NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
5-HOUR ENERGY 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 9, 2014
 
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KINGSFORD CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Kansas Speedway and discussed last weekend’s finish at Talladega, his season thus far and many other topics. Full Transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR RUN LAST WEEK AT TALLADEGA:
“I was just happy to roll the car back onto the hauler with all the tires on it still.  I have not had good luck there so I tried to do everything that race that I thought was right to put myself in a smart position to at least finish the race.  And then hopefully have a good finish at the end.  That last restart starting on the bottom I had a lot of help with Paul Menard.  His car was really fast.  All the RCR cars and the ECR motors were fast.  He hooked up with me and a couple of those gaps opened up.  It was like the seas parted for us on the restart and got to fifth.  I’m not sure if I would have had a shot if the yellow didn’t come out.  I had a run coming to the white flag, but Paul (Menard) wasn’t clear at that point, so I didn’t want to move up.  But overall to have a top-five finish at Talladega, have the car roll back in the hauler no scratches on it, good day and good momentum.”
 
YOU AND THIS TEAM HAVE REALLY PROGRESSED THIS SEASON.  WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS GOING TO A RACE LIKE THE COCA-COLA 600?  WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO GET THE NO. 47 TEAM IN THE ALL-STAR RACE NEXT WEEK?
“I try to take it one weekend at a time.  I’m really proud of this race team right now.  It’s good with the way we are running, all the sponsors that we have on our race car, all the big-name sponsors to get them publicity gets them some promotion.  The team is always doing a lot of promotion with the sponsors.  Just to be able to get that out is really good.  Really for me I know we are 15th in points and everybody talks about ‘you are right on the edge of the Chase’.  I don’t even worry about it.  It’s just one weekend at a time.  We are going to have our up’s and down’s.  We can come to Kansas this weekend we could dominate, we could struggle.  It’s just the way being a small team is just really trying to take it one practice session, one lap at a time.  Obviously, it would be awesome to win this weekend, get into the All-Star race go to the Coke 600 and have a good run and keep the momentum going.  But the only way we can do that is just keep building as a team.”
 
WHAT HAS CLICKED HERE THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS?
“I think it is just we are starting to put the weekends together.  We are maximizing the practice time.  We are doing just good things throughout the race, whether it’s pit stops or just making the right calls, and we are having fast race cars.  The beginning of the year we had decent cars, but we just never put the weekend together.  We would either struggle really bad on Friday or qualify really bad or make an uphill climb on Sunday or have to really make a lot of big changes going into Sunday and not know really what the car was going to do.  I feel like the last few weekends Brian Burns (crew chief) and I we are really starting to gel and this whole team.  
 
“We sit down and discuss how to maximize the practice sessions, what do we need to do.  We are learning with the new rules package, working with RCR the whole alliance.  We are learning our set-up’s about where we need to start to be closer when we start unloading the weekend.  It’s just baby steps.  That is really what it is. I’m trying to not get too high with where we are right now because there is so much time.  I will worry about possible Chase or where we are at in points when we have 20 races in things like that.  At the beginning of the year if you said coming into Kansas you are 15th you are right on the edge, you have had three top 10’s, you have been running well I would have said ‘perfect I’m happy with that’.  I’m happy with where we are at right now, but not satisfied.  I know we have a lot of room to improve and a lot of steps we need to improve on.”
 
THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF CHATTER ABOUT THE TIRES THIS WEEKEND DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY CONCERNS GOING INTO PRACTICE AND FOR THE RACE THIS WEEKEND?
“Same tires for everybody.  We didn’t test here so I didn’t feel the other tires.  To me it’s good for me it’s all new to everybody now so we are not really at a disadvantage.  I mean tires when you bring something completely new that nobody has run everybody is going to have a little bit of a concern with it.  It is what it is.  You have got to adjust your car to what tires are on the race car.  Goodyear is working hard to try to get the best tires possible.  To me it’s been fun to a certain extend because you have to set your car up. You have to be easy on your tires.  You can’t over abuse your tires at some of these race tracks otherwise you will use them up.  We have seen that and I felt like our team has done a good job at adjusting to it.  In the end it’s four tires on the race car.  You set your car up around them and you go racing.”
 
WHY SHOULD FANS VOTE FOR AJ ALLMENDINGER THIS WEEK TO GET INTO THE ALL-STAR RACE?
“Because they’ve got to be tired of voting for Danica (Patrick) I really feel like.  I’m a fun loving guy.  I was with Miss Sprint Cup last week, we were talking about it. I said I would do the worm across the stage if I get voted in, bust a move, whatever.  We will have a good time with it.  I’ve raced my way in a couple of times to the All-Star race.  I love the new format now with us racing on Friday.  So if you do get your car into the show and your whole team you can enjoy it a little bit more.  When you race your way in you have no time to really have fun with your guys.  It’s like turn the car around, okay everybody go up on stage, alright, boom, let’s go race.  I like the new format of knowing that after Friday night you are in or you are not in.  It would be cool.  It’s just another chance to go out there and keep learning and keep improving.  A fun race and hopefully the fans see when we are in it I have a good time with it.”
 
HOW MUCH FUN ARE YOU HAVING RIGHT NOW IN SPRINT CUP?
“I really enjoy it.  I’ve been on a lot of teams.  I don’t know if that is a good or bad thing, but right now with this whole No. 47 group it starts with Tad Geschickter and his wife Jodi and Brad Daugherty just the atmosphere that they put around this team.  The guys seem to be really enjoying it.  I really enjoy this core group.  I love being a part of this small team and leading the team and learning how.  It’s the first time I’ve really had to learn how to lead a team.  Every other team I’ve been on I’ve been the secondary guy and just kind of went along with the program.  So right now I just enjoy so much.  I put a lot of pressure on myself because Tad and Jodi and Brad have put so much sweat and tears and money into this team.  We have got a lot of great sponsors that I have said.  This weekend we have Kingsford on the car. They do a cool promotion for grilling out for Mom on Mom’s day so stuff like that.  Right now when it comes to just family atmosphere, having fun with the team it’s by far the most fun I’ve ever had.  I’ve told Tad many times already I would love for this team to be the last team I drive for.  That is how much fun I’m having and just to keep trying to climb that mountain and have that David versus Goliath attitude to where we’ve got to go bet the big teams.  I wouldn’t say we are beating them yet, but we are least getting closer.  I take a lot of pride in
it and I’m really enjoying it.”
 
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE RCR ALIGNMENT WITH YOUR TEAM AND HOW THAT ALL WORKS?
“With the RCR alliance it’s been great because Richard (Childress) for our team at least has just opened his doors.  I mean giving us all the information we can have.  Our cars right now aren’t brand new cars they are cars from late last year.  A lot of the No. 29 cars a couple of them that Kevin (Harvick) won with.  So they are not brand new cars, but at the same point they are still fast race cars.  They have given us just basically open information, engineering, set-up’s, everything that we need to know what makes the cars fast.  It’s been great sharing and hopefully we are bringing something back to them.  That has been my goal is to not just keep taking but hopefully bring something back to where they are learning and we can make everybody as a whole better.  Richard has been just fantastic.  I’ve been part of an alliance before and this is the best I’ve ever seen.  All credit goes to him and their race shop for allowing us to have that.  Hopefully it just keeps continuing.”
 
 

2014 Corvette Stingray to Pace Grand Prix of Indianapolis

 
DETROIT – A 2014 Corvette Stingray convertible will serve as the pace car for the inaugural Verizon IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Indianapolis this weekend.
 
“Chevrolet and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have such a long history together, so it is exciting to be able to produce another ‘first’ at the famed Brickyard,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports.
 
Although this weekend’s event will be the first Grand Prix of Indianapolis, it won’t be the first time a Corvette has led the field at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: A Corvette has been a pace car for the Indianapolis 500 a record 12 times, starting in 1978. A 2014 Corvette Stingray paced the Indianapolis 500 field last year.
 
“Chevrolet…especially with a V8…leading a field of race cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There is nothing better. Nothing,” said Doug Boles, president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
The 2014 Corvette Stingray is the most powerful standard Corvette model ever, with an SAE-certified 455 hp and 460 lb.-ft. torque. The Corvette Stingray backs its performance capability with the greatest efficiency of any sports car on the market, delivering an EPA-estimated 17 mpg city driving and 29 mpg on the highway with the all-new seven-speed manual transmissions. No other car offers more than 455 hp and greater than 29 mpg on the highway.
 
The all-new, aluminum frame of the Corvette Stingray was designed from the outset as a convertible, so there are no structural differences compared to the coupe. In fact, the coupe and convertible have nearly identical curb weights, suspension tuning, and driving experience. Other key features for the Corvette Stingray convertible include:
 
An all-new, fully electronic top on the convertible that can be lowered remotely using the key fob and operates at up to 30 mph
Advanced driver technologies, including a five-position Drive Mode Selector that tailors 12 vehicle attributes to fit the driver’s environment and a new seven-speed manual transmission with Active Rev Matching that anticipates gear selections and matches engine speed for perfect shifts every time
An all-new 6.2L LT1 V-8 engine combines advanced technologies, including direct injection, Active Fuel Management, continuously variable valve timing and an advanced combustion system that delivers more power while using less fuel
Lightweight materials, including an aluminum frame; carbon fiber hood and removable roof panel on coupes; composite fenders, doors and rear quarter panels; carbon-nano composite underbody panels and a new aluminum frame help shift weight rearward for an optimal 50/50 weight balance that supports a world-class power-to-weight ratio
A sculpted exterior features advanced high-intensity discharge and light-emitting diode lighting and racing-proven aerodynamics that balance low drag for efficiency and performance elements for improved stability and track capability
Track-capable Z51 Performance Package, including an electronic limited-slip differential; dry-sump oiling system; integral brake, differential and transmission cooling; as well as specific wheels, tires, brakes and a unique aero package that improves high-speed stability.
 

MAY STARTS NOW: CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6 TEAMS DESTINED FOR THE FAMED INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Team Chevy Looking to Score Third Victory of the Season at the Inaugural Grand Prix of Indy
 
·       2014 marks Chevrolet’s third year in Verizon IndyCar Series with 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged direct-injected purpose-built V6 engine fueled by E 85
·       Chevrolet won the IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship in 2012 and 2013
·       Chevrolet kicked off the 2014 season with wins in the first two races – Will Power in his Team Penske Chevrolet at St. Petersburg and Mike Conway in his Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet in Long Beach.
·       In the first two seasons of competition, Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers won 21 of the 34 races
·       Chevrolet IndyCar V6 driver Tony Kanaan is the defending champion of the Indianapolis 500
·       First IndyCar race on redesigned Indianapolis road course
 
 
DETROIT – (May 7, 2014) – Chevrolet is back at the Brickyard for the month of May – a time-honored tradition for IndyCar drivers and teams.  But ahead of the Indianapolis 500 later this month, the defending Verizon IndyCar Series engine manufacturer champion has more immediate business to tend to – the first IndyCar race on a redesigned road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
The inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis will precede the traditional festivities surrounding the Indy 500 – a race won by Chevrolet in 2013 –  and features a 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course within the confines of one of the world’s great racing venues.  Chevrolet driver’s and teams had the opportunity to test on the road course last week with Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Scott Dixon and Ryan Briscoe setting the two quickest times in their Chevy V6 IndyCars.
 
“There was general enthusiasm from the Team Chevy camp after the Open Test conducted last week on the newly configured road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, Verizon IndyCar Series. “The track updates have produced a fast, flowing circuit that is fun to drive according to many of the drivers.  The Chevy-powered teams were prepared and posted quick times as they dialed in setups and racing lines. The high speeds at the ends of the front and back straights will certainly provide a show of engine power, a workout for the tires and brake systems and coupled with the generally wide and smooth racing surface provide for many passing opportunities. It is not often that a new race track is christened, so Team Chevy is proud to compete in the Inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis.”
 
Throughout the race weekend and the entire month of May, the Team Chevy IndyCar display will be on site for fans to visit. For the Grand Prix of Indy, fans can look for the Bowtie in the infield at the corner of 6th Street and New Myers Drive. The display hours of operation are 9 a.m – 6:30 p.m., Friday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday.
 
A number of vehicles from the Chevrolet line-up will be on-site including Impala, Malibu, Silverado, Sonic Hatchback RS, Traverse and Volt.  Fans will have the opportunity to get an up-close look at the No. 3 AAA Chevrolet V6 IndyCar of Helio Castroneves as well as check out a variety of other specialty vehicles on display. There will be interactive activities for children and adults.
 
The highlight of the weekend will be the driver visits to the Chevrolet stage in the display where fans can participate in question-and-answer sessions with Chevrolet’s top IndyCar stars.
 
On Friday, fans can see – Sebastien Bourdais and Sebastian Saavedra at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at noon Helio Castroneves, Will Power and Juan Pablo Montoya will make appearances followed by Ed Carpenter and Mike Conway at 1 p.m., and Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan at 2 p.m.
 
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

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA COATINGS CHEVROLET SS, WAS THE GUEST ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
THE MODERATOR:  Good morning, everyone.  With us today is Jeff Gordon.  Jeff currently holds the Sprint Cup Series points standings lead with four top 5 and seven top 10 finishes on the season.  He heads to Kansas Speedway this season where he has two career wins.
Jeff, you joined Charlotte Motor Speedway this morning at the NASCAR Hall of Fame to celebrate the anniversary of your first Sprint Cup Series win, the 1994 Coca‑Cola 600.  Can you talk a little bit about that race and your first trip to Victory Lane in the Sprint Cup Series.
 
JEFF GORDON:  Yeah, that was just a very special moment to relive.  Such a great moment in my career.  Hard to believe it’s 20 years ago.  But what an amazing day to go to Charlotte in the 600, such a tough race, compete against the best guys.
 
Rusty was certainly very strong that day and the car to beat.  Then Ray Evernham made a great two‑tire call.  We had a fast racecar, but that two‑tire call made the difference.
 
To see the emotions that I went through because it meant so much, to commemorate it here at the Hall of Fame, was very, very special to go through.  20 years, wow, it’s hard to believe, but it’s been amazing.
 
THE MODERATOR:  We’ll now go to the media for questions for today’s guest, Jeff Gordon.
Q.  You have 88 trophies that belong to you.  Where do you display them?  Is your first trophy in a very prominent place either at your office or at home?
JEFF GORDON:  That’s a great question.  We built a new house a couple years ago.  Something I’ve really never done at home was display really many trophies.  If I had a shelf maybe in an office or somewhere, I might put one or two.  The 600 from ’94 has always been a prominent trophy that I’ve displayed.
 
When we did this house, we made an area that has very, very important trophies to me.  I have the four Cup trophies there.  I have the first Brickyard, a couple helmets.
 
The 600 is in the house but it’s not currently being displayed there.  It’s one that has always been the one that I’ve displayed, it just didn’t fit in there (laughter).  I have to redesign that area so I can make sure it’s there.
 
I don’t have all 88, that’s for sure.  Hendrick Motorsports, and at my office, we have all the trophies.  The ones that have been very special to me are at my house.
Q.  It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years.  Is it one you can still think about and remember vividly?  How does that one rank in your mind?
JEFF GORDON:  I can barely remember how we won Martinsville last year (laughter). That’s why I love this event that I just did.  They showed video from that day and some crucial moments.  It really makes me want to go back and get the whole video and watch the race because it was such a special day.  There are so many things that I don’t remember about that day.
I remember I started on the front row, that we had a good car.  We led quite a few laps.  But Rusty was the car to beat.  Ray made that great call.
 
Even watching me coming down pit road for that final pit stop made me chuckle because they didn’t measure pit road speed the same way we do now so it looked like I was speeding, but they didn’t have a way to measure other than by a stopwatch.
 
I’d love to go back and relive the race because there are a lot of things that I don’t remember.
Q.  Out here in the Bay Area, looking forward to the race in Sonoma in a month and a half.  Speaking of walks down Memory Lane, you’ve won here five times in Sonoma.  Take us back to your first victory there in ’98, what that win meant for you, what you remember from that day.
JEFF GORDON:  The things that really stand out to me for Sonoma is, yeah, I grew up in Vallejo a few miles from there.  I never went to that course.  I always was on ovals or dirt tracks.  It was a drag strip, as well.  I never raced there.  Never even got to make a lap there until I was preparing for my very first Cup race and went to the driving school out there.  Immediately saw the challenges, all the fun that could be had there.
 
The first few years were just so challenging trying not to miss shifting, trying not to overdrive the track.  We used to have the carrousel turn there.  It was such a difficult corner to make.  I remember being in the tire barrier on my side one year there during practice.
 
