John Force Racing

John Force Racing–JFR QUARTET READY FOR FOUR-WIDE SUCCESS

JFR QUARTET READY FOR FOUR-WIDE SUCCESS

CHARLOTTE, NC – Going into Sunday’s eliminations at the 5th annual Four-Wide NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway outside of Charlotte the quartet of John Force Racing drivers have the same goal but different starting points.

Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang will start the day from the strongest position as No. 2 qualifier and will race in a quad made up of No. 7 qualifier Matt Hagan, No. 10 qualifier Jack Beckman and No. 15 qualifier Tony Pedregon. With four collective Mello Yello Championships amongst his opponents Hight is eager to take on the challenge of Four-Wide racing.

“The key is just focusing on your job. I can’t control what Beckman, Hagan or Tony (Pedregon) do. I will do my usual routine and try and cut the best light I can. I know Mike Neff will give me a great race car and we will try and take advantage of the Four-Wide format. You can slip up a little in the first two rounds and finish second and still advance,” said Hight.

“Our goal will be to be the quickest so we can always have out first choice of lanes. That could become critical. This all-concrete track has been pretty even and it will be an exciting day. I want to win another Four-Wide race and keep this momentum in the Auto Club pit.”

Hight’s quickest ET was 4.074 seconds for the weekend. He holds the Mello Yello points lead and picked up four qualifying bonus points this weekend.

Courtney Force picked up three additional bonus points today on the fourth and final qualifying pass when her Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car ran the best ET of the session. She posted a 4.088 at 316.01 mph to pick up the points and keep her No. 6 qualifying spot. She will go up against John Force, Tommy Johnson Jr. and Jeff Arend in the opening round on Sunday.

The 2012 Auto Club Rookie of the Year was fastest overall in the Funny Car category on Friday, but bumped up that number to 316 mph today on the final pass.

“In Q4, the car did exactly what we wanted it to. Running that 4.08 put us low of the round so we picked up three bonus points which is awesome. We even increased top speed to over 316 mph, which is fastest of the weekend so far,” said Force.

Force ran a 4.181 ET at 288.83 mph in the first session today when her car smoked the tires before the finish line.

“It spun the tires in Q3 and we ran a 4.18 so it slowed us down a little bit, but I could tell we were on a good run. My car has been pretty consistent this weekend, which is a good thing for us,” said Force.

For the past two years, the 25-year-old has qualified No. 12 at the Four-Wide events and has gone out in the first round on race day, but Force says she thinks her team has stepped it up quite a bit and is ready to take on the competition.  

“We’re excited. We’re going into race day with second pick of lane choice. Unfortunately, we’re in a quad with my dad, but hopefully both of us can move on to the next round. We’re going to do the best we can. We have a good car and we know which lanes we like best and we just have to get around the other guys first and hopefully a JFR team takes home the win tomorrow,” said Force.

Once again, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals is making John Force and the crew of the Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang work overtime in trying to get a handle on the zMAX Dragway track surface. However, hard work would pay off as Jimmy Prock tuned-up John Force’s Funny Car to a 4.13 second elapsed time at over 316 mph during the third session today.

The good news is John Force was able to move up in the qualifying order to the No. 11 spot. The bad news is he faces daughter Courtney Force along with Tommy Johnson Jr. and Jeff Arend is round one.

“We were low ET of that first session with a 4.13 and we tried to step it up out of the bottom to get lane choice and that’s going to be tricky winning this race,” said John Force.

For a crew chief, the Four-Wide racing format is hard to grasp at times but with Jimmy Prock and Danny DeGennaro calling the shots on race day, the Castrol GTX High Mileage team will be ready to go rounds.

“The way we are with our tune-up from Jimmy Prock and Danny DeGennaro is off a little bit and we’re going to have to find it no matter what lane we run. We’re going to go out there and give these fans here on the east coast a show and everyone on ESPN and we’re excited about it,” said John Force

Even though John Force is the winningest driver in NHRA history, he knows there’s a strategy in going rounds and winning the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals a feat he accomplished in 2010. Force has a 6-3 round win record at the Four-Wide race and the only quad he has won was the final round in 2010.  His other five “wins” came in races in which he finished second to advance to the next round.  

“I’ll watch who I’m racing but none of these kids play games, the bottom line is the crew chiefs have their job cut out for them. A four lane format is really great for a short TV show as it all works good but then you don’t have the time to watch the other cars. If you’re the first or second pair, you don’t get to watch nobody. For crew chiefs, it’s a nightmare but they love it. It’s a real mind boggler but I’m the best and I can do it,” said John Force.  

Under tricky track conditions at zMAX Dragway, Brittany Force was still able to keep her Castrol EDGE Dragster qualified in the top-half of the field. The sophomore Top Fuel racer was hoping to pick up a few more qualifying spots and move up during today’s two sessions and improve on her 3.80 second elapsed time from yesterday.

Unfortunately, she slipped to the No. 5 slot but will still have ever important lane choice over No. 12 qualifier Leah Pritchett and No. 13 qualifier Clay Millican come Sunday’s first round eliminations.

With this being Brittany’s second crack racing the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, she’s more confidence as driver but will not take anything for granted when lines up with three other Top Fuel Dragsters in round one.

“I definitely feel more comfortable going into race day here at the Four-Wide in Charlotte. However, it’s definitely a challenge going up on that starting line, you don’t want to get lost and you want to keep your focus. You need to know where you’re at on the Christmas tree. That’s my number one focus right now,” said Brittany Force.

With any driver, the hours and minutes before they suit up and get strapped in can be agonizing as they go through their routine repeatedly in their mind. They make sure they’re mentally prepared and Brittany knows what she’s need to do.

“I’ll figure out what lane I’m in before first round and go up be the run, stand in my lane and look at the Christmas tree and know exactly where I’m at so I don’t do anything to screw me up come first round on race day tomorrow,” said Brittany Force.

During the 2013 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, severe weather conditions prevented the drivers from getting four qualifying sessions. For Brittany, it was tough as it was her first time racing in a Four-Wide format. However, she made passes in each of the four lanes this weekend and feels confident.

“It definitely helps me and our crew guys going down the race track in each lane. Just being to go down this track while working on my reaction times on that Christmas tree helps. With three other cars next to me, it can be very distracting. It is so different and challenge being on that starting line and I don’t think many people understand that. I changes a drivers routine because all year you race with only one other competitor in the lane next you but here, it’s a whole new ballgame,” said Brittany Force.

Brittany Force also had the opportunity to meet a local Girl Scout Troop and give them an insider’s perspective of driving a 10,000-horsep
ower nitro dragster.

“One of the greatest aspects of my job is working with kids. We had some sixth and seventh grade Girl Scouts come out and Courtney and I talked them a little pep talk about how we got into this sport, what we studied in school and mostly about chasing your dreams, no matter what,” said Brittany Force.

Brittany also has the potential to be the winner of the 100th national event by a female in the history of NHRA this weekend. Eric Enders-Stevens won the 98th national event by a woman in Las Vegas two weeks ago. This is an achievement she hasn’t really thought about but is still something she’d like to obtain.

“That would be insane but right now, I want my first win. That’s something the Castrol EDGE team is after. Now, if we accomplish that, it would top it all,” said Brittany Force.

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–IndyCar–Long Beach Qualifying

Chevrolet IndyCar V6
Verizon IndyCar Series
Qualifying Recap
Grand Prix of Long Beach
Streets of Long Beach, California
 
LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 12, 2014) Sebastien Bourdais carried the banner for the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 in Firestone Fast Six qualifying for the Grand Prix of Long Beach.  Behind the wheel of the No. 11 Mistic KV SH Racing Chevrolet , the three- time Long Beach winner will start third on Sunday in Round Two of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule.
 
Also posting top-10 qualifying times were Scott Dixon, No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet  – seventh, and Helio Castroneves, No. 3 AAA of Southern California Team Penske Chevrolet – ninth.
 
Ryan Hunter-Reay (Honda) was the pole winner.
 
The Grand Prix of Long Beach Indy is scheduled to start Sunday, April 13, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. PT/4:00 p.m. ET with live television coverage on NBC Sports Network and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 209 and www.indycar.com. Race timing and scoring can also be found on

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing–VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200

NASCAR Nationwide Series
VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200
Darlington Raceway     
Friday, April 11, 2014
 
Race Highlights:
Ty Dillon qualified fifth and was the highest qualifying Richard Childress Racing entry. His other RCR teammates, Brian Scott, Cale Conley and Brendan Gaughan started seventh, 11th and 13th respectively. 
Ty Dillon earned a 10th-place finish, Brian Scott was 11th, Brendan Gaughan 22nd and Cale Conley was 33rd in his second-career NNS start.
Ty Dillon currently leads the Richard Childress Racing drivers in the Nationwide Series driver point standings in fourth, Brian Scott sits sixth and Brendan Gaughan is seventh.
Next up for the Nationwide Series is Richmond International Raceway. Catch all the action live on Friday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPNews.
   
 
Brian Scott Finishes 11th in Friday Night Showdown at Darlington Raceway
 
Brian Scott and his No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet Camaro had another solid qualifying effort at Darlington Raceway starting the NASCAR Nationwide Series VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 in seventh place. Early on at the Lady in Black, Scott reported fighting both loose and tight conditions in his Chevrolet Camaro as he drove around the 1.33-mile track looking for the fastest groove. The Shore Lodge pit crew made adjustments through the four visits to pit road during the 147-lap event. On the final restart, Scott found himself in position to move from the sixth position to the front of the field. On the wild green-white-checker restart, Scott was shuffled to 11th where he would ultimately finish the race. The finish moved Scott into sixth in the driver championship point standings heading into Richmond International Raceway in two weeks.
 
Start – 7th         Finish – 11th     Laps Led – 0     Pts – 6th
 
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“That wasn’t the finish we were looking for tonight. Our Shore Lodge Chevrolet Camaro fought both tight and loose conditions during the race. We knew our car would loosen up as the track cooled down, so we didn’t want to make too big of adjustments. We are going to move onto Richmond and hopefully pick up the one spot that we missed there last fall.”
 
