was the first day I went out in the primary No. 8 NTT DATA Chevrolet and we just wanted to shake down the car and make sure the oval setup was good to go for tomorrow.  We’re looking at turning a lot more laps during the session tomorrow and making some long fuel runs
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 15TH IN PRACTICE: 
“The Verizon Penske Chevrolet has been really quick.  We didn’t run too many laps today, but because we ran a lot of laps yesterday, we’re in a good direction, which is important since it will probably be wet over the next couple of days.  We’re definitely getting to where we want to be.”
 
JR HILDEBRAND, NO. 21 PREFERRED FREEZER ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 18TH IN PRACTICE: “The conditions were tough out there today.  It’s pretty windy.  Ed and I were both trying to find a little more grip in the cars.  We wanted to work in traffic today.  I feel like we made good gains with the setup.  We didn’t really try to find a real speed in these types of conditions.  We were focused on race running all day.  With the variable conditions, that can be rough sometimes.  We found a couple of good changes at the end of the day that we will stick with in the future.  It is like a race day with the weather.  But you don’t want to be complacent on days like this.  You want to be really good in conditions like these.  We need to be a little better in these conditions and be prepared if it is close to this on race day.”
 
SAGE KARAM, NO. 22 DREYER & REINBOLD KINGDOM RACING, 23RD IN PRACTICE:  “We made some improvements today on the car and got up into the 220s.  I was able to draft a little bit for the first time in a Verizon IndyCar Series car, which was a new experience for me and took some time to learn.  The crew worked really hard to make the car’s balance better for me in traffic and I think today was a preview of what’s to come for me this week.  I want to use this week to get more comfortable in the draft and start working on getting higher up on the speed chart.”
TOWNSEND BELL, NO. 6 ROBERT GRAHAM – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET, 24TH IN PRACTICE: “Another productive day in the Robert Graham – KV Racing Technology car. We ran a lot of laps. Worked through our program for the day. Ran some laps in traffic and with my teammate Sebastien Bourdais. A good day. It is a process, but we are making progress so overall I am happy with how the day went
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS:  No. 11 No. 11 HYDROXYCUT/MISTIC E-CIGS – KVSH RACING CHEVROLET, 26TH IN PRACTICE: “It was a good start. I liked the Hydroxycut/Mistic E-Cigs car right off the bat. The balance was pretty good. We worked on a few things then I worked a little in traffic. Every year is different, every day is different here. You run a lot of laps and try and get a feel for how the car is in every condition then try and make the right decisions for race day. That is what we are doing. It was a good day for the first day of practice.”
 
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 27TH IN PRACTICE: “We had a couple of issues today that kept us off the track for some time.  But that is what is great about having a teammate here.  J.R. was able to put some good laps and test some things that I didn’t.  Hopefully it is dry for some time on Tuesday.  The weather forecast doesn’t look good though.  That’s why you want as much track time as you can get.  The conditions today were tough with the warmth, the humidity and the wind.  It was a lot like race day can be in a few weeks.  I think J.R. had some good runs today that can help our team.  That is what working together can mean to a multi-car effort
 
CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 83 NOVOLOG FLEXPEN CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET,  30TH IN PRACTICE:  “It was a shame we didn’t get more laps in today.  The weather conditions were interesting with the wind and the temperature today and the long-term weather is looking pretty indefinite for the rest of the week.  We’ll just have to run when we can and focus on what it’s going to take to make the
car better for the race.  We’re pretty confident in what we need to do to get the car ready for qualifying this weekend, but we need work on traffic and running with groups to get the car ready for the 500.”

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
DAY ONE PRACTICE
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
 
INDIANAPOLIS (May 11, 2014) – The first day of practice for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 is in the books, and many of the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 powered drivers took advantage of the six-hour time frame to shake down their race cars for the first time.
 
Topping the speed charts was Team Chevy’s Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, with a lap of 223.057 mph/40.3485 seconds.  He was followed by his teammates Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Team Penske Chevrolet.
 
JR Hildebrand making his return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the No. 21 Preferred Freezer Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet turned in the fourth quickest time of the day.
 
Practice resumes tomorrow, Monday May 12, 2014 from noon to 6:00 p.m.
 
Qualifying for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 will begin Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. and conclude Sunday, May 18 with the Fast 9 Qualifying beginning at 2:00 p.m.  ABC TV will air live coverage of qualifying from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
 
DRIVER QUOTES:
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FASTEST IN PRACTICE:  “It’s great, to be at the top of the speed charts, but the car felt really good, too, today and we got to do quite a few laps, try to get the mileage up.  You know, just anticipating that it might be wet the next couple of days.  But,  it’s only practice, first day, always handy to be at the top.”
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 2ND IN PRACTICE: “I felt really comfortable in the Verizon Chevy today. I did a lot of running by myself and then I ran behind someone just to start getting used to the feel of that; the understeer and how the car feels in traffic. Right now we just want to get comfortable in the car. The first time I was here it took me about three laps to get comfortable. This time it was a few more. One of the great things about being with Team Penske is our cars are so good.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 3RD IN PRACTICE: “Very happy the weather cooperated with us today. The Pennzoil Chevrolet was really quick today. I’m really glad we were able to do so on the first day of Indianapolis 500 practice. That always puts the boss (Roger Penske) in a good mood. I love this month and it feels good to have speed right out of the box. Things are looking good.”
 
JR HILDEBRAND, NO. 21 PREFERRED FREEZER ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 4TH IN PRACTICE: “It was a good day despite not running as many laps as we had planned.  The main purpose today was to get Ed and myself on the same page with the cars.  We wanted to see how we worked with a similar setup.  So as we work through the month we can get a good baseline with our cars.  Luckily we are looking for the same thing with cars right now.  So this was a great start and the cars have some speed in them.  I think it’s equally important that both of us are hunting for the same things out the race car.  Sometimes you have teammates who go different directions on setup.  Right now I don’t see that happening.  I think Ed and I are similar in our approach driving in traffic and other settings.  I feel good about how things are going right now.”
 
TOM WURTZ, TEAM MANAGER FOR CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 83 NOVOLOG FLEXPEN CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET,  7TH IN PRACTICE AND
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET (IN ‘T’ CAR), 16TH IN PRACTICE:  WURTZ: “It was a very quick turnaround from the Grand Prix of Indianapolis road course setup to the Indianapolis 500 oval setup for Opening Day, but we made sure we were prepared to make the transition as easily as possible.  We didn’t get out until later this afternoon because we wanted to make sure our T (backup) car was ready to go to run some install laps.  Tonight we’ll pull the engine from the T car and put it in the primary car so that we can get out on track as soon as practice begins tomorrow at noon.”
 
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 8TH IN PRACTICE: “I always focus on the race, but I think after last year, the excitement of winning the pole, and then the disappointment of finishing tenth in the race with what was a fast car I think has made us even more focused on making sure we’re ‑‑ I don’t want to say more prepared, because I think we are prepared for the race. But, just more focused on getting the right amount of race running each day and running in enough different types of conditions, and not necessarily maybe worrying about qualifying quite as much.”
TOWNSEND BELL, NO. 6 ROBERT GRAHAM – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET, 9TH IN PRACTICE:  “The Robert Graham – KV Racing Technology crew could not have made it any easier in terms of the preparation of the car. I had a really comfortable starting setup. There are a lot of people here that I have worked with before and I am really pleased with the group of guys we have put together.  It is never easy when it is a one-off situation, but right now I don’t think it could be any better in terms of the chemistry and the people that are making this all happen.” 
TONY KANAAN, NO.10 LEXAR CHIP GANASSI CHEVROLET (IN T CAR), 10TH IN PRACTICE: “It was a good day overall for the Target team.  Scott and I both had time today to shake down the backup cars.  I feel like we’re in a good position and we had a great start today.  The team worked really hard last night changing from the road course cars to the backup oval cars today.  There were a lot of long hours put into this last night after the grand prix, and it will continue again on through tonight.  But it’s worth it after all –  it’s the Indianapolis 500.”
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHEVROLET, 13TH IN PRACTICE:  “Today was pretty basic.  We did 11 laps in the T (backup) car and that was the goal today.  Everything went as planned for Team Target and we’ll move to the primary cars tomorrow.  Short day at the track.”
 
SAGE KARAM, NO. 22 DREYER & REINBOLD KINGDOM RACING: “I really enjoyed today and it went well. We finished the rookie orientation program to get those laps out of the way and went on to run 77 laps total. The set up we have on the car right now will not let me go too much faster than what I have shown, but right now the main goal is to get comfortable and I think that’s what we achieved. Later this week we’ll start trimming it out and making her faster to get up into the 220s.”
 
PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
 
AN INTERVIEW WITH:
WILL POWER
ED CARPENTER
 
            THE MODERATOR: Well, this is an audition for Riverdance and right now I’m not quite sure how you’re doing it ‑‑ good lap, 223 and change, last time I looked up there.  You generally know how strong you went, but the real litmus test is how you felt about it.
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, apart from the speed, it’s great, to be at the top of the speed charts, but the car felt really good, too, today and we got to do quite a few laps, try to get the mileage up.  You know, just anticipating that it might be wet the next couple of days.  Yeah, you can’t ‑‑ it’s only practice, first day, always handy to be at the top.
 
            THE MODERATOR:  You’re a professional, obviously, and do this for a living, but was it weird at all when you first got out after having competed yesterday?
          &
nbsp; WILL POWER:  It was just weird waking up the day after a race and having to get straight back into the car and on a different style of track.  But you know, as soon as I finished up today, like as soon as I got into it today, I just felt normal again, back‑to‑back, focus on the 500 and get the most out of the car.  Can’t believe we actually raced yesterday, had totally forgotten about it.
 