To me, my memories are getting through all those challenges and becoming more competitive on a road course like Sonoma.  Obviously from ’93 to ’98, it took a while.  It’s not an easy track to conquer.
 
Then we just went on an incredible tear to win those five races.  I can’t say I remember all the details from that first race, though.
Q.  You’re still a young guy, off to a great start this season.  In the back of your mind, are you concerned that time is running short to win another championship?
JEFF GORDON:  I mean, I know that time is running short.  I can’t say I’m sitting here concerned about it.  I’ve had an amazing career.  I’ve accomplished more than I ever thought that I would.  Then this year my focus is on what a great racecar and race team that we have.
 
I think it’s just part of my personality or maybe part of a racecar driver’s personality that I don’t look too far ahead.  I worry about the things that I can control.  Right now the things I can control is that racecar on the weekends, working as hard as I can with the team to get the best results.
 
We’re off to a great start.  Right now I’m healthy.  I’m in good shape.  I’m having a lot of fun.  We’re very competitive out there.  That’s taking all of my attention.  Besides the time I spend with my family, that’s where my focus is.
 
Not really thinking of anything else other than maybe the urgency of how important it is to win this season if you’re going to win the championship.
 
Q.  You’ve won at Kansas twice previously.  That’s going back to 2001, 2002.  How different does this track race with the variable banking, especially since it went through a tough winter?
JEFF GORDON:  Yeah, I’m excited to get there and see what the track has to offer, as well as with the new ride heights, the downforce that this car has this year.  We seem to be excelling at a lot of different tracks, but the mile‑and‑a‑half’s in particular.
 
Kansas has always been one of my favorite racetracks.  When they repaved it, it moved a little further down my list.  It seems like every year we go there, it ages, goes through the winter, gets back to the type of Kansas that I excel at, that I really like.
 
The transitions are all still there.  The variable banking is always a plus.  But what I’m most excited about, and this is true for every track we’re going to, is how good of a race team we have right now.  Everywhere we go we have competitive cars.  We don’t always start the weekend out that way.  Some weekends we unload and we’re just fast and it stays that way throughout the whole weekend, and others we’ve had to really work at it.
 
To me, that’s the sign of a great team and that’s why I’m excited to go not only to Kansas this weekend but every track on the schedule.
Q.  Earlier you talked about how well you did in the 600.  You’ve had so much success at the track prior to that.  You almost won the Winston Open in ’93.  Does that give you any more confidence heading into the 600?
JEFF GORDON:  You mean in ’94 when we won it?
Q.  Yes.
JEFF GORDON:&n
bsp; Definitely.  My first pole came at Charlotte in October of ’93.  I won two Nationwide races in ’92.  That track was always something, from the first time I made laps around it, I enjoyed doing it.  It was a fun, fast racetrack.  I feel like it’s always been one of my better tracks.
 
Yeah, I definitely have confidence from previous history heading into that ’94 600.  The car was great that weekend.  It gave me good confidence to know that we had a shot at winning.
Q.  Do you remember thinking, ‘this is a track I might win my first race at’, or was it a surprise when it happened?
JEFF GORDON:  I don’t remember.  I don’t know.  I just remember that we were running well.  I think at that point I lacked a little bit of confidence of whether I had what it took to not just run 600 miles at Charlotte but to get a Cup car into Victory Lane.  I felt like we were getting closer and closer.  Even when you get close, you’re like, yeah, but it’s not a win.
 
From that point on, it solidified our team and myself and gave me confidence that, okay, I’ve got what it takes, we have what it takes, we can go win races from that point on.  I don’t remember what my mindset was prior to that race.
 
Q.  We’re basically 10 races into a 26‑race season.  Do you sense any panic from other teams throughout the garage area to get a win before Richmond in August?
JEFF GORDON:  I think we’ve seen a lot of first‑time winners so far in the season.  To me there’s the teams that understand how important it is to win not just to get in the Chase but to have a shot at the championship.  Those bonus points that come along with winning are very, very important.
 
The ability to win, to show that you’re a team that can win as well as win the championship is extremely important.  I feel like you need to get a win prior to that, prior to the start of the Chase.
 
It’s not the only way to get in.  There’s other ways to get into the Chase.  I don’t think anyone is in panic mode unless they’re outside the top 10 in points.
 
I would say anyone outside the top 8 or 10 in points now that hasn’t had a win, yeah, there’s definitely going to be in a little more urgency and, as you call it, panic mode.
Q.  You just mentioned the Chase elimination, changes.  Some of the drivers that haven’t won think it doesn’t change strategy at all.  Yet when some of these guys win, it seems like it changes their track and pit strategy.  You’ve been so close to winning.  What is your take on that?  Do you think your take in strategy will change once you do get that win?
JEFF GORDON:  I think anybody that says that winning a race isn’t going to change their mindset and strategy moving forward is only fooling themselves.  There is no doubt.  I saw a change in the 88 team after they won Daytona, just that comfort and ease knowing, okay, we have this win in our corner, and now we can be more aggressive with things that we do to get that second win.  I’ve seen it with Harvick, the 2 car, others as well.
 
I’ve never seen winning be so important as it has this year.  It doesn’t stop everybody from trying just as hard to win.  We’re all out there working as hard as we can to win.  When you get that one win under your belt, I think that one win will get you into the Chase, two wins is for sure going to guarantee you a shot in the Chase.
 
But when you get that one or two wins, it just puts you in a place where now it doesn’t really matter where you’re at in points, and it’s just all about getting those bonus points and be the No. 1 seed going into the Chase.  You can be more aggressive with everything that you do from here on out.
 
So I think that’s a lot of leverage to have as a team.  That’s why we feel some urgency to get that win because we want to be in that same place.  We have been very, very close, so that’s why we’re excited about those opportunities coming up that we can get a win at.
Q.  Kansas has produced its share of bizarre finishes over the years.  Is there a reason for that or is it just kind of circumstances?
JEFF GORDON:  Give me some examples.
 Q.  Biffle running out of fuel, being passed by Jimmie and Bowyer.  Carl’s dive bomb move.  Tony Stewart racing to the finish out of gas.  Last fall’s race wasn’t exactly standard either.
JEFF GORDON:  Yeah, I mean, I think we’ve seen a trend of fuel mileage becoming more and more important, saving fuel, track position.  Probably the most important thing we’ve seen on mile‑and‑a‑half’s in general, but especially on a repave that has become even more important because tires are hard, to be durable, a little bit harder to pass.
 
That’s why I’m excited to get to Kansas to see the tire combination with the track now that it’s aged some, as the groove has moved up, how well you can pass, how important track position is going to be.
 
Those things start to really paint the picture for your weekend for how hard you’re going to focus on fuel mileage, pit strategy, two tires, no tires, fuel only.  The speeds, the tire wear and the ability to pass will all start to play out as we get to the race on Saturday night.  Plus it’s a night race so that’s going to change things slightly as well.
 
I’ve just always enjoyed Kansas.  As I mentioned, the transitions are really nice, straightaway into the corners.  When you have nice transitions like that, nice banking, just a great racetrack like Kansas, it allows you to get more aggressive as a driver, get more aggressive with the setups, gives you a little more comfort and ease to know you can make a move like Carl made.  He dove in there, knew he wasn’t going to make the corner, but he knew he had room to slide up.  I think he probably thought, Man, I wish I wouldn’t have carried quite so much speed in there.
 
Kansas is one of those tracks that offers that type of racing and I think we’ll see more of it this weekend.
Q.  The Sonoma race, the 26th running of the race, seems like guys used to dread coming out to the wine country, weren’t thrilled about it.  Now it seems like the attitudes have completely changed.  Do you agree with that?  If so, why?
JEFF GORDON:  Yeah, I definitely think so.  I think there was a switch in the mindset, in the trend, I would say in the mid ’90s to late ’90s where a road course, if you were going on a road course, it didn’t really mean a whole lot towards the championship, or if you were bad on a road course.  The challenges you face on the road courses, the amount of effort and work that goes into it as a team and driver, sometimes guys looked at it as it wasn’t worth it.
 
For me, I liked the challenge.  Our team liked the challenge.  We were focused on making better brake packages, transmissions better, different gearing, all those things that come along with being good on road courses, and the most important thing:  keeping it on the course.
 
I think that now for the championship it’s an opportunity to win, but even before this year winning being so important, you couldn’t give up a race.  There became a time where the competition got too great.  You could no longer give up a race, where you used to be able to give one up and still manage to win the championship.  Now you’re not able to do that.
 
People are more focused on putting energy into it.  Now you’re seeing a far more competitive field at those races.
Q.  You’ve won that race five times, which is the most ever.  You haven’t gotten back into Victory Lane in quite a few years there.  How badly do you want to get back into Victory Lane?  What would a sixth win mean for you out here in the wine country?
JEFF GORDON:  I love it out th
ere.  Being from there, I’ve got family and friends.  Being in the wine business with the Jeff Gordon label, I love it out there.  It’s a beautiful area.  I’ve really gotten into that business, the wine making, what it’s like to go through it.  I admire all those great growers and farmers as well as wineries out there that produce great wine.
 
Then there’s this awesome racetrack over there in Sonoma that we’ve been successful at.  I feel we’ve had cars capable of winning there the last couple years.  We just got to keep pushing forward, keep pushing hard, doing the things we know what to do on those tracks, trying to improve, and hopefully we can get back to Victory Lane there soon.
 
THE MODERATOR:  That’s all the time we have today.  Jeff, thank you for joining us and good luck this weekend at Kansas.
 
JEFF GORDON:  My pleasure, thank you.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Thank you to the media for joining us, as well.
                      

CORVETTE DPs AT LAGUNA SECA: Chevrolet Regains Prototype Engine Manufacturer Lead
Third runner-up finish for Jordan, Ricky Taylor in Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP
 
MONTEREY, Calif. (May 4, 2014) – Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor gave the Corvette Daytona Prototype program another podium finish Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, moving Chevrolet back into the lead of the Engine Manufacturer championship standings for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
 
The two brothers drove the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP to a runner-up finish – their third such result in four rounds of the inaugural TUDOR Championship.
 
“Congratulations to Ricky and Jordan Taylor, and Wayne Taylor Racing on today’s runner-up Prototype finish,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet’s Program Manager for Corvette Daytona Prototypes. “Given the difference in performance between the Corvette DPs and the rest of the field, this is an outstanding achievement and moves Chevrolet back into the lead of the Prototype Engine Manufacturer championship.”
 
Unofficially, Chevrolet now leads the category by one point.
 
Action Express Racing’s Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi placed fifth in the No. 5 Corvette DP. All four Corvette DPs entered led the race at one point. The No. 90 Spirit of Daytona entry of Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante led the first 26 laps, and Marsh Racing’s No. 31 Corvette DP of Eric Curran and Boris Said led just prior to the race’s midpoint.
 
The next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers on May 31 from The Raceway at Belle Isle Park.
 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP, FINISHED 2ND
“That was as good as we could have done. We knew coming in here the P2s were going to be strong. Going on that out lap, I knew that was where they struggled and we had to make the most of it. We made a move around the No. 90 and the No. 5 and got the lead; we were able to stretch it but as soon as we made that last stop, we were saving fuel all the way to the end and I think we were the only Daytona Prototype to do that. We should be happy with a second-place here, and good points for the rest of the season.”
 
RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP, FINISHED 2ND
“We didn’t expect to beat the P2, but it’s a really good points day. Jordan did a great job. The team did a great job making the changes overnight – really transformed our car. We’ll go on to some of the strong tracks for us and I think we are in a really good position. We did some mechanical things to the car, and went back to what we knew from last year and the car was really, really strong.”

CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Second Straight Win for Magnussen, Garcia
New Chevrolet Corvette C7.R a winner again in California
 
MONTEREY, Calif. (May 4, 2014) – It wasn’t nearly as easy as last time, but Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen scored their second straight GT Le Mans victory in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship on Sunday. The duo won a hard-fought battle for the second consecutive season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – this time in their No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.
 
Garcia won by 4.710 seconds as Corvette Racing took its third straight win at the track and seventh since 2004.
 
“Today was another fantastic day for Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia and Corvette Racing,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet’s Director of Racing. “It was a tremendous performance by everyone involved. The strategy and execution was perfect from the start. We saw again why this class of racing is among the best in the world.”
 
Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R ran among the leaders early and often before finishing fifth in class after Gavin was hit from behind and spun off track late in the race.
 
Magnussen led all 42 laps of his stint, although this one wasn’t nearly as calm as his race to victory at Long Beach last month. Instead of a 10-second lead, he rarely led by more than a second and was under tremendous pressure. Twice, the Dane had to lock up the brakes going into the Corkscrew turn, the first time when he was pushed wide by a prototype just before the braking zone.
 
On a one-stop strategy following a pit stop and driver change at the one-hour mark, the focus of the battle turned to Garcia and Giancarlo Fisichella’s Ferrari. Garcia bided his time and used a slower car as a pick to move into the lead with 22 minutes left. With solid tires and great balance, he was able to steadily pull away.
 
Corvette Racing’s next event is the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 14-15. The next GTLM round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship takes place at Watkins Glen on June 29.
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“I knew we had a really good car going into this race. The C6.R was successful coming into here, and I knew the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R would be good too. We proved that yesterday (in qualifying) because everything was running up to where we wanted it to. I knew the trick would be to save the tires because I saw Jan was having troubles with that. I knew he flat-spotted once or twice the front right, so it was difficult for me getting into the car knowing I had to save the tires. It was a good call on the pits just to do one stop. We lost a position to the Ferrari because Jan lost quite a bit on the in-lap and we lost maybe a second. I tried to overtake once or twice the Ferrari but I saw on pure pace that it couldn’t happen. Then getting back on my mind I knew I had to run those tires for half an hour, so I decided just to give up a little bit of pressure on them and just start saving tires as best I could. Doing that I wasn’t losing much time to them, maybe a little bit, and as soon as he caught traffic I could get him back. In the end if paid off pretty good and then I used traffic again. When I saw that prototype going to pass (the Ferrari), I really went for it and make a run as much as possible and he had no chance to block me. Then with 20 minutes to go I could use the tires I had saved.”
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“This is the perfect preparation for the team to go on to Le Mans full of confidence. We know when everything works we can win. Antonio did a fantastic job. He was fighting every lap. When the opportunity came there wasn’t a clear track where he was able to pass the Ferrari. As soon as the opportunity came he was there and then able to pull away for a safety margin. It was a fantastic job by the whole crew, the engineers, everyone at Corvette Racing.”
(His stint) “This was a tough stint. To begin with I had quite good grip and balance in the car. Towards the end there when the Porsche was catching me,  I got pushed a little bit wide by the DeltaWing and had a huge lock-up into the Corkscrew which gave us a flat spot so that kind of took our edge away a little bit. I really, really had to fight for my position then.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It was another one of those races where we showed a lot of promise, and it just didn’t really work out for us whatsoever. With the limited track time we got here,  we took a bit of a shot with the setup of the car. For whatever reason, we were working our rear tires just a bit harder than most other cars out there. Tommy did a great job in hanging on to the car for so long with those worn rear tires. We took a gamble with the tires for my stint, and it was looking like it was going to be pretty good. Then the rear of the car just started to really snap away. It caught me out going into (Turn) Six – I ran wide up the hill there. I was able to get back on it and got going again. But then the No. 56 BMW was coming like no tomorrow; they had stopped and I knew they were quicker than us… I don’t know what happened, but as I came through the center of turn one, I got hit and turned around and we lost three spots. It kind of summed up our day really… very frustrating. A lot of effort from all the guys with the stop, and they did a great job. It is frustrating. It just seems right now like we can’t seem to catch a break. We always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with people. We’ve got to turn that around. We go to our next race, which is our biggest race of the year, the Le Mans 24 Hours. Hopefully it is a really nice change in our fortunes this year because it has been  a rather testing first few races for us. We need to go back, regroup and think about exactly how we are attacking these weekends and if we are doing something slightly wrong, we need to address it and  fix it because we need to be 100 percent for our next big race in Le Mans.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“Tough stint there for sure. With the practice schedule, we didn’t get a whole lot of running. We weren’t too sure how long the tires were going to last. We found out pretty quickly in the race that we were on a little too soft of a compound early on so our lap times suffered quite a bit. Then I made a mistake in (Turn) Four and ran wide. We lost five or six seconds, something like that. Stuff like that makes a difference in a race like this with no yellows. It would be nice to get a yellow to pack everybody up, and go for the race. But, that is probably not going to happen. The gap was pretty big for awhile there, then it kind of closed up as Jan had issues as well. So he kind of brought the whole field back to me again so we aren’t too far away. But, it is hard to pass here, so every little mistake and things like that will definitely show itself at the end of the race.”
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“What an incredible day for Corvette Racing! Today, everything had to be perfect to win – the driving, the strategy and execution. Once again, Corvette Racing did it all and that is what enabled this victory. Two victories in a row is a great way to head to Le Mans – the most important race on our schedule.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AARON’S 499
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 4, 2014
 
CHEVROLET’S AJ ALLMENDINGER FINISHES FIFTH AT TALLADEGA
Jeff Gordon Maintains Point Lead
 
TALLADEGA, Ala. – (May 4, 2014) – Chevrolet’s AJ Allmendinger received a final push from Paul Menard during the three-lap dash to the finish at Talladega Superspeedway, to finish fifth.  The 188-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup race began with nine Chevrolet SS race cars leading the field to the green flag.  At the end of the 499-mile race at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, five Chevrolet SS drivers recorded top-10 finishes.  Allmendinger’s run was the first top-five finish for the No. 47 Bush’s Beans Chevrolet SS team this season.   
 