 
 
Ty Dillon Finishes 10th in Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway
 
Ty Dillon drove the No. 3 Yuengling Light Lager Chevrolet Camaro to a 10th-place finish at Darlington Raceway Friday night, collecting the team’s sixth top-10 of the season. After qualifying fifth and taking the green flag, Dillon quickly lost track position because the front splitter was hitting the racetrack. After the race’s first caution on lap 13, crew chief Danny Stockman called Dillon to pit road to allow the team to release pressure off the splitter. Even after a lengthy pit stop, the team remained on the lead lap restarting in the 25th position. By lap 39, Dillon had his No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro in 15th place and by lap 61 he was back inside the top-10, thanks to a solid pit stop that gained the team three positions. For the remainder of the race, Dillon battled to stay inside the top-10 recording lap times faster than the race leader. On lap 140, the last caution lag flew setting up for a green-white-checker finish. Dillon gained speed before seeing the white flag, ultimately finishing 10th for his fifth consecutive top-10 finish. The No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro moved from third to fourth in the driver point standings heading into Richmond International Raceway.
 
 
Start – 5th   Finish – 10th     Laps Led – 0      Points – 4th
 
TY DILLON QUOTE:
“Losing some track position in the beginning definitely hurt us, but our Yuengling Light Lager team responded well. After that second pit stop we gained some track position back, made the right adjustments and we were able to stay competitive on both the restarts and long green-flag runs. I heard Danny (Stockman) say a couple of times on the radio we had the fastest car on the track, but it was difficult to get to the front tonight. This race track is tough, for sure.”
 
  
 
Late Race Incident Relegates Cale Conley to a 32nd-place finish at Darlington Raceway
 
Cale Conley returned to the seat of the No. 33 OKUMA Chevrolet Camaro for the second time this season, this time at Darlington Raceway.  The 21-year-old driver qualified 11th and battled inside the top-20 for a better part of the evening until a late-race incident relegated him to a 32nd-place finish. From the drop of the green flag, Conley reported an extremely loose condition through the corners. The evening’s first caution flag waved on lap 16 and the Vienna, W. Va-native brought his No. 33 machine to pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Conley restarted in the 13th spot and continued to fight the handling of his Chevrolet Camaro.  As the laps ticked away, the Nick Harrison-led team continued to make gains in the pits.  On lap 95 while running 13th, Conley made contact with another competitor which sent him spinning to the inside wall causing significant damage to the No. 33 Chevrolet Camaro. The crew went to work on pit road and Conley returned to the track several laps down, but was able to take the checkered flag for a 32nd-place finish.
 
Start -11th         Finish – 32nd         Laps Led – 0         Points – 0
 
CALE CONLEY QUOTE:
“What a tough night, it’s really not the finish I wanted to leave Darlington with.  We had a really strong OKUMA Chevrolet in practice and qualifying, but fought loose for a majority of the race.  The guys were great on pit road all night long, I hate that we weren’t able to get the finish we deserved.”

 
 
 
Brendan Gaughan Relegated to 22nd-place Finish at Darlington Raceway
 
Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro qualified 13th for the NASCAR Nationwide Series VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway. Gaughan started Friday night’s race battling a loose race car. The yellow flag fell on lap 19 and the No. 62 Chevrolet hit pit road for chassis adjustments, four tires and fuel. Gaughan reported the handling was improving after the changes the team made. By the halfway point. the car’s handling went the opposite direction and Gaughan began experiencing loose conditions. The Richard Childress Racing team fought with the loose and tight conditions all night. On the final restart at lap 142, Gaughan was racing for position and got loose coming out of turn four resulting in a 22nd-place finish. The No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino driver heads to Richmond International Raceway seventh in the driver point standings.
 
 
Start – 13th       Finish – 22nd    Laps Led – 0      Points – 7th
                                                  
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“That’s a tough way to end the night for the South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet. I am proud of the No. 62 guys for giving their all. We battled hard here at Darlington. All we can do is continue to improve and head to Richmond ready to race.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Corvette Racing–Long Beach

CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: First Pole Position for Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
Magnussen fastest GTLM qualifier in No. 3 Corvette; Fittipaldi third overall in No. 5 Corvette DP
 
LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 11, 2014) – Jan Magnussen captured the first pole position for the new Chevrolet Corvette C7.R on Friday with the fastest lap in qualifying for Saturday’s Patrón Sports Car Showcase at the Long Beach street circuit. The Dane made his final lap count – a 1:17.939 (90.902 mph) in the No. 3 Corvette that is in its first season in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
 
It is the first pole position for Corvette Racing since the Baltimore street circuit in 2012. Magnussen was 0.152 seconds quicker than the rest of the GT Le Mans class.
 
Both Corvette C7.Rs qualified on the front two rows Friday. Tommy Milner was fourth-fastest in the No. 4 Corvette at 1:18.489 (90.265 mph).
 
“Jan Magnussen’s pole-winning lap in the new Chevrolet Corvette C7.R is a great start to the Long Beach weekend,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Starting position is important in a short, 100-minute race. The team is now focused on race execution and pit strategy. It’s great to have so many Corvette owners here in Long Beach and around the country supporting Corvette’s racing efforts in the TUDOR United SportsCar championship.”
 
Friday’s pole position was Magnussen’s second at Long Beach. His other came in 2008 in the GT1-spec Corvette C6.R. He also set the fastest race lap in class in 2007 (GT1) and 2011 (GT). Both were in the American Le Mans Series.
 
“I want to say how happy I am for the team that we got the pole. It’s a new car – the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R. We’ve known all along that it’s a fantastic race car; we just haven’t really been able to prove it yet. In the previous two races, we’ve had a good race car but qualifying has been a little bit tough and reliability hasn’t been 100 percent. Hopefully we have those things behind us and can have a good race from the front row.”
 
More than any other race this season, the front of the grid is where teams want to be at Long Beach. The 100-minute distance makes this the shortest race on the TUDOR Championship schedule, which makes track position key from the start. It’s a sharp contrast to Corvette Racing’s first two events – the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
 
Magnussen’s pole is the latest success story for Corvette Racing at Long Beach. The team has four victories at the circuit to its credit including two years ago for Gavin and Milner. A Corvette Racing driver also has set the fastest race lap in class each of the last seven years.
 
Live television coverage of the Tequila Patrón Sports Car Showcase starts at 6 p.m. ET Saturday 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.
 
Fittipaldi Puts Action Express Corvette DP on Second Row
Christian Fittipaldi led the contingent of Corvette Daytona Prototype drivers in prototype qualifying Friday at Long Beach. The Prototype championship co-leader set the third-fastest time in time trials with a 1:15.571 (93.750 mph). He drives the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP with Joao Barbosa. Fittipaldi was just 0.246 seconds off pole position.
 
This is the first race at Long Beach for the Corvette DPs. Ricky Taylor was the next-fastest Corvette DP driver with a fifth-place showing in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing entry at 1:15.743 (93.537 mph). Action Express Racing – winner at the Rolex 24 At Daytona – and Wayne Taylor Racing sit first and second in the Prototype team championship through two rounds.
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(His qualifying session) “Qualifying went completely to plan. I went out and found a good gap. I had to back off once to find myself another gap. After that, it was a matter of trying to work every corner and finding a little bit here and there. At one point, we were P3 and I thought ‘I’m 0.8 seconds faster than I have been when we did the qualifying simulation. I don’t know if there is any more to come.’ But I did one more lap and pushed hard. It stuck and I got pole position.”
(History at Long Beach) “The C6.R was a great car. The most important thing is the team, the strategy and our pit stops. It’s one of those races that is just one stop, no doubt about it. These short races can also be a little tricky in terms of what you do with strategy. You can be very aggressive or try to play it safe with a normal strategy. Most of the time we’ve played it safe. Sometimes we’ve lost because of it but we’ve definitely won more because of it.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
It’s awesome to see Jan on pole. It’s always nice for us to get one of those, so congratulations to him. The car was pretty good. It was a little sloppy in places – just my driving. There were some places where I think I could have gone quicker. But it was a good lap. First and fourth is a great place to start the race. Being at the sharp end of the grid is obviously very important and Long Beach. It’s a good start for the race tomorrow.”
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“Congratulations to Jan and the crew of the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R on a fantastic qualifying effort. This is a great reward for everyone at Chevrolet, Corvette Racing, Pratt & Miller and GM Powertrain after the hard work they have put in during the early days of this program. Qualifying is extremely important for this race, and it is great to see Jan and Tommy in the front two rows of the most competitive grid in all of GT racing.”
 
CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP
“The top-three were very close. I was on the limit and I did a good qualifying lap. There was not a lot more to come out of our car. I think it’s pretty obvious that the Fords have a little bit of an advantage on us. They put it all together in qualifying and they’re 1-2. Maybe they were holding back a little in practice, but we weren’t holding anything back. We had what we had. The Action Express team gave me a very good car for qualifying and I managed to put together a good lap but we were two-tenths-and-a-half shy for one reason or another. Now tomorrow is the race, and tomorrow is when it really counts!”
 

Mopar Racing

Mopar Racing–Mopar Drivers Focus on Challenge of Four-Wide NHRA Nationals

Mopar Drivers Focus on Challenge of Four-Wide NHRA Nationals

·         Mopar contingent set to take on unique Four-Wide racing this weekend at zMax Dragway in Charlotte
·         Mopar Pro-Stockers looking to stay focused in Four-Wide competition
·         Capps earns provisional pole with his DSR Dodge Charger R/T in Funny Car qualifying
·         Hagan hoping to repeat trip to winner’s circle at Four-Wide Nationals to put Mopar back on track to contend for another Funny Car championship

Concord, N.C. (Friday, April 11) –The unique Four-Wide Nationals present a different kind of test for the Mopar contingent competing at this weekend’s National Hot Rod Association Drag Racing series event near Charlotte, N.C., at the specially built zMAX Dragway. While the unique event provides double the excitement for spectators, competitors have to contend with the uncommon challenges that the four-car showdown format presents. However, it isn’t just bragging rights on the line, as each Mopar pilot has a different reason for wanting to come away with a title win this weekend.

