Line makes steps in the right direction in Gainesville
 
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 16, 2014) – Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Jason Line was two rounds shy of where he wanted to be at the conclusion of the 45th annual Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals, but for Line and Team Summit, the final result belies the truth: the KB Racing team is making progress on the racetrack with every bite they take out of NHRA’s 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour.
 
Line, of Mooresville, N.C., qualified his blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro in the No. 8 position with a best time of 6.525 at 212.76. Qualifying started on a sour note for the team as a malfunction in the clutch halted progress before Line could even begin, but each run thereafter was a step up and in the right direction.
 
Line cleared the finish line in the second qualifying round with a 6.541, 213.20 and was 6.526 at 212.63 in the third session. He was prepared for raceday following one final qualifying pass that moved him up a notch in the line-up, a 6.525 at a solid 212.76.
 
On raceday, the 32-time Pro Stock winner drew Summit Racing teammate Jimmy Alund as a first-round opponent. Line got the nod when Alund left the starting line too soon and illuminated the red light. Line raced to a 6.567-second blast at 211.30 mph in the Summit Racing Camaro and advanced to a second-round meeting with Dave Connolly, the No. 1 qualifier.
 
The race with Connolly was decided at the starting line, as Line’s opponent was first to launch and carried the lead to a 6.584, 210.87 to 6.568, 211.39 win.
 
“The driver didn’t do a good job today, but the good news is that the Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro got better and better over the course of the weekend,” said Line, who leaves the event positioned fourth in the Pro Stock series standings.
 
“We were respectable today, and even though we got off to a late start after losing that first run in qualifying, we made progress. The KB Racing team worked well together this weekend, and hopefully we can pick up momentum heading into the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in a couple of weeks in Las Vegas.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
FOOD CITY 500
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
MARCH 16, 2014
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET SS – CURRENTLY 39TH
YOU HAD A GREAT CAR YOU HAD GREAT TRACK POSITION THEN YOU HAD THE TIRE COME APART CORRECT?
“Yeah, it was a really weird deal.  The tire has air in it and is fine over there it’s just the tread came off the top of it.  That slowed me down lost control I thought I had a flat.  Came to pit road, the tire wasn’t flat, but the tread isn’t on it anymore.”
 
BEYOND THAT IT LOOKED LIKE YOU HAD A GOOD CAR AND WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO:
“Yeah, we only went down three laps.  We should get the wave around here, be down two laps and hopefully we can get some quick cautions and get back on the lead lap. We have a great KOBALT Chevrolet and we just need to get back to green and get going.”
 
WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR TIRE?
“We are just trying to figure out what happened.  The tire still had air in it.  It didn’t wear it out.  You can see the wear indicator on there (referencing a piece of the tire that came off the car).  It certainly didn’t wear the tire out.  Something made it come apart in this real long 50 foot section.  I don’t know if we clipped something on the track that kind of scored the tread and then it unraveled or if something else happened with the tire.  Now we are down multiple laps and we think it’s only three which there is a lot of racing left maybe we can get those three laps back and get on the lead lap and race for a win here.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS – CURRENTLY 16TH
TOUGH LUCK ON THAT FIRST PIT STOP.  NOW THAT YOU ARE WORKING YOUR WAY BACK UP THROUGH THE PACK HOW IS THE CAR HANDLING?
“Yeah that first incident was on us.  It is our responsibility to get out of the box clean.  With so many cars there on the lead lap with the competition caution we just made a little mistake there.  That definitely got us behind, but man what a race car.  I’m having so much fun out there.  Not that I want to come from the back, but it sure is fun when you have a race car like what we have right now with our Axalta Chevy SS.  We are just going to keep tuning on it.  Obviously this rain is going to change a lot of things, wash that rubber away and hopefully takes off as good as it did at the beginning of the race.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – CURRENTLY NINTH
HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR RACE CAR SO FAR?
“It’s alright.  We’re wearing pretty good on the left-front that first run so we fell back a bit and got a pretty good vibration.  It made it tough the last 20 laps of that run, but other than that I feel like we’ve been better, just a little free working on that.  Now with the rain it will probably go back that direction again.  Just trying to keep up with what’s going on, but yeah I feel pretty good about our Farmers Insurance Chevy I think the longer the race goes the better we will get.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS – CURRENTLY SECOND
CURRENTLY RUNNING SECOND HOW HAS YOUR RACE BEEN SO FAR?
“The McDonald’s Chevy has been really good.  I felt like the first 10 laps with that green initially when the race started that the car was too free, but then it just started getting better as the run went on.  I felt like our car isn’t that good on the take-off, but it seems to stay up there really well.  It’s going to be interesting to see what the track does now that it’s rained again and they are going to blow all the rubber off of it.  Overall Keith Rodden (crew chief) and all the guys on this Chip Ganassi team have done a really good job.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET SS – CURRENTLY SIXTH
ON HIS DAY THUS FAR:
“The team has done a great job once again.  We had a tough Friday, but everybody just sits down and we are all new together and they are trying to figure out what I like and all the new rules and everything that goes into everything we have going on with the new team as well.  They just do a great job at figuring out what they need in the car and have done a great job again this weekend.”
 