            Q.  So it was weird switching from the two cars, but did it take very long?  And were you in the same car as you were yesterday?
            WILL POWER:  No, we were in a different car.  No, it didn’t take long.  It’s such a different discipline.  The oval is so different from the road course, tires are different.  Just get back into the swing of the oval feel, basically.
 
            Q.  We didn’t get to have you in yesterday, but you and Dixon had the moment in turn three and four.  Can you explain what happened there and just was he pushing too hard to get inside?
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, he went ‑‑ he went for a move up his side and hit me and spun.  I mean, I didn’t see.  I felt it, felt someone hit me.  Obviously come around the next lap, and he’s bumped (ph) ‑‑ yeah, he had a much better view than I.  Hit my back wheel.  Yeah, it’s a tough place to pass.
 
            Q.  When I saw it, I thought to myself ‑‑ that guy cannot get a break at this racetrack, speaking of you.  Do you ever have that thought about particular racetracks, and do you know if I always go here, I have success here or I have some tough luck a time or two here?
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, I would say that about this place.
            But although, I would say that my performance in 2009 to finish fifth with Penske kind of gave me a chance to be full time there.  I think Roger saw that, running five seconds.
            I think it’s really time to have a good Indy 500 finish, I really do.  I think after what’s happened over the last few years, it’s time to have a good finish, which is a win.
 
            Q.  You won the last 500 at Fontana, how much confidence does that give you?
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, it just was a great off‑season, obviously water under the bridge.  Since then, we have four races, all preseason testing.  Just, man, you know, it’s just more experience.  Obviously it does a lot better for your confidence than not finishing or having a bad day.
 
            Q.  Do you just throw everything away and start from scratch, or is there anything that you can pull from what you’ve done or is it just a completely different experience?
            WILL POWER:  It’s the first oval that we do all year.  So you’ve been in road course mode and you get to the oval, and it’s a lot different, and the way you race around here is a lot different with the drafting and pretty close quarters all the time.
            So, you know, you could say that, yeah, you’re starting kind of ‑‑ this is the start of the oval season when you start.  Obviously Brad’s obviously got three years with this car, so quite a bit of data to go off, but it’s a slightly different tire, too.
 
            Q.  What is your plan when you do get on the track?  Is it more race training earlier in the week or qualifying later?
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, actually we did a bit of race work today, just anticipating the rain here.
            I think it’s important to get some race stuff in, because you get to the end of the week and you get to thinking about qualifying, which pays big points, too.  So you have to be pretty honest with that.  But the whole race does pay massive points, double points.  Honestly, I think it’s way too far but it is what it is right now.
 
            Q.  Saturday also pays some pretty good points.  Right now you have a one‑point lead over Ryan Hunter‑Reay, but come Saturday, if you’re the fastest on Saturday, you’ll get 33 points if he has an issue and Sam gets ten points and all of a sudden your lead increases.  What do you think of the whole point structure for qualifying here?  There’s a lot of points available for that.
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, it’s a big deal.  Although, it’s a very ‑‑ you know, between points, it’s not a big spread.  So generally all the guys who are in the championship are in good teams and up front anyway in qualifying.
            So I expect ‑‑ I expect maybe to gain five points or something if you happen to be on the pole.  But like I say, who knows what can happen.
 
            Q.  And also, were you surprised at how brutal yesterday’s race ended up being, on equipment, on drivers, a lot of things?
            WILL POWER:  It was a surprise.  It was aggressive.  Yeah, it was a lot of ‑‑ yeah, I couldn’t believe it, some of those restarts.  I actually had a drive (ph) penalty, so I just backed off and watched one of them, and sure enough the car goes flying into the wall and bits of debris going everywhere.
            It just seems to get rougher and rougher in IndyCar all the time.  Like it’s just becoming ‑‑ I can’t tell you how many times I was hit yesterday, like side to side, and you kind of ‑‑ the cars are almost too strong now.  Man, we bang off each other a lot.  But it’s made for some good racing, but I just don’t want it to become dangerous.
          
 
THE MODERATOR:  You’ve been sitting here watching other people race, had to feel good to get in the car.
            ED CARPENTER:  Yeah, I’ve been looking forward to it.  Obviously like I said, I don’t think it would have mattered, really, if I had been running all the races up to this point.
            The start of the month of May is always special and it’s always exciting to get it started, so happy that we had weather that cooperated today and let us run all day
.
            THE MODERATOR:  By the way, your crew was working to get Mike back into action, really did yeoman’s work.  I was back there watching.
            ED CARPENTER:  They did a good job yesterday, and J.R.s guys for the 21 car were back kind of just working on the speedway cars, and I think everybody in the garage jumped in and got us back out.
            Sometimes yo
u do that and it’s not really worth it, but we picked up five spots and that kept us ‑‑ we dropped from fifth to sixth in points instead of seventh, and we are that much further ahead of eighth, still.  So I’m glad that we’ve put in the effort.
 
            Q.  In terms of the pole run last year, which was so spectacular, and I know it was a highlight in your career, do you build on that here or is it just the race that you think about and how you improve the actual ‑‑ running the 500‑mile?
            ED CARPENTER:  I always focus on the race, but I think after last year, the excitement of winning the pole, and then the disappointment of finishing tenth in the race with what was a fast car I think has made us even more focused on making sure we’re ‑‑ I don’t want to say more prepared, because I think we are prepared for the race.
            But just more focused on getting the right amount of race running each day and running in enough different types of conditions, and not necessarily maybe worrying about qualifying quite as much.
            I tend to worry about speed a lot, which makes me want to work on going fast.  So trying to not ‑‑ trying to not think that way as much this year, but at the same time, I think that the team has built a couple fast cars, and feel pretty good about where we are at the end of the first day.
 
            Q.  You’ve been out of the car I think since Fontana, or maybe you’ve had a couple refresher or test days.  How hard is it for you to get back in since you’ve been the sidelined person?
            ED CARPENTER:  I don’t know that it’s any different for me than guys coming from the GP yesterday to this.  It’s so different.  The car feels so different from road course spec to oval spec.
            I don’t think that I was at a disadvantage at all.  I’ve done as much oval testing since the last race at Fontana as anybody.  You know, we did two days at Texas and two days at Fontana.  So I don’t really ‑‑ I didn’t feel any rest.  I’m always so excited to get back out on this track, you know, so just glad being here.
 
            Q.  After being in the timing stand for the first four races, do you almost feel like, it’s my turn?
            ED CARPENTER:  Yeah, I feel like I’m back home.  I don’t know what I’m doing on the timing stand all the time.  I’m just trying to stay out of the way and I probably talk more than I should.  But the guys on the team do a great job and they don’t ‑‑ I think I’m a better asset to them in the car than I am standing up on the timing stand.
            So I’m happy to be getting sweaty again.
 
            Q.  You made the comment during the TV broadcast yesterday that the standing starts were yet another ‑‑ with the incident there.  Can you talk a bit about what that has done, whether you think it should be changed?  There is also the issues on a couple restarts, as well.
            ED CARPENTER:  Well, the restarts are a separate issue.  But I think when I look at the standing starts and the series, I can think of maybe two where every car went off the grid.  So I just don’t think that we have all the pieces of technology that we need to do the standing starts.
            It’s not that I’m against standing starts, but you’ve got Juan Montoya stalling, who has probably done more standing starts than anyone in the field with all the years he ran in Formula 1.  They don’t go off well.
            They are exciting when they work, but I think maybe we’ve had only one or two where everyone’s went.  Luckily I stalled on one of them, Charlie stalled on one.  This just happened to be a race where guys stalled up front and it made it even worse.
            But more of the ones we’ve done or not, cars haven’t gone, and I don’t think that we all just don’t know what we’re doing.  It’s really hard to do with the way the system is that we have.
          

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
5-HOUR ENERGY 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
MAY 10, 2014
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA COATINGS CHEVROLET SS – WINNER
DID YOU KNOW THIS WAS GOING TO BE THE NIGHT?
“I knew we had a fast race car.  We have been bringing fast race cars every single weekend.  It’s just given me so much confidence in the race cars and the race team.  I have got to thank Axalta Coating Systems they are an awesome sponsor.  When the lights went out we could still see this thing out there.  Of course AARP Drive To End Hunger, Pepsi Max, Valvoline and Chevrolet.  You know Kevin (Harvick) was tough.  He was so strong I did not know if I could hold him off.  I almost didn’t there at the end.  I caught traffic.  The car just got extremely loose on me and he was just coming.  Luckily that was the checkered flag.  I’ve got to say Happy Mother’s Day.  What an amazing Mother’s Day present this is going to be.  I can’t wait to see my wife Ingrid and my mom tomorrow.  It’s going to be an amazing celebration.  What a huge weight lifted off this team’s shoulders.  We have been leading the points but we needed to get to Victory Lane and they proved they were capable of it.  Great job by them.”
 
WHAT WAS THE KEY TO WINNING THIS RACE?
“I think it was overcoming a lot of adversity.  We had a lot of things in the first half of the race that did not go our way.  We knew we had a fast race car.  We weren’t sure if we had as good of a race car as Kevin (Harvick), but I thought if we got in front of him we could hold him off.  Then that last pit stop I mean we cycled out in front of Kevin and it was confusing because there were guys still out there so we were in the lead.  I pulled away from him.  The car was just driving unbelievably and then all of a sudden I started getting extremely loose. He faded but then he kept coming back on me.  Then my car would tighten up and I would go forward again and then he would fade.  We just kept going back and forth, but the key was getting out front and this pit crew and Alan Gustafson and all these engineers, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports they actually won this race.  We have been building up to this all season long.”
 
ON HIS RUN:
“I don’t know what it is about this team, this No. 24 car and us here at Kansas on inaugural nights or days but I love this place, such a great race track.  Some of the best race fans we have, so thanks to them for coming here for a Saturday night race before Mother’s Day.  What an incredible job by this Axalta Coatings Systems No. 24 race team.  I’m just so proud of them.  They have been giving me the best race cars all year long.  I have been having so much fun.  I’m going to be 43 (years old) this year and I feel like I’m 25 again.  That is the way they make me feel.  Credit goes to them not only for the race cars, but the pit stops and just sticking with it tonight.  We had a lot of things that didn’t go our way in the first half and then in the second half we just stuck with it.  We were just grinding it out and then that last pit stop got us out front and it was awesome.”
 