Menard backed up a second-place qualifying effort with a sixth-place finish at Talladega.  Having led 10 laps early in the race, the driver of the No. 27 Richmond/Menards Chevrolet SS was forced to the back of the pack after sustaining damage in a late-race crash. Menard made a charge to the finish to try and regain the top-spot and finished sixth overall.
 
Two-time winner in 2014, Kevin Harvick nearly recorded his third win of the season and second at Talladega.  On the final restart Harvick’s No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS was lined-up second in the outside lane, but the bottom line was the place to be.  With little drafting help, Harvick dropped back, but was able to surge ahead as the checkered flag flew to finish seventh.
 
Kasey Kahne was able to avoid most of the race mayhem in his No. 5 Farmers Insurance/ Thankamillionteachers.com Chevrolet SS and earned a ninth-place finish. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS, brought home top rookie-of-the-race honors with a 10th place run.
 
Despite being caught up in a multi-car accident on lap 138, Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS, remains the series point’s leader after the first 10 races.  Gordon maintains a three-point lead over second place.  
 
Gordon’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also had disappointing runs and finished, 23rd and 26th, respectively.  Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s/Valspar Reserve Chevrolet SS was involved in a crash on lap 176, which thwarted his quest for a third victory at Talladega.  Earnhardt, Jr. in his No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet SS became mired back in traffic with too few laps in the race to make a charge back to the front after leading 26 of the 188 laps.
 
Denny Hamlin (Toyota) won the race, Greg Biffle (Ford) was second, Clint Bowyer (Toyota) was third and Brian Vickers (Toyota) was fourth, to round out the top-five finishers.
 
The series resumes May 10th for the first Saturday night race at Kansas Speedway.
 
 
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 10TH (TOP FINISHING ROOKIE OF THE YEAR CONTENDER)
 
KERRY THARP:  Let’s roll right into our post‑race for today’s 45th annual Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race here at Talladega Superspeedway, and our top Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate finishing in 10th place is Kyle Larson.  He’s the driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, and Kyle, just talk about your run out there this afternoon at Talladega.
 
KYLE LARSON:  Yeah, it was good.  I think we were actually a little bit better than 10th.  I think the finish was when we crossed the stripe.  But I was really hoping for a top 20 just to stay out of trouble, and to get a top 10 is really nice.
 
I spent most of the day just ‑‑ well, pretty much all day just trying not to make any spectacular moves to put myself in a bad spot to get in a wreck, because like I said, the 42 hasn’t had much luck on superspeedways with Juan and myself at Daytona.  Just wanted to stay out of trouble.  We’ve been making up a lot of points throughout the year after Daytona, and to come back to another superspeedway, I was really nervous.  Glad to get a good finish and stay up there in points.
Q.  If you could just kind of talk about that last restart, I think you were third at the time the flag fell.  Talk about what happened there and how it all shook out.
KYLE LARSON:  I was fourth.  Yeah, I was able to get a decent restart behind Denny and push him to the lead before we got that last yellow, and just couldn’t do the same with Kevin.  He got a little bit far out in front of me, and then the 40 pulled out of line down the back stretch and I got stuck in the middle and killed our run for the middle lane and the top lane, and then just kind of had to hold on to what we had there.
 
I hated that I couldn’t help Kevin get a Chevy into victory lane, but it was still an okay restart for us.  We didn’t lose too many spots.  All in all, it was a pretty decent day.
Q.  What do you think you learned here today that you can only use two more times a year when we go back to Daytona and Talladega?
KYLE LARSON:  I learned that I was really slow on the bottom line, or I needed somebody right behind me to make any ground and help the inside lane.  I felt like when I was in the middle lane to top lane I could keep up without anybody behind me, but once I got down on the bottom, I had to have somebody within a half car length behind me to help the guy in front of me.  When I wouldn’t have people behind me I’d lose ground and people would keep shuffling down in front of me and hurt me there.
 
It worked out at the end, and I was far enough forward at the end to where I could be on the bottom and maintain.
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AARON’S 499
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
MAY 4, 2014
 
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 BUSH’S BEANS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 5TH
TELL US ABOUT THE LAST FEW LAPS OF THAT RACE AND HOW WILD IT WAS:
“Yeah first off I have to thank everybody at RCR and ECR motors.  Just so much speed in the race car.  I’ve got to thank everybody at the No. 47 shop for doing such hard work and preparing this car so well.  The previous restart the outside lane had such a run.  I kept inching, inching and then I just waited too late and I got shuffled.  I really thought I had messed us up there and that last restart I’ve got to thank Paul Menard.  He just kept shoving me all the way up through the inside of guys.  Just proud of everybody on this team.  I’ve got to thank Bush’s Bean and Clorox and Kingsford, Charter, House Autry, Shore lunch, Scott products everybody that helps us get to this race track and all the great sponsors we have on this team.  We are slowly getting there each step day by day.  I’m just proud to be on this team right now.”
 
WAS THE RACING TODAY TYPICAL TALLADEGA OR WERE THERE THINGS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IN THE PAST?
“These cars the package we have now drafts so well. I kept waiting for everybody to kind of calm down and single file out.  I went to the back at one point, like everybody is going to calm down and it never happened.  About 50 to go I was like ‘alright I guess it’s time to get crazy with everybody’.  I hope the fans enjoyed it.  It was awesome to see all the fans come out and how packed the grandstands were here at Talladega.  It’s like the old Talladega again so thanks for everybody coming out.  I hope it was a great show.”
 
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 RICHMOND/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 6TH
ON HIS DAY:
“We had a really fast Richmond/Menards/Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Chevrolet all weekend.  All the RCR/ECR motors qualified up front and we tried to stay up there as long as we could.  Kind of got shuffled back and I just played the game when to go/when not to go.  I got some damage, maybe 50 laps to go and we were trying to get back up there.  We had a good run.  Got a little bit of damage, but my boys worked really hard, fixed it.  I think we pitted like five or six times to get all the fenders knocked out on it.  It was really good at the end.  On the last restart just pushed the hell out of AJ (Allmendinger) and wound up being okay.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 7TH
TOP TEN-FINISH HERE AT TALLADEGA. ASSESS WHAT HAPPENED HERE TODAY:
 “We were in a good spot there at the end and what you would want to put yourself in a position to win.  I felt like I got a good restart with our Jimmy Johns Chevrolet SS, but our line just never formed up.   The 40 was way out of line and obviously there was some crashing going on behind us.  The bottom was able to get formed up better but a good, solid day for our Jimmy Johns team.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE/THANKAMILLIONTEACHERS.COM CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 8TH
ON HIS DAY:
“We had a really good car.  The Farmers Insurance Chevy was fast, just didn’t get to the front when I needed to there with like 30 (laps) to go probably.  From that point on we were in the back.  We just had to wait for wrecks to happen.  It was kind of you either charge through and move people a little bit and aggressively do it or else you just wait.  I chose to wait and we ended up wherever we ended up.  I wish it would have went to the line though because I think we had good momentum me and Ricky (Stenhouse, Jr.) and Paul Menard.”
 
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 17TH
ON HIS DAY:
“We were solidly running in the top-10 but got into the wrong spot on the (final) restart. We managed to get a good start but the guy behind me didn’t and it just pulled me back. When there’s no one behind you it’s difficult to get going. I tried to stay on the No. 18’s bumper (Kyle Busch) and got going with him but as I got up through the gears I started to fall off. That screwed us up and put us on the outside lane three wide. For some reason our car wouldn’t work on the outside all day — we had to run the middle and the bottom. It just came down to being in the wrong place at the wrong time on the green-white-checker. Except for those last two laps it was a good day.  We raced hard and ran a lot of laps in the top-10.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 22ND
YOU LED A LOT OF LAPS HERE EARLY ON IN THE RACE TELL US ABOUT YOUR DAY:
“It was good out front.  I wish I could have stayed there.  I was just talking about heating issues I was getting hot a lot.  I think you saw that from a lot of cars.  It was a hot day here in Talladega.  When you get back a little bit in the field it gets even worse.  I think I was the second lane like second car back real early on and it just felt like it kind of died a little bit.  Then I started getting passed.  So I dropped back to get some clean air.  Got some track position, a couple of times and got up there a little bit, but heating was definitely an issue.  It really limited me to the bottom lane.  Because as soon as I jumped up it went there.  It was a good car to lead which is something that as a team we struggled with as a car that could lead.  I felt good about that.  It was good to get the GoDaddy car to lead some laps because it had been awhile and we missed a lot of accidents.  The good news is this car is going to get to go to Daytona.  That is a positive.  The result was not necessarily too much of a positive, but it’s going to get rolled up on the truck so that is more than a lot of people can say coming from a speedway.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/VALSPAR CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 23RD
“We all did a nice job of being patient out there and managing the race itself until it was time to go. I got caught-up in the first wreck and that did some damage; and I don’t know what happened when I spun out. I just went out in front of everybody. The car just got real loose going into Turn 3 and turned around and collected a bunch of guys, unfortunately. And then after that, I think I got in two more wrecks and somehow still came home in the twenties. So, we definitely have a beat-up race car which was unfortunate because we had a very fast Lowe’s/Valspar Chevrolet today.”
 
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU SPUN?
“We just got turned around. I’m not really sure why. I know I had some damage to the right rear quarter panel and I had a great-driving race car with no issues and then as I was coming through Turn 3, the back end just slid out from under me. So, I don’t know where cars were around me and what could have created it, but it just took a big lazy slide and the back came around.
 
“I don’t know if the damage to the car played into it because I didn’t have any handling issues all day long. The car drove great.”
 
CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW THE AGGRESSIVENESS INCREASES THROUGHOUT THE DAY?
“As the day progresses throughout the day, you just try to wedge yourself into holes. You don’t lift when you might normally lift. When you have a big run on somebody, instead of dragging the brake a little and avoiding making contact, you just let it roll up in there and hit their bumper; and that energy there creates a lot of that action.”
 
WERE YOU AROUND BRAD KESELOWSKI TODAY?
“Yeah, at times.”
 
THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WEREN’T VERY THRILLED WITH HIM. HOW ABOUT YOU?
“I wasn’t so thrilled that a car six laps down crashed the field, that aspect of it. But I get it. You

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AARON’S 499
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
MAY 4, 2014
 
BRIAN SCOTT, NO. 33 SHORE LODGE CHEVROLET SS – Involved in multi-car crash on lap 138
WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE?
“I don’t know what happened.  That is the part about Talladega, they start wrecking in front of you and if you are behind it you really can’t do anything.  You don’t have any time to react.  I just noticed that the No. 78 in front of me he slowed down real bad.  So I got on it then I saw smoke and we were still kind of straight.  Then it was kind of just a pinball effect.  I ended up going into the inside wall me and (Tony) Stewart took a pretty good shot there, but everybody is alright.”
 
HOW WAS THE RACING?  WERE GUYS BEING PATIENT?
“It was only a matter of time.  It seemed like for the most part we were able to run three-wide, but I could tell that it was starting to turn up.  Everybody started making tighter moves and was side drafting tighter.  It just felt like we were getting ready for something to happen.  Unfortunately it did and we were in the middle of it.”
 
BRAD KESELOWSKI SAID HIS CAR TURNED AROUND AND YOU ENDED UP BEING ONE OF THE VICTIMS, WHAT HAPPENED?
“I think that is exactly what happened.  When they wreck in front of you and you are right in the middle, there is no where you can go which is unfortunate.  I felt like our Chevy SS was good and we were just trying to ride it out, get in position, make one last pit stop, and then go here and race like they are doing now.   But unfortunately this Shore Lodge team is not going to be able to finish.  And that is Talladega I guess.”
 
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – Involved in a multi-car crash on lap 138
 
TOUGH DAY AFTER HAVING WHAT LOOKED LIKE A PRETTY GOOD LOOKING RACE CAR:
 “Oh man, we had a great car.   The car always looks really good.  This Drive to End Hunger Chevy SS looked good and it was super-fast.  (watching replay) Yeah, that is not the best angle and that’s what I saw.  I could see where the 2 came from the outside lane and came back down to the inside lane, or middle lane, then wiggled and got turned.   I would like to see a different angle to see what turned him.  Not exactly sure why he was driving the way he was driving to begin with but obviously he was trying to get his lap back and felt that was the way to do it.  It was unfortunate what happened to him early, but more unfortunate what happened to many of us in that incident.”
 
CAN THEY FIX THIS CAR AND GET YOU BACK OUT THERE?
“Oh yeah, we will it fixed.  That is what these guys do and they fix these cars when they are in this situation, but we are going to get a terrible Talladega finish out of it and there is no fixing that.”
 
DID YOU FEEL IT WAS AGGRESSIVE EARLY BY ANYBODY?
“Danica (Patrick) made a mistake early.  I don’t think that was an aggressive move I think it was just a mistake that got the No. 2 (Brad Keselowski) turned (earlier in the race).  She just misjudged him.  Other than that I saw a fairly respectable race going on out there.  We were battling up toward the front and everything was great.  Our Drive to End Hunger Chevy SS was really good.  Once we got shuffled to the outside lane and feel back it wasn’t worth it to me, we went to the back.  We just felt like we were getting closer and closer to needing to get our way further to the front to get ready for that next pit stop.  From that pit stop on it is on.  You have to go for it.  We got caught up in the wreck at that time.”
 
WHAT DID YOU SEE IN THAT ACCIDENT?
“Not much I just saw the No. 2 (Brad Keselowski) get turned.  I had seen him for several laps driving over his head being pretty aggressive I guess trying to get his lap back.  I knew he was laps down, but he wasn’t doing anybody any favors, nor himself.  Then ultimately that was a wreck.  I would like to see the video to know exactly what happened.  Somebody might not have given him an inch there, but he was certainly taking probably more than he should have been in the situation he was in.  I’m disappointed myself that we have all talked that we needed to get further to the front for that next pit stop.  I don’t know if I had of waited a couple of more laps we might not have been in that one.  We were making our way up there so I was pretty happy the progress we were making.  Of course all it takes is one little incident like that and then you are in it.”
 

CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Pole Position for Garcia, Corvette C7.R
Corvettes on front two rows in GT Le Mans class for Sunday’s two-hour race
 
·         Second straight pole position for No. 3 Corvette C7.R

·         Gavin, Milner to start fourth in GTLM

·         Front-row qualifying effort for Westbrook in Prototype class

 
MONTEREY, Calif. (May 3, 2014) – Antonio Garcia continued Corvette Racing’s stellar record at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca today with pole position in the GT Le Mans class. The Spanish star captured his first fastest qualifier honor with Corvette Racing with a lap of 1:22.373 (97.809 mph) in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.
 
“It was a great lap by Antonio and a great day for Corvette Racing,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet’s Director of Racing. “A second straight pole position in this class is no easy achievement. It speaks volumes to the team’s preparation, strategy and execution with the new Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.”
 
Corvette Racing will be on the front two rows in the class. Oliver Gavin qualified the No. 4 Corvette C7.R fourth on the grid at 1:22.768 (97.342 mph). Sunday’s two-hour race for the TUDOR United Championship’s GTLM and Prototype classes begins at 2:45 p.m. PT.
 
“The lap was pretty good… right on the limit everywhere,” said Garcia, who teams with Jan Magnussen. “The Corvette C7.R worked pretty good. I just have to carry on the momentum we have.”
 
A victory Sunday would be the third straight in Monterey for Corvette Racing. Garcia and Magnussen won last year while Gavin and Tommy Milner were victorious in 2012. In both instances, the race winners went on to win the driver’s championships in the American Le Mans Series. All totaled, Corvette Racing will go for its seventh victory at the circuit since 2004, and Garcia’s pole was the fourth time a Corvette Racing driver was the fastest qualifier in class.
 