For teammates, Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin Jr., putting the new Dodge Dart back in the winner’s circle after its debut win at the Gatornationals isn’t just a matter of pride but a necessity to stay as close to the top of the hotly contested Pro Stock points standings as possible this season. The quad-style battle in both qualifying and elimination rounds, rather than the usual head-to-head competition, adds another unique element to help mix things up in the very competitive hot rod category this season.

“This event is all about focus,” said Johnson who is third in the championship points with two wins already this season. “It’s a challenge to not get distracted or get caught looking at the wrong tree, and it’s just a lot different from any other race for both drivers and fans. There is a lot going on at the same time. We also need to keep focus on getting those points. They are going to be so important this year with such a competitive field where anyone can win each and every time out there. It’s just that close.”

“I’m not satisfied at all with how our Friday went to be honest,” added Johnson, whose best run of 6.546 seconds (212.46 mph) put him seventh on the ladder after two qualifying runs. “We tested this week at Rockingham and thought we’d really set the place on fire with the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” machine, and couldn’t have been more stoked to come here this weekend. But our first two runs here today sure were humbling.”

Coughlin, for his part, found himself fifth in qualifying with an elapsed time run of 6.538 seconds (212.13 mph) and looking to improve on Saturday to try to repeat the No.1 qualifier position he earned at the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in 2010.

V. Gaines was ninth with his best qualifying e.t. of 6.560 seconds (212.63 mph) and is also looking for a shot at retiring his HEMI-powered Dodge Avenger with a win at Charlotte before premiering his own Dodge Dart in the coming weeks.

Don Schumacher Racing driver Ron Capps threw down the gauntlet in Funny Car qualifying by taking his Dodge Charger R/T to the provisional pole with a commanding 4.059-second (314.24 mph) elapsed time pass and is looking to remain on top in order to earn his first No.1 qualifier spot since 2012 for a shot a first Four-Wide title. Capps also leads his DSR teammate in the points standings in fourth place and hoping to make gains. Mopar teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. wasn’t too far behind with a third place qualifying pass by posting a 4.079 sec (308.57 mph) run.

If there is one driver that looks forward to coming to zMAX Dragway, it is likely Mopar Express Lane pilot Matt Hagan, not just because he considers this his home race as he hails from just down the road in Christiansburg, Va., but because he has had some memorable runs here as well. Hagan has won twice at this dragstrip, finished runner-up once, earned a No. 1 qualifier position and posted a 3.995-second pass to set the first run in NHRA history under four seconds.

Last year he drove his Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T to the Four-Wide Nationals title win; a victory that put him on track for a run at the 2013 NHRA Championship crown for which he finished runner-up with a class-best five victories. That victory also brought to an end a winless streak that had followed his national title and NHRA World Championship at the 2011 season finale.

This season, Hagan is hoping an exciting Four-Wide battle will kick start things once more, after starting off with a runner-up finish, but not having seen any action past the first round in the last three events. After two qualifying runs, he sits seventh with a 4.088-second (310.91 mph) run.

Another past Mopar winner at the world’s only four-lane drag strip is DSR’s Jack Beckman, who’s best run in Friday qualifying with an e.t. of 4.119 (303.84 mph) put him tenth, but loves the challenge the Four-Wide Nationals present and the opportunity to snap his 31-race winless streak.

“I like it. I liked it before I won it,” said Beckman who earned the Wally trophy in 2011. “It’s something completely different for the fans. You get the same cars but racing in a different format. When friends and fans tell me they want to go to a different race I always tell them go to the Four-Wide because it’s at a world-class track and an event you’ll never see anywhere else.”

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Summit Racing Drivers in the Top Half on Day One at Four-Wide

Summit Racing Drivers in the Top Half on Day One at Four-Wide
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 11, 2014 – The unusual format of this weekend’s NHRA event at zMAX Dragway didn’t seem to faze Summit Racing Pro Stock drivers Jason Line and Jimmy Alund. After two rounds of qualifying for the 5th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, both Line and Alund were situated in the top half of the field and are eager for two more sessions and the possibility to improve on day two.
 
The once yearly four-wide event takes place on a four-lane dragstrip, with four drivers at a time racing for qualifying position in each of four sessions – two on Friday and two on Saturday. Final eliminations, scheduled for Sunday, will feature a trio of four-car rounds. In rounds one and two, the first two cars to cross the finish line will advance. The final four-car standoff will result in one winner and one runner-up, and the last two cars to cross the finish line will technically post semifinals finishes.
 
Line took to the No. 3 lane in the first qualifying session and was third-quickest in his quad, clocking a 6.565, 212.03 mph. Alund was also in lane No. 3 in his first go-round and was second-quickest with a 6.555, 212.39. Alund was No. 7 heading into the second qualifying round and Line was just behind in the No. 8 spot.
 
Both drivers showed improvement in the later second session, with Line recording a 6.542, 212.73 and moving into the No. 6 position while Alund, who ended the day holding at No. 8, crossed the final stripe with a 6.550, 211.96.
 
Qualifying for the four-wide spectacular at esteemed zMAX Dragway will continue on Saturday, with sessions scheduled at 1:15 and 4:15pm.
 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Darlington–Qualifying

KEVIN HARVICK’S CHEVROLET SS WILL LEAD THE FIELD TO GREEN AT DARLINGTON
HARVICK EARNS HIS FIRST CAREER POLE AWARD AT ‘THE LADY IN BLACK’
 
DARLINGTON, SC – For the second consecutive week a Chevrolet SS driver will lead the field down to the green flag for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.  Kevin Harvick put his No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS on the pole for Saturday night’s Bojangles Southern 500 NASCAR Sprint at Darlington Raceway.  He circled the 1.33-mile track with a fast lap of 26.802 seconds, 183.479 mph. It marked Harvick’s first pole at the track dubbed ‘Too Tough to Tame’ and seventh career pole in the sport.
 
The afternoon session at Darlington followed the new 2014 knockout qualifying format for intermediate sized tracks, which consisted of one 25-minute session, one 10-minute session, and a final five-minute session for the fastest 12 cars.  Five Chevrolet SS drivers earned spots in the top 12 starting positions for the 367-lap race.
 
“I was on the bottom all day in practice and Rodney (Childers, crew chief) felt like in order to get the pole you were going to need to run the top after we ran our first run, Harvick said following the qualifying session.  “That is the driver in him that is why he is good to have sitting there watching because he knows what is going on and he can relay.  Also having Tim Fedewa up on top as former drivers knowing what is going on to relay what you need to do.  We moved up and picked up in the second one felt like I didn’t roll through there fast enough and in the last one felt like I rolled through there pretty good.  It all worked out.  Knockout qualifying paid off for us today.  We were able to save the best for last.”
 
Jamie McMurray drove his No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS into the sixth qualifying position.  Ryan Newman who was fastest in the final practice session will start the Bojangles Southern 500 from the seventh starting position in the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS.  Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet SS, a seven-time winner at ‘The Lady in Black’ qualified in the ninth position rounding out the Chevrolet power in the top-10.
 
Joey Logano (Ford) qualified 2nd, Aric Almirola (Ford) qualified 3rd, Marcos Ambrose (Ford) qualified 4th, and Brad Keselowski (Ford) qualified 5th to round out the top five starting spots.
 
Saturday night’s race will air on FOX beginning at 6:30 pm ET. The Bojangles Southern 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race will be 367 laps making up 501.3 miles.
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
 
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO WIN HERE AT DARLINGTON?
“This is one of those I guess what we would refer to as a crown jewel race.  The one that is not sitting in our trophy case, so not only that but it’s just Darlington and this is what NASCAR racing is all about.  To win here would mean a lot.  Hopefully we can keep it together for 500 miles.  I believe we have a really fast car and everything has gone well all weekend.”
 
DOES THIS QUALIFYING FORMAT WILL THAT LEAD TO MORE POLES FOR YOU THAN THE OLD FORMAT WOULD HAVE?
“I think we just have faster cars to drive in qualifying.  They do a good job of detailing out the race cars. Our cars always have speed and the first four weeks we didn’t do a very good job on Friday and I think over the last four weeks we have done a lot better job.  I think you just have faster race cars on qualifying day.”
 
YOU’VE HAD A LOT OF CRAZY THINGS HAPPEN TO YOUR CAR ON RACE DAYS ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT IT?  ARE YOU FRUSTRATED? WHAT IS YOUR MINDSET?
“The cars are running really good.  The guys are doing what they are supposed to do.  We have been fast every week.  You just have to battle through it.  There is nothing that you can change about it.  I think if we were in the previous points format you would probably be in a whole lot worse mood about it.  But since we have already won and obviously we feel like we have given away some wins with the failures, but you just keep going about your business.  I think today is good medicine for everybody and proof that everybody just works week to week on what they need to work on and last week is over.”
 
FOR THAT GOOD LAP DID YOU CHANGE YOUR LINE THROUGH TURNS THREE AND FOUR? HOW MUCH CAN YOU CHANGE YOUR LINE?
“I was on the bottom all day in practice and Rodney (Childers, crew chief) felt like in order to get the pole you were going to need to run the top after we ran our first run.  That is the driver in him that is why he is good to have sitting there watching because he knows what is going on and he can relay.  Also having Tim Fedewa up on top as former drivers knowing what is going on to relay what you need to do.  We moved up and picked up in the second one felt like I didn’t roll through there fast enough and in the last one felt like I rolled through there pretty good.  It all worked out.  Knockout qualifying paid off for us today.  We were able to save the best for last.”