IT LOOKED LIKE FOR YOU GUYS THIS RACE HAD JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING IN IT:
“It really did.  It was great to see the groove widen out and get a top groove going and a bottom groove and a middle groove. It was a lot of fun racing out there.  Kevin (Harvick) was really strong.  I felt like there were times that if I could get in front of him I thought we could keep him behind us and we had to prove that there at the end.  I almost didn’t do it.  Luckily we got to the start/finish line ahead of him, but congratulations to him.
 
“The relationship that we have at Hendrick with Stewart-Haas is a very tight one that we share a lot of information.  Those guys have been so strong.  We have been strong, it’s fun to go out there and race those guys for a win like that.”
 
NOW THAT YOU HAVE THIS WIN ALL THE FRUSTRATION FROM BEING SO CLOSE CAN GO AWAY NOW:
“Well that is where being coming up on 43 (years old) can pay off because I’ve got a lot of patient (laughs).  To me, yeah there were moments of frustration like California when we were leading on the last lap and the caution came out and we finished deep in the field.  That was frustrating.  There have been a few moments this year where it has been frustrating but all in all it’s been more excitement and just pride in the team and just having fun driving fast race cars.
 
“I knew it was just a matter of time.  I didn’t know if it was going to happen tonight I will be honest.  We were kind of catching Kevin (Harvick) there before the last pit stop and then we took four tires and I didn’t know how it was going to all cycle out when we were out in front of them.  I was like ‘boy this is not going to be easy to hold him off.’”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 2ND
REALLY STRONG CAR ALL NIGHT AT THE END DID YOU GO AWAY?  DID JEFF GORDON GET STRONGER?  WHAT HAPPENED AT THE END OF THAT RACE THAT PUT YOU IN SECOND?
“What put us in second is I just didn’t get down pit road very good there coming to the pit box the second time.  I kind of ran out of gas and I was paying attention to the fuel pressure gauge instead of the pit road speed light.  I lost some time there, but everybody on our Jimmy John’s Chevrolet did a good job.  I found a groove that worked really well there at the end.  I slipped with about eight or nine laps to go.  Just was able to make the ground back up, but not get by.  Congrats to those guys they have been running good all year and glad to see a Chevrolet in Victory Lane.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE/THANKAMILLIONTEACHERS.COM CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 3RD
ON HIS RUN:
“It was good.  We had a fast Farmers Insurance Chevrolet.  We got third so that is good it’s the best run we have had in a while.  Felt really good about it, led some laps.  Congrats to Jeff Gordon those guys have been good all season long.  That is awesome that a Hendrick Motorsports car won.  My engine was unreal all night.  My car was really close, we got a little loose there, a little tight before.  It’s a fine line.  It’s so close with everybody that you have to be perfect.  We were pretty close.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 5TH
STRATEGY AND SOME HARD RACING TONIGHT WHAT WORKED FOR YOU TO GET INTO THE TOP-FIVE?
“We had a real good car the first half of the race and was working the top.  I don’t think anybody had any speed like we did up there.  As it got cooler the bottom got faster and we sort of leveled off and we were too tight at the end of the race.  We had been working on front grip all weekend.  I knew it was going to be tough to run well tonight because of how bad the car pushed all weekend.  That really kind of bit us there at the end.  Real happy with the result the guys worked really hard.  This is a brand new car.  I’m happy for Jeff (Gordon) and the whole No. 24 team, Alan (Gustafson) and all the guys they do a great job.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 7TH
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF THIS FOR YOU WITH JUST RUNNING UP FRONT ALL NIGHT LONG AT KANSAS?
“Honestly the most rewarding part of my night was probably when I drove around the outside of the No. 48 on a restart.  That was probably my most rewarding thing of the night. I say that with all the respect in the world.  It’s a big deal because he is Jimmie Johnson.  Aside from that I was really just overall proud that w
e stayed up front all day.  That was the biggest thing.
 
“When the race started it was about finishing the weekend off right and just staying up there.  You know you are going to go up, you are going to go down a little bit and we sure enough did that, but we more than held our own through the whole race.  I’m extremely proud of this crew for building a new car that was just awesome.  It was so good on restarts and long runs and tires getting old.  Hard work pays off and they definitely put the hard work into it.  Obviously really happy for days like today to give back to GoDaddy who has always been behind me and get on TV a little bit.”
 
ON THE RACE AND TOP FINISH
“Honestly the most rewarding part of my night was probably when I drove around the outside of the No. 48 on a restart.  That was probably my most rewarding thing of the night. I say that with all the respect in the world.  It’s a big deal because he is Jimmie Johnson.  Aside from that I was really just overall proud that we stayed up front all day.  That was the biggest thing.  When the race started it was about finishing the weekend off right and just staying up there.  You know you are going to go up, you are going to go down a little bit and we sure enough did that, but we more than held our own through the whole race.  I’m extremely proud of this crew for building a new car that was just awesome.  It was so good on restarts and long runs and tires getting old.  Hard work pays off and they definitely put the hard work into it.  Obviously really happy for days like today to give back to GoDaddy who has always been behind me and get on TV a little bit.
 
“Gibson (Tony, crew chief) did a good job in making changes for the race and it was good from the get-go. And I think what says even more are two things: It was really good on restarts and it was really good when it wasn’t quite right, and really good on long runs. And I think that just goes to show that this is a new car and they built a great one. And we’ve got more of these coming. That’s the even better news. But overall, I’m just proud for the team.
 
Kevin (Harvick) has been a great teammate in helping me out and obviously he was very fast tonight. I am surprised he didn’t win, but congrats to Jeff (Gordon). And I’m happy for GoDaddy who has always been a big supporter of mine, no matter what. And it’s days like today that hopefully it makes them smile and makes it all pay off a little.”
 
YOU SAID KEVIN HARVICK IS A GOOD TEAMMATE. HOW MUCH CREDIT DO YOU GIVE TO THE CONVERSATION YOU HAD WITH HIM THIS WEEKEND TO YOUR PERFORMANCE TONIGHT?
“It definitely paid off in qualifying for sure. And it does pay off in the race, too. But the little things that he gave me advice on for qualifying really worked. That’s the kind of stuff that I was really excited about having when Kevin and Kurt (Busch) came on to the team and having Tony (Stewart) back full time was being able to get those little tidbits from those guys and fast-forward my learning curve instead of having to learn it all myself. So, it’s really cool when you have teammates that are unconditional like that that want to help you. And when everyone is better and we all get better, it pumps the team up and everybody wants it even more.
 
“I guarantee you we’re going work even harder now. It’s not just sitting back. We’re going to work harder because we love where we’re at and this is what we work for. When you taste it you don’t want to let it go.”
 
WHAT DOES THIS DO FOR YOUR CONFIDENCE MOVING FORWARD?
“I’ve always believed in myself. I’ve always believed that in the right situation, that I can do it. And it’s with all respect that these little moments like when you drive by Jimmie Johnson on the outside, stuff like that, that makes me really proud of myself and little moments like that that give me a little bit more confidence.”
 
WHAT WAS THE RACE TRACK LIKE FOR YOU? SOME DRIVERS SAID IT WAS TRICKY
“Oh, it was tricky and you really had to be careful how hard you went into the corner. It was easy to get it to step out on entry. So you had to be a little bit careful. But that’s all part of the game. Turns 1 and 2 are pretty good. For me, I could run any lanes and that really helped me out.”
 
WHEN YOU GOT UP TO THIRD AT THAT ONE POINT, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?
“I was like, no yellow! When I was fifth I was thinking this is good, you know? I feel faster then them. They got caught up in traffic in (Turns) 3 and 4 and got checked-up and I got underneath them. But when I’m running third, I’m honestly trying not to think about the fact that I’m running third, and the fact that I’ve been looking at that car in front of me the whole race and I need to go pass that car.
 
“So, it’s probably best really to think about it more like pass the next car for me than being in a place that I’m not normally in. When you just think about it car by car, I think it’s a little bit more calming. The last thing you want to do is get excited out there and start overdriving it and making mistakes.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 10TH
YOU HAD A LOT GOING ON TODAY, BUT CAME OUT OF IT WITH A 9TH PLACE FINISH. WHAT STANDS OUT THE MOST ABOUT THE RACE?
“Overcoming adversity (stands out the most); we didn’t have a clutch in the car so pit stops were limited and track position was a big key. You just really had to grind it out today and then we did and we got a decent finish.”
 
DO YOU THINK THERE WAS ANY WAY YOU COULD HAVE MADE IT TO THE FINISH WITHOUT THE SPLASH & GO STOP FOR FUEL ON LAP 255?
‘Yeah, it didn’t sound like it. I don’t think so. We just didn’t have that optimism on the radio, so I don’t think so. By doing that we were able to get a top ten (finish).
 
JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 BRANDT PROFESSIONAL AGRICULTURE CHEVROLET SS – INVOLVED IN A MULTI-CAR CRASH ON LAP 186
HARD HIT, WHAT HAPPENED AND ARE YOU OKAY?
“Yeah I’m fine first of all.  I’m not exactly sure what transpired in front, but the No. 47 (AJ Allmendinger) I think was coming down the race track.  I saw him coming and I tried to squeeze as much as I could to the inside and almost got into the grass.  As soon as he got me I turned back across and I guess David Gilliland is the one that I collected him.  Really unfortunate we had a really strong Brandt Chevy tonight and felt like we had a top 10 car for sure.  I can’t thank all the guys back at HScott Motorsports enough and the guys at the Hendrick chassis shop.  I took a heck of a hit.  I feel good now.  I got the wind knocked out of me a little bit. Definitely not how I wanted to give my wife her first Mother’s Day present or my Mom her Mother’s Day present, but Happy Mother’s Day to them and all the mother’s out there.  We will come back again next week.  We know what we can build on from this week and we had a really fast car like I said so should be good at Charlotte.”
 