Garcia and Magnussen also are coming off a victory in the most recent TUDOR Championship race at Long Beach in April. It was a double podium for the team with Gavin and Milner third.
 
CORVETTE DP: Westbrook second in qualifying for Spirit of Daytona
Richard Westbrook led the contingent of Corvette DP drivers in the TUDOR Championship’s Prototype category. The Englishman set a lap of 1:18.788 (102.259 mph) in Spirit of Daytona’s No. 90 Corvette DP. Westbrook, going for his third straight pole at Laguna Seca, was just 0.227 seconds off Johannes van Overbeek’s pole-winning time.
 
Three Corvette DPs will make up the first three rows in Sunday’s race. Christian Fittipaldi was fifth for the championship-leading No. 5 Action Express Racing entry at 1:19.175 (101.759 mph). Ricky Taylor qualified sixth in Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Corvette DP at 1:19.504 (101.338 mph).
 
Live television coverage of the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix starts at 5:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
 
The TUDOR Championship is the result of a merger between the ALMS and GRAND-AM’s Rolex Sports Car Series. Corvette Racing will compete in 11 races around North America plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
 
CAMARO Z/28: Second-Place Finish for CKS duo of Curran, Aschenbach
Eric Curran and Lawson Aschenbach scored the second straight podium for the new Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R on Saturday with a runner-up finish in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Grand Sport (GS) race. Curran qualified second and led the majority of his stint, and Aschenbach finished 0.473 seconds behind John Edwards’ BMW.
 
This was the first race for the Camaro Z/28.R following a GS victory at Sebring. Stevenson Motorsports’ Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis won there. Stevenson’s duo of Matt Bell and Andy Lally were 11th in the No. 6 Stevenson Camaro on Saturday.
 
The next round of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge is May 24 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn.
 
TUDOR CHAMPIONSHIP QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“This a good sign. The car really worked good. It was really difficult with this practice situation where you actually never got any clear lap or any clear feel of the car. So we were just kind of guessing or taking parts of every single lap we did on different parts just to make the car faster. It was a gamble but I think I’m on the right team to do it. The car was really good right out of the box, and Jan did most of the practice. That paid off quite a lot because he kept working on the car making it faster. And even if I did just 10 laps of practice too, the car he gave me was already really good.”
(Success in Monterey) “This race track has a nice history with Corvette Racing. Last year we were up front and ended up winning. And now with the C7.R it looks like even better. I think the guys did tremendous work back home, and even if we have a very limited time of practice, maybe that is a good thing. Maybe if you give more time to the other people, they will get closer. The car worked really good, and I did a pretty good lap also.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It was nice to get out there on track with nobody else. I didn’t have any trouble with traffic, or anything like that. I just didn’t get the most out of tire when I compare my lap to Antonio’s. I lost time in particular corners where I needed to commit a little bit more and just get the rear of the car loaded up. I just didn’t hit the tire at the point where it had maximum grip. That is exactly where Antonio executed, and I didn’t manage to do that unfortunately. But I think there are a couple of setup changes in the mix as well that we need to go and look at. But that’s the way it can be when you only have two hours of track time. You take a stab at it, and sometimes you hit it right and sometimes you don’t. Today we didn’t quite get it right, but the No. 3 car did, and they’re the pole position winners which is great for them.”
 
RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 90 SPIRIT OF DAYTONA CORVETTE DP
“Last year we had a one-lap wonder car, and this year it feels like we have a better car. It wasn’t very smooth going into qualifying. We had a clutch issue in Practice 2, and I thought we were going to have the same issue in qualifying. The guys did a good job to band-aid it up, so I can’t say it hindered me in qualifying but it was always in the back of my mind that it could come back. We will get that changed for the race. The car is behaving for the race. Of course I wanted pole – I’d be lying if I said I didn’t – but starting from the front row is great for our recovery.”
 
CONTINENTAL SPORTSCAR CHALLENGE QUOTE
LAWSON ASCHENBACH, NO. 01 CKS AUTOSPORT CAMARO Z/28.R
“We had a really good Team Chevy CKS Autosport Camaro Z/28.R. The guys have been working really hard since Sebring to counter this weight the series added to us. Unfortunately at the end we didn’t have any tires or brakes left. I was kind of hanging on there for dear life, and luckily the guys behind me starting fight among themselves. So we’re happy with second place. It’s a great momentum for our team. Sebring felt like we were kicked in the stomach after doing so well. We’ll take P2 and hopefully we can do one spot better in the next race.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AARON’S 499
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST QUALIFYING TRANSCRIPTS
MAY 3, 2014
 
 
BRIAN SCOTT PUTS CHEVROLET SS ON POLE AT TALLADEGA
Eleven of Top 12 Starters Feature Chevy Power
 
TALLADEGA, AL – May 3, 2014 – Brian Scott won the pole for Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, where he posted a fast lap of 48.293 seconds, 198.290 mph in his No. 33 Shore Lodge Chevrolet SS.  In a wild knockout-style qualifying format consisting of three sessions, the new method for restrictor plate race tracks netted Scott his first career pole in Sprint Cup competition. His previous best start was 12th in this year’s season-opening Daytona 500.  Primarily a NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, Scott will lead the 43-car NASCAR Sprint Cup field to the green flag in just his fifth Cup start. It also marked the 31st pole for Chevrolet at the 2.66-mile track, the longest on the circuit.
 
“To be able to get a pole position for the little guys Joe Falk, team owner and Circle Sport racing we are just really in a fortunate position to be part of the RCR/ECR alliance,” said Scott. It’s the same horsepower, and same group that got the pole at Daytona in single-car qualifying.  I think it speaks volumes for the shop and the effort that those guys are putting forward both under the hood and across the body of these Chevy SSs.  I guess they have what it takes when it counts at these superspeedways.”
 
Scott’s Richard Childress Racing teammate, Paul Menard, was second quick in his No. 27 Richmond/Menards Chevrolet SS. AJ Allmendinger qualified third in the No. 47 Bush’s Beans Chevrolet SS, and Casey Mears was fourth in the No. 13 GEICO Chevy SS. Austin Dillon, who sat on the pole at this year’s Daytona 500, was the fastest qualifying rookie by posting the fifth quickest time in his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS; and teammate Ryan Newman qualified sixth in the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevy SS. The top six Chevrolet SS race cars are powered by Earnhardt Childress Racing engines.
 
Also demonstrating strong Chevy power in today’s qualifying results with a seventh place effort was the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS driven by Danica Patrick, along with Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick, who qualified his No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS in eighth, and Kurt Busch who was ninth fast in the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS.
 
With six wins at Talladega Superspeedway to his credit, Jeff Gordon put his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS in the 11th place starting spot, and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart will start will start his No. 14 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS from 12th place on the grid.
 
Carl Edwards (Ford) qualified 10th and rounds-out the top dozen starters for the 188-lap, 500-mile race.
There will be 21 Chevrolet SS race cars in the 43-car starting field.
 
The Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway will take the green flag on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (ET) and bill be aired live on FOX.
 
 
BRIAN SCOTT, NO. 33 WHITETAIL CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING RUN OUT THERE TODAY AND WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS QUALIFYING FORMAT HERE AT TALLADEGA:
“Who would have thought that? (Laughs) This is pretty special.  It’s special for a number of reasons.  To be able to get a pole position for the little guys Joe Falk, team owner and Circle Sport racing we are just really in a fortunate position to be part of the RCR/ECR alliance. It’s the same horsepower, same group that got the pole at Daytona in single car qualifying.  I think it speaks volumes for the shop and the effort that those guys are putting forward both under the hood and across the body of these Chevy SSs.  I guess they have what it takes when it counts at these superspeedways.  Everything just played out.  It was a lot of luck, the situation really presented itself for us.  I felt like it was a little bit of payback yesterday in the Nationwide qualifying.  We were the first car to go out and kind of lead the field and everybody was able to snooker us and get runs on us.  The shoe was on the other foot today.  We were the fortunate ones in the right position to make it work and I guess go faster than everybody else.”
 
;STARTING ON THE POLE WITH ALL THAT BUNCH BEHIND YOU IS THAT A GOOD THING?  IS IT BETTER OR WORSE IF YOU WERE STARTING ON THE POLE AT SOME PLACE ELSE LIKE AN INTERMEDIATE TRACK?
“That is a good question.  I’m not sure.  I know that I’ve got that dreaded yellow stripe on my back bumper and that is going to make people kind of try to run away from me like the plaque.  But hopefully they see that we have a fast car.  We are going to have a good pit stall, good pit selection.  Hopefully we can stay up front all day and work and learn from the Cup guys.  Maybe they can gain a little faith in us and what we are capable of doing so we can be around and have some friends come the end of this race.”
 
IN THIS ALLIANCE IN THIS VAST GAME PLAN ARE YOU SORT OF THE SURPRISE?
“Probably.  I don’t think that the way the alliance dreamt it up was going to be for the No. 33 team to be on the pole, but when you have a team effort and everybody is working together really anybody that is a part of that group has an opportunity and it worked out just right for us.  Like you said, I wasn’t sure we were going to make another lap, but it came to the line and I didn’t see the red and black flags and we had a good gap of good cars in front of us and we were able to just draw closer to them the whole lap.  I knew when we crossed the line that it was probably going to be the pole.  It felt like a good lap.”
 
WHAT ARE YOUR EMOTIONS AFTER WINNING YOUR FIRST POLE?
“It’s pretty surreal.  Normally as a rookie you don’t come into this Sprint Cup Series and expect to get on the pole.  But it just happened.  Like I said it’s really just situational luck when it comes to this group qualifying at the superspeedways.  It’s really rare that I can come in here and say I actually feel like I have more experience than at Cup guy at something and this group qualifying on the superspeedways I feel like I have more experience than the Cup guys.  We did it in the Nationwide Series for one session at Daytona and then we did it in the Nationwide Series for all three sessions yesterday.  I felt like I knew how it was going to work and I knew that when we started that last session it was going to be a waiting game.  Who was going to get impatient first or panic first was going to head out there and then it was going to be game on and you were going to get one or maybe two laps.  Like I said really it just worked out.  Some guys got impatient even coming to what ended up being our good lap and passed us.  The more cars you have in front of you they just punch a bigger hole there.  They were two-by-two and we just had a good run that whole lap.”
 
PAUL MENARD KIND OF TALKED US THROUGH THAT HE VOLUNTEERED TO BE LAST.  RYAN NEWMAN WAS GOING TO BE FIRST, YOU WERE IN THE MIDDLE WITH THE GOAL TO GET YOU IN THE RACE.  WHAT WAS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR ROLE AND INSTRUCTIONS?  ALSO, DALE, JR. TWEETED TO YOU CONGRATULATING YOU, BUT YOU WILL BE MORE OF A TARGET ON THE PAINTBALL COURSE.  DO YOU TAKE THAT AS AN OMINOUS WARNING?
“No.  Our plan was to just work with the team and to do what the team was doing.  We knew kind of what order and where we were supposed to fall in.  As we started coming around we were dragging brake and we were really trying to get spacing and get drug back to where (Ryan) Newman had the run and the situation that he liked.  So I was dragging back and we were even coming to the line still waiting.  (Paul) M
enard was supposed to be behind me and he ended up he kind of went around me and got a run.  I guess he didn’t feel like we were going to get another lap.  Really that just played out to our benefit where he was up there and we were able to get a better sniff of air on everybody.
 
“We have been playing paint ball at Dale, Jr’s house and last time we played I think I shot him three times after he was already out.  He just didn’t get off the court.  I guess I continued to shoot him.  Maybe that was target enough for me when we go back to the field.”
 
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 RICHMOND/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 2ND

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 BUSH’S BAKED BEANS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 3RD

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 5TH (TOP ROOKIE QUALIFIER)
 
YOU TALKED ABOUT RYAN NEWMAN BEING THE GUINEA PIG. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?
 
PAUL:  “I think Richard just elected him.  Made a call there. It worked out. Ryan has won at the plate tracks. He has the most experience of all of us, so it just made sense. We knew that him being the first guy, he’s not going to win the pole. I kind of volunteered to be the last guys because I felt like I probably have the fastest car and was able to push guys. I figured I wasn’t going to be on the pole either. So I left it up to the guys in the middle. Brian Scott had to race his way in and that was our number one priority was to kind to put him in the middle to help him get in the race. Then from there, stick to our plan.”
 
WHO DECIDED TO INCLUDE ALL THE AFFILIATES IN THE RCR GROUP?
 
AUSTIN: “For RCR, I feel like to compete with Hendrick, Roush and all those guys, and to have an edge; we have to use all of our affiliates. Just like AJ said, we have to use them at every track, and we are working toward that and trying to get better to broaden what we have as a team. Moving forward, that is what we have to do, and it obviously paid off for us today.”
 
HOW HAS THE RCR TECHNICAL ALLIANCE WITH RCR BENEFITTED YOUR TEAM ALL SEASON LONG SO FAR?
 
AJ: “It’s just been amazing for our whole No. 47 race team.  With the new rules package, the ride height rules – everything going into this season. There are so many variables for us to try to figure out. To have that alliance not only to have fast race cars and fast motors in general, but to have all the engineering help, and the notes and everything that RCR brings, and really opens their doors for us to have. It is just a huge help to our race team. Without that I feel like we could easily be lost trying to figure out where we are at. I think slowly we are getting there with our results showing that. Last week we had a sixth. Even though qualifying doesn’t matter here, to get all of our sponsors – Bush’s Baked Beans – and all of the sponsors that we have on this race car, just to get the exposure, and show we can slowly start working to race with the bigger teams is a big deal for us.  At this point in the season, I couldn’t be any happier with where we are at, and with the help that RCR has given us, and where I think our race team is getting to.”
 
AJ AS ONE OF THE RELATIVELY SEASONED DRIVERS UP HERE IN THE TOP FOUR OR FIVE AND STARTING THIRD, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE A GOOD AS GOOD A SHOT AS ANY TO LEAD FIRST LAP AND MANY LAPS?
 
AJ: “Does that mean I am old? Has it been that long already?  I am seasoned?  Like fine wine, I get better with age.” (LAUGHS)
 
AUSTIN: “Old is not bad, it is when you are the rich kid that is bad, you know.” (LAUGHS)
 
AJ: “Dang…I’d rather take being the rich kid. Back to the question.” LAUGHS
 
PAUL: “You should try being old and rich.”  MORE LAUGHTER
 
AJ: “I think for me, I haven’t had the best results here. If we can fall in line, and, as these guys said, having six or seven alliance cars – RCR cars – starting up front. I would be just happy to fall in line and run there for a while.  The easiest way to try to miss the wreck is to be up front. It’s great if we go out there and lead – fantastic. If not, if we can fall in line and start pacing the race and stay there, I’m happy with that.”
 
HOW MUCH OF THE CAMARADERIE CARRIES INTO THE RACE, AND WHEN DOES IT BECOME I WANT TO WIN, AND NO MORE TEAMMATES?
 
PAUL: “It’s always about teammates. You just don’t want to screw one of them up. Our plan going into today was to work together, and if it worked out and you got put in a position where you couldn’t where Martin (Truex, Jr.) were in the first session. We had some slower cars jump in front of us, and we had to abort and do our own thing.  I made it and Martin didn’t. Our plan worked for the second session and the third session.  In the race, it is going to be the same thing. You are going to work with your guys when you can. There are going to be times when you get separated, and you are going to have to go and do your own thing.”
 
AUSTIN:  “You work with them as long as you can. I think we will have another meeting like we had before qualifying probably and figure out how we can keep our sponsors and cars up front as long as we can. These races are so crazy things happen, and you just have to do whatever man.  Junior (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.) is probably one of the best here, and told me you have no friends when you get out there. But I feel like our guys are working well together, so we just need to work well, and at the end you just have to go and do what you can. It gets crazy.”
 
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AARON’S 499
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
MAY 3, 2014

BRIAN SCOTT, NO. 33 WHITETAIL CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
“It was a team effort. Big thanks to Joe Falk, Circle Sport Racing; everybody at RCR/ECR Engines. It is always a team effort to get these superspeedway poles. We had a plan from the beginning to work as a team. About seven of us in a line. (Ryan) Newman was leading it; he was the point man, and I know how that feels because I was the point man in the Nationwide car yesterday. You feel like you don’t really  have a shot, but you do it to be a team player. It is awesome for everybody at Richard Childress Racing, Shore Lodge, Chevrolet. This Chevy SS was really fast, and we were able to get the draft and the right suck (up) right there at the last second to get the pole, and I couldn’t be more happy for everybody.”