CORVETTE DPs AT SEBRING: Podium Finish for Action Express Racing
Three top-10 finishes in Corvette DP program’s first race at Sebring
 
SEBRING, Fla. (March 15, 2014) – Action Express Racing followed up a victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona with a third-place result in the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on Saturday. The No. 5 Corvette Daytona Prototype of Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastian Bourdais finished less than 10 seconds behind the winning car.
 
The second round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship saw both the Action Express entries – including the No. 9 of Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle and Jon Fogarty – and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP of Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli lead during the race.
 
Bourdais, who drove the final stint in the No. 5 Corvette DP, went around the Oak Racing Morgan entry for third shortly after the race’s final restart with 20 minutes remaining.
 
“Our Corvette DP teams put on a strong show in their first race at the Sebring 12 Hours,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager for Corvette Daytona Prototypes. “Three of our five Corvette DPs finished in the top-10, and Action Express Racing continued its stellar start to the season. Chevrolet still leads the Prototype Engine Manufacturer’s championship after two tough races. Next up is another new challenge for the Corvette DPs – the streets of Long Beach.”
 
The next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship takes place on the Long Beach (Calif.) street circuit from April 11-12.
 
JOAO BARBOSA, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP
“Third place in Sebring is always a great achievement. We are leading the championship right now, which is a plus. It was a really tough race. Very competitive. A finish on the podium is always a great result here at Sebring.”
 
CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP
“It was tough, but we managed the car very well. That was fun. Hats off to the Ganassi guys. They were in the right place at the right time. That made all the difference in the world. I want to thank Chevy. Our car ran flawless from the beginning to the end. We definitely had a shot at winning. Unfortunately it didn’t happen. But we scored some points, so we will turn the page and go on to Long Beach.”
 
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP
“It was a tough race, but we gave it our best. We started from the front and stayed there for awhile.  It looked like we had the pace and everything we needed to win the race. As things got a little more complicated, we lost the lead as everybody started to show their hand. At the end we just didn’t have anything for these guys. I gave it my best the whole race, and we set some pretty fast laps. But at the end of the race, they just turned it up and I told them ‘That’s all I got’. On top of the fact that it was very much a game of track position because you couldn’t pass anyone. It was closely matched. The No. 1 was in front of us, and the No. 01 cycled to the front and left the GTs in between us. By the time we crossed the start/finish line, the gap was six seconds… game over. It is a little disappointing because I was really hoping we could win. I’ve finished second here overall twice before. It is one of these deals where it didn’t work out. But that is all I had. No regrets. That is all we had. That is the way it is.”
 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP
“That was the toughest race I think we’ve ever had and to come out with seventh place probably doesn’t do justice to all the hard work everybody put into it. But it was just a matter of not being able to bounce back all the way from the few issues we had today – the early penalty, my having to go off with cars spinning and colliding in front of me in the middle of the race, and Ricky getting his windscreen oiled up and going off, which necessitated another pit stop toward the end of the race. All in all, I think we might have had a solid podium car, at best, despite all the things we had to deal with. But we brought it home in one piece both at Daytona and here at Sebring, and we’re still sitting second in the points, so we’ll head to the early sprint race part of the schedule and try to build some serious momentum.”
MAX ANGELELLI, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETE DP
“To win races like this, you have to be good, but you also have to have things go your way. Our car definitely was maybe a fourth-place car. With a little bit of luck maybe a podium finish. If I had to put my finger on one thing in particular, I think we underestimated the heat in the track and what it did to our car from a setup standpoint. That’s my opinion. This is a great race and we would have loved to have had a better result.”
RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP
“There seemed to be no passing during that last run. I think it was because the pace was just so high and I think everybody was in the position they belonged in after racing for almost 12 hours. I feel really bad that we had to make an extra pit stop because of the oil (on the windscreen). I don’t know if anybody else had that problem out there. That was frustrating. But when I had a clean windshield, the car was the best it’d been all day at the end, there. Finishing seventh is kind of ho-hum when you look at it. It was a long race. I’m just happy we got through the middle because it was so difficult to keep the car on the track and stay out of trouble.”