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS- INVOLVED IN A CRASH ON LAP 150
WHAT HAPPENED?
“I’m not 100 percent sure.  I just entered Turn 3 and I heard a small pop and then just lost all the steering and got into the fence and then knocked the oil lines and everything off which caused the fire.  I’m not sure we didn’t really have any tire issues all weekend.  Keith (Rodden, crew chief) had been kind of reporting to me what the tires looked like after each stop and hadn’t seen any really wear issues at all.  I don’t know if it was just a bad tire or if I ran over something.  Just lost all the air and ended up crashing.”
 
 
 

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
POST RACE
GRAND PRIX OF INDIANAPOLIS
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
 
Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Driver Helio Castroneves Earns Podium Finish at Inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Chevrolet Continues to Lead Series Manufacturer Standings
 
 
INDIANAPOLIS (May 10, 2014) – Helio Castroneves led the way for the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 contingent in his No. 3 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet with a podium finish in the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis.  On his birthday, Castroneves matched his best finish thus far in 2014 with a third-place effort.
 
In a very tight battle in the Verizon IndyCar Series manufacturer standings, Chevrolet continues to lead with four races in the record book.
 
A total of six Chevrolet IndyCar V6 powered drivers scored top-10 finishes in the 82-lap/200-mile race. Sebastien Bourdais, No. 11 Mystic E-Cigs KVSH Racing Chevrolet, finished a season-high fourth.  Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Novo Nordisk Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finished fifth followed by Ryan Briscoe finishing sixth in the No. 8 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.
 
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, continues to lead the championship standings with an eight-place finish on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after also overcoming an infraction..
 
Tony Kanaan, No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet rounded out the Chevrolet V6 power in the top-10 earning a 10th-place finish. 
 
Simon Pagenaud (Honda) was the race winner, and Ryan Hunter-Reay (Honda) completed the podium.
 
Next on the schedule is the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 25.  The live ABC television broadcast is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m ET.
DRIVER QUOTES:
 
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 3RD: “Sometimes you’re just there and you’re going for it. I guess you just didn’t want to take a chance with the fuel. But at the end of the day, I’m happy with the result. I’m ready for practice tomorrow and I’m ready for the Penzoil car, too.”
 
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS:  No. 11 MISTIC E-CIGS KVSH RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 4TH: “I knew this race was going to be a bit of a crash fest and sure enough it turned into one, but I am sure it was exciting to watch. It was one of those days when you feel you have the pace, if you can just keep your front wing on and not get hit you can usually have a good day, a good result and earn strong points and that is what we did. I am really proud of the Mistic E-Cigs crew. They did awesome pit stops and the car was strong. We faded a bit at the end on new tires, but it doesn’t matter. It’s a strong finish and that was what we were shooting for this weekend.” 
 
CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 83 NOVOLOG FLEXPEN CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 5TH:  “This is a great day for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing.  My engineer, Brad Goldberg, and my team manager, Tom Wurtz, gave me the right pit stops at the right times and just let me go race the car.  There were so many different strategies going on and all of those yellows made it challenging for our strategy because we had to run hard towards the end just to get back up into the top five after that last stop.  I think without that last yellow at the end we might not have had to fight as hard to get back into the top five and could’ve possibly finished even higher.  Overall, I’m just really happy with the guys. We needed this result, especially with the Indianapolis 500 coming up.”
 
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 6TH:   “It’s a really exciting result for us.  I wasn’t confident after we got the penalty in pit lane early on in the race, but we had a couple of really strong restarts and the car just came to us as the rubber went down on the track.  The No. 8 NTT DATA Chevrolet just got better and better as we went through the race.  I’m really happy with the result from today and it’s just a great way for the NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing crew to roll into the month of May.”
 
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 8TH: “ I am disappointed for the No. 12 Verizon guys, as they did a good job in preparing us for the race and we were reasonably fast  in the Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.  We thought we were in pretty good shape to win before the penalty.  It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen after restarts.  But we will move forward and look ahead for a better finish at Indy 500.
 
TONY KANAAN, NO.10 LEXAR CHIP GANASSI CHEVROLET,  FINISHED 10TH: “Not the day we wanted today but the restarts were really tough and people needed to pay more attention.  I think our cars are improving but now it’s time to turn the page with the Lexar car here for the grand prix and starts having some fun getting ready for the 500.”
 
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHEVROLET, FINISHED 15TH:  “It was a tough day for the Target car. We had good pace and got a good start to the inaugural road race here for the Indy cars. The turning point of the race for us was really battling with Power. We had a moment right before I spun where he didn’t give me room, and then the next time he opened the door, closed it, and I locked up the tires and spun. Not the day we wanted obviously but we need to focus on tomorrow and prepare for the 500.”
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET,
FINISHED 16TH: “We had a winning Verizon Chevrolet today, to be honest. It was very frustrating to have all the problems we had. Got off on the wrong foot at the start. We did what we normally do on a standing start; I dropped the clutch and it just stopped. From there we were behind, but even then we were catching everyone. The lead pack knew we were coming. I really thought we were going to win the race. Then we had the problem in the right rear and lost a lap. That was it. We had a good run but just weren’t able to finish were we should.”
 
MIKE CONWAY, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA CHEVROLET, FINISHED 20TH:  “We had a good start and I started picking my way through some guys.  I went to the right and I heard on the radio that (Sebastian) Saavedra had stalled.  I stayed inside and I could see that the car was stopped.  I went for the spot that was open along the wall.  (Carlos) Munoz was in front of me and he misjudged the space and clipped Saavedra. That moved Saavedra’s car out just enough that there was no enough for me and it caught me.  That put me into the inside wall and we broke the right side suspension, front and rear.  The ECR/Fuzzy’s boys did a great job fixing it. And all I could do was go back out and salvage his points. We tried to learn something with couple of setup changes.  Still need to pick up some speed but it was good to get some points and I think we are in 6th now.” 
 
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA: NO. 17 KV AFS RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 23RD:  “I don’t know what happened. As soon as I released the clutch, the revs went from 11,000 RPM to zero, which shouldn’t have happened. I just feel so bad for the entire KV AFS team, the guys worked so hard to give me such a strong race car. It’s amazing how the happiest moment can turn around so quickly. We won’t give up though, we still have a long season ahead and will prepare now for the 500.”  (Started on the pole, but involved in multi-car crash at the line)
 
 
PODIUM PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
An interview with:
HELIO CASTRONEVES
 
THE MODERATOR:  Helio Castroneves, your birthday.  Looked for a moment you were headed towards Victory Lane.  In your mind did you know you were going to have to come in for a stop?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  I have to
say Roger did a great job.  The Verizon No. 3 car was actually getting better.  Not having the warmup, it was very difficult because we didn’t know if the setup we did was going to be good or not.
It was good.  I feel we could improve it.  Good job from John and the rest of the Verizon boys.  And off course, Roger, man, the guy knows a great strategy, I tell you.  I didn’t know to be honest what’s the position.  He was just telling me, Push, push, push.  I kind of understood the message.
I was so focused because it was so difficult.  The light was changing.  The track was getting better so you could push a little bit harder on the braking points but at the same time not make any silly mistakes.
I tell you, after Barber and Long Beach, after not having so much good momentum, I want to win as bad as anybody, but it’s a great momentum for the month and the start of the Indy 500.  I can’t wait to go back in the car tomorrow.
 
THE MODERATOR:  We’ll take questions.
Q.        What was your view of the start and how close were you to potentially hitting anything?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  I had a great start from 10th.  I didn’t see the guys inside.  I went to the middle, then outside, went for it.  I did not know that Saavedra had an issue or if anybody else had an issue.  The only two guys in front of me, which was Juan Pablo and Tony, I saw they kind of like bubbled a little bit.  Other than that, I didn’t see the rest of it.
 
Q.        Helio, when you came in, you were a breath of fresh air, climbing fences…  Is Simon a breath of fresh air these days?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Absolutely.  Simon has been on the radar already for quite some time.  Last year or the year before he finished close on the championship.  Now he’s winning again.
Certainly Simon has been showing an amazing potential here.  He already won races.  Great effort for them, especially being local here in Indianapolis.
But I think, to be honest, not only Simon, but a bunch of drivers.  It’s been so competitive.  It’s amazing how close it is out there.  You guys don’t realize to finish here on the podium, it’s so difficult.  That’s why it’s great to be here.
 
Q.        Back to the first start with all the chaos, do you think the Dallaras are too sensitive for a standing start?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  I agree.  I’m very surprised for what happened today on the start.  This is one of the widest places that we actually go.  To have that kind of scenario…
Yes, it is sensitive.  We don’t do that many because we switch back and forth.  But, I mean, that’s why we’re different.  The IndyCar Series is different because we go street course, road course, short ovals, superspeedway.
 
Q.        (No microphone.)
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  During the practice they allow us to do that, yes.  You have to remember, everything is improving.  If we got to have them, maybe a warmup.
 
Q.        (No microphone.)
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  I used the wrong finger (laughter).  Now I’m on probation.  End of the month, please (laughter).
 
Q.        Changing the subject a little bit, how pumped now are you for the 500?  How quickly do you turn your focus to win the next one?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Exactly.  Got to take the moments.  Right now it’s a great moment.  I’m sure my boys are already thinking about what to change.  Like I said, it takes about 12 to 15 hours to convert the road course to oval.  You know what I mean.
Tomorrow is going to be a new day.  I’m wearing different colors, a different suit, just like the month of May.
But it’s great momentum.  At the least your mind is not thinking, I could have done that, this.  At least now you’re focused on the 500.
 