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 RICHMOND/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 2ND
DESCRIBE THAT LAST MINUTE AND A HALF OF ON-TRACK TIME AND THE THOUGHT PROCESS OF WAITING SO LONG:
“I had the easy job; we gave (Ryan) Newman the hard job to decide when to go. I was just kind of hanging out there. I actually passed Brian (Scott). I was the last guy in line. And I passed Brian because I didn’t think we were going to have enough time to make an additional lap. So, it worked out good for him. It worked out good for us. The top six were ECR Motors and all the affiliates of RCR, so I couldn’t be happier.”
 
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 BUSH’S BEANS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 3RD
“They told me I was going to run with all the RCR cars, and I said ‘perfect, it just makes sense. I think it just shows the more cars around here, you get more cars in a line is going to be faster. The great thing about RCR and the ECR package is we are all even. So it’s not like we think their cars are faster. It just made sense to get us all lined up and get us all in a pack in a pack. Like the others said, Ryan (Newman) being the most experiences, it was up to him about when to go and when not to go. I think especially those last two runs there, those last two groups there, he did a great job. He timed it out to get behind that first big pack in the second group, and then it was just a waiting game in the third group, and when he decided to go, it was the right time. For us, we feel very fortunate, and Richard (Childress) has been so helping in this alliance. He has opened the doors to his shop and given us a great opportunity to have good race cars to go out there every weekend and keep trying to build this one-car team and make us better as a whole. I feel if we can be better, we can bring something back to the RCR team. It’s been working out. So when they said we are working together, I had no questions about it.”
 
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 5TH
“I’m just very proud of RCR and our affiliates. We’ve all been working really hard to work together, and that shows. Just really happy for RCR and ECR and everybody just because we were able to stick together. Like Paul (Menard) said, we put it on Ryan (Newman) and he deserves a lot of that credit for telling us when to go and when not to. It was hard in that first session to stay with the plan because there was so much going on. In the second session, he did a great job of taking charge and getting us in that second pack. I’m really happy to have a good starting position for the Bass Pro Shops Chevy. I think we all have good cars for Sunday’s race.”

DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 7TH
WHAT WAS THIS EXPERIENCE LIKE?
“It was an experience.  Just talking to Kevin (Harvick) after it was over with we weren’t in a bad spot right there at the end, but we needed one more lap, the two of us probably could have maybe gotten a good run that last lap.  There was just enough coming from the first group to help the second group not be a little bit slower and help us catch him.  You have just got to be at the back.  So it’s quite the standoff.  Kevin (Harvick) suggested ‘man it’s almost like you need to split the group in half’ because there is just not enough people with 12.  Maybe they will see the format and think of something different.  I don’t know, but it requires a lot of people for sure to be entertaining.  Luckily it wasn’t the ultimate entertainment being wrecked cars.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 8TH
ON THE QUALIFYING SESSION:
“It was way more fun than our normal qualifying session for sure.  For us it just didn’t time out exactly right there at the end. I thought we were in the right spot, just a little bigger group ahead of us.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 11TH
ON WHAT IT WAS LIKE DURING KNOCK-OUT QUALIFYING AT TALLADEGA:
“I knew it was going to be intense and pretty wild.  It certainly lived up to that.  You just have no idea how close you are at every moment of having a crash.  I feel very fortunate that we were able to get into the final round.  I thought that where we drew really kind of did it all because we were near the Stewart-Haas guys the No. 14 and the No. 4.  That sort of was our hand.  It worked out.  There at the end unfortunately it was a cat and mouse game.  We flinched first and we needed to wait even longer.”
 
THERE ARE 11 CHEVROLET’S IN THE TOP 12 DID YOU SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE WORKING WITH THEIR MANUFACTURER?
“The Childress ones obviously did the best job because all those Childress engines are what is at the top.  It really became a numbers game.  They just had more in their group than we had in our group.  We needed a couple of more Hendrick Chevrolet’s to make it to that final round and we would have been as good as them and then it would have been really interesting.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/VALSPAR RESERVE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 20TH
“My strategy and agenda had things very calm. But we just didn’t want to be in a big wad of cars and I was fortunate to get enough help to transfer and be third on that first one. We just didn’t want to be 43rd. We didn’t have any intentions of trying to go out and sit on the pole today. We want to save this race car. We didn’t want to be caught up in any chaos. So we wanted to post a decent time so that we didn’t have the last pit stall pick and we certainly accomplished that. But when I got it right on the first run, I thought okay, maybe we do have a shot for the pole. So we tried it again on the second one and I just left too big of a gap and I couldn’t close up to the cars in front of me. I was kind of a single car draft out there (laughs) the way it turned out.”
 
WERE YOU SURPRISED AT HOW LONG GUYS ACTUALLY STAYED OUT THERE?
“You don’t have a choice, really. But if you’re in a transfer position, the best thing you can do is get off the road. So that first 24, if you pull out, there’s half as many cars out there to get a pole from. So as soon as those first 24 were comfortable, they’d peel off the road and now you have half the energy out there to benefit from. And the numbers are just working against you. It’s the same thing in that second session. I didn’t get it on my first our second lap and I knew we were in trouble. And then we all sat out there riding around at half-throttle waiting for someone to go to suck-up behind them; and why are you going to be the rabbit for somebody and benefit them? So everybody just kind of pulls in.”
 
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 29TH
“For us, we got out there in a group, and I guess the officials made us come down pit road for something, and we lost our group and lost our plan there. We had to form up on whatever was out there and just couldn’t get the tagged on to the right group to go fast enough. It sucks to qualify back there, but it doesn
‘t really matter a whole lot I don’t think. Our Target Chevy was fast in practice yesterday, and it should be a good race tomorrow.”

ON THE QUALIFYING SESSION:
“We went out with a group and then we had to come back down and kind of lost out group that we were forming. So then whenever I did go back out I had to form-up on whatever was out there. And people had already made their quick laps so they came down pit road and the amount of cars out there just got smaller and smaller, so the speeds for us got slower and slower. So, it was frustrating.”
 
“I don’t know if I really like it (qualifying) here on superspeedways. It’s a little dangerous and it’s not very fun I don’t think.”
 
DID YOU THINK YOU HAD AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE YOU DID THIS YESTERDAY IN NNS?
“I don’t know if it’s any more advantage. Everybody watches it. So, they kind of understand how it goes. It seemed like it was a little bit better today because nobody was waiting for somebody to go out. They just kind of backed out of the stall and went. So, that was better.
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 30TH
 “I don’t think anybody had a plan there. You just go out there and run, and however you can finish is how you can finish really.  I don’t know what we could have done differently. You just go out there and run in the draft so it’s hard to put up; the fastest lap. We’re not too worried about it. We’ll get to pick a pretty decent (pit) stall and that’s about all. There isn’t much else to it; pretty boring really. I don’t know if that is the answer at these places.  We probably could run some heat races, or something like that. It would be more fun than that.”
 
JUST HOW CRAZY IS IT OUT THERE? WAS IT WHAT YOU EXPECTED?
“It just wasn’t much fun. We were out there in the draft riding along. I don’t know. We just didn’t run a fast enough lap with the people we were around. It wasn’t a whole lot of fun to be honest with you. But, I’d like to do some heat races or something maybe. That would be a little bit more fun than this.”
 
WHAT MAKES IT NOT FUN? WHAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT?
“It’s just for the plate tracks. It’s pretty obvious what it is. When qualifying at a typical track, you go out there and you just run a fast lap.”
 
JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 BRANDT PROFESSIONAL AGRICULTURE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 38TH
“It was definitely not what I expected. We watched what was going on in the Nationwide Series. I would say we took what the Nationwide Series did to another level right there. The only really good lap we had, the cars were starting to come back through the pack and had to get out of it. So, we definitely didn’t get the qualifying we wanted to for our Brandt Chevy. But we have a really strong race car and I’m hoping that today is nothing like what we’re going to see tomorrow.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE/THANKAMILLONTEACHERS.COM CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 42nd AFTER TIME WAS DISALLOWED FOR FAILING POST QUALIFYING INSPECTION
“Well, the second round was much different than the first round. The first round, you wanted to get the big draft with a big group of cars and find that spot and suck-up to it was the speed. The second one was how big the pack was because everybody ran single file. So it was just a lot different. There were three or four different ideas between teams and they left that way and nobody used each other.  So, that was just kind of how it worked.”
 
WAS IT SIMILAR TO THE NATIONWIDE QUALIFYING YESTERDAY?
“It was similar. I just was in the first round yesterday and that part of it was pretty similar, yeah.”
 
WHAT WOULD YOU THINK OF HAVING HEAT RACES?
“Yeah; this is as far away from qualifying as you can get. So, you might as well throw a heat race.”
 
 

TEAM CHEVY AT LAGUNA SECA: Front-Row Start for Camaro Z/28.R
Curran P2 in No. 01 CKS Camaro; Davis fourth in No. 6 Stevenson Camaro
 
·         Three Camaro Z/28.Rs fill first seven spots on GS grid
·         Second straight front-row starting spot for Curran’s Camaro
·         First race since historic Sebring victory
 
MONTEREY, Calif. (May 2, 2014) – Three Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R race cars will start in the first seven positions for Saturday’s Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Eric Curran qualified second in CKS Autosport’s No. 01 Camaro Z/28.R on Friday with a lap of 1:35.979 (83.943 mph).
 
It’s the second consecutive race that Curran put his Camaro on the outside of the front row, following a similar effort at Sebring International Raceway. Curran, who was just 0.031 seconds off the pole time, will team with Lawson Aschenbach in Saturday’s two-and-a-half-hour Grand Sport (GS) race that begins at 3:45 p.m. ET.
 
Stevenson Motorsports’ No. 6 Camaro Z/28.R will start behind Curran in the fourth position after Andrew Davis’ qualifying run of 1:36.154 (83.791 mph). He and Robin Liddell scored the Z/28.R’s first victory at Sebring in just the car’s second race.
 
Andy Lally qualified seventh in the No. 9 Stevenson Camaro that he drives with Matt Bell. Ashley McCalmont was 19th in the No. 00 CKS Camaro; she shares it with Bob Michaelian.
 
The Camaro brand has a rich history at Laguna Seca. The Camaro GS.R won in the Continental Tire series at the track in 2011 and 2012 and was second in 2013. Compared to the previous car, the Z/28.R is an improvement in many key areas.
 
The Chevrolet engine, suspension components and aerodynamic elements all have seen major upgrades for the Camaro Z/28.R. It also is the closest link between production Camaro and racing version Chevrolet has produced.
 
ERIC CURRAN, NO. 01 CKS AUTOSPORT CAMARO Z/28.R
“What a difference. Yesterday we had a day that felt like it was 90 degrees, and the car was sliding all over the place. This was a nice change for us. I think it’s a bigger benefit to us than it is the other cars just because of the additional weight the series added to us prior to this race. But the CKS guys did a fantastic job. The car is awesome. Right away we were P1 and we held it most of the way but just got nipped there at the end. We’re really happy and just need a solid run to the end tomorrow.
“This is a place where you need some horsepower with some uphill climbs – especially going up to the Corkscrew. But ultimately this is a handling track. You better have your brakes working, as well as your chassis and suspension really working. (Team owner) Kirk (Spencer) and all the guys were spot-on. Lawson did a good job tweaking the car earlier in the day and we got a setup that was just about perfect for what we’re working with. We’re 200 pounds heavier than the car that’s on the pole. But this Camaro Z/28.R is pretty awesome.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AARON’S 499
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 2, 2014
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/VALSPAR RESERVE CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed the new drafting format at Talladega, making the Chase on points, his intermediate program, how is mother influenced his racing career, and more. Full Transcript:
 
ON THE JIMMIE JOHNSON FOUNDATION AND HELMET OF HOPE
“First of all, I just want to thank everybody for supporting the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and writing the articles and talking about the Helmet of Hope program. We had over 400,000 votes tallied over the ten semi-finalists to decide the five winners and that’s just massive. We were so impressed by that stat and so thankful that people are participating and the reach that our media center has and the what you guys (media) do for us, I just wanted to thank you all for that to help raise awareness and drive so much focus to it. So, next weekend we (Mike Wells, President & CEO, Wells Enterprises, Inc., maker of Blue Bunny ice cream and Johnson) are going to do a Google+ hangout talk to the five winners and everybody is excited about and it will be a lot of fun. And then I will wear the helmet at Indy on July 27th. So, thank you once again.”
 
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT DURING QUALIFYING TOMORROW WITH THE NEW QUALIFYING FORMAT FOR THE FIRST TIME HERE IN TALLADEGA?
“I don’t know what is going to exactly happen. But to win the pole, you’re going to have to go out there and race. And the run that you can get on a group that it a football-field-or-two ahead of you, is so dramatic that I even think that a 10 or 12-car line won’t be as fast as somebody who falls way back in the pack and has a chance over a lap or two to pull up into the pack. So that’s what every driver is going to try to do. And setting that up is going to be tough because one, everybody is going to be trying it; and two, if you see someone behind you coming, why are you going to stay on the gas to help them? So, bailing out of the gas, breaking up the pack, and things like that are all possible. So, I don’t know. It’s going to be exciting for sure. We’ll all clearly be working on it during practice. And then qualifying itself will be very exciting.
 
“The thing I’m trying to come to grips with is where do I take a large risk? Trying to qualify well or trying to work my way through the pack to get to the front? And we’re just not sure right now what to expect. We wanted to come here with a plan in place of how we were going to qualify, but our opinion seems to change every 15 minutes. And we’re going to wait until after P2 and decide what we’re going to do.”
 
BOTH PENSKE CARS HAVE WINS THIS FAR AND THEY ARE PLANNING THEIR TESTS AROUND CHASE TRACKS. ARE YOU THINKING OF THAT ADDED BENEFIT WHEN THAT WIN DOES COME AND WHEN ALL THE HENDRICK CARS MAYBE GET THOSE WINS?
“It definitely does change the way you race. I think with that pretty-much guaranteed lock with won win lets you take two tires when maybe you should take four, or try for fuel; look at what Junior did in Las Vegas. Steve (Letarte) played that perfectly and why not try? They won at Daytona and they’re locked-in so let’s go for a W. I definitely agree that it gives those teams and advantage.
 
“But I knew I was going to get asked questions about this today before I came down here. Honestly, the way I see it is we’re locked in the Chase right now. If it were to end where we are in points, we’re in the Chase. And I’ve been trying to explain that to many people through interviews and other things and sure, we want to win. We feel like we could have won a few times. But as of right now, we’re locked into the Chase. So I don’t know what the big concern and worry is.”
 
COMING OFF A SHORT TRACK AND NOW A SUPERSPEEDWAY, THE INTERMEDIATE TRACKS ARE THE BREAD & BUTTER OF THE SCHEDULE. TALK ABOUT KANSAS NEXT WEEK AND YOUR INTERMEDIATE PROGRAM?
“I feel pretty good. We’ve had strong runs and I think Texas, we didn’t get to go very far, but through practice and qualifying we had a lot of people concerned. We led a lot at California. Vegas went well. I feel very good about our 1.5-mile stuff. We still want to be better and I think the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) has been the most consistent car with the most speed. But we’ve been in there fighting for wins. So we feel very good about that. Our Richmond-specific program, it’s needed work for a long time (laughs); and we just proved it again last week that we still need to keep working on it.”
 
JOEY LOGANO SAID THE PACKAGE FOR PLATE RACING HAS CHANGED A LOT.  DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE MENTALITY OF THE DRIVERS IN RISK VERSUS REWARD OR PLAYING IT SAFER, OR HAS THE AGGRESSION LEVEL CHANGED?
“Yeah, I definitely agree that the rules package really promotes the type of racing. When we had the push-drafting that we could do, you’d really ride and wait and catch-up at will and track position, as a result of the rules package, didn’t really mean a lot until three or four (laps) to go. It’s far different than that now. You really need to take off and go from the beginning and fight to maintain track position. The one other component is the track. At Daytona, it’s so much more narrow that there’s even a higher premium on track position. Where here (Talladega) you can get a third or fourth lane going. There’s much more of a revolving door from the front positions on back that there are more opportunities to go forward and also to come back. So, Talladega does have it’s own style compared to Daytona as well.”
 