John Force Racing

John Force Racing–HIGHT AND B. FORCE START STRONG AT FOUR-WIDE

HIGHT AND B. FORCE START STRONG AT FOUR-WIDE

CHARLOTTE, NC – The Auto Club Ford Mustang and driver Robert Hight started the 5th annual Four-Wide Nationals with two strong runs and a provisional No. 2 qualifying spot at zMAX Dragway on Friday. Hight picked up four qualifying bonus points posting the two second quickest runs of each session and establishing a comfort level going into Saturday’s final day of qualifying.

“When (crew chief Mike) Neff starts out good like he did today he is pretty steady and pretty tough. I like our chances this weekend,” said Hight.

“It is double the cars but it is not that big of a deal. I just try and get in there and get ready. The biggest thing is you don’t want to pay attention to all the other cars. You don’t want to think (Alexis) DeJoria is in lane three and John (Force) is in lane two and someone else is in lane one. It doesn’t matter who is over there. You can’t go until we are all in and ready to go. I just watch and when the last person lights the light you go on yellow. I try and make it as simple as possible,” said Hight, the current Funny Car Mello Yello points leader

“I like (Four-Wide) because in all honesty you get two second chances on Sunday. All you have do is be the second quickest car in the first and second round and obviously you want to be the quickest. If you are the second quickest you get to move on. There are only three rounds. This is a great race to capitalize and gain some points. We got four bonus points today.”

Courtney Force ended the first day of qualifying today with a strong 4.086 second run to put her in the top half of the field. The 25-year-old has competed at zMAX Dragway under the Four-Wide set-up twice before and she has qualified No. 12 both times.

In the first qualifying session, Force smoked the tires early in her run and posted a 5.996 ET.

“It’s the only place on earth you can get this kind of racing. It’s exciting but it’s very chaotic up there. I was nervous going out for my first pass. We struggled a little bit. We had some tire shake and coasted down the race track,” said Force.

Force came back with a 4.086 ET at 314.75 mph in the second round and went to the top half of the field. She was one of four cars to run a 4.08 second run in the second session. Her second session run also currently stands as the top mph for the Funny Car field at 314.75 mph.

“On the second pass today, we were able to go up and improve in lane two. We ran a 4.08 to get into the top half of the field. I’m really proud of my Traxxas Ford Mustang team. They’ve busted their butts this weekend. I know it’s a little more chaotic than a regular race weekend. I’m always proud when we can get the car down the race track with a good pass like that on the first day of qualifying.

“As a driver, it is more confusing. When you’re in lanes three and four you have to look over at the tree to find your bulb and you really have to be on your A-game. I think it’s a lot of fun for the fans to watch, especially with 40,000 horsepower going down the track all at once. We’re excited and we’re going to be ready to see what we can run tomorrow,” said Force.

John Force and his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang struggled today during qualifying. After two sessions, the 16-time Funny Car champ could only manage a 4.441 elapsed time at 204.08 MPH and is currently in the 15th spot.

“This Four-Wide is a whole different ballgame. It’s good for a TV package as you can get more in less time for a show and the fans are loving it because it’s 40,000 horsepower of nitro and smoke in the stands and they can’t breathe up there, it’s spectacular,” said John Force.

During the first run today, John Force’s Castrol High Mileage Mustang didn’t run too strong and clicked off a 4.441. On the second qualifying run, John Forces smoked the massive Goodyear slicks tires before half-track, and therefore had to shut down his 8000-horsepower Funny Car to avoid getting sideways and contacting the retaining wall.

The NHRA Four-Wide is also playing hardball with the chiefs as once again, it is proving to be very challenging, and regardless how many times they’ve raced in this format and collected data from the prior events.

“For the crew chiefs, they got to fight it. If you’re the fourth pair in a 16 car show, the crew guys have to make decisions on the spot. Once they fire that first car, it’s only a few minutes and you’re up there. Then there are the lanes when running here. You don’t go to the lane you ran on the last run. You go to a completely different one and you’re end up staying lost all the time. Over the course of two days, you do end up running four lanes so it’s a job for them,” said John Force.

As a driver, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals is less than routine and can even put their senses on massive overload. With so much going on, even a seasoned veteran like John Force finds it challenging.

“For the driver, it’s more bulbs than anyone has ever seen and it is mind boggling. You try to focus and if somebody breaks, the starter comes running over but what is he telling you? A single in lane two, three, four? It’s mass confusion but that’s what makes it exciting as I have more fire in me at the four wide and with the investment Bruton Smith has made, he deserves it,” said John Force.

While other racers struggled, Brittany Force showed the competition that she and her crew have figured out the tricky NHRA Four-Wide Nationals by qualifying her Castrol EDGE Dragster in the fourth spot with a strong 3.8000 elapsed time at over 325 mph. Along with being solidly in the top-half of the field, Brittany was also rewarded with a NHRA Mello Yello bonus point for her efforts.

“I am excited to be in Charlotte for the Four Wide. It is always a great show for the fans. You get to see four races cars at once go down the track and that is always exciting. It was louder than I remembered from last year,” said Brittany Force

Brittany’s first pass of the day was a tire smoking 5.610 elapsed time that didn’t sit too well with her and the team. Not to be discouraged, crew chief Todd Smith and Dean “Guido” Antonelli rallied the troops to came back and blister the pavement at zMAX Dragway with a 3.800 run on the second session.

“The first run we went out and smoked the tires so we didn’t put up a good number. We definitely made up for it in the second session. I ran a 3.80 and we would up No. 4. I am very happy and proud of my Castrol EDGE team,” said Brittany Force.

 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Darlington–Kyle Larson

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
BOJANGLES SOUTHERN 500
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
APRIL 11, 2014
 
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Darlington Raceway and discussed his progress so far in his rookie season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and many other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
YOU HAVE A NEW SPONSOR ON THE QUARTER PANEL THIS WEEKEND TALK ABOUT THAT AND THEN TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES THAT DARLINGTON BRINGS PARTICULARLY FOR A YOUNG DRIVER LIKE YOURSELF:
“It’s nice to have one of Target’s partner’s on the quarter panel this week.  P3 by Kraft it’s this little snack with meat, cheese and nuts.  It’s nice to get a little snack in during this long day today that we are having.
 
“As far as Darlington goes definitely the toughest track we go to I think.  Both ends are so different, (turns) 1 and 2 is a lot faster corner and then the exit slows up a lot.  I drilled the wall off Turn 2 earlier today, as well as a couple of people did.  We had to get a back-up car out.  I’m proud of my Target guys for working really quick to get us back out there in first practice and preparing a really good back-up car.  We fired off and were just a little bit slower than our primary, but they worked on it some and felt like we were really good in second practice.  We made a couple of long runs then our mock (qualifying) runs were decent.  I need to get better to just get around the track faster.  I feel like the car handles okay.  I just have to figure out some things.  It’s a little bumpy off (turn) 2 so that is what’s tricky and then loose off (turn) 4.  So I guess it’s just that both ends are way different so just got to figure it out.”
 
HOW MUCH OF THIS TRACK IS ABOUT JUST FEEL THAT THE DRIVER GETS WHEN HE IS IN THE CAR AND IS THIS TRACK PROBABLY AS CLOSE TO WHERE YOU REALLY OPERATE ON THE EDGE COMPARED TO ANY OTHER PLACE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN?
“It’s definitely on edge.  I would say more than the rest of the tracks we run on.  Just because you run lap one on the wall and at some point you are going to get into it.  Each lap, at least in the Cup car, I feel like I’m going to hit it.  It’s just like I said (turns) 1 and 2 is just really fast and 3 and 4 is a little bit more of a normal corner, but you feel like you are going to get into the wall in the center of the corner.  Just a tricky track and each lap you run your tires get a little worse.  The car handles differently and it gets a little frustrating, but it was good in final practice to figure out some things that helped my car turn better off of (turn) 2, because that is where I’ve been struggling mostly.”
 
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE NOTION OF HAVING SOMEONE WHO IS EVEN YOUNGER THAN YOU BE SUCCESSFUL IN CHASE ELLIOTT?  DO YOU FORESEE A KYLE LARSON AND CHASE ELLIOTT RIVALRY THAT COULD LAST MANY YEARS?
“Yeah, I guess.  I don’t even call me and Kyle (Busch) a rivalry we are just racing each other each week and want to beat each other.  It’s not like a bad rivalry or anything like that.  I mean Chase (Elliott) does an amazing job in a race car.  He has been quick every race so far this season.  He seems like he gets better and better each week.  He is going to win a couple of more times this year and hopefully with us both being young we are going to be racing and battling each other for the rest of our careers.  Hopefully we will be doing it up front in the Cup series.  He is with a great organization over there with Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports.  I’ve got good stuff over at Chip Ganassi Racing too so hopefully we will be duking it out for a long time.”
 
YOU LIKE THE HIGH SIDE IT SEEMS TO BE KIND OF AN INSTINCT FROM YOUR SPRINT CAR DAYS WITH THE CUSHION AND THAT SORT OF THING.  DOES DARLINGTON SPECIFICALLY GIVE YOU A PAUSE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF HAS BEEN YOUR NORMAL STYLE OF RUNNING UP HIGH?
“I definitely think more about it here just because you are carrying so much speed up to the wall.  Most of the other tracks the entry is pretty wide and you can ease your way up to the wall, where here you are hauling butt up to the wall.  The wall here is not very smooth either.  It comes out and does all sorts of different things. It will reach up and grab you quick and really can tear up your car if you get into it. Where other tracks I feel like you can nudge it and it is okay.  I think maybe in the Nationwide car you can do that here, but in the Cup car I feel like it’s going to tear up your right-front if you do that.  It’s a long race and my goal is definitely to try to stay out of the wall as long as possible.  I know I will probably get into it at some point, but hopefully it’s in the later part of the race.”
 