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Disappointing End in Florida Classic
After leading during the day, sixth and eighth for Corvette C7.Rs
 
SEBRING, Fla. (March 15, 2014) – Corvette Racing’s two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs each led in class at Sebring International Raceway on Saturday but ultimately ended the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on disappointing notes.
 
The No. 4 Corvette C7.R of Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Robin Liddell finished sixth in GT Le Mans for the second round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The car led in class for significant portions throughout the race before two late spins and an engine issue with 30 minutes remaining put a halt to the car’s charge.
 
Up until that point, it was smooth sailing for the No. 4 Corvette. Gavin set the class’ fastest race lap (1:59.521).
 
The No. 3 Corvette C7.R of Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Ryan Briscoe had an up-and-down day with the “down” part coming into play again with four hours to go. The trio eventually finished eighth in class after suffering an opening-lap collision and fuel pressure problems that ultimately resulted in the replacement of the Corvette’s fuel pump just past the eight-hour mark.
 
The No. 3 Corvette also lost a lap early with front bodywork damage it sustained on the opening lap when Garcia was hit by a competitor from behind and shoved into a BMW ahead of him on the opening lap. But timely yellows and strategy calls put the Spaniard into the lead just past the halfway point.
 
The next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship takes place on the Long Beach (Calif.) street circuit from April 11-12.
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It is a shame. It went from a disaster to really enjoying the fight back. The car was running really good. The team did a really good job just to get it back after we crashed on the first lap, and the car was behaving really good. Good strategies, and step-by-step we were going up. It was going perfect. Then again, everything went south. It’s definitely something we need to take care of for sure. We can take this as learning and try to fix every single thing because we have the speed, we have best team and we have a really good car. “
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It’s been up and down all day. It didn’t start so well. Antonio got hit from behind on the first lap and smacked into somebody else. There was quite a bit of damage to the front – the fenders and we had to change the whole nose. We went a lap down but got that back and into the lead of the race. Then we had the unfortunate issue with the fuel pump and spent time trying to fix it. The car was pretty good. We could drive as fast as anyone out there. It was a shame about the little things. But the Corvette Racing guys were great. We all are massively disappointed.”
 
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“The engine started running worse off the corners like it wasn’t running clean. It started to get worse and worse and worse as we went on. In the end it was the fuel pump. At least we were able to go until we got a full-course caution so that helped us out a little bit. Unfortunately we were three laps down. It was just so good to have the lead and run 1-2. We were the quickest cars on the track, for sure. It’s just a real shame.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It’s very frustrating that we had that problem and issue at the end. Up to that point we were looking very strong. I got in the car toward the end to do the last couple of stints. I had a couple of issues inside the cockpit with lights that we moved around after night practice. And we’re still finding our way a little bit with this new car. I got a bit hot coming into Turn 17 and had a bit of a spin. We caught back up to the Viper and Porsche. As I was right there with them, we started to have this problem with the engine and it started to miss a bit. I was pushing harder and harder to try and keep up. I pushed a little too hard coming out of Turn 5 and looped it off there. It was pretty clear we had a problem after that. It was a case of managing the situation until the finish. But I think the guys did an absolute fantastic job with the car this weekend. For 11 hours we had one of the quickest cars and best cars. We were in a position to fight with anyone and seemed like we were the class of the field.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It’s a bummer. It’s unfortunate, for sure. It was kind of like Daytona, unfortunately. The car was good for 95 percent of the race. That last five percent now has been a little bit of a problem. But it’s a new car. I’m excited about how quick we’ve been… and good teamwork. The No. 3 car guys had a problem early on and they were able to fight back from that. We had our own little issues throughout the race. I kept fighting and got back up front there toward the end. It was just unlucky.”
 