LOOKING BACK ON THE 2013 FALL RACE, WHEN NOBODY PULLED OUT WITH YOU AND MATT KENSETH WHEN YOU TRIED TO MAKE THAT MOVE, DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME? DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPLANATION A FEW MONTHS LATER? HOW MUCH OF THAT WAS JUST DUE TO THE LOW LINE NOT SEEMING TO WORK LAST TIME?
“I really feel that whichever line it is works via numbers. The lane that has the most cars is the fastest lane; that’s just really how it is. If I remember right, I think the No 1 car (Jamie McMurray) was leading and I should have known before I pulled out, I should have looked to see who was leading, because I would have made a different decision I believe and stayed in line. With certain guys, they just have certain strategies of defending. And Jamie and a few others, there’s nothing wrong with it at all, but that’s going to be his move and it worked very well for him. So, I’m just curious why second, third, fourth, and on back didn’t try to make a move at any given point in time. And I still don’t have an answer or reason for it. I get it up until the white flag falls, but once the white is out, I still for the life of me don’t know why nobody tried to pass. We just kind of all rode around single-file.”
 
INAUDIBLE
“If I had a lane with a run, and was progressing forward, I think drivers would then drop down to try to get to the head of that line. But that’s not progressing. I think people are like well, why am I going to pull out of this eighth position right now and risk being 15th? So I think it’s really jus decisions and every driver is thinking independently about what’s best for me right now. And all of those decisions together led to the single file finish.”
 
WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT KURT BUSCH IS DOING THE MONTH OF MAY AND RUNNING IN THE ‘DOUBLE’ AND THE NEW CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO MAYBE MISS A RACE. IF HE HAS SUCCESS IN THE INDY 500, DO YOU THINK THAT WOULD CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CUP GUYS TO GO RUN THAT RACE? WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED?
“I think the opportunity has been there and I’m not sure that a lot of stock car drivers have the desire to run Open Wheel; and that’s probably been the limiting factor. I know at one point in time, manufacturers had supplier issues that prevented me from going. You can certainly have sponsors and people to get ev
erything approved. In my situation, I have a wife that would have to approve me going to Indy. We had a deal that prior to having children, I could. And I didn’t get my opportunity before having kids. The start time was the big problem there. You couldn’t physically do both the way the start times worked out. I hope that encourages others. I think as a race fan, I look forward to that weekend to see who does the double and watch that much racing from Monaco all the way through to the NASCAR event.
 
“Again, I think opportunities are there. A lot of it is just sponsor-driven. But if any top driver from NASCAR showed interest in Andretti Green or Penske or Ganassi and had the sponsors to go through with it, I think they could get a seat. I just don’t know how ambitious many closed-body drivers are to try Indy.”
 
ON MOTHER’S DAY, WHAT DID YOU MOM MEAN TO YOU DURING YOUR CAREER? WHAT IS HER ROLE?
“My parents, together, were largely responsible for my career and my love for racing. My mom fortunately was on board; it wasn’t just my dad’s idea to take me to the race track. My mom was really into it and enjoyed it. She even did a few little races in the ladies division and stuff in different vehicles. So, her willingness to let me ride and compete was much appreciated. But I think my personality and the way I treat others, even the way I compete, really reflects my mom. She’s a respectful person and treats others how they treat you; a lot of those things from my mother’s personality show through. And my dad, certainly, too. But my dad can be a little bit more stern; and even out of my brothers, I’m the one that’s the most relaxed back and I guess more like my mom than my brothers are to a certain degree. So, I’m very thankful for all the sacrifices my parents made. Mother’s Day is a special day; especially now being a parent and understanding that a little bit better. It makes me reflect back and think about all the times I was traveling the country in a 1979 Ford Econoline van with a little 12-foot trailer behind it towing motorcycles. I can’t imagine parents taking off weeks at a time to take me to Oklahoma to race dirt bikes or to Tennessee or to Las Vegas. All the sacrifices they made were pretty awesome.”
 
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AARON’S 499
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 2, 2014
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Talladega Superspeedway and discussed his thoughts on knock-out qualifying at Talladega, the influence his mom has had on his life and many other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
BIG NEWS COMING OUT OF YOUR CAMP TODAY REGARDING NATIONWIDE BEING THE SPONSOR ON THAT RACE CAR STARTING NEXT YEAR THAT HAS GOT TO BE A BIG DEAL FOR YOU GUYS.  TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND SEGWAY INTO JUST RACING HERE AT TALLADEGA:
“We are really excited to be able to announce the sponsorship with Nationwide as it continues to grow.  We have had a relationship with them for a very long time.  It’s been successful on both sides.  I’m really thrilled to be able to go to the next level with them and allow Hendrick Motorsports to be part of that.  It’s a great fit.  We’ve had a lot of fun together and I’m excited to be able to continue that relationship.  It’s a good thing for me.  We were obviously looking for a good fit and looking for something that would work out well.  I can’t imagine a better scenario and I think Nationwide is very excited to get going and start working together in the Cup series.  Our current partners National Guard and Diet Mountain Dew are very excited about it as well to have them in the fold.  Just a lot of good things.
 
“Excited to come here to Talladega, really enjoy racing here, it’s a very laid-back atmosphere and a fun race track.  Looking forward to seeing how well we can run with JR Motorsports on Saturday and obviously working on our car throughout the weekend and see what we can do on Sunday.  It should be a lot of fun.  I enjoy these types of races and have been looking forward to it all week.”
 
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OUT OF QUALIFYING TOMORROW?
“Nobody knows.  I just don’t know.  We will just have to see. The guy that gets the pole is going to have to hit it just right.  We built a brand new race car so our willingness to take risks is going to be pretty limited throughout that process.  We just you know need to get into the field with the car it doesn’t matter where you start other than just picking on pit road.  Not sure exactly what our approach is yet.  We’ve still got some conversations to have between Steve (Letarte) and our teammates and just sort of feel out everybody’s opinion about what they want to do and how they want to try to accomplish the best result they can.  I don’t think right now anybody has any answers.”
 
WHERE IS YOUR PLATE RACING CONFIDENCE COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND?
“It’s pretty confident.  We as a team I think improved our emphasis on our plate cars to be able to improve their performance.  I think that started to show in the last 12-16 months.  When Steve (Letarte) and I first started working together our confidence and really our focus was more on improving ourselves as a whole.  We really didn’t focus on the plate stuff as much as we needed to improve everywhere.  We had to kind of put our emphasis on the plate track on hold for a while to try to get our team in the right direction.  I think that started to happen to where we were running well enough everywhere where we could start to put a little more care and preparation into our plate track cars.  That is definitely showing in the results.  You show up here sometimes and you have great race cars that do a lot of good things and are very effective when you are moving around in the draft.  There are times when you show up and for whatever reason the same car that I ran second with at Daytona a year or two ago wouldn’t hardly run down here for some reason.  We just couldn’t get anything accomplished and we would get stuck in the pack and boxed in where we couldn’t go anywhere and the car just wouldn’t react the way we needed it to in order to be able to move forward and be aggressive with the passes that we wanted to make.  It just depends on whether you hit everything just right and it all starts with preparation at the shop and I think we have been doing a real good job at that here lately.”
 
HOW MUCH DOES ALL OF THIS TRANSLATE NOW TO YOUR CONFIDENCE THAT WHEN YOU GET IN THIS RACE AND IF YOU GET DOWN TOWARD THE END, CONFIDENCE, THAT THE MOVE YOU CHOOSE WILL BE THE RIGHT MOVE?
“The car gives you the confidence.  When you are driving the car and you get a sense of the cars ability the car gives you the confidence.  Then when you are thinking more positively you tend to see positive results no matter what you are doing, whether you are driving a car or whatever.  If you are thinking ‘hey man I need to make this move right now, but I don’t believe in the car’ then the result is typically not what you are wanting and more of what you expect.  When the car is very good and you appreciate what the car is doing throughout the day you tend to expect it to make the moves you want to make and accomplish what you want to accomplish in the draft late in the race.  Realistically those results pretty much come true when you have that kind of confidence in the car and yourself.  It’s a process throughout the whole weekend really leading up to the race and throughout the first part of the race that builds that confidence.”
 
WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT THE NATIONWIDE SERIES THAT NATIONWIDE HAS CHOSEN TO LEAVE AS SPONSOR OF THE SERIES TO SPONSOR YOUR NO. 88 CHEVROLET SS IN THE CUP SERIES NEXT SEASON?
“I think it says a lot about the direction that Nationwide wanted to go after their involvement in the sport for some time.  That they wanted to move forward and do something new with their objectives.  I also believe from what I’ve been hearing behind the scenes that the opportunities and search for a title sponsor in the Nationwide Series won’t be a challenging one that there is some good interest there.  Those type of sponsorships although both of them are involved in the sport they kind of accomplish different things.  I think this is a direction that Nationwide wanted to go after what they were doing was affective.  There will be some opportunity and there is some good interest to fill that void.  I think that the Nationwide Series currently is very healthy due to what Nationwide has been able to accomplish in the series.
 
“Also as the sport has sort of reset and rebounded from the economical struggles that we had several years ago the teams are getting healthier and we are seeing a lot more interest on teams wanting to get on the quarter panels and the hoods of these race cars. Whereas for a long time there was a lot more interest to be an official sponsor of the sport and more tied to the sport as a whole.  Now we are seeing a lot more interest in guys wanting to get back on the quarter panels and hoods of these cars.  I think that is really important to the health of the sport overall.”
 
IS THE BUSINESS OF SPONSORSHIP EVOLVING ENOUGH TO WHERE IT IS GOING TO BE TRULY A RARITY FOR ANY ONE ENTITY TO SPONSOR ONE CAR FOR AN ENTIRE SEASON?
“Yeah, I think that is true. I don’t know that is a sign of anything positive or negative.  I just think it’s an evolution of how sponsorships have changed.  Much like we used to think it was a wild thing when a guy would have two race cars out there.  Instead of now a days there are owners that have four race cars and three race cars and that is the norm.  It’s just the way things kind of evolve over time.  I think that it’s really a lot busier when you have multiple partners and it’s a lot more entertaining and interesting as a driver for sure to have so many partners to work with.  And have so many people across so many different – that can rea
ch such an audience.  I’m really enjoying having multiple people to work with each year.  We all sort of learn from each other and how to market and how to reach as many people as we can.  It’s been very effective and we have had a lot of success with it.”
 
INAUDIBLE:
“No, not necessarily, not for us particularly.  I know that in certain instances with certain teams there is definitely that stress.  We feel that somewhat at times in the Nationwide Series.  At this particular point we are very healthy and we have a lot of interest, but there are times if you go back three or four years ago where every team was having a difficult time finding the proper funding to run the full schedule.  I know there are teams in the series that struggle with that every year, but at this particular point the sport has gotten so healthy over the last three years there has been a lot of growth and a ton of interest.  I think that has not reached its peak yet.  That is good for everybody.”
 
FROM EVERYTHING I UNDERSTAND YOU ARE A PRETTY FRUGAL GUY SO COULD YOU EVER IMAGINE IF YOU WERE EVER TO GET MARRIED THAT YOU WOULD SPEND TWO MILLION DOLLARS LIKE THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER SAYS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING LATER THIS YEAR?
“I definitely would have a hard time writing that check (laughter).”
 
WOULD YOU DO IT AT DAYTONA?
“No of course not.  I would not force everybody to go down to Daytona for my wedding.  I probably would just have it right there in the back yard, but whatever is easiest.  That was funny.  I read that and it was a roller coaster of an article. Pretty good.”
 
DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE GETTING MARRIED?
“I didn’t.  So we just skipped the engagement I guess, went right to the wedding.”
 
NEXT WEEKEND IS MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND.  WHAT DOES YOUR MOM MEAN TO YOU?  HOW DID SHE HELP YOU ALONG DURING YOUR CHILDHOOD AND RISE ALL THE WAY TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
“I don’t have enough time to answer that to give it justice.  She was from a racing family.  Obviously I loved the sport when I was a little kid so I was so lucky to have it on both sides of my family.  My parents split up when I was really young, but no matter where I was I was around a race car.  Which I really appreciated because the Gee’s, my mother was a Gee, Robert Gee and Robert Gee, Jr. and all them, they raced and did things differently and approached racing differently so it was fun to sort of learn from both sides.  She had a huge influence on me becoming a Washington Redskins fan which I really appreciate to this day.  She just worked really hard and she had a hard time giving up custody of me and Kelly to my father in 1981.  She just knew we would have better opportunities and a better life in that situation.  That was very difficult and she fought with that internally for many, many years.  It was a real joy to be able to have her husband Willie (Jackson) retire from his job as a fireman and them be able to move to North Carolina and be close and be able to really become more a part of her life again.  She has a great sense of humor and very sarcastic and I really appreciate that.  Just a ton of fun to be around, if you want an honest opinion and you want the truth even if you don’t want to hear it your mom is the best person to go to, to get it.  She doesn’t have a filter and she will steer you down the right path every time.  It’s great to have a relationship with her that I have today.  She is a huge influence on my life and has been for some time.”
 
YOU GOT FIRST QUARTER DRIVER OF THE YEAR THIS YEAR.  YOU HAD NEVER WON THAT BEFORE?
“I have no idea.”
 
HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT WINNING THAT?
“I just think obviously we would really be happy to win the award out right.  To get it quarterly is sort of a nod to how we have performed.  It’s good that the media sees the performance because as much as we love to do a lot of things for ourselves we really get a kick out of when the media and our fans see the performance and acknowledge it. That kind of nod was a great feeling.  We have worked so hard to be able to be this competitive and we show up every week and we are quick and the car is there.  It’s been so long or I’ve never really had that to be honest.  I can’t even imagine ’04 was even that good.  This is awesome that things are going as good.  I couldn’t be happier with what is going on in my professional life.  It’s good to get that nod.  It’s just a good feeling.  I consider the media peers of mine.  We all work in this together and it’s just like another driver coming up and saying ‘man you drove a hell of a race last week’.  It’s a good feeling.”
 

JAMIE McMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS, WAS THE GUEST ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
 
 
JENNIE LONG:  Good morning.  Joining us today is Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.  Jamie heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend where he made his first career start and has two wins and seven top‑10 finishes.  Jamie, your win at Talladega last October was the first time your son and daughter were with you in victory lane.  Can you talk about what that moment was like, having them there for the celebration?
 
JAMIE McMURRAY:  Yeah, I’m going to start with apologizing for any background noise because I am home alone right now with both of them, so this could be really interesting in the next 15 minutes if they get too wild on me.
 
It was obviously really special for me to have both of them there.  I think I said in the media center, I’ve seen pictures for years of Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth and all the guys that I’ve been friends with, had pictures with their families in victory lane, and it was just a really special day.  That was a great picture, one that I’ll always cherish.
Q.  First of all, what are the ages of your children?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  One and three.
Q.  Speaking of family, what’s Mother’s Day weekend going to be like for you in Kansas next week?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  Well, it’s different because normally we’ve had mother’s day at Darlington, and all of my family lives here now.  I think that my mom is going to try to go back with me this year.  It’s been easier in the past because you would just ‑‑ we kind of planned it out where she and I would just drive down together, so that was always really nice.  And then after having kids, it’s special because you’re spending that with your mom and then also your wife who is a mother.  That day becomes much more important.
 
But this year I think my mom is going to actually fly back with me and I think she’s going to hang out with her friends a little bit in Joplin and then come back up to the race in Kansas.
 
Yeah, it’ll be really special.  It’s become more and more important to me the older that I get, and after having kids you just realize everything that your mom has given up and how much work they put into raising you.  It becomes more special every year.
Q.  What impact did your mom have on your career coming up as a driver?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  Well, I think when I look at my parents, my parents were quite a bit different.  My dad was fairly loud and outspoken, and my mom was very reserved.  But I learned a lot from both of them, and when I look back to my mom, I think some of the values she taught me was, first off, how important getting an education was.  She was a schoolteacher.  And then also my mom was just always really conservative and really good at saving money and not wasting things, and that has rubbed off on me, and I’ve kind of been that way my whole life.  That’s from her and listening to her and just kind of doing what she did when she was raising us. I learned really good stuff from her.
Q.  What do you credit your success at Talladega over the other tracks on the circuit?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  That’s a really tough question.  I don’t really view Talladega or Daytona any different than any other track.  I think to be successful at a plate track, you have to be ‑‑ I don’t know that you go there with the mindset of winning.  I always go to plate tracks with the mindset of running second and pushing somebody to the win, and if the circumstances work out that you find yourself in the lead, it’s great.  But I don’t think you can be ‑‑ I think you just have to be very open‑minded and willing to help more than trying to get help.  I think a lot of guys go to those tracks and want everyone to help them, but they don’t really want to return the favor, and I think it’s important to kind of have a different mentality with that, and you always want to try to help whoever is in front of you and work with them.
 