AFTER SEVEN RACES IF YOU COULD JUST ASSESS YOUR SEASON WITH THE TEAM, YOUR CONFIDENCE, WHAT THE TEAM IS DOING GOOD, BAD AND THINGS LIKE THAT?
“We have been good every week.  Every week I feel like we have had great speed.  Our car has been in the top 10 I feel like most races.  Martinsville was probably our worst one and that’s a lot of it to do with me.  I think we have been doing a great job.  The first couple of races we made some mistakes, but now it seems like we have kind of got some momentum and figuring things out and the races have been going smoother for us.  We have been getting solid finishes so just have to keep that little streak going and just be consistent.  So far there have been a lot of winners so you have to put yourself in position for later in the season if the 16 fill up and you don’t have a win.  I feel like we should get a win here shortly.”
 
HOW CLOSELY DO YOU PAY ATTENTION TO THE ROOKIE STANDINGS?
“My goal was always to win the Rookie-of-the-Year so it hasn’t changed yet.  We have put ourselves in position to win that so far.  I pay attention to the rookie points and right now we are leading it.  I definitely pay attention to where Austin (Dillon) is at as well as Justin Allgaier and the other rookies just because I want to win that bad, so just working hard to do that.  Austin is really good at finishing races and being consistent in getting his car better throughout each run so it makes me work hard to do that also.”
 
WILL COMPETING IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES RACE TONIGHT HELP YOU FOR THE CUP RACE TOMORROW NIGHT?
“I definitely think the Nationwide race will help me more tonight than it has at the other races just because this track is so difficult.  You drive the track pretty similar in both Nationwide and Cup so I think however many laps the race is tonight should help me and help me figure out some different lines and stuff.  The track is going to have a lot of rubber on it by the time we get out for the Nationwide race.  It’s going to get trickier and trickier, so I think it’s going to help me a lot tonight.”
 
TALK ABOUT THE SUCCESS THIS YEAR YOUR TEAM HAS REALLY BEEN DOING WELL. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR?
“I just think it’s a combination of a lot of things.  I think everybody at Target Chip Ganassi Racing has built great cars for myself and Jamie (McMurray).  Jamie has a new crew chief, I’m new there in the No. 42 car and I just think the chemistry over there is really good right now.  Jamie and I work really well together.  We can talk to each other very easily.  We have been talking a lot this week just because it is a difficult track.  The crew chiefs and engineers work really hard to make our cars better.  I just think everybody is getting along really well and gelling and that pays off.”
 
HOW TOUGH IS THIS TRACK COMPARED TO OTHER TRACKS ON THE CIRCUIT?
“It’s the toughest track we go to I think.  There are other really
tough tracks, but this one is tough in its own way.  The wall reaches out and grabs you really quick here.  We got into the wall pretty hard off (Turn) 2 and decided to get the back-up out.  They said they probably could have fixed that one, but it wouldn’t have been right for the second practice and stuff.  We decided to get the back-up out.  They said it was just as good as our primary so I had the same amount of confidence after I wrecked in first practice to when I got in the back-up car.  Just hats off to my guys for working quick to get me back out there to get me as many laps as I could.”
 

World of Outlaws

World of Outlaws–American Racing Custom Wheels to Sponsor World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Texas Outlaw Nationals on April 18-19 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway

American Racing Custom Wheels to Sponsor World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Texas Outlaw Nationals on April 18-19 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway
CONCORD, N.C. – April 11, 2014 – The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series has its roots in Devil’s Bowl Speedway, site of its inaugural event in 1978. Today, American Racing Custom Wheels announced it will play a major role in the Outlaws’ return to the unique half-mile dirt oval on April 18-19 in Mesquite, Texas, as a sponsor of the Texas Outlaws Nationals presented by American Racing Custom Wheels.

The two-day event at Devil’s Bowl, where the series last raced in 2003, features a reunion of ‘Original Outlaws’ that helped to launch the series 37 years ago. Two of those drivers, Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell, became racing legends and are still competing today for the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship. Like those drivers, American Racing Custom Wheels has been an iconic brand among car aficionados around the world for decades so bringing the two together at Devil’s Bowl Speedway is a perfect fit.

“We are obviously very involved with the World of Outlaws, and when the opportunity to be directly involved with the Texas Outlaw Nationals was presented we knew our historic wheel brand would be the perfect partner to a storied group of racers and their reunion,” said Dan Ricehouse of American Racing Custom Wheels. “We are looking forward to being part of such a big weekend.”

American Racing Custom Wheels is an official sponsor of the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, but this will mark the first time they have put their name on an Outlaw event.

“There will be so much history at Devil’s Bowl it’s only natural a company like American Racing Custom Wheels is part of it,” said World of Outlaws CMO Ben Geisler. “The Texas Outlaw Nationals presented by American Racing Custom Wheels will certainly be a ‘can’t miss’ event for fans because we’ve already seen how the racers that make up the foundation of the sport are embracing it. We are definitely looking forward to seeing so much history on display.”

About American Racing

American Racing is an iconic brand and a wheel industry leader in craftsmanship, engineering, innovation and performance. Founded in 1956 as a manufacturer of bespoke magnesium and aluminum racing wheels, its roots date back to the golden era of hot rodding. American Racing is a Wheel Pros brand. Wheel Pros products are sold worldwide in more than 20 countries on four continents and through a U.S. network of more than 25,000 authorized dealers. It is one of the world’s largest suppliers of branded custom wheels, performance tires and related accessories for cars, SUVs and light trucks.

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Darlington–Practice

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CHEVROLET SS – HIT THE WALL DURING THE FIRST PRACTICE SESSION AND EARNED HIS FIRST NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES DARLINGTON STRIPE:
“Well, Kyle (Larson) came over and asked, ‘where did you hit’? I said off Turn 2. He said, me too.  I said did you try you try to come off the wall and make it turn? He said exact same thing. So we are just learning, I guess. You get really tight. I felt good into (Turn) 1, and then through the middle, I get tight late around the corner, it just carries speed. Just hit the wall, but I learned a lot right there. Hopefully it doesn’t happen again. 

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – HIT THE WALL DURING THE FIRST PRACTICE SESSION, WILL GO TO A BACK-UP CAR
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GO TO A BACK-UP:
“Yeah I mean we (Austin Dillon) were talking and it sounded like the exact same thing that we were describing.  Difference is I have to get a back-up out.  Our back-up they said is just as good as our primary so we had a really good run before we I hit the wall.  Just learning, I’m mostly ever in the wall in (Turns) 3 and 4 and never hit off (Turn) 2.  I killed the wall in (Turn) 2.  We will get back out here soon and I’m sure be fine.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Darlington–Jimmie Johnson

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
BOJANGLES SOUTHERN 500
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
APRIL 11, 2014
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed the disappointment of having fast cars and yet not winning this season, what he likes about Darlington, qualifying, the toughest days inside the race car in his career, and more. Full Transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT COMING TO DARLINGTON. CERTAINLY YOU’RE ON THE VERGE OF GETTING YOUR FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON. TALK ABOUT YOUR CHANCES HERE TOMORROW NIGHT
“I’m excited to be back at the race track, a track that is a favorite of so many; including myself. The sensation of speed here is higher than any other track we go to. And the line and racing surface is so narrow and unique and challenging, that it really is an accomplishment to run 500 miles here; to be successful and qualify well and have a good race, and then ultimately to win. So, I’m very excited to be back and I’m looking forward to a good race.
 
“We’ve had a lot of speed in our cars. And I feel terrible that honestly, the last three weeks we’ve had a race-winning car and just haven’t been able to take advantage of it. Las week our race was cut awfully short; just three or four laps before we had all the damage fro Junior’s trip through the grass, and didn’t have a chance to let our car shine there in Texas. I think we were really, really in a great position to compete for a win, but that stuff happens. We’re looking forward and are focused on this weekend’s race and can hopefully get a ‘W’.”
 
ABOUT THE LAST THREE WEEKS, WHEN YOU DOMINATE THE RACE, LOSE CAR AT THE END AND THEN LAST WEEK, WHAM, EARLY. IS THERE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ‘OUCH’ THAT BITES YOU? DOES THAT THROW A GLITCH IN THINGS AT TIMES?
“There’s definitely an ‘ouch’, but it’s more from a position where we hate to see opportunities slip away. It doesn’t hurt our confidence. For us, and I think most teams, when you’re that close and have a shot to win, and know that you have fast race cars and you don’t pull into Victory Lane, it’s a confidence booster. The end result isn’t what you want or what you like, but you know your cars are fast and your pit stops are good. You have all the pieces there and it’s just about running the distance of the race and getting the job done.
 
“So, I’ve been through various challenges in my Cup career and one marker I always look for is clearly fast cars and ultimately top 5 finishes. And I firmly believe that if you’re running in the top 5, you’re going to have your shots at winning races. And even a step further, top 3’s. But our goal, since I’ve started, has been if we can run in the top 5 all day long, we’ll have a shot to win the race. And it’s led to a lot of victories for us.”
 
PENSKE, IN EFFECT, HAS BOTH OF HIS CARS IN THE CHASE AND CAN EXPERIMENT MORE AND TARGET CHASE TRACKS WITH TESTS. HOW MUCH OF AN ADVANTAGE IS THAT? DOES THAT PUT THE REST OF YOU AT SOMEWHAT OF A DISADVANTAGE?
“My first response is that it doesn’t put us at a disadvantage. The game has changed some and I think most of it falls on the fact that you have to test as an organization where you go. We’re confident we’re going to have a car, if not all four cars, in the Chase. And all of our planning has been focused around Chase tracks for testing. So, if we do get deep into the regular season and need to use a test at Richmond or a test at a non-Chase track, at that point yeah, absolutely. It benefits a Penske where they’re already locked-in. But now, in the way we’ve been planning things, we’ve been focused on all our cars being in the Chase and heading that direction. But you know, in time it could change and we might have to call an audible late in the post-season and show a little help to one or more of our race cars.”
 