ROBIN LIDDELL, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It was disappointing obviously. Tommy (Milner) and Olly (Gavin) did the lion’s share of the work, by far. And it would have been their win really, and the team’s win if we’d gotten to that point. But obviously it’s disappointing. We came pretty close at Daytona and then again here. But ultimately we’ve got to be reasonably happy with the performance of the car and obviously the team. But it’s always hard when you get close to the end in a race like this, looking like you’re going to get results, and then you start running into difficulties. But essentially it’s just new car blues. Having these two races as the first two of the season makes it incredibly tough. I think the car has shown itself to be not just a contender, but a race-winning car. It’s been a great experience. I’m happy to have the opportunity to drive for Corvette. On that side, it’s good.”
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“The Sebring 12 Hours typically is one of the most challenging and unpredictable auto races in the world. Today was no different. Similar to the first race of the year at Daytona, the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R showed its tremendous potential with both cars leading significant portions of the race – including the No. 3 after facing adversity on the opening lap. At Corvette Racing, we don’t give up and that was on full display again. We’re encouraged with the performance of both Corvette C7.Rs and are eager to get back to racing at Long Beach.”
 

TEAM CHEVY AT SEBRING: Four-Hour Update
Strong start for Corvette DPs, Corvette Racing in 12-hour classic
 
SEBRING, Fla. (March 15, 2014) – The contingent of Corvette Daytona Prototypes and Corvette Racing’s two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs ran in strong positions after the first four hours of the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida on Saturday.
 
The pole-sitting No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP of fastest qualifier Sebastien Bourdais was P2 at the four-hour mark but less than a second from Sage Karem’s leading car. Joao Barbosa led for the majority of his opening stint in the Action Express entry, and the Barbosa/Bourdais/Christian Fittipaldi trio is seeking to become the first group of drivers to win at Sebring and the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the same year since 1998.
 
The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP ran in podium position most of the race’s opening third before a penalty late in the third hour for working in a closed pit. The No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP ran solidly in the top-five throughout the first part of the race, as well.
 
In GTLM, Tommy Milner was second in Corvette Racing’s No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R after leading a handful of laps early in his stint. The No. 3 Corvette lost a lap early with front bodywork damage it sustained on the opening lap when Antonio Garcia was hit by a competitor from behind and shoved into a BMW ahead of him going to Turn 1.
 
Ryan Briscoe got back on the lead lap in the third hour but found trouble again when the No. 3 Corvette suffered a flat tire when it ran through debris from a massive crash on the frontstretch that brought the race to a halt although the race clock continued to run.
 
The next Team Chevy update will come after eight hours.
 
DAN BINKS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 3 CORVETTE RACING CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
ON MAKING REPAIRS TO NO. 3: “Right now I think we are pretty good. It tore up the nose pretty bad – that thing was rubbing on the tires, then we got that yellow.  We practice this stuff at the shop. If the hood wasn’t bent up so bad, we would have been able to do it in one lap. That is what we have been practicing. These guys are awesome. Everybody works so hard. I don’t think anybody here could change all that bodywork in 3 1/2 minutes. We are ready to go.”
ON WHAT HAPPENED: “I think everybody was just bumping and grinding at the beginning and we got the worst end of it.”
 
RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 90 SPIRIT OF DAYTONA CORVETTE DP
“So far so good, it seems. There is so much traffic that the No. 1 priority is to stay out of trouble, and that’s what we’re doing. The car is getting better as it gets warmer so hopefully it will come to us a bit more. We struggled for pace in the first stint. In the second stint with fresh rubber and the heat coming up was a bit better. We need track position, and for that you have to be patient in traffic.”
(On track conditions) “I feel the track is getting better and better. We will see what happens when the sun starts going down. The Sebring 12 Hours is all about being quick in the night. That’s where it counts. We will see how the track develops.”
 
RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP
“The track was very slippery. There was a strange rhythm of traffic with the different classes, so that takes some getting used to. There is a lot of pickup on the tires. Just staying on track and keeping clean in the first run was important. There are a lot of people going wide and making mistakes. We have a good car; it’s a bit of a handful but as the track cools down toward the night we will be better and better.”
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CORVETTE RACING CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“We went around the No. 55 BMW at the start and got behind the 56 and I knew I had (Nick) Tandy behind me who was very aggressive. Out of Turn 1, we got pretty close together. As usual we went to the inside and I saw there was going to be a traffic jam. As it was happening, I saw something in the rear-view camera coming really fast and Tandy just hit me really, really hard. I don’t know if he was launched by another car or where it started. Initially I was asking if the rear was OK but the team said the front was much worse. Once we changed everything, the car really came to life. The work the crew did made it right. Now we just need the right yellow to get back on the lead lap.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CORVETTE RACING CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“The car has been running fairly well. After the restart, I felt we had a good car underneath us and the tire was very strong. It does seem that as we run a stint that the tire does seem to degrade. It might not necessarily be just us in the GTLM class but everybody. The circuit does seem very slick. We will see how that goes. The track temperature also seems to be high. It was good to get up against the Porsche. It seems like every time I drive the C7.R that I seem to race against those Porsches. It would be nice to get by them and get away from them. It’s very early and there is a lot of time to go. It’s a strong start so far and we will try to keep it clean and look after the car.”

TEAM CHEVY AT SEBRING: Eight-Hour Update
Corvette C7.Rs run 1-2 in GTLM; Corvette DPs challenging for overall lead
 
SEBRING, Fla. (March 15, 2014) – Corvette Racing’s two Chevrolet Corvette C7.R race cars were 1-2 in the GT Le Mans class through eight hours of the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida on Saturday.
 
Oliver Gavin led the class in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R two-thirds through the second round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Gavin, Tommy Milner and Robin Liddell had a mostly trouble-free run in the first eight hours. On the other hand, the No. 3 Corvette C7.R had an up-and-down day with the “down” part coming into play again with four hours to go.
 
Crew members were examining fuel pump pressure issues on the car with Ryan Briscoe at the wheel while running second. The No. 3 Corvette also lost a lap early with front bodywork damage it sustained on the opening lap when Antonio Garcia was hit by a competitor from behind and shoved into a BMW ahead of him on the opening lap. But timely yellows and strategy calls put Garcia into the lead just past the halfway point.
 
The pole-sitting No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP of Christian Fittipaldi ran third at eight hours but was well in contention for an overall victory. Joao Barbosa led for the majority of his opening stint in the Action Express entry to start the race, and the Barbosa/Bourdais/Christian Fittipaldi trio is seeking to become the first group of drivers to win at Sebring and the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the same year since 1998.
 
The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP and No. 9 Action Express Corvette DP also ran inside the top-10 as the sun began to set.
The next Team Chevy update will come following the race.
 
TROY FLIS, OWNER, NO. 90 SPIRIT OF DAYTONA CORVETTE DP
“We are going to plug into it and see what we have. We just lost electronic throttle control there. Very disappointed for the Visit Florida folks, and Chevrolet. We had a good car, and it is a beautiful day here today, and we were hopefully having a good finish. So disappointed for all those folks, and this team is working so hard.  With some of these new things, we just don’t have a lot of experience with. We haven’t seen anything like this yet. This if the first time we’ve had any gremlins with the electronic throttle control stuff. We’ll see what we can do. This place is always tough.”
 