Q.        Today’s race probably had a brutal impact on Indy 500 practice.  There’s going to be guys without cars tomorrow.  We don’t know whether Hinch is going to be able to be cleared to drive.  There’s a lot that happened today putting people behind tomorrow and maybe into Monday or Tuesday.  .
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  I think coming over, a lot of teams are prepared for Plan B or C.  You know what I mean?  Those teams are all professional.  It’s tough, yes, but that’s the name of the game.
 
Q.        Do you have a separate car for the 500?  Are you going to try to convert these cars over?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Good question.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  I heard today this Verizon is going to be a spare car.  But you got to confirm with the team.  I heard that.
 
Q.        We saw an accident on a rolling restart today, typical to St. Petersburg, where the drivers seemed to bunch up.  The leaders slowed up for the start.  The guys from behind came plowing in.  Do you think there should be a change in the procedure?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  We trying to figure it out, man.  Right now it’s very difficult.  Actually, again, this is the better place to keep most of the people behind.  I think everybody trying to work together.
Right now, yes, there is some areas that maybe needs to be fixed.  In the end of the day we’re still working on it.  Everybody is working together and hopefully we find a solution.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Why don’t you tell them that in the meetings?
 
THE MODERATOR:  Thank you, guys.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Thank you.
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
5-HOUR ENERGY 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES & QUOTES
MAY 9, 2014
 
 
CHEVROLET’S KEVIN HARVICK PUTS SS ON THE POLE IN KANSAS
Chevy SS Drivers Occupy 6 of top 10 Starting Positions
 
KANSAS CITY, KS – May 9, 2014 – Kevin Harvick placed his No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS on the pole for the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup race to be held under the lights night at Kansas Speedway.  The pole is Harvick’s second of the season, making him the only driver with two poles in 2014. This is also Harvick’s second pole at the 1.5-mile track.  The driver of the aptly named ‘Freaky Fast’ Chevrolet SS laid down a lap of 27.799 seconds, 194.658 mph, which is a new Kansas Speedway track record.  The qualifying run marks the ninth pole for Chevrolet in 18 qualifying sessions at Kansas.
 
Harvick led five other Chevrolet SS drivers with top 10 qualifying efforts.  Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammates all qualified in the top-10.  Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS qualified sixth, two-time Kansas winner, Tony Stewart, No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS will start eighth followed by Danica Patrick, No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS in ninth.
 
Also demonstrating strong Chevy power in today’s qualifying session was Rookie of the Year Contender Kyle Larson, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS, who led all rookies with a fifth-place effort.  This is Larson’s third top-10 start of the season. Larson’s Chip Ganassi teammate, Jamie McMurray in the No. McDonald’s Chevrolet SS, was quick enough to make it to the final qualifying round and ended the session 11th fastest.
 
Joey Logano (Ford) qualified second, Brad Keselowski (Ford) was third and Carl Edwards (Ford) was fourth to round out the top five starters for the 267-lap, 400-mile race night race.
 
There will be 22 Chevrolet SS race cars in the 43-car starting field.
 
The 5-Hour Energy 400 Benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway will take the green flag on Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. (ET) and will be aired live on FOX.
 
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 5TH (TOP ROOKIE QUALIFIER)
 
POST RACE QUALIFYING TRANSCRIPT:
 
KEVIN HARVICK:
FIRST TIME SINCE 2005 YOU HAVE WON MULTIPLE POLES:
“It’s a miracle that I’ve ever won two in one year anyway.”
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING SESSION, YOUR CAR, THE WAY THAT YOU ARE RACING, YOU ARE LOOKING GOOD TRYING TO CLAIM YOUR THIRD WIN THIS SEASON:
“Usually when Friday goes well it’s a good sign for the rest of the weekend.  We had a good test as we came here a few weeks ago and felt confident we could go back and tell everybody that we felt really confident in the things that we had in our car.  I think that showed up good in qualifying as an organization today.  Our car was good when we unloaded it off the truck.  Had to make small adjustments here and there to the different tire that they brought, but the guys are just doing a great job.  I’m just the lucky participant that gets to ride in the car and reap the benefits from a good group of guys in an organization that is doing good work.  It’s a lot of fun right now.”
 
WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOU FROM THE FRONT NOW?
“We struggled the first three or four weeks in qualifying and just had to sit down as a group and say what do we need to do to get better on Friday’s. Because we were making it a little harder than it needed to be with the cars speed that we had in race trim and putting ourselves in a position where we weren’t getting optimum pit choices.  We were having to go through traffic and do things that were making it harder than it needed to be.  The guys, Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and the engineers have done a great job in evaluating the set-up’s.  Now they don’t resemble a whole lot of race trim in general as we go and change it for qualifying trim.  I think as a group nobody’s ego is too big to say that we aren’t doing something right.  They aren’t scared to tell me if something is not right from the driver’s seat.  I think the communication is great and everybody is doing a good job in working together.  I think that goes a long ways to seeing the gains that we have made in qualifying from about week four on.”
 
DID YOU ALL DEBRIEF BEFORE THE QUALIFYING SESSION? 
“We did debrief after the practice sessions.  We try to do that every week.  Danica (Patrick) and I talked for about an hour and 15 minutes today about everything that was going on.  She obviously did a great job in qualifying and just basically just needed to quit thinking about it and smash the gas.  That is what she did.  She’s done a great job in trying to take in all the information and I think all the teams have been communicating well and I think we are probably closer this weekend on Friday and in race trim than we have been anywhere that we have gone so far.  The communication is good right now and all of us get along well so that makes things a lot easier and we can talk openly about what we think about what is going on, on the race track.”
 
ARE YOU CONCERNED AT ALL WITH THE TIRE ACTING THE WAY IT IS WHAT THE RACING IS GOING TO BE LIKE TOMORROW NIGHT?
“I think we should straighten something out first.  I think that the race track has put the tire in the position that it is in with the fresh asphalt.  I think we ran a lot of laps here at the test and Goodyear came back and the track has taken a tremendous amount of rubber.  I’ve already run several laps above the first seam.  There are already two grooves of rubber on the race track and feel like for taking in all the data and all the things that we did from the test and as fast as we were wearing tires out at the test they did a good job in bringing it back.  The speeds are going to be high. There is not going to be a lot of fall off in the tires.  There are going to some tire strategy games, but there is just no way around that when you repave these race tracks.  There is nothing wrong with the tire.  I’ve been telling them for a while now that you need bigger rocks in the asphalt if you want the tires to wear out. Otherwise Goodyear has to protect everybody against themselves and make the tire harder so that it doesn’t wear out because the speeds are so high.  It’s a catch 22. You’ve got to repave these race tracks when there is stuff wrong with them, but I think we could do a better job with the asphalt itself.”
 
WOULD YOU EXPECT THEN THAT THE RACE TOMORROW NIGHT WON’T BE LIKE THE LAST TWO RACES?
“Well the tire wear is low.  We couldn’t give you a fair or honest opinion about what is going to happen when they drop the green flag. I don’t think it’s going to be like it was when they dropped the green flag last fall here, but I think that the cars are not going to handle like they have been by themselves in a single file line.  The handling is going to be different, but I mean qualifying today was two seconds faster than race pace basically.  Well a second and a half faster than race pace.  The speed is probably going to be about the same as it was in practice, but it could be a little bit faster it could be a little bit slower.  I don’t think anybody really knows exactly where that is going to go and what the speeds are going to be and how much it’s going to fall off.  It’s going to fall off some, but it’s not going to be much.”
 
 
PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 5TH
“It was a really good day for the Target Chevy team. Our first run out I think we were in the twenties and then went back out and ended up se
cond in the first round. We just made small adjustments to keep up with the track or the tires had changed a little bit. So, it had lots of grip and we had a good run there. We’re proud to start in the top 5 here and hopefully we’ll have a good race tomorrow.”
 
WHEN CHAD KNAUS COMES OVER THE RADIO AND SAYS TO JIMMIE JOHNSON THAT HE MIGHT WANT TO FOLLOW THE NO. 42’s LINE, WHAT DOES THAT SAY FOR WHAT YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH IN SUCH A SHORT TIME?
“I don’t know. I always seem like I’m running a different line than somebody. So, I guess that’s pretty cool. Jimmie has accomplished a bunch and Chad is one of the best out there too, so to have teams like that paying attention to our No. 42 team says a lot about how well our cars are running right now. We’ve just got to keep it up and try to be in front of those guys.”
 
YOU ARE KNOWN NOW AS THE GUY WHO JUMPS TO THE TOP REAL QUICK. CARL EDWARDS SAID THE SPEEDS ARE SO GREAT THAT THE GROOVE IS NARROW. DO YOU FEEL WITH THE SPEEDS THE WAY THEY ARE THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET TO THE TOP?
“The speeds are high and I was talking to Ricky Stenhouse who also like to run at the top and he said he was up into the third groove at this race last year. So, I guess it just depends on how the night racing is tomorrow. Hopefully it widens out some. I thought (Turns) 1 and 2 widened out pretty well just in the two Cup practices and (Turns) 3 and 4 are still pretty narrow but I imagine that will widen out. It seemed like it did last year when I ran the Nationwide race. I don’t know. I think for a freshly repaved track this is a pretty exciting place. The groove already seems wider than it is at Michigan or somewhere like that that’s been repaved.”
 
ON HOW HIS CREW CHIEF KEEPS HIM CALM DURING A RACE
“I think we’re both always calm. After the first lap at Richmond I was a little stressed out. I was calm after that and decided to go to work and I think both of us have similar personalities and maybe the thinks I get stressed out but I don’t a whole lot. But it’s good to have a guy like that that kind of talk to you a little bit and try to keep you more calm than you already are. I think we work well together and we’re just going to keep growing as a team and start running even better than we are.”
 