WE ARE COMING UP ON THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF LOSING ARYTON SENNA. YOU ARE A BIG FORMULA 1 FAN. DO YOU REMEMBER IF HE HAD ANY IMPACT ON YOUR EARLY YEARS AS A DRIVER? IS HE SOMEBODY YOU LOOKED UP TO BACK WHEN HE WAS A CHAMPION?
“The media back in that period of time was so different than today. A few magazines I’d pick-up, I could learn about him; an occasional Formula 1 race on TV, but it was pretty far and few between. I knew the name. I knew the legacy. I feel like I’ve been able to learn more about Senna through Max Papis, to be honest with you, and some of the open wheel guys that I’m friends with that looked up to him and he actually mentored along the way. Max is probably the biggest one to that effect.
 
“So, his legacy still lives on and it’s a beautiful thing to see the respect that he has worldwide. It doesn’t matter the discipline of motorsports, people still respect his abilities today and it’s an amazing thing. And truthfully the documentary kind of opened-up everyone’s minds, as to what he was as a man, in and out of the car. And still, I can’t believe the footage they got and the story they were able to tell through that documentary. I wish I’d had a chance to meet him, and certainly wish I had the chance to race against him. I know a lot of drivers who wish they could have had that opportunity.”
 
ON DEALING WITH THE FRUSTRATION OF HAVING FAST CARS AND NOT WINNING, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU LEARNED EARLIER LEADING INTO THE CHAMPIONSHIPS OR ARE YOU HAVING TO DEAL WITH IT NOW?
“It’s something that you learn. I’d say that maybe the first couple of races there was a bit more frustration because our cars didn’t have the speed that they needed to, and those were things that we could control. So, practice sessions at Phoenix and Las Vegas, that’s where we felt like we were off and missing something.
 
“But we’re giving 100 percent and that’s really all you can do. We’ve learned through experience to identify with that. You can only work so many hours in the day and then in the week, and only give 100 percent. Anything more is only going to be detrimental to the team and not help things progress. So, I feel like post-Bristol, moving forward, we’ve had speed in our race cars. We’ve been competitive and have had looks at wins. And things have happened. And that happens in motorsports. So, we hate that it (wining) hasn’t happened. We hate opportunities slipping away, but when you’re giving 100 percent and you have fast race cars, you’re controlling most of your variables and we feel good about that know that once we get things rolling we’ll be in great shape.”
 
LAST WEEK CHAD KNAUS (CREW CHIEF) SAID YOU NEED TO BE BETTER ON FRIDAYS.  WHAT WAS THE CASE OR WAS THAT JUST AN ISOLATED INCIDENCE OF NOT QUALIFYING AS WELL AT TEXAS?  AND ALSO, CONSIDERING YOUR RACE AT TEXAS, WHAT IS YOUR TOUGHEST DAY IN THE CAR AT A RACE?
“Man, I can think of a lot of Nationwide days that are tough.  Cup-wise I think I would go to Las Vegas maybe in ’05, can’t really remember the year, but I think we were like three laps down and had a perfectly straight race car and didn’t hit a thing.  I was loose in the front straightway in that little bend in the road.  That was my toughest day in Cup for sure.  It’s kind of hard to tighten a car up on the straightaway.  It was a very challenging day.”
 
“Fridays are a big focus for us and I don’t think going fast for a lap is the 48’s specialty.  It could just fall in my lap, team, setups, whatever it is; it’s just kind of the team’s history here at the 48.  It’s something that we have worked hard to improve.  If we had started on the front row, we wouldn’t have been in harm’s way and we have seen that a few times.  I think it was Texas in ’09 or something where Sam (Hornish) spun and we got caught up in that.  There are some rare situations where there is a problem early and if we had qualified a few spots better, then we would have been ahead of it.   That is what Chad
was referencing.”
 
WAS YOUR CAR DAMAGED SO MUCH ON MONDAY THAT THE ENTIRE DAY WAS A WASTE AS FAR AS NOT EVEN LEARNING ANYTHING ON THE NEW AERO RULES, OR MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO SEE WHAT THEY DO?
“Yeah, we had some pretty good damage to the car.  I think they did a very nice job of fixing it and I still think I could have run in the top-five based on the lap times that I heard through the course of the day. The damage was one thing, and our guys did a nice job of keeping me on the lead lap but then something fell off my car, or I ran something over on the track that shredded that right rear tire.  But as I went into turn one I ran something over, something big. I knew I was going to have an issue and sure enough, I had a flat.  That flat is what really put us down.  So it was kind of a wash, especially with the aero damage to the race car and knowing how adjustments would work.”
 
ARE YOU SEEING ANYTHING DIFFERENT OUT OF JEFF GORDON TODAY, OTHER THAN SOME OTHER YEARS YOU HAVE RACED AGAINST HIM?
“Jeff is so rock solid.  During the week, out of the car, our team meetings or debriefs, he just knows what he is looking for out of his race car.  There have been times where the collective group on the No. 24 have been able to give him what he needs and he is off and you can’t catch him.  He is off and gone and you are behind him chasing him down. Then there are other weeks where it doesn’t pan out and you are wondering why the 24 isn’t up front just because he has set such a high bar through the years with all the success he has had.  I have always admired his ability outside the car to continue to lead his team, to continue to search for the feeling.  It helps me because we run through stretches where we don’t have speed in the car and I look around at my peers, and Jeff being one of them, and watch how he handles those situations.  He has confidence in his abilities and his feel of a race car and keeps challenging the guys to find that. I am very happy for the success the 24 has had this year and know that they are going to be strong all year long.”
 
NEXT WEEKEND IS AN OFF WEEKEND.  HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT WEEKEND AND WHAT KIND OF PLANS DO YOU HAVE?
“It’s very important to have off.  I am not sure what our plans are with the tragedy we had last week and we are just not in the mood to really go anywhere so we may have a stay-cation at home and enjoy just being at home which is going to be a vacation all on its own.  But it’s great for the teams.  The drivers have one aspect and we would like some down time, but for the crew members, they have been going hard since Christmas break.  Especially since after the New Year and trying to narrow in on our rules package; through testing, through Speedweeks and to here.  So it’s a much needed break for the crew members.

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Darlington–Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
BOJANGLES SOUTHERN 500
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
APRIL 11, 2014
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Darlington Raceway and discussed last week’s accident at Texas, JR Motorsports victory at Texas with driver Chase Elliott and many other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RACING HERE AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY:
“It’s been around a long time.  One of the toughest race tracks physically that we race on, tough track mentally. 500 miles here is a really long race because the track is quite a big race track and the pace slows down. You are working so hard in the corner so just one lap around here is a lot of work.  To have to run 500 miles it’s a pretty tough test of man and machine.  This track is starting to grey up pretty good so I’m looking forward to getting out there in practice and seeing what we’ve got.”
 
HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO WATCH JEFFERY EARNHARDT RACE AND SEE HOW HE IS DOING?
“I watch him every week during the Nationwide races.  I think he’s done a couple of good things with that team.  Had a great qualifying effort at Bristol and got spun out the first lap of the race.  He has had some other good situations that I’ve seen where he’s had some speed in practice or in qualifying and in particularly in the race he has done well on a few occasions.  We keep an eye on him.  Him and I are close he lives real close to me.  He’s supposed to come over to the house Sunday to hang out a little bit.  I mean we stay pretty tight.”
 
COULD YOU ELABORATE ON CHASE ELLIOTT AS YOU SAID ‘BEING BETTER THAN HE KNOWS HE IS’ AND BILL’S (ELLIOTT) INFLUENCE ON CHASE?
“What I meant about Bill (Elliott) is just Bill’s demeanor his calm demeanor.  He is not excitable and I think that helps Chase a lot.  I think that has molded Chase into the person that he is.  As Chase has grown up I think he has taken a lot of his father’s mental makeup and intuition and certain personality traits that have been a big help to Bill in his racing career.  Just basically how calm Bill is and how much of a student to racing Bill was. I think that Chase really is very similar.  He has just got a lot of talent.  I think every once in a while there are some guys that come in here that they don’t know how good they are.  They haven’t competed against this type of competition before and drove cars this well prepared before.  Or been in a series of this nature, so they don’t really know how much they stack up against the competition.  But as an outsider looking in you can see certain guys have more than others.  Chase is really ahead of the game right now.  He should continue to progress and continue to learn and hopefully be real quick in the next 24 months he is going to turn into something pretty awesome that will be a force in the sport for a while.  I’m excited about it just to have a guy like that come in with that pedigree.  He has got real potential to be a force for a long time so it will be exciting.”
 
WAS JAMES FINCH THE PRIMARY GUY WHO CONNECTED YOU, RICK (HENDRICK) AND CHASE (ELLIOTT)?  HOW DID YOU AND RICK FIND OUT ABOUT CHASE?
“I can’t speak for Rick (Hendrick) on the deal.  If I had to guess I would say that (James) Finch had some great words to say and influenced some of Rick’s opinions.  But I just kept hearing him winning races and beating good competition; winning races against guys that were surprising.  He was doing some good work in the late models, super late models and he was handling himself in a real professional manner.  As important as it is that he is successful on the track, it’s also equally and maybe more so important that he is a level head off the track.  That makes it so much easier to deal with him, to want to work with him, to want to help him and to market him.”
 
HOW DID YOU GET OVER LAST WEEK?  HOW MUCH TIME DID YOU SPEND THIS WEEK BEATING YOURSELF UP OVER IT?  HOW WAS THE REACTION ON TWITTER COMPARED TO WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE?
“I guess Twitter can be a help in a situation like that.  I mean my fans certainly have a back and tell you to brush it off, don’t worry about it.  I’m sure there are some people on there saying the opposite, but I didn’t see many of those or any of those.  There is a positive and a negative to everything.  I didn’t really spend a lot of time on Twitter this week because we were working at Michigan.  We had some things to do Thursday.  Twitter is a bit of a playground and I don’t want to horse around if we are not doing good.  I don’t want to be on there goofing off and making light of the situation because it was a frustrating mistake.  It was something I don’t take very lightly.  Just being able to get back in the car and test at Michigan was a big help for me to get past it and to get focused on the next race. This is a tough event at Darlington.  We’ve got some decent runs here but we haven’t really come here and had a race that we thought we lost.  This is going to be a tough place to come rebound, but we are going to give it our best.  I’m just glad to be back at the track.  Go ahead and get a race or two in the bank and put it behind us.”
 