JOAO BARBOSA, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP
“My first two stints were pretty smooth. As the race progresses, it seems like things get a little more hectic with the traffic. Our Corvette DP is running very good. It’s been a really tight fight in the front. Sebastien is in the car and is doing a great job but there is still a long way to go. The car loses a little bit of grip toward the end of the stint. But the track also changes with the heat that we have now. There is a very big variable there and the circuit gets really greasy. So far everything looks good and we are hanging around at the front.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CORVETTE RACING CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“Our car is good. It looks like have a strong car today, which is exciting. I don’t know how long I was in the car; it felt like three hours but I only had about an hour’s worth of racing. In the first stint we were under yellow a lot and in traffic. I didn’t like the tires very much but when we came in and changed, the second set was a lot better and what I expected. So we were able to get with the program then. It was good to feel that. I came not even a millimeter away from ending our race with the last accident. The Viper had checked up and I tried too as well. I got to the inside and got a load of brake but some throttle too. He may have seen me because he was straightening his car out a little.”
 
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 3 CORVETTE RACING CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“We’re on the lead lap so I think we’re in good shape. I didn’t think I ran over any debris from the crash out of the last turn but it was everywhere, and that cut the tire. The car is pretty good. We have good pace and I think it’s just going to get better at the end of the race. We need to hang in there. Hopefully we have our woes out of the way and can go racing from here on.”
 
GUY COSMO, NO. 31 MARSH RACING CORVETTE DP
“It’s pretty intense. Guys are dropping like flies. Sebring is a really demanding place. It’s so tough with so much traffic. Everyone just needs to cool it a little bit. We have a long way to go yet and it feels like half the field is already missing. I ran almost a double-stint. It was my first time back in a Daytona Prototype in a long time and my first time in a Corvette DP. I like that, and I like having that Corvette power behind me. That sucker gets up and goes. I’m learning the car and helping the team with some feedback from a fresh perspective.”
 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP
“It was a bit of a mess. I got in after the penalty (for working in a closed pit) so we went to the back of the pack and sat around there for about an hour. After my first stop in the middle of the stint, we cycled back up behind the No. 02 car and on the outlap someone went off in front of me. I had to avoid it and go off, so we’re back to where we started. But there is a long way to go. I think we are struggling with the track temperature. Our hope is that as it cools down in the night we will pick up some speed.”
 
ROBIN LIDDELL, NO. 4 CORVETTE RACING CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“There hasn’t been really any flow to the race at all for anyone. We ran green for a bit in the beginning but since then it’s been caution, caution, caution. There has been a lot of big contacts and damage. From my point of view, I kept my nose clean and didn’t make any mistakes. I was struggling a little bit with the rear of the car – just not feeling a lot of confidence in the rear in the fast corners and the grip going away in the slower stuff. We think the track will come to us a little bit as it cools down and hope it’s the right strategy and setup for the car. We haven’t made any mistakes or had any problems.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CORVETTE RACING CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“The C7.R is performing perfectly, and we have a fantastic AC unit. The Michelin tires are doing a phenomenal job. The only cars that seem to be able to  out-brake us in the whole field are the P2 cars. It seems like we’ve go some good performance  from the tire. There is some very creative driving out there from some drivers, and there was one particular DP car I got caught behind for quite some laps. It’s going well, and there is still plenty of racing to be done here.  You just never really know.  It only takes one guy to drive into the side of your car and you’d be taken out like so many of these cars today.  It is just what happens with so many cars on the grid.  It’s certainly very entertaining and non-stop Sebring 12-Hour.  I will be getting back in I believe. Just want to say a big thanks to everybody at Mobil 1, Chevrolet, Corvette Racing for giving me such a wonderful car.”
 
RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP
“It is really a great family atmosphere for us, and a great team atmosphere. But my first Sebring 12 Hour – Holy Cow.  It is definitely like what they say, it is like a 24 Hour. I feel like I got tired twice as fast You have to focus so hard. It is such a handful out there and you try to not make any mistakes. Our Velocity guys have done a great job trying to get us back up there in contention, and I am confident that we will get there. It is very slick.  I had a couple of near-off moments. It is so slick, and then there is the marbles so first of all the slippery track puts you off line, and when you go off line, you get marbles.  Then you have to try and scrub them off.”