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
5-HOUR ENERGY 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
MAY 9, 2014
 
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
ON WINNING THE POLE:
“Just have to thank everybody on my Jimmy John’s Chevrolet for all that they do.  It was ‘Freaky Fast’ today so just have to put it all together tomorrow night when it counts. The pole is great, these guys have done a great job for qualifying.  It makes life a lot easier when you can have pit stall one.  Hopefully we can have a good night tomorrow night, but the weekend has gone good we had a great test here a few weeks ago and everything has carried right over.”
 
CAN YOU SENSE THE SPEED THAT YOU GUYS ARE GOING FASTER THAN YOU GUYS HAVE EVER GONE HERE AT KANSAS?  
“It feels like you go faster through the corner than it does down the straightaway just because of that sensation of speed.  As soon as you hit the banking it feels like the car accelerates.  You can definitely feel the speed, but that has kind of been the way that these Gen-6 cars have been since we have had them on the race track this year.  It’s been fun.”
 
THAT CAR LOOKS FAST, NO OTHER WORD FOR IT.
“Yeah ‘Freaky Fast’.  I just have to thank everybody on my Stewart-Haas race team and everybody from Jimmy John’s, Budweiser and Outback for all the effort that they put into this car.  My qualifying record hasn’t been great, but they have really done a good job at getting our qualifying stuff situated after the first four or five weeks to the season to come here and sit on the pole.  I thought I had screwed it up.  I never got through (Turns) three and four like (Turns) one and two.  I felt like I got through (Turns) one and two all three laps pretty good, but three and four was a little bit too tight. I got a little bit concerned, but all in all it worked out okay.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA COATINGS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 13TH
IT’S TRICKY JUST TO GET THE TIMING RIGHT
“Yeah, I’m probably most disappointed in the first run out because I thought it was a good lap and I obviously didn’t push it hard enough; didn’t drive it well enough to get us in that first time. And when we had to go back out and put extra laps on the tires and extra heat in the tires, it just affected us from that point forward. I’m disappointed in that. I’m disappointed that we didn’t go faster. I really thought in practice we had a car that would have easily qualified in the top 24 for that first round and made it into round 2 just to start working on how we could sit on the pole and be in the top five. I did not expect to be here in 13th or 14th. It was certainly tight; really tight. It was unbelievable the times and how tight they were and how much faster it was. Our car is really good, but I thought it was going to be better than that.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 14TH
ASSESS WHERE YOU GUYS WERE AT WITH YOUR QUALIFYING SESSION:
“It’s definitely an improvement over the last couple of weeks.  We will look at the positive there and take that.  We felt like we had a car to get to the final round and just came up short.  I ran my fastest lap of the weekend so far, but it wasn’t enough to get us there.  We have got to do a little more work in qualifying trim to get it, but I feel really good about our Lowe’s Chevrolet.  We have been very strong in practice and tomorrow night’s race is going to be different.  It’s the first time under the lights for everybody here.  So we will learn a lot tonight watching the truck race and then go racing tomorrow.”
 
DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT THAT MEANS RACING UNDER THE LIGHTS?  DO YOU HAVE A HUNCH OF WHAT THAT WILL MEAN OR IS IT KIND OF A WILD CARD?
“We kind of get trends that certain tires show us and certain surfaces, but still until you get out there and live it and experience it for yourself you are just guessing until then.”
 
WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE KEY TO WINNING THIS RACE?
“I don’t know.  Nobody has been here at night before.  So we will all learn a lot watching the truck race.  We will just kind of take it as it comes.  The car has been driving good.  I hate that we didn’t advance to the final round, but definitely an improvement of where we have been the last couple of weeks in qualifying.  We will go racing.  We have a really fast car so I’m looking forward to tomorrows race.”   
 
JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 BRANDT PROFESSIONAL AGRICULTURE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 18TH
ON THE CHALLENGES OF THE QUALIFYING SESSION
“I think the biggest challenges are that it was super hot and sunny in our practice session. The sun is going down now and obviously the race tomorrow night is at night. Every time we went on the track in practice, we slowed down because it was so hot. And then in qualifying we ran six or seven runs and we got faster every time and my fastest lap was my last lap. It’s definitely an interesting dynamic but such an incredible race track.”
 
HOW’S THE CAR FOR TOMORROW
‘Our Brandt Chevy is pretty good in race trim. We felt like our qualifying trim was going to be questionable as to where we were going to end up. So, to come out of here with a career best starting spot of 18th, and to know that we’ve got a really good car for the race, I think that’s really good. But, we’re all kind of shooting in the dark I guess if you will because we’re going into a night race and none of us have ever raced here at night. So, I think we’re all looking at this qualifying session and how we’ve gone faster each time and we know that tomorrow night’s race is just going to be absolutely insane speeds. So that’s going to be cool.”
 
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 19TH
“I think it was pretty cool to see people go faster as you ran on tires. Our car was decent. We got better and better. It was a bigger improvement from practice to qualifying for us as a team. I was happy with that. We’ll just have to find some speed at these other tracks we’re going to. We are a little off I feel like. (Ryan) Newman was good and that’s good for RCR. We’ll just have to look at his stuff and ours and see if we can change a few things for the race.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 22ND
STEVE LETARTE SEEMED PRETTY POSITIVE ON WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE LEARNED NOT ONLY IN KNOCK-OUT QUALIFYING TODAY BUT ALSO EARLIER TODAY IN RACE TRIM:
“Yeah I liked the car in race trim a lot, but we needed a lot of left-front grip and then when we went into qualifying trim we were way off and really slow, about three-quarters of a second off.  We made a lot of changes in between that last practice and this qualifying session.  It helped the car a lot, but we still need to find some more. We need a little more speed and then that is all in the front-end of the car and once we get the car turning a little bit better it will be alright.  I don’t know it is going to be real hard to pass here, but our car was moving up the race track in practice and liking it.  I like the fact that we are going to have more than one option as far as grooves in the race I think.”
 
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 26TH
JUST MISSED IT 26TH FASTEST WHAT HAMPERED YOU THE MOST?
“We were just too tight.  We fought it all day long, haven’t really been able to make any difference with the car.  We have been struggling a little bit.  We ran three laps.  We made three runs that were all within like four one thousandths.  Just all we have had today, just too tight got to get to work on it tonight.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 9TH:
“Our whole camp was s
tellar today and that’s definitely a tribute to everybody at SHR. It was a great effort across the board, and I’m so proud of all our guys. Our runs in the GoDaddy Chevy in each of the sessions were really consistent. I think for me, the biggest thing has been listening to my teammates – Kevin (Harvick), Kurt (Busch) and Tony (Stewart) – and taking their advice. We had our meeting before qualifying, and I think that was a big help. I learn a lot when I talk to them, and I took what they said today and used it on my laps and I think it showed. It was definitely a good day.”

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
SATURDAY QUALIFYING
GRAND PRIX OF INDIANAPOLIS
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
 
Sebastian Saavedra Put Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Power on the Pole for the Inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis
 
INDIANAPOLIS (May 10, 2014) – Sebastian Saavedra put Chevrolet IndyCar V6 power on the pole for the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Piloting the No. 17 KV AFS Racing Chevrolet, the 23 year-old Colombian negotiated both wet and dry conditions to capture his career-first Verizon P1 Award in the Verizon IndyCar Series career.
 
Additional Team Chevy drivers advancing to the Firestone Fast Six were Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet –qualified fifth, and Scott Dixon, No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet – qualified sixth.
 
The remaining drivers in the top-six qualifiers were Jack Hawksworth (Honda), Ryan Hunter-Reay (Honda) and Simon Pagenaud (Honda).
The inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 10 with live television coverage on ABC.  The live IMS Radio broadcast will be available on Sirius and XM channels 209 and www.indycar.com. Race timing and scoring can also be found on

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
5-HOUR ENERGY 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 9, 2014

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 KWIKSET CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed track conditions, tires, his race team’s current program, and more. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
 
“On pure raw speed here at this race track, this Kwikset Chevrolet has grip and just pure raw speed. I think it’s the fastest we’ve ever been here; at least it feels like it to me here at this race track. So, it’s a new opportunity for me this weekend with the Kwikset Chevrolet. They are the leader in retail home security with respect to locks and I’m just proud to represent them and hopefully get them in Victory Lane.’
 
DID YOU RUN ANY EXTENSIVE RUNS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TIRE?
“I think our longest run was 10 laps. Based on our tire wear, everything looks really good. There have been a lot of question marks with respect to tires and durability at different race tracks. The speeds that we have here put us at risk no matter what. I think they (Goodyear) have at least, at this point, made a good decision on the tire they brought.”
 
NOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN ON THE TRACK FOR PRACTICE, WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS RACE IS GOING TO BE LIKE?
“The track has got to widen-out. And I don’t necessarily see the trucks widening the track a whole lot, so I think it will be more a matter of how much rubber we get. I’m not exactly sure. With a 6:30 p.m. start time, the sun will still be out and there is a chance to put a little bit of rubber on the track and hopefully that will make a big difference. When we’re out there, it’s barely two grooves wide now. I’m saying two car widths, not two grooves.
 
“So it’s really going to be dictated by that. Once we widen out the race track and have double-file restarts and that part of it. I just don’t see the trucks really making the track that much wider just because of their speed and the quantity and quality of the trucks that are out there.”
 
SINCE THE REPAVE, THE RACING HAS BEEN DIFFERENT HERE BECAUSE THE TIRES HAVE BEEN SO EDGY. DO YOU THINK THIS TIRE AT LEAST MAKE FOR BETTER HANDLING SO YOU DON’T THINK YOU ARE ON EDGE ALL THE TIME?
“Yeah, we’re only on edge because of raw speed and what we’re doing with our race cars to make them that fast. It’s not going clear back to the days of Charlotte and Vegas when the tracks were repaved and you were gripping the steering wheel for all your life to get the first couple of laps in because you were going to spin out; and the more you ran, the tighter you got. It doesn’t see to be so much that. But, it was within a tenth or two on sticker tires versus hot scuffs, so like I said, everything points to it being the right choice.”
 