THE SPEEDS YOU GUYS WERE TURNING AT MICHIGAN THIS WEEK HOW REALISTIC THAT WE MIGHT SEE THOSE DURING THE RACE WEEKEND UP THERE?
“The track should slow down as it rubbers up, tightens up, get slicker.  The seams will get slicker.  So I don’t think we will see those kinds of speeds.  That is basically what we saw in practice there last time.  We may see those speeds in practice, but I doubt we will see those in the race.  The race will slow down quite a bit or enough.  I think we learned some things.  I was really happy to have an opportunity to test with Goodyear and get an opportunity to get on the race track and learn.  We did go through a lot of different tires and a lot of different constructions.  The dual zone tire we tried a couple of different ones.  We went through – they had about eight different sets of tires that they wanted to learn something’s about, some for Michigan, some for Kansas and other places. It was a productive test and even though we were cut short on the first day we were able to get a lot of information for Goodyear that I hope is going to be helpful to them.  So it was good to be a part of that.  I really enjoyed it.  I love turning laps at Michigan.  It’s a superfast race track.  We weren’t able to really work on the set-ups of the cars that much at a tire test, but I like the speed that our car had compared to the guys I saw there.”   
 
JR MOTORSPORTS HAS HAD A GREAT START THIS YEAR AND YOU GUYS PICKED UP A BIG WIN LAST WEEK AT TEXAS WITH CHASE BEHIND THE WHEEL.  TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS:
“We feel real fortunate to have Chase (Elliott) in the program.  He was going to go somewhere and be successful and we were lucky to be able to work with him.  Feel fortunate to have him and be able to work with Bill (Elliott).  Bill has been a lot of fun to work with.  Having him spot for me a couple of times has been a blast.  That is like an added perk to the whole deal.  Chase has been a real pleasure.  He has done a great job.  He did an awesome job in Texas getting the car to Victory Lane.  That team is poised for success and I feel like they have a great opportunity to continue that and continue winning races.  It’s just a very exciting time for us, for NAPA and we have just got to sit here and wait and keep working hard and watch it play out.  It’s going to be a long season and there is going to be some up’s and down’s, a
lot of things to learn.  It’s not all going to be roses, but it’s definitely pointed in the right direction and we just want to give Chase a great opportunity to progress and learn as well as he can in the cars we have.”

Ross Hoek Motorsports

Hoek Welcomes Nitto Tire and Trailready with Solid Start at Primm Valley

The start of the 2014 TORC Series presented by AMSOIL saw Ross Hoek Motorsports take his PRO-4×4 race program to the next level. The team welcomed Nitto Tire and TrailReady Beadlock Wheels as team partners as Ross Hoek nearly finished on the podium in the opening round of the season. The solid weekend performance definitely caught the attention of the fans and competitors of the short-course off-road racing world.

Ross Hoek Motorsports traveled across the country to the opening weekend of the TORC Series early enough to take advantage of the two day test session. The added track time allowed Hoek to familiarize himself with the updated Primm Valley layout, as well as give the team and tire engineers the opportunity to tune the chassis set-up of the #10 PRO-4×4 to the Nitto Grappler Project Tire/TrailReady Wheel combination.
 
The opening round at Primm Valley saw a great door to battle between the #10 Nitto Tire/TrailReady/Motive Gear/ATD Transmission/Allstar Performance PRO-4×4 and the #5 driven by Mark Kvamme. After trading the third place position a few times in the late in the race, Hoek finished fourth, just. .254 seconds behind the final spot on the podium.
Even with the close racing, the silver Nitto Tire PRO-4×4 had only the usual between race preparations. The team worked on changing a few chassis settings as the race surface changes its characteristics as the race weekend progresses.
 
The race weekend also saw multi-time PRO-4×4 champion Ricky Johnson coaching Ross Hoek on the differences between driving a 2WD (PRO-2) race truck and a 4WD (PRO-4×4 ) race truck. Johnson also acted as Hoek’s spotter on race days.
 
The starting order for Sunday’s Round 2 was determined by Saturday’s race results with the top four positions starting in reverse order. This put the Nitto Tire/TrailReady PRO-4×4 on the front row. Once again Hoek ran consistent lap times bringing home a sixth place finish.
 
“Our team is definitely making progress getting our lap times closer to the top drivers in our class,” noted Ross Hoek. “Getting Nitto Tire and Trailready on board is huge for the team. Nitto Tire is also a TORC series sponsor which helps Ross Hoek Motorsports with great track support. Look for our team to get quicker and quicker as the season progresses. Ultimately our goal for this season is to put our Nitto Tire/TrailReady/Motive Gear/ATD Transmission/Allstar Performance PRO-4×4 on the podium.”
 
Chris Corbett, Nitto Tire’s Light Truck & Motorsports brand manager adds, “We’re excited to partner with Ross and his team for the 2014 season. Their race program will further develop our Grappler Short Course tires.”

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Line Hungry for Front-Runner Status as Series Goes Four-Wide

Line Hungry for Front-Runner Status as Series Goes Four-Wide
 
Mooresville, N.C., April 9, 2014 – Jason Line is a mere 15 points outside of first place in NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock standings. The two-time series champion in the extremely close and competitive category isn’t near satisfied, though. As the driver of the brilliant blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro prepares for the fifth event of 24 on the 2014 schedule, he has a goal – not just for himself, but for the Summit Racing team: to run at the front.
 
In true KB Racing manner, Line is a relentless competitor and is not easily deterred – and he certainly does not see this weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, a once yearly spectacle of speed that takes place on a four-lane dragstrip, as any kind of an obstacle.
 
At the unique event, four drivers at a time will race down the track vying for qualifying positions in each of four sessions. Championship Sunday will feature a trio of four-car rounds. In rounds one and two, the first two cars to cross the finish line will advance. The final four-car standoff will result in one winner and one runner-up, and the last two cars to cross the finish line will technically post semifinals finishes.
 
The unusual format and starting line procedures haven’t proven difficult for Line in the past. He was a finalist as recently as 2012 and was runner-up in 2010 at the first Four-Wide event held at the facility. Line has regularly been quick and fast at zMAX Dragway. He was the No. 1 qualifier at the four-across spring race held there in 2011 and 2012, and he currently holds the track record for speed at 213.91 mph (also recorded in 2012).
 
For Line, “running at the front” doesn’t necessarily mean moving into the No. 1 spot in the standings, particularly at this early stage of the game. The season is long, and the points lead will likely change hands several times before it’s all said and done. But the horsepower-hungry Line wants to be amongst the cars that run the quickest. Always.
 
“The Summit Racing team is hungry,” said Line. “It is certainly more fun to race at the front, and to be honest, that’s our job. We need to get back there. Everyone on this team is very motivated. We want to be the best, and there has been a lot of amplified effort towards that.
 
“This racetrack just seems to suit the Summit Racing team. Four-wide is quite a way to race, and it changes everything, but we tend to run good there. It’s a challenge, but it’s one we’ve handled well in the past.”
 

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Alund Eager for Second Four-Wide Racing Experience

Alund Eager for Second Four-Wide Racing Experience
 
Mooresville, N.C., April 9, 2014 – Jimmy Alund is a relative newcomer to the Summit Racing Pro Stock team, but the experienced competitor who hails from Sweden actually has some experience at one of the most unique events on NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour, this weekend’s 5th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at the illustrious zMAX Dragway.
 
The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals is a once yearly event that takes place on a unique, four-lane dragstrip. Four drivers at a time will race down the track vying for qualifying positions in each of four sessions. Championship Sunday will feature a trio of four-car rounds. In rounds one and two, the first two cars to cross the finish line will advance. The final four-car standoff will result in one winner and one runner-up, and the last two cars to cross the finish line will technically post semifinals finishes. The format, as well as the starting line procedures, can be tricky.
 
“I was at the first Four-Wide in 2010 with my own car,” recalled Alund. “I went a 6.71; I remember that. After that first year, they changed the staging light to help the drivers a little bit more. That was good, and I’m looking forward to going there again and trying to maybe improve on what we did in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago.”
 
Alund had his finest outing yet at the most recent event on the schedule, the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was there that the multi-time European Pro Stock champ had the opportunity to finally see his first win light on American soil, and he quickly followed up the first NHRA round win of his career with a second-round victory and, ultimately, a career best semifinals finish in the red Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro.
 
“Last weekend was something I had hoped to accomplish, and I couldn’t have picked a better race to do that,” said Alund, who had a bit of trouble mastering the LED lights that are part of NHRA’s starting line system earlier in the year. “I hadn’t ordered a plane ticket to Charlotte until after we got back from Gainesville. If I had trouble at the starting line, I don’t think I would have booked a flight. But it all worked out, and now I’m very excited to race here at the Four-Wide Nationals. It’s a home race for the KB Racing team, and I like getting to spend a few days in the shop with the boys. This weekend should be a lot of fun.”
 

Kraig Kinser

Kraig Kinser Racing–Kraig Kinser Concludes West Coast Swing this Weekend

Kraig Kinser Concludes West Coast Swing this Weekend
By Kraig Kinser Racing PR
 
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — April 9, 2014— Spring-type weather has finally reached most of the country and that means it’s about time for the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series to begin heading back east for races in the Midwest and on the East Coast. Before they can do that though, there is one more matter of business in California, as the “Spring Break Tour” wraps up at Kings Speedway and Perris Auto Speedway this weekend. Kraig Kinser looks to finish the early season West Coast portion of the schedule with a couple of strong finishes, and will be sporting the Bad Boys Buggies colors this weekend on his car.
 