JEFF GORDON LEADS TEAM CHEVY IN QUALIFYING AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Six Chevrolet SS Race Cars Qualify in Top 15 Starting Spots

BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 14, 2014) – Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon led the way for Team Chevy in qualifying for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway with a sixth-place time of 14.962 (128.245 mph) in his No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS. 

This was the first time the new ‘knockout’ qualifying format for short-tracks was used at Bristol. All the cars were on track during a 30-minute first session, with the fastest 12 advancing to the second and final 10-minute round. The qualifying session was extremely close with the top 36 qualifiers separated by only four tenths of a second. 

Three-time Bristol pole sitter Ryan Newman in his No. 31 Quicken Loans Billon Dollar Bracket Challenge Chevrolet SS was ninth fastest in the final session.  Kasey Kahne, who earned his first career Bristol victory one year ago placed his No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS in the 10th starting spot.  He was followed by Hendrick Motorsports teammate and six-time Sprint Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson in his No. 48 KOBALT Tools Chevrolet SS, who ended the session 11th.    

Also among the top fifteen in the new qualifying procedure were two other Team Chevy drivers.  Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS was 13th and current points leader, Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet SS, will start Sunday’s 54th annual Food City 500 from the 14th starting position.

Denny Hamlin (Toyota) was the pole winner, Brad Keselowski (Ford) was second, Matt Kenseth (Ford) was third, Joey Logano (Toyota) was fourth, and Marcos Ambrose (Ford) qualified fifth.

The Food City 500 takes the green flag on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EDT and will be aired live on FOX.

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED SIXTH

TALK ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING RUN: 
“It was good to make the top 12.  We were fast in practice when we moved over into qualifying runs.  We had pretty high expectations and it was a really good first run.  The car was a little bit tight so we were just trying to figure out how much to free it up for that second run.  We went out there and the car was decent, but just not quite free enough.  I got a little bit out of the race track here off of (turn) four.  I knew it wasn’t my best lap so we went to try to make another run.  At a track like this and this is what we are going to see as we progress through the season is which tracks tires fall off, which ones they don’t and there is a lot of strategy involved with now which is very interesting to me.  Because I think a lot of the guys that ran fast the second session were loose the first session and their cars kind of came to them.  Where our car was really good maybe a little too tight in the first session and got too tight the second session.” 

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 11TH
HOW WAS QUALIFYING OUT THERE FOR YOU? 
“We picked up from practice.  We were definitely struggling in that opening practice session.  We leaned on our teammates and got some speed and made it to the second round.  We wished we could have been a little faster there.  Still starting 11th isn’t too bad for us here.”

DID YOU LIKE THE NEW TWEAKS THAT THEY MADE WITH THE COOL DOWN UNITS? 
“It helped the chaos a lot.  Still when qualifying starts I think we can address the order in which we roll out and some of that craziness.  It still was relatively calm today.  I think the biggest deal was having the cool down units and letting cars cool down on pit road instead of out on the race track.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 13TH

ON HIS RUN:

“When you’re measuring things by thousands of a second, it’s so tight. And, mistakes we made, we went out too early in that first run. And then this is leaps and bounds ahead of where we’ve been with Phoenix and Vegas with our front splitter control. And then we just came in real low on some of our other items. We ran a .78 in practice and we backed that up with a .95. That’s not what you need to do.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 14TH

WHAT DID YOU FIGHT MOST ON YOUR RUN?

“Well, the first run is the one you needed to get i
t done with and we were just too tight. We wanted to get the car comfortable and had all that Nationwide practice in between and kind of overshot the track a little bit. But the track probably tightened up somewhat as well. We’d like to be in that last 12 going for it and trying to better our position, but we were struggling earlier today so we’ve been picking up a little bit at a time and look forward to tomorrow to be able to get in race trim and improve on the car.

NOT MANY DRIVERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO TIE RICHARD PETTY IN ANYTHING. WITH ANOTHER TOP-TWO FINISH ON SUNDAY, WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN TO YOU TO BE IN THAT POSITION?