NOW THAT YOU ARE ON A NEW TEAM, HOW DO YOU PREPARE TO MAINTAIN YOUR SUCCESS AT THE CHARLOTTE TRACK?
“Well, the 600 to me is like the Southern 500. It’s one of those races that I haven’t won that would really mean a whole lot to win. Having won at Charlotte in the Nationwide car as well as the All-Star race, I know that I can get the job done. And we were close last year. I think we finished sixth. I think we had a bad re-start there at the end and got hung-up on the line that didn’t go, which has happened quite a few times to me this year. But, hopefully that’ll flip-flop and average out and we could have some good restarts and put ourselves in contention at the end of the race. It’s a fun race track. It’s so much different (in) Turns 1 and 2 versus (Turns) 3 and 4; you really have to approach the race track a little bit differently. But in saying that, it’s so fast that you really can’t waste much time thinking about how you approach it.”
 
WITH YOUR ENGINEERING BACKGROUND, DO YOU KEEP A KEEN EYE WHEN TRACKS GO THROUGH HARSH WINTERS AND NEED TO BE REPAVED OR PATCHED? THEY HAD A HARSH WINTER IN KANSAS THIS YEAR
“Yes, as an engineer I always think of those things. But I don’t think you get the harsh winters here as you get harsh weather at for instance, Talladega. It has aged more because of the sun in the summer. And I think the race track here just gets covered-up with the snow and it just sits. It’s insulated. It’s got a jacket on all winter. So yeah, I think they’ve done a lot technology-wise, to help control the heave of the asphalt and it not getting bumpy as we expected it would as maybe the last repave or two repaves ago compared to what we’ve experienced at other race tracks. To me, I think that tracks that are up north kind of get that shelter from the snow that helps them get through the winter. They have hot summers here, but if you look at a place like Talladega, which to me has aged quicker than some of the other race tracks. The heat is more of a factor with respect to the oils and the aggregate that it affects the way that the race track ages.”
 
TEN RACES IN, WE’VE HAD EVERYTHING BUT ROAD COURSES SO FAR. AS A NEW TEAM, WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AS FAR AS YOUR PROGRAM GOES RIGHT NOW?
“Performance-wise, I think we’ve been really good. We haven’t been the fastest and we’re not leading the most laps or anything like that, but we’re putting ourselves in contention. What we haven’t done is seal-up the contention that we were holding; just that follow-through. I don’t want to call it ‘execution’; I want to call it the ‘follow-through’ of where we are. And finishing it off hasn’t been 100 percent or as good as I think it should or could be. So, when we’re running 7th, we finish 10th. And when we’re running 5th, we finish 7th.
 
“We just need to shine-up the performance a little bit with respect to finishing it and not just how we’re running in the middle of the race. So, outside of that it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a good experience (of) me being the plug ‘n play guy in an organization that has so much experience. I feel like we have the tools and the things that we need to have to be successful. We just have to show it.”
 
ON A TRACK LIKE THIS THAT IS PRETTY FRESHLY PAVED AND THAT HAD SOME TIRE PROBLEMS LAST YEAR, WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED TO SEE A NIGHT PRACTICE SESSION AT SOME POINT THIS WEEK?
“A night practice you said? It doesn’t really matter. You typically like to see a practice that matches up with your race time, but in the end it really doesn’t matter. It’s a guessing game either way. It’s a guessing game how much the trucks are going to affect the race track after we get done qualifying, you know? I don’t think it really matters in the grand scheme of things. I don’t think it changes the outcome of the performance of the race if you look at the package as a whole from the grandstands.”
 
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
5-HOUR ENERGY 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 9, 2014
 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed racing both the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 on Memorial Day weekend, his physical fitness routine to prepare, the busy schedule, and more.
 
ON TALKING TO TONY STEWART ABOUT DOING THE ‘DOUBLE’
“He said you know the IndyCars have less horsepower. They have less pick-up, acceleration, and feel even though the cars weigh 1500 pounds, IndyCars don’t accelerate like stock cars do. So you have to look ahead. You have to anticipate. You have to digest what’s happening in front of you when guys get side-by-side, how quick you’re going to catch them.”
 
ON THE PACES FOR NEXT WEEK
“That all starts on Thursday to Friday of next week. Andretti Autosport and the way that we’re going to go through our paces next week, most of the practice runs are in race trim for the Indy 500.”
 
ON INDY 500 QUALIFYING
“That’s a nice gift so to speak. We still don’t want to be part of bump day or in that lower half of the field or lower third. So, to me it still is following Andretti Autosport’s lead even if we had a threat of having to qualify in, I’d be leaning on every bit of experience from them. But it will be nice not to have to worry about getting bumped out.”
 
WHAT SURPRISED YOU THE MOST?
“I would say the open arms and the feel in the paddock of the IndyCar guys and team owners and other sponsors and the drivers; it’s been an amazing welcome to our garage area.”
 
WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF TRAINING?
“I think it’s going to be upper-body strength. On the physical side of it, my hands have been very sore after each of the practice sessions just from the death grip on the wheel. I need to relax more and just let the car come to me instead of me forcing the car. So, it’s just getting comfortable with the driver controls and knowing where everything is around me.”
 
HAS DANICA PATRICK BEEN HELPFUL?
“I was going to talk to Danica this weekend and I still have more race review tape to watch, so it’s like doing homework after all my practice as well.”
 
DID YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH ROOKIE ORIENTATION?
“Yes, it’s been a good confidence builder all through the few days I’ve been in the car. And Andretti Autosport had done a tremendous job in allowing me to roll as a rookie and to feel the comfort levels each time we go out in the car and not overstep anything that’s asked me to do too much as a newbie.”
 
ON LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DOUBLE
“The excitement is building up. It’s been great all this whole month. Just over the past year of putting two competitive contracts together, I have a chance to win with an Andretti Autospot car and I’ve got a chance to win the Coke 600 with a Stewaart-Haas car. At the end of the day there still is a full second half of this double. There’s a stock car race. There’s a 600-mile event where I’ll be driving the Haas-Automation Chevy and this team here that I’m with, they’re rooting me on but I still have my job to do when I show up. And there has to still be a lot of focus around the stock car side of this.”
 
WHAT IS THE SCHEDULE GOING TO BE LIKE FOR YOU?
“We have a pretty straightforward schedule on the IndyCar side. It’s very different than our scheduled practices in stock-car-land. What’s happening on the IndyCar side is the track is hot every day from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. So I’m on call every day, 12 to 6 pm. Andretti Autosport has their sequence of schedule on when we’re going to go out on the track and that’s been given to me. And we have more time than we do tires over there on that side of the garage.
 
“We have our practice sessions all planned out already. So it’s neat to have a mindset to know where we’ll be and what needs to be done on both sides of the garage area. Mother Nature ultimately is in change. She is dishing out a little bit more of a percentage chance of rain early in the week. And then it’s cool conditions with very consistent conditions Friday and Saturday next week up in Indy.”
 
WHAT ARE THE KEYS TO GETTING AROUND KANSAS?
“This place is fast and it’s a matter of getting the car setting into the corner the right way to where you don’t lose a lot of speed getting back to the gas. I see the way the test speeds have shown, we’re probably not going to be out of the gas all the way. And so we’re going to be holding a lot of throttle in the car, and hopefully the car doesn’t step out on you. With the wind direction here, that changes; looks like today we have a wind blowing towards Turn 2. That will make Turn 2 the toughest corner when you cross over into a headwind.”
 
ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR EFFECTS OF THIS BEING A NIGHT RACE?
“It will be just that much faster. The tires might take a little bit to come in with temperature. I see us pitting with two stops to go for tires and then that last stop will probably just be for fuel only. So we’ll have heat in the tires on that last pit stop.”
 
HAVE YOU LOST ANY WEIGHT SINCE YOU STARTED TRAINING?
“I’ve bulked up a little bit just with muscle mass. I’ve gained about three pounds. It’s been a noticeable slight difference.”
 
HAVE YOU TALKED TO JUAN PABLO MONTOYA?
“I haven’t talked to Juan. I think Juan will be a smart guy to talk to, based off of his transition from NASCAR to IndyCar just in the last six months. He was there on my rookie orientation day, but I was in the car and all the drivers were outside telling jokes. It was a great group that was there to support me for my rookie orientation.”
 
WHAT MAKES IT A SUCCESSFUL ‘DOUBLE’?  FINISHING BOTH RACES, WINNING ONE OF THEN, OR WHAT?
“I think finishing both races. That’s just a quick honest answer. I’d love to finish in the top half of the field at Indy. I’d love to stay out of trouble all day and just experience it all. But once this week gets further down the road, I think with just the comfort level that I will gain, I’ll want more. But right now, it’s a matter of just finishing both races. Eleven hundred miles is tough to do.”
 
WHAT ARE YOUR EMOTIONS AND THIS GETS CLOSER?
“Each day I wake up it’s like its now, it’s here, and I’m giving it my best. And right now I have a couple hours of NASCAR practice on this Friday to dial our car in for race trim and qualifying trim, and then we’ll probably go back to race trim to finish. It’s just me going into that compartmentalized component of what has to happen every session or every time I’m in the car.”
 
ON GETTING BACK AND FORTH, INDIANAPOLIS TO CONCORD
“Cessna has been phenomenal. They orchestrate all the logistics to fly me back and forth. The team here, Stewart-Haas has been through this before, and the Andretti Autosport guys know that my day job at the end of the day is the Coke 600. So it’s been fun. The balance of both race teams, the practice sessions, learning a new IndyCar and then still coming back here to my comfort zone, which is the NASCAR garage and driving the No. 41 car.”
 