Kinser will open the weekend aboard the No. 11K Bad Boy Buggies/MVT/Casey’s General Stores/Maxim on Friday, April 11, at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. He’ll conclude the weekend at Perris Auto Speedway, just outside of Los Angeles on Saturday, April 12.
 
“We ran the Bad Boy Buggies car a few times last year and it’s great to have them on-board again this year,” said Kinser. “Obviously this is a special year for my dad and to share the Bad Boy Buggies look for a few races is pretty neat. Hopefully we’ll both be up front and in contention both nights.”
 
The native of Bloomington, Ind., finished fifth last season at Kings Speedway, making a late race charge, after starting 12th. Kinser timed in 11th-fastest, which put him on the pole of a heat race. He ran third in that heat, just missing a spot in the dash by one position. Last year marked the first main event start for the third-generation driver at Kings Speedway. He raced at the track in 2011, but the A-Feature was rained out that night just as the cars pushed off.
 
“Hanford (Kings Speedway) is still a place I am learning,” he shared. “We had a great car later in the race last season and were able to pick up quite a few spots as the laps wound down. I qualified in the perfect spot last year, but wasn’t able to capitalize on that in the heat race to get into the dash. With the new format we’ve been running the last few weeks, timing in the right spot can really affect the rest of your night. You have to race hard every lap in the heat race and try to win it.”
 
Kinser has made three A-Feature starts at Perris Auto Speedway with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series, finishing a career-best fourth in 2012. He finished 16th last year on a track that was challenging to pass on. He opened the night 18th in time trials and finished fifth in his heat race to earn a spot in the main event, where he lined up 18th. Kinser made his debut at Perris in 2004, finishing eighth in the main event that night.
 
“Perris is a fast place,” said Kinser. “We haven’t had the best of West Coast trips, so we want to try and end on a strong note. That’s a place I’ve done well at in the past and last year we were pretty good on the higher banked tracks. They are also running the (410) non-wing cars with us on Saturday night and for the fans it will be the best of both worlds and should be a great night of racing.”
 
Last weekend, Kinser finished 11th in the opener of the two-night event at Calistoga (Calif.) Speedway and was 16th in the finale. He was fifth-fastest in time trials on the first night, which marked his sixth top-10 qualifying effort this season.
 

Follow A Dream Racing

PERMATEX/FOLLOW A DREAM TEAM OUT EARLY DESPITE MORE 5.50’S IN RICHMOND

Marstons Mills, MA -April 9, 2014-Jay Blake’s Permatex/Follow A Dream got right back into the 5.50s at the Eastern Regional opener at Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, Va., but again went out early. Driver Todd Veney ran a 5.56, better than the team ran two years ago to win the race and just five-hundredths of a second off the track record, but surprisingly it qualified him just fifth in the program.
First-round opponent Dan Pomponio, who qualified fourth with an identical 5.56, shook the tires and backpedaled to just a 6.18, well off the pace both drivers set in qualifying, but Veney went up in smoke right off the line and lost with a shutoff 7.37. “That’s the first time we’ve ever made a bad run with this new car,” he said. “We barely hopped it up at all after qualifying, where the car ran fine in both sessions – 5.62 and 5.56 – but I guess it was a little too much.”
Up next is the 4-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in Charlotte, where two years ago the team made its two quickest runs ever, 5.52 and 5.53. “It’s still a new car, and we’re learning something every time it goes down the track,” Blake said. “A couple early losses don’t change anything. The car is running great, and we’re all excited about a great year.”

Kasey Kahne Racing

Banner weekend for KKR at Calistoga, finish 1-2-3 on Sunday

Banner weekend for KKR at Calistoga, finish 1-2-3 on Sunday
 
The STP World of Outlaws rolled into Calistoga Speedway in Calistoga, Calif. for a two-day event on April 5th and April 6th. It proved to be a banner weekend for Kasey Kahne Racing after Brad Sweet won his series leading third race of the season on night one, (Daryn Pittman sixth and Cody Darrah eighth) and on night two KKR swept the top three positions with a 1-2-3 finish with Pittman winning his second feature of the season.

All three KKR teams made the dash on Sunday, with the finishing order setting the line up for that night’s feature.

When the feature started later that night, all three KKR teams battled each other for the lead for the entire race. When the dust settled at the end of the 30-lap race, Pittman earned his second feature win of the season with Sweet and Darrah close behind. It was a podium sweep for the Mooresville, NC based race team.

Honda Racing

Honda Performance Development ARX-04b LMP2 Coupe unveiled

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (April 9, 2014) –Honda Performance Development will offer customer teams around the world the very latest in LMP2 closed-cockpit sportscar technology next year, with the unveiling of its new HPD ARX-04b LMP2 Coupe.

The new design is a result of the continuing teamworkbetween California-based HPD and England’s Wirth Research. This technical pairing has already proved to be a winning combination, with success in INDYCAR, the American Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship, including LMP2 and LMP1 Privateer class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The ARX-04b sportscar is fully compliant with the new ACO LMP2 regulations, and exceeds the latest safety standards of the new enclosed-cockpit configuration. The proven 2.8-litertwin-turbo, direct injection, production-basedHonda HR28TT V6 powerplant now includes a regulation compliant drive-by-wire throttle system and fresh air valve system,eliminating turbo lag and providing improved reliability and performance.

“We are very excited for our new HPD ARX-04b LMP2 Coupe to see the light of day, combining all of our successes in international sportscar racing with the very latest regulations for closed-cockpit prototypes,” said Steve Eriksen, HPD vice president and COO. “Our production-based Honda HR28TT engine has powered all of our LMP2 sportscarssince the ACO regulations set the new cost-capped direction in 2011, and since its introduction the2.8-litre twin-turbo V6 powerplant has achieved some truly great successes around the world – including multiple engine manufacturer championships, victory at the Sebring 12 Hours and the 24 Hour of Le Mans, as well as powering the first LMP2 FIA World Endurance Champion. We are confident that our latest iteration of the HR28TT engine and its associated systems will satisfy even the most discriminating drivers and power the new HPD ARX-04b LMP2 Coupe to even greater successes around the world.”Additional features of the ARX-04b LMP2 Coupe include:

Energy-efficient technology with low drag and high fuel efficiency.

A cost-capped chassis, fully compliant with ACO and IMSAregulations and designed to compete and winthe toughest endurance races in the world.

“Quick Change” front and rear body work.

Innovative Honda refueling safety interlock system designed to reduce the potential for pit fires resulting from leaving the pit box with fuel hoses inserted (applied to all IndyCars since 2011)

Engine installation includes a proven turbo mounting system and top exit exhaust, meeting all ACO and IMSA noise regulations.

Gearbox changes which can be made to cover the complete range of circuits.

A 75-litre total capacity fuel cell, and lightweight, durable bodywork.

The ARX-04b will continue the HR28TT powerplant, developed by HPD from the production Honda “J35” series of V6 engines currently found in the Acura MDX and RLX in North America, in addition to the upcoming 2015 Acura TLX.  The racing engine continues to use more than 400 production engine parts, including the engine block and heads, crankshaft, direct-injection fuel system, valve train components, drive-by-wire hardware and even the stock Honda oil filter.

As part of their after-sales support services, HPD and Wirth will provide teams with technical assistance and bulletins, as well as additional options available for purchase. Additional bespoke options include driver-in-the-loop simulator sessions, data-logging, race and performance engineering, and MuRiTyre and Apotheca software.

“Wirth Research is proud of its history of consistently creating championship-winning prototype sports cars with and on behalf of Honda Performance Development (HPD).  Using our pioneering CFD design techniques, we have created the all-new HPD ARX-04b LMP2 Coupe,” said Wirth Research President Nick Wirth. “Not only is it a stunning-looking race car, we are confident that our revolutionary all-digital design approach will ensure that HPD’s2015 LMP2 Coupe customers will benefit from fielding the most aero-efficient, balanced and competitive LMP2 car on the 2015 grid.”

Wirth Research has been at the forefront of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in high-level motorsports for almost a decade, and has played an indispensable role in the overwhelming success of ARX sports cars.

About Honda Performance Development HPD was founded in 1993 as the performance arm of American Honda Motor Company, to spearhead the company’s entry into IndyCar racing.  No other manufacturer has matched Honda’s success in IndyCars, which includes 205 race victories, 15 drivers’ championships, six manufacturers’ championships and nine consecutive Indianapolis 500 victories (2004-2012).  In 2013, Honda powered veteran Scott Dixon to four race wins and the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series championship; and Tristan Vautier to series Rookie of the Year honors.

HPD’s prototype racing efforts have resulted in more than 70 victories and multiple American Le Mans Series engine, chassis, team, and drivers’ championships.  The company’s sports-car racing debut in 2007 at the 12 Hours of Sebring marked the first win for HPD’s LM-V8 engine and the first for a Honda racing engine designed and developed outside of Japan.  HPD won the LMP2 title in the inaugural 2012 World Endurance Championship and since 2010 has twice won the LMP2 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In 2013, HPD and Honda again swept the LMP1 and LMP2 manufacturers’, engine, team and drivers’ championships in the American Le Mans Series; while HPD-equipped Strakka Racing claimed the LMP1 private team class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

HPD participates in competition on both two wheels and four.  The company offers a complete line of race engines for cars from grass roots to pinnacle; for professional, amateur and entry-level racers.  For more information about HPD and the company’s racing and Street Performance product lines, please visit hpd.honda.com. 

About Wirth Research
Wirth Research is a fast growing innovative engineering company specializing in research, development, design and manufacture for the motor racing industry and other high technology sectors.Founded in 2003, the business pioneers the use of advanced in-house virtual engineering technologies, which enable the use of a complete simulated vehicle design, development and testing process reducing the need for wasteful manufacture of development models and prototypes.These include flow simulation and Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) services and a driver-in-the-loop simulator. 

Wirth Research has a long-term partnership with HPD on the design, development and manufacture of the multiple championship-winning ARX sports car program. For more information about Wirth Research, please visit: www.wirthresearch.com 

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