I don’t know.  It’s definitely a different style of racing than what we normally have.  I have to tell you that I’m so thankful that we’ve gotten rid of the tandem.  I hated that.  I know some fans liked it and some didn’t, but for me I dreaded going to the plate tracks when we had the tandem.  I like the package that we have now.
Q.  What’s your favorite track?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  My favorite track is the one that we go to next every week.  I honestly, like if you have a good car at any of the tracks, they’re fun, and if your car is not good, none of them are fun.  I really enjoy getting to go do some road course racing, I like Martinsville, I like Charlotte.  I enjoy going to Daytona and Talladega.  That’s fun to do four times a year, but it’s nice to go somewhere different each week.
Q.  We’re close to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  What do you think of that track?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  Well, Indy is fun because of the history.  I wouldn’t say that Indy is in the top 5 of the funnest tracks to race on because it’s so hard to pass there.  But it’s a really special place just because of the history of it, and after winning that race and getting to kiss the bricks, it makes it even more special to me.
Q.  Jamie, the new elimination system stresses winning probably by plan and seems to be working pretty well, too.  But it may benefit drivers like you who are no strangers to victory lane from time to time.  How does that change the mindset of you and your team and other drivers, too, looking into how you approach this year?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  Yeah, I don’t think anyone is doing anything any differently.  I mean, if it comes down at Richmond last week or Talladega this week and you take a gamble on fuel mileage, everyone is going to do the same thing.  I think the mentality has changed that everyone races to win every week, and I don’t think that what they’ve done this year has made anyone try harder or do anything different because you only can race based on the circumstances that are given for that event, and it’s really ‑‑ you’d have to ask a crew chief, but in my opinion it’s not any different than it’s ever been.
Q.  I’m curious, can you talk a little bit about what your first impression was of Talladega when you first went to the track and when that was?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  Well, Talladega was the first Superspeedway race that I even ‑‑ well, I guess I ran Daytona, but I think I tested at Talladega first, and I just remember going there and knowing that you could run wide open around the track, and I had never been to a track that you could do that at.  It’s so hard to get used to, whether it was in the late models or doing the trucks, that you can run around the track and not ever let off.  It’s hard to conceive that.
 
The first laps were ‑‑ it’s so much fun to be able to run around a place like that flat out and not have to let off.  It’s different now because it’s got so much more grip than what it had before the repave.  When we did the plate races before, you could run like 15 laps and handling started becoming an issue, and now there’s so much grip that it’s a little bit different.  That’s a thrilling place to go to for the first time, and to run around there by yourself is exciting initially, but then when you run around and you’re in the middle of a 30‑ or a 40‑car pack and you’re right in the middle lane, middle of the pack, that gets your attention, and it certainly requires a lot of focus.  It’s a really cool place, really fun venue.
Q.  What went through your mind the first time you took a lap around there, and do you remember when that was?
JAMIE McMURRAY:
  Well, no and no.  I don’t remember that.  And I don’t remember exactly when it was.  I could be wrong, it might have been in the truck at Daytona the first time I ran a plate track or somewhere that you could run wide open.  But it’s just hard to conceive that you could do that and that it would stick good enough.  It takes a while to realize that, that it’s real.
Q.  I’m just going to ask you about what happened with Ambrose and Mears after Richmond.  Are you surprised that they got fined and the punishment was what it was or do you think NASCAR should have just let it go?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  Well, I hoped that NASCAR would just let that go.  They have preached to all of us that they want us to be who we are, and I think it’s good that you have some characters in the sport that ‑‑ I’m not calling Casey or Marcus out, but not everyone is willing to ‑‑ or is the type of guy that would punch someone, right?  Everyone has a moment that they’re extremely upset, but I don’t think that ‑‑ I think you can count on one hand the guys that would actually throw a punch.  Everyone is talking about it.  I’m building a house, and when I got up to the home site, that’s all the guys wanted to talk about was oh, my gosh, did you see that, and they wanted to know if I have any inside scoop.  I think it’s great.  I don’t want to see anyone get punched, but it’s been ‑‑ how many years ago has it been since someone actually punched someone?  It’s got everyone talking about the sport and I think it’s good you see those guys’ passion.  Casey was so mad when you look in that video there and kind of pushing Marcos.  I don’t know, I was really hoping that NASCAR was going to let it go or that the fines would be less because that’s a huge ‑‑ $25,000 is massive.  My opinion of that is that you won’t see it happen again because I think people will think about that and be like, it’s not worth it.  It’s not worth $25,000 for me to express exactly how I feel at this time.
Q.  There must have been situations where you’ve been in that same situation and have held back.  Have you been in those type of situations, as well?  Have there been any times you’ve thrown a punch or have wanted to but have held back?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  Well, there’s probably been times, yeah, when I wanted to do that.  It’s been a long time since I’ve had that kind of anger inside of me.  But you know, I don’t know.  My take on that is I kind of ‑‑ if it was happening every week, I think it would be different, but if they hadn’t fined those guys, I don’t think it would have happened again for a long time.  Like I say, I think there’s only a few guys ‑‑ I think there’s maybe five guys that are willing to do that, and it takes both those guys getting together on the same night and being extremely upset before it would happen.  I don’t think it was ‑‑ I think if they would have let it go, I don’t think it would have happened again for a while.  I think it’s very circumstantial with the two right guys, you know.
 
And look, I think if you watch the video of that, my take on it, I don’t think Casey had any intentions of throwing a punch.  Casey went over there and was wanting to get his point across.  I don’t think he had any ‑‑ when he got hit, you could tell he was like, I can’t believe I just got punched, right?  I don’t think anyone had that mindset going into it.
Q.  Racing is a tough sport that is built up with a lot of emotion.  Now that you have children, has your thought process changed?  In other words, how do you keep the children out of your mind when you get into that race car compared to when you were not a daddy?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  Yeah, honestly that never crosses my mind.  I don’t know that ‑‑ I think if you polled most guys, they would say that that doesn’t ‑‑ once you get out, whether it’s in practice or qualifying or when the National Anthem is going on for the race, once you get in the car, it’s all about racing, and you just do what feels natural.  I mean, I don’t know that anybody necessarily when they’re racing thinks about, well, I have kids now or I’m married.  You do what happens naturally, and you make decisions really fast, and it’s just based on what you feel at that time. For me it’s not any different.  I think if you were to ask most guys, they would say that.
Q.  Coming up on the midway point of the season, so to speak, what’s your assessment for the first half, and then what’s the outlook for the remainder of the season?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  Well, I mean, our cars have been tremendously better.  It’s been somewhat unfortunate that some of the races that we had really got cars ‑‑ when I looked at Bristol with 50 laps to go and the 4 car losing an oil line in front of us, Martinsville with the 88 cutting a tire down and crashing in front of us.  We’ve had really good cars at every race.  Keith Rodden has done a great job coming over and being the crew chief this year, his first year of crew chiefing.  Team and organization‑wise has been really good, and I think both Kyle and I are looking forward really to about everywhere we’re going.  I love road course racing.  We’re getting ready to go do some testing for that on Monday, and we’ve just been good at each type of racetrack, whether it’s flat track, high banked, short track, mile‑and‑a‑half.  Our cars have been good about everywhere, so that’s a great feeling to have in this sport because sometimes you have cars that are good at short tracks but not good at mile‑and‑a‑halfs, so you dread those mile‑and‑a‑half tracks because you know you’ve struggled with those.  We’ve been good about everywhere, so yeah, really optimistic about everything for the rest of the year.
Q.  It’s coming down pretty well up here in upstate New York.  What’s the weather been like down there this week and how has it effected you at all?
JAMIE McMURRAY:  Yeah, the weather ‑‑ I’m actually going to Talladega a little early for a fishing trip, so I’ve been watching the weather closer this weekend than I have in the past.  But it looks like all the weather is going to be out of there today, and we’re going to have a great weekend.
 
JENNIE LONG:  Jamie, thanks so much for joining us today, and good luck this weekend at Talladega.
 

CORVETTE DPs AT LAGUNA SECA: Seeking More Monterey Momentum
Chevrolet comes to famed venue looking for fourth straight Laguna Seca victory
 
·         Corvette Daytona Prototypes go for third straight Laguna Seca win

·         Victory, pole and fastest race lap each of last three years for Chevy-powered entries

·         Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R seeks second straight victory

 
DETROIT (April 29, 2014) – Chevrolet has tasted its share of success at North America’s top sports car venues. That being said, it would be difficult to match the record the Bowtie has amassed at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in recent years. Corvette Daytona Prototypes return to the picturesque circuit in Monterey, Calif., for the fourth round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
 
Four Corvette DPs are set to race in Sunday’s Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix race for the TUDOR Championship’s Prototype and GT Le Mans classes. The two categories raced together earlier this month at Long Beach in a 100-minute, caution-free event where two Corvette DPs finished on the podium; Wayne Taylor Racing was the runner-up and championship leader Action Express Racing was third. Chevrolet left southern California second in the TUDOR Championship’s Prototype Engine Manufacturer standings.
 
The playing field in Monterey will be slightly different as the Corvette DPs will compete with a smaller air restrictor than used in previous races. The move will reduce the power output of the Corvette DP’s 5.5-liter V8 motor. The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) – sanctioning body for the TUDOR Championship – adjusted the performance of the Corvette DPs to bring competition in the Prototype category closer together.
 
Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi lead the Prototype drivers’ championship on the strength of three consecutive podium finishes to start the season – including a victory at Daytona. It was a race where Corvette DPs took the top four positions.
 
Laguna Seca is the perfect place for the Corvette DP contingent to pick up a second win of the season. Wayne Taylor Racing’s Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli won last year’s race for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series – which combined with the American Le Mans Series to form the TUDOR Championship – in Monterey.
 
It was one of many success story for Chevrolet and the Corvette DP at Monterey since 2011. Richard Westbrook, driving for Spirit of Daytona Racing, has won last two DP pole positions at Laguna Seca; he and Antonio Garcia won the race in 2012. The previous year, Garcia set the fastest lap, Ricky Taylor was the fastest qualifier, and Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty won the race in a Chevrolet-powered prototype for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing.
 
“Laguna Seca is the first traditional road course we will race on this year,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager for Corvette Daytona Prototypes. “The challenge of racing there is an extremely difficult one. Temperatures and weather conditions are often in flux this time of year, as is the racing surface. Due to the layout of the track, sand and dust routinely gather on the circuit. Chassis setup, mechanical grip and tire management will be of utmost importance for this race. The Corvette DP has proven repeatedly that it is a great car around Laguna Seca. This latest adjustment of performance puts our teams in a bind but we are confident they and our partners can adapt to the new restrictor size and the performance loss that comes with it.”
 
Camaro Z/28.R Back on Track Following First Victory
Just like the Corvette DPs, the Chevrolet Camaro has tasted considerable success at Laguna Seca in the Continental Tire SportsCar Championship. The new-for-2014 Camaro Z/28.R looks to continue that success with entries for Stevenson Motorsports and CKS Autosport. Stevenson’s Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis won the most recent round at Sebring in March in just the second race for the Camaro Z/28.R.
 
If past history is any indication, things should bode well at Laguna Seca. The Camaro GS.R won in the Continental Tire series at the track in 2011 and 2012 and was second in 2013. Compared to the previous car, the Z/28.R is an improvement in many key areas. The Chevrolet engine, suspension components and aerodynamic elements all have seen major upgrades for the Camaro Z/28.R. It also is the closest link between production Camaro and racing version Chevrolet has produced.
 
“The victory at Sebring was a fantastic achievement for everyone in the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R program,” said Lisa Talarico, Chevrolet’s Program Manager for the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. “As great a success as that was, work is far from complete to fully optimize the car. Laguna Seca is a challenging track considering ever-changing conditions throughout the day, but it also is one that has been good for the Camaro brand. We are confident that our partner teams at Stevenson Motorsports and CKS Autosport can continue that record of success.”

CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Gearing Up For Monterey Repeat
Riding high after first victory for Corvette C7.R at Long Beach
 
·         Magnussen, Garcia aiming for repeat of 2013 victory

·         Gavin, Milner were winners in 2012 GT race

·         Final TUDOR Championship race before 24 Hours of Le Mans

 
DETROIT (April 29, 2014) – Fresh of its first victory of 2014 with the new Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, Corvette Racing heads back to California where it looks to win for the third straight season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The two-hour Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix is the fourth round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, and Corvette Racing looks to keep rolling as well as moving up in the GT Le Mans standings.
 
A victory near the picturesque Monterey, Calif., coastline would continue that nicely. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Corvette led the charge at Long Beach with a wire-to-wire victory while Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner were third in the No. 4 C7.R. The driver pairings remain the same for Monterey, which plays host to the TUDOR Championship for a two-hour race starting at 2:45 p.m. PT on Sunday. And like Long Beach, the GTLM class will race together with the lead Prototype category.
 
Like many other places on the TUDOR Championship schedule, Laguna Seca has witnessed its share of Corvette Racing highlights. The team has six victories at the track since 2004, five pole positions – including three straight by Magnussen from 2007-09 – and seven fastest race laps.
 
Laguna Seca also is where the Corvette C7.R broke cover in public during last year’s Monterey Historic Festival weekend. Milner drove the new racecar – in camouflaged livery at the time – for a couple of laps. This time around, it’s a safe bet the C7.R will be traveling quicker and more aggressive around the circuit.
 
Success is difficult to come by there, however. The climate in the Monterey area is notorious for changing often throughout a weekend. Track temperatures can rise and fall suddenly, and sand frequently blows onto the circuit – both can create slick and slippery surface conditions. As a result, handling and stability will be at a premium. That should play into the hands of Corvette Racing given the construction of the Corvette C7.R.
 
Based on the 2015 Corvette Z06 production car, the C7.R’s rigid frame gives the car improved cornering ability and stability. Those factors plus the Corvette’s impressive braking performance and tire management will be key to the team’s success this weekend.
 
Live television coverage of the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix starts at 5:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
 
The TUDOR Championship is the result of a merger between the ALMS and GRAND-AM’s Rolex Sports Car Series. Corvette Racing will compete in 11 races around North America plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
 