INAUDIBLE
“It’s a matter of still just pacing myself. The 600, you don’t as a driver get too excited about that the sunshine’s out anyway. It will be the first 100 -200 miles that we just have to log laps with anyway. And at the end of the day I’ve got Monster Energy to help me out. If I need to get jacked-up, I’ll just chug a can. And we’ll do this. It’s been a lot of fun to push myself through training, to work some marshal arts thought processes as well. I hope that the IndyCar thing goes smoothly. I don’t need to be in a wreck or have my laps cut short up in Indy because it would be a disappointment in all the effort and training that I’ve given it.”
 
WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL WORKOUT ROUTINE?
“A no
rmal workout would be strength training with lifting weights, getting on the treadmill, and then running a half hour. Half of that half hour might have been a strong walk to a strong run. I’m running to the gym, so it’s a mile and a half there and a mile and a half back. When I’m there, we keep my heart rate up above 140 and I track that with my Basis watch, which has allowed me to download my workouts and to see the actual results. And to have information downloaded on graphs is neat to be able to see that. Running, the amount of time engaged with my heart rate elevated, learning more about nutrition and having the foods that I eat release the energy into my body in the right way. It’s just been a lot of fun to get into more depth in all areas. And I feel like that’s going to help me, being 35 years old here in the Cup garage, with another strong ten years. Ramping up this format is going to carry and prolong my activity level here in the Cup garage.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
5-HOUR ENERGY 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 9, 2014
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Kansas Speedway and discussed not having a win in 2014, the potential to change up the All-Star format and many other topics. Full Transcript:
 
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO YOUR FANS WHO MIGHT BE CONCERNED THAT YOU HAVEN’T WON YET? 
“Until we are not locked in I mean there is nothing to worry about.  Where we sit in points right now we are locked in.  Of course we want to win; we want to win every race we go to.  We have been in the ballpark and have been very close to victory a couple of times and it got away.  Yes, there have been some poor performances.  We are trying to raise that.  I don’t think that we are where we want to be as a team right now, but we have had a few looks at wins and I know we will get a few more.  We just need to capitalize on that.  If not, points still matter.  There is a bigger window to make the Chase today than there was last year.  Last year was 12, this year it’s 16.  I don’t think there is anything to stress out about yet.”
 
TALK ABOUT THE SPIN LAST WEEK AND YOU AND CHAD (KNAUS) AND THE TENSION OR HOW YOU GET OVER THAT. 
“Really last week was just plate racing.  We had a very fast race car and felt like a car that I could create opportunities to pass and win.  Was very pleased with how the day was going.  We got caught up in the first big wreck and did some damage to the car.  After that the second wreck was me spinning out. I’m still assuming with the right side damage we had on the car that was a big factor as to why I just spun out.  We fixed the car from there and I was racing through the field again.  I got clobbered at the start/finish line taking the white flag and broke the right-front suspension.  So it is just plate racing.  It’s easy to write it off as to plate racing when the championship is not on the line at Talladega.  When we go back in the fall it’s a much different race for us all.  Our big thing is lets at least see the white flag.  If we make it to the white flag we are happy.  Dale, Jr. has kind of instilled that in our race shop.  We saw the white flag so I was cool.”
 
INAUDIBLE:
“We are going.  I mean Chad (Knaus, crew chief) isn’t happy unless we are winning races we all know that.  He certainly has had some sleepless nights.  We tested last week at Nashville.  We are working hard.  Chad doesn’t have an outbound filter.  When he hits the button or when he speaks there is nothing slowing down his honest opinion.  13 years of working with him it’s family.  That stuff doesn’t bother me.”
 
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE WAY BRAD KESELOWSKI WAS RACING LAST WEEK AT TALLADEGA?  I WANT TO GET THE VETERANS PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT THE CODE IS AND YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT DID TRANSPIRE THERE:
“It’s a tough position to be in.  You have to think being six laps down you are not going to get back on the lead lap.  There is an opinion you are on the race track you deserve a right to go race regardless how many laps down you are.  I’m sure that is probably a smaller percentage of people have that opinion.  It’s very easy when you are caught up in that wreck is to go ‘why were you racing, you are six laps down’.  It just depends on where you are.  If you are a No. 2 fan or Brad (Keselowski) you are probably over here.  If you are one of the drivers’ the fan base that was caught up in the wreck you are probably in the majority in thinking it wasn’t right to race then.  Six laps down, me personally I would have just been riding and tried to save our race car from getting torn up.  Just sit there at the back of the pack.”
 
FROM A RESPECT POINT OF VIEW DOES BRAD NEED TO EARN MORE RESPECT NOW BECAUSE OF WHAT DID TRANSPIRE?  OR IS THIS JUST WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE?
“Nobody intentionally tries to crash and take out other race cars.  I personally think that what happened in Talladega just falls into that restrictor plate bucket that we just kind of overlook a lot of things that take place at plate tracks.  Then you move on and you go to a normal downforce track and race.  Yes, cars were crashed, but it’s not like, just using Brad as an example.  It’s not like he went into the corner and just dumped somebody and there is going to be retaliation for a move like that.  It is plate racing and you just again throw it in the plate bucket and move on.”
 
WHAT ARE YOU AND YOUR TEAM DOING TO GAIN ANOTHER VICTORY IN THE ALL-STAR RACE AND USING THAT RACE TO HELP YOU IN THE COKE 600?
“We have been able to get the All-Star portion under control the last few years.  We lacked a little bit in the 600 although we still had decent finishes.  You race that is the fun thing about it.  You don’t have the pressure of championship points or now a race win to make the Chase weighing on your shoulders.  You can be more aggressive with set-up’s.  You can be more aggressive with the engine package.  You can be more aggressive with how you drive, pit stop calls, going over the wall, just all those things.  It just gives us a chance to be freer with decisions that we make.  That is fun.  The big prize at the end of the day it’s one of our best paying races and mama can buy a lot of shoes after you win that race (laughs).”
 
ONCE A TEAM REACHES A CERTAIN LEVEL OF SUCCESS AND YOU GUYS HAVE OBVIOUSLY SET THE BAR REALLY HIGH.  WHAT ARE THE DIFFICULTIES AT MAINTAINING THAT SUCCESS?
“Successful teams can sometimes be their own worst enemy with expectations that are set in that respect.  We have been through dry spells before.  A 10-12 race dry spell isn’t a very long one period.  We have set an expectation that is less than that.  I get it.  I understand if we didn’t have any looks at wins this year I would have a much different opinion.  I still feel that we are extremely competitive and I feel as an individual I’m a better race car driver today than I was last year.  I just keep learning more and experiencing more and add that to my repertoire of things to do.  Our team is as strong as it has ever been. Our teammates are all running very well this year.
 
“Our relationship with Stewart-Haas those cars are quick.  Everything is there we just need to own this new rules package and find the No. 48 set-up in it.  That is what we are searching for.  Some tracks we have been close others not so much, but our drive to compete it really exists within Chad (Knaus) as an individual and me as an individual.  That hasn’t changed one bit. We are still as hungry as we have ever been.  There is no guarantee that success will be as it was in the past, but we are going to show up and give 100 percent each week.  I know we will win our fair share of races.  We will make Chases and certainly be a threat for championships.”
 
TALK ABOUT THE FIRST TIME NIGHT RACING AT KANSAS, WHAT APPROACH AND WHAT CHALLENGES IS THERE ON A TRACK FOR THE FIRST TIME AT NIGHT?
“We know we are going to pick up grip.  Some tracks lean towards more front percentage.  Other tracks it’s more rear percentage.  Don’t know why, but the balance changes.  Some tracks we know as the night wears on you are going to get looser.  That is probably more of the standard, but there are a few tracks that go the other way.  We will kind of take our best guess moving forward and look at past notes and when the track surface is cool where the balance is.  Through our day practice sessions take that into consideration as we set-up for the race.  We are back on a tire that
we are familiar with.  The new surface has had a few races on it, so I don’t think there is going to be any big concerns or questions pop up.
 
“It’s just about sorting out the new rules package and getting to work.  I think night racing is great for our fan base.  It’s tough for the teams and drivers because we are so used to a Sunday format and what happens.  We sit around a lot in the morning.  The crew goes to work and the drivers sit and wait and then it’s finally time to go.  If the fans are smiling and hopefully they will show their support by coming out and tuning in Saturday night on television.”  
 
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO POINT’S RACE?
“There are instances where you are wrecked and you work hard to get your car back on the race track to advance ahead of other people that crash or break or pull out so you are trying to get every point then.  If you are protecting something you can point’s race at that point and maybe give 98 percent instead of 100 in a situation.  I still think that is pretty rare, especially with the Chase format at the end of the year.  You need every point you can get if it’s even leading a lap.  I would say it kind of really fits the back side and when you have a crash or some type of mechanical it’s important to get back out on the track to get every point you can then and kind of slow the bleeding down for that weekend.”
 
DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THE ALL-STAR FORMAT?  HOW THEY MIGHT CAN CHANGE OR IMPROVE IT TO CREATE MORE LAST LAP DRAMA?
“If they have us run the first two segments going the correct direction and then the final segment we run backwards (crowd erupts in laughter).  That is about the only thing we haven’t tried.  Every year it’s a different format.  I don’t know, but that could work. Or we just run the short track, the small track.  Run the first two heats on the big track and then run the small track at the end.  Or the road course, hell, shoot us through the road course. I mean it hasn’t been from a lack of effort.  I can’t think of the 13 years I’ve gone in racing the All-Star event there has ever been the same thing each year.  I respect and I say all that not trying to knock the track or the format, but we try.  There is unfortunately a level of competition that there are some facts that the fastest always finds its way to the front.  We also know that the faster we go the harder it is to pass.  Charlotte is a very fast race track so the groove gets narrower and narrower so there are some things we just can’t overcome I feel.  Unless we mix it up and run it backwards or run the short track.”