Corvette Racing Display: For the Fans in Monterey
As if the on-track action at Laguna Seca isn’t enough for fans, the Corvette Racing display will have a number of activities and vehicles for spectators to take in, including:
Production vehicles such as the North American Truck of the Year, the Chevrolet Silverado, as well as the Camaro, Sonic and Impala.
Showcars on location include a Corvette C7.R, and both a Corvette Stingray coupe and convertible, the North American Car of the Year.
Fans can see a sample of engines, parts and accessories available for purchase from Chevrolet at their local Chevrolet dealer.
Other activities at the Corvette Racing Display include a variety of interactive games for adults and kids.
Fans who sign up with Corvette Racing will receive a special commemorative t-shirt.
The Corvette Racing display opens 9 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Race outlook) “We are going back to Laguna with a different format; the last three years I ran there in long-distance races. Last year was especially close – mostly because of the yellows – but at the end it was a big win for us. It was the first win of the year for the No. 3 car and where things started to turn in our favor for the championship. Between Jan, myself and the whole No. 3 Corvette team, we’ve always felt pretty confident at Laguna Seca. No one is exactly sure how the new Corvette C7.R will work there, but there is no reason to think it won’t work better than the C6.R. The other manufacturers will be strong so we need to keep performing the way we have this season – especially the way we did at Long Beach.”
(Keys to success) “Laguna is always very difficult to approach because you never know the temperature and how the tires are going to work. It can be a really cold race or a race with very nice temperatures. It will be very important to anticipate that in order to make the car work. The track is a little narrow so you really need to make the tires work otherwise there is a point where you can struggle quite a bit.
“It will be a shorter race but also a two-category race. So that means things may be very clean. As a result, it is very important to keep in touch with the lead car… if it’s not us. It could be another race like Long Beach with no yellows. Personally, I’d very happy to run another race like that where we led from Lap 1 with no yellows!”
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Track impressions) “Laguna Seca is one of my absolute favorite tracks. I’ve always enjoyed driving there and it’s in a fantastic area. The track is very interesting. The layout suits the Corvette and suits my driving style. It’s always a great feeling driving there. We have had some success there in the past. Last year, we won the race and it was what really kicked off our championship run. I’m looking forward to another good result. It would be nice to back up the Long Beach win with another one at Laguna Seca.”
(Last year’s race) “The thing that stands out is that while Antonio was in the lead for all of his stint, the rest of us on the No. 3 car were sitting there thinking what was going to go wrong. We had been so close to winning races in 2012 and the smallest mistakes cost us wins. It wasn’t really until the car crossed the line that we accepted we had won the race! We were so used to losing it in different ways. So that was fantastic and really started our championship run. It proved to everyone that our car could win. It was the first win for Antonio and me. Hopefully we can have another great race with a bunch of points and maybe another win.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Track thoughts) “Laguna Seca is a great race track. It’s one of the premier tracks in the U.S., and one that everyone enjoys going to. It’s a great part of the world, and the layout is a unique one. It’s a challenge to get a good lap together there. Generally it’s a low-grip surface and you can be punished for mistakes. But it is a circuit that has a great flow to it and one that you get a lot of satisfaction driving around.
(The past and present) In the last few years – particularly with the GT car – Corvette Racing has been very competitive there. The No. 3 car won there last year, and Tommy (Milner) and I won there the year before. It seems that whatever setup we land upon seems to one that work well there. Our car is solid on the brakes and seems to rotate in and to the apex of the corners, and we can bear down on the apexes pretty well in most of the medium- and slow-speed corners. It just seems that our car can work efficiently there and I can see that the C7.R is strong in all those departments. We’ve improved the traction with the new car, and all of those things should help us going back to Laguna. I’m buoyed by our performances in all three events we’ve done so far in the TUDOR Cha
mpionship. We have a fantastic car in the C7.R, and I feel that right now we can fight with everyone for the victory. That’s a great position to be in. We are in a nice spot where we can attack and hope to come away with great results.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Progress so far) “I’m not surprised that we had good results at Long Beach. We saw in all the testing and racing during the first few events that the Corvette C7.R was quick and competitive. Each time we go to a track this season, it’s the first time there with the C7.R, but there is still lots of carryover from years past and a wealth of knowledge that we can pull from. Judging from how the car has performed, we should be extremely competitive at Laguna.”
(Rolling out the C7.R last summer in Monterey) “That was obviously something that was pretty cool. It was my first experience sitting in the car. It’s great to now go back there with the race car. The two laps I did at the Historics were not really in anger… I was very conscious of the fact that I needed to be sure that nothing went wrong! It’s exciting to go back to Laguna where the public first saw the car. It would be great to win there, and it would be even better if it were Oliver and I to get a victory this time!”
(Laguna preparations) “Laguna is definitely tough in regards to tire wear and balance of the car. There’s not as much sand as there used to be that comes on the track but there is still quite a bit. The track has definitely improved that by putting curbing in certain areas which makes it difficult to bring sand on the circuit. But it’s definitely a prominent feature of the track. Laguna is a place that if you don’t have the balance of the car spot on, you’ll suffer throughout a stint. Getting the setup spot-on is pretty important. So far this year, we’ve rolled off the truck with cars that have been pretty well-balanced. I’m optimistic that it won’t be a problem for us. Depending on how our pace is compared to our competitors, you work that much harder to find any advantage. The schedule is pretty compressed so it’s important for the guys back at the Corvette Racing shop to make sure they get the balance as good as it can possibly be so we can fine-tune things in practice instead of swinging wildly at it.”
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“It’s always great to return to the Monterey Peninsula, especially coming off our well-deserved victory at Long Beach. Laguna Seca is one of the sport’s iconic venues and a place where Corvette Racing has a long history of success. To win there requires a car with great braking and handling along with proper tire selection, pit stop execution and good track management by the drivers. I think the C7.R, the crew and our drivers have clearly demonstrated all those capabilities in the first three events this season. Combine all that and it should make for another exciting weekend of racing for all our Corvette fans!”

Chevrolet IndyCar V6
Verizon IndyCar Series
Post Race
Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
Barber Motorsports Park
 
 
Scott Dixon Puts Chevrolet IndyCar V6 on the Podium at Barber
 
 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (April 27, 2014) – Scott Dixon, defending Verizon IndyCar Series champion, led the way for the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 contingent with a third-place podium finish today in the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.  It is the fifth consecutive podium finish at Barber Motorsports Park for the driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.
 
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, continues to lead the championship standings with a fifth-place finish in today’s rain shortened race. The scheduled distance was 90 laps, but the start was delayed approximately two and a half hours due to severe weather.  The race was cut to 100 minutes and competitors completed 69 laps.
 
Also scoring a top-10 finish in the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 powered cars were: Tony Kanaan, No. 10 GE Reveal Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet – ninth, and Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Novolog Flex Pen Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet – 10th.
 
Next on the schedule is the Inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 10, 2014.  The live ABC television broadcast is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m ET.
 
DRIVER QUOTES:
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHIP GANASSI CHEVROLET,  FINISHED  3RD:
ON THE DAY: “Overall it was a good day for the Target team.  We wanted to take one more step up on the podium to first after finishing second here so many times, but we ended up going in reverse this time unfortunately.  We’ll take third but the tough conditions were the same for everyone with the wet start and a timed race.  We seemed to burn up the front tires quick, but we had some great pit stops and overall a solid day.”
 
TELL US ABOUT YOUR DAY:  “It was definitely an interesting race with the weather mixed in there. Hopefully we put on a good show for everybody. We were trying. We seemed to burn up the front tires quickly. The same thing happened on the wets after Helio (Castroneves) jumped the start and passed a couple of cars which is typical, I guess. We had to fight back and had a good pit stop exchange. (Will) Power pitted early and we were able to put down some good lap and gain some spots. We just didn’t have enough for Marco. He did a hell of a job, so congrats to Andretti for a 1-2 finish.”

YOU HAD A GREAT PIT STOP AND WERE RIGHT ON MARCO BUT STARTED TO BACK UP. WHAT HAPPENED? “The race was really fun. In the wet conditions, there was a little puddling and standing water which made it pretty tough… especially in the fast sections around the back. It was one of those races where at the start you kept it clean and stay out of trouble. I think Helio (Castroneves) got a bit greedy on the restart and jumped us which was frustrating because he backed us up some. It was fun to race with Montoya; he was making some pretty good turns onto the frontstraight. We tried to pull as much as could out of it and kinda burnt the front tires off the thing trying to push so hard. Congratulations to (race-winner Ryan) Hunter-Reay and good job by Marco (Andretti). More importantly, a big thanks to the fans who stuck it out through all this weather.”
 
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 5TH : “The Verizon Chevrolet was really fast on the wet tires and I just got in trouble in turn 5. I keep moving my braking point further and further into the corners and I got caught going too far. It’s tough to not push past the limits with wet patches everywhere. We really didn’t have the pace in the dry anyway, but that sure didn’t help our cause when I went off course. We may have just been a bit heavy on downforce. Still a fifth-place finish today and we have the points lead going into the month of May.”
 
TONY KANAAN, NO.10 GE REVEAL CHIP GANASSI CHEVROLET, FINISHED 9TH: It was a good day for us. I mean we passed half of the field on a track that people say you can’t pass on.  We’ll take a top-ten finish, especially after the weekend we had and qualifying in the back.  It was a great day for the GE Reveal team.  We had some great pit stops and we’ll just continue to go forward from here.”
CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 83 NOVOLOG FLEXPEN CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 10TH : “I have to say that I’m just so proud of the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew and the whole Chip Ganassi Racing team.  After crashing this morning, everyone from all three teams came together and just really put their heads down with no complaints and started working.  It was a really upside-down race with it starting wet and ending dry, but we had really good pace and clean air.  We just did what we could do and made the most of where we were at.  I’m pleased to be able to bring the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet home with a top-ten finish and now we’re just ready to move onto the month of May.”
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 11TH:  “It was a fun race starting in the rain and then going to slick tires, but it was a bit challenging with the fuel conditions.  We were able to stay out of trouble and really keep our nose clean allowing us to move up a ton of positions.  The whole NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing team definitely wants to be higher than eleventh, but considering where we started today I was really happy with the result.”
MIKE CONWAY, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA CHEVROLET, FINISHED 14TH: “It was a pretty long day for us today. I guess we’ll have to take 14th from starting 21st.  We struggled in the wet with overall grip. I tried to make a few moves in the early portion of the race and they just didn’t work out.  We felt quicker on the slicks, especially on the earlier segments of the runs.  But once everyone had their tires up to temperature, we couldn’t get up to make a move. It’s a frustrating.  I hope we can improve on the road circuits.  I’m excited to go to Indy for the test this week on the road circuit and race in the upcoming Grand Prix of Indianapolis. But we need to work on the setup some more to fight for a win there.”
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: NO. 11 TEAM HYDROXYCUT – KVSH RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 15TH: “I had another fast car and another disappointing result.  Once again, I feel bad for the KVSH Racing guys.  They did a great job.  I want to thank my sponsors, especially Hyrdoxycut for their support this weekend. We just have to move on and try and win the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.”
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA: NO. 17 KV AFS RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 18TH: “It was disappointing to finish 18th as we had been consistent in the top-10. We had an amazing car in the dry conditions, but in the wet we really struggled. At the beginning I had to let cars through because I couldn’t see anything from the spray and once we got back into the race pace I didn’t have anything. We had a great initial strategy by staying out longer than the rest, but by the end we couldn’t make it work. We were the only ones that could have done a two-stop race because of all the fuel saving we had done, but by the race being shortened by that couple last yellows everyone was then on a two stop and we stuck at the back. We had an amazing car, so I am very proud of all the KV AFS guys. We go on to Indy and will get back to business. We are so close to getting something special, we just need to get all the bits working together.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. AAA TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 19TH: “Man, what a race. The AAA guys did a helluva job once again. Unfortunately I confused our pit stall with the 19 car of Justin Wilson. We were pitted right beside each other and our colors were very similar. I stopped in their pit stall, which was bad, but I also had to serve a stop and go penalty. With
the cautions the way they fell, I could never get a full green flag lap to serve my penalty. I feel so bad for the guys because that was completely on me. Thank you to AAA. The Chevrolet was great today. This is a race we shouldn’t forgot because we don’t want that to happen again.”
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 PPGTEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 21ST: “We had a good car in the wet…I thought it did a pretty good job in the wet. We had trouble with the radio, so I tried to plug myself back in while driving. So that was fun. I had a good restart on cold tires. We were going through the esses, and I was right behind the No. 9 car (Scott Dixon) . He had a big moment, and I lifted then ended up having a bigger moment myself. I went in and I kind of referenced and measured with the wet, and I did the same thing I was doing in wet.  He lifted more than I expected and I had to lift a lot more and it started tail slapping. After that, something broke in the car..I don’t know what happened.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
TOYOTA OWNERS 400
RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
APRIL 26, 2014
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 2ND
UNFORTUNATELY NOT THE WIN, BUT ANOTHER GREAT RUN:
Well, you know, the restarts are something that we’ve been really adamant about this year because it was definitely hurting us last year. Tonight we really didn’t have a good short run car; we had a really good long run car. For about 40 or 50 laps it was about the best car out there. I had a blast tonight. It was great short track racing here at Richmond. And to have a race car like that to drive from 25th up to the front like that was so much fun. Joey (Logano) was in the right place there. He had a good short run car and we were battling it out. And Matt (Kenseth) was making his car really super-wide, which you’ve got to do to try to win, and we were just battling hard. And it just didn’t come down the way that we needed it to. We needed a little bit longer run. But thanks to Drive to End Hunger and Chevrolet and everybody, (all our sponsors), we’re having so much fun right now. I just can’t thank this team enough for their incredible effort. Pit stops, I mean everything. We’re just showing up at the race track with cars capable of winning. It’s just a matter of time before we do win.”
 
YOU HAD A GREAT RUN TONIGHT TELL US ABOUT IT:
“It was hot.  Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and all the guys on this No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy SS man they have been giving me amazing race cars this year.  That was certainly one of the best ones we have had.  We were having a lot of fun out there.  We did not need the shorter runs which is kind of typical for us.  Still really battled it out there on that last restart.  That was one of the wildest races with 10 to go that I have ever seen here at Richmond.  Then I got very excited and Joey (Logano) was in the right position.  He had a really fast car on the short runs and we got racing three-wide.  Matt (Kenseth) was running every lane and trying to win the race.  Brad (Keselowski) was trying to get by him on the outside, I was trying to get by him on the inside and we just really burned up our tires a little bit there and here came Joey (Logano) right by us on the inside.”
 
IS IT ACT OR REACT IS THAT WHAT YOU GUYS DO OUT THERE WHEN YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE MIXING IT UP WITH A COUPLE OF OTHER GUYS LIKE THAT?
“Yeah, you are trying to get a good restart and get to Turn 1 good.  You are just hoping that it sticks when you get there.  I got to second right away there on that last restart and actually felt like I was a little bit better than Matt (Kenseth), just trying to find a way by him.  Then the No. 2 car (Brad Keselowski) came on the outside which was a great move.  His car was just super-fast also on the short runs.  Then he moved Matt up which I was happy about so I got underneath Matt, but I about lost it getting into (Turns) 1 and 2, got a little bit loose underneath him.  At that point I had to fall back to third and then the No. 22 (Joey Logano) came in there.  It was a great battle.  Overall I’m very happy with the results of this race team and the effort.  I’m having so much fun.  The pit stops were amazing tonight, we are leading the points and it’s just a matter of time before this team wins.”
 
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 BUSH’S GRILLIN’ BEANS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 6TH
ON HIS TOP-10 FINISH:
“It was a good race.  Just a tough race track.  I was really happy with the car in general.  It’s just such a fine line between being too tight and burning the rear tires off or just being a little too loose the whole time.  I thought there were two or three long runs I thought the car was awesome.  Then another couple of runs it wasn’t as good.  Overall proud of the guys.  We definitely had a top-15 car all day, top-10 car probably.  Probably stole one there for finish wise there at the end, but we are getting there.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 7TH
IT WAS WILD AND CRAZY, WHAT WAS IT LIKE GOING ON WITH YOUR 88 CAR TONIGHT?
 “Had a lot of brake problems with the car and the fluid boiled over under that last caution and I couldn’t keep the pedal up and had all rear brakes that last run.  Just real loose getting in the corner and trying to run seventh was all I could do and just trying not to fall back worse than that.  The run before when we were racing with Matt (Kenseth) and I thought we had a little bit better car in the end in the middle of the corner, but at that next caution we boiled over.  We had brake problems the last 150-200 laps and it would leave the fluids black and Steve (Letarte) said it had boiled over a couple times.  So we got a lot of rubber build up on the brake duct and the grill so it just got real hot.”
 
LOT OF EMOTION AT THE END OF THE RACE TOO:
“The No. 2 (Brad Keselowski) was mad at the No. 20 (Matt Kenseth) and he slammed on brakes after the checkered and the No. 47 (AJ Allmendinger) ran into the No. 20 and I ran into the No. 20 and I don’t know what that was all about. You know, get over it.”
 
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 10TH
ON HIS FIRST TOP-10 RUN OF THE SEASON:
“Nothing fell out of the sky and hit us. We kept the air in the tires all night. We worked hard on it. We didn’t have a great car in the beginning, we fell back once, got off, got really tight in the middle part of the race, and Todd [Berrier] did a really good job getting it back.

“I thought we had a shot at a top five there, but the short runs were killing us. We just couldn’t take off for the first 15 or 20 laps of a run. All those guys up there were really fast and we weren’t. Here, it seems to go that way more often than not. We had a really good car on those last couple of long runs, but we had short runs at the end. We have to figure out how to get that short run going. Those long runs toward the end, we had something for them. It was a good day for us.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 11TH
ON HIS NIGHT:
“Just never could get the car to turn through the center of the corner and lacked rear grip and got behind on one run with a funky set of tires there.  Kind of got caught back in the swarm and were never able to quite make it up.  It all just didn’t line up right on the restarts there at the end.  Just a little bit off.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 32ND
WALK US THROUGH A HARD NIGHT HERE AT RICHMOND:
“Really thought we had a decent car and was going to run in the top-five, top 10 at the worst.  Then we had one run where we cut a right-front and the next run another right-front.  Not exactly sure why we had that issue, but we did have back-to-back tire issues there.  That really just kind of put an end to our night.  We didn’t have anything for the win, but I thought we could run top-five.”
 
WHERE IS YOUR HEAD DURING A RACE LIKE THAT?
“This track has been tough on us so when it happened I was like ‘alright things like that happen to us here.’ But I know we have some really good race tracks coming up.  Looking forward to those tracks.  This Chase and the way you can work your way into the Chase is more forgiving than it has ever been.  Might have to count on that this year and make sure we get in the Chase a little later than we want.”
 
REED SORENSON, NO. 36 TOMMY BALDWIN RACING CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 42ND
WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE?
 “Seems like the rubber got to the oil lines and the brake lines and that was what was burning was the oil and the fuel.  So I got out of there as quick as I could and to try
and not inhale all that smoke.  Definitely not what you want to be inside of.”
 
ARE YOU GUYS DONE FOR THE NIGHT?
 “Yeah, we don’t think they can get all the lines complete and everything inside, so we are done for the night.  Want to just thank all the TBR guys and we will be back next night for Golden Corral.”