“I’d just like to be able to win here. This is a great race track with a lot of history here. I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid and it was my favorite race track to come to when I was little. I just fell in love with it a long time ago. I love racing here and enjoy the racing that we do here. So it would mean a lot to be in the same sentence with Richard Petty in any kind of statistical category or accomplishment would be a great thing.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 20TH
A LOT OF DRIVERS WERE SAYING THEY WEREN’T GOING FASTER ON THE SECOND TIME OUT WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE? 
“I ran I think exactly the same laps I did my first time out my second time.  We went out for a third one and was slower.  I just got tighter and tighter with my Target Chevy.  Just couldn’t roll through the center quite as quick as we needed to.  We were six hundredths off from making the final cut.  It just shows how competitive these teams are and drivers are that it is so close.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BAD BOY BUGGIES/REALTREE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 26TH

WHAT WAS YOUR ASSESSMENT OF QUALIFYING TODAY? 
“Just if somebody got cleared in front of me on our money lap we ran our fast lap was our second lap and the No. 83 pulled up in front of us.  That is part of it.  We thought we had a big track and he was getting up to speed and I had to pass him off of (turn) two and into (turn) three.  Disappointing I feel like we could have been a little further up, but we will just have to learn from it and keep going.”

CORVETTE DPs AT SEBRING: Bourdais Puts Action Express on Pole

Momentum continues following season-opening Rolex 24 victory

SEBRING, Fla. (March 14, 2014) – Sebastien Bourdais delivered a second straight pole position for the Corvette Daytona Prototype on Friday with the fastest lap in qualifying for the 62^nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. Bourdais posted a lap of 1:51.917 (120.303 mph) in Action Express Racing’s No. 5 Corvette DP that he shares with Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi.

The trio opened the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season with a victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, leading a sweep of the top four overall positions for Chevrolet. Barbosa, Fittipaldi and Bourdais are seeking to become the first drivers to win at Daytona and Sebring in the same season since 1998.

“The Prototype qualifying session today was a great example of how difficult conditions at Sebring can be,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager for Daytona Prototypes. “Congratulations to Sebastien and Action Express Racing on the overall pole position for the 12 Hours. The track characteristics changed from this morning practice due to the different types of rubber on the racing surface and the windy conditions. It was not easy to take all this into account and deliver a strong lap.”

Bourdais was 0.169 seconds quicker than the next-fastest driver in qualifying: Oak Racing’s Olivier Pla. Ricky Taylor qualified third in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP with a time of 1:52.544 (119.633 mph). He will drive with brother Jordan and Max Angelelli as the two Corvette DPs will line up nose-to-tail for Saturday’s 10:30 a.m. green flag.

The Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP finished second at the Rolex 24. Four Corvette DPs qualified in the top-10 on Friday at Sebring, where Daytona Prototypes are competing for the first time.

Television coverage of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will be available live on FOX Sports 1from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET with the remainder of the race airing live on IMSA.com. FOX Sports 1 also will air a three-hour recap at 8:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 16.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRES RACING CORVETTE DP

“It was a great qualifying for us. We didn’t exactly know where we were going to be. This morning, you couldn’t put a lap together; traffic has been a big difficulty because it’s hard to get a read on the car since you can do three corners on the line. It’s tough to know exactly the balance of the car and how to get in a rhythm. It’s not like it will be any easier tomorrow. At least we got a definite read on how the car is in qualifying because you could string a few laps together and that gives you a good feel for it. I guess we are pretty spot on because there was a bit of an issue with oversteer but overall the car was enjoyable to drive. I took my time and strung a few laps together. By the end of it, the car was pretty optimized. I gave it another shot on the last lap but overdid it a little bit. I’m very happy for the Action Express team and Chevrolet. It’s a great way to start after Daytona. Hopefully we can keep that kind of pace throughout the day tomorrow. Obviously qualifying doesn’t mean much in a 12-hour race. We will reset the counters tomorrow and see where we end up.

“A lot of guys made mistakes before they even banked a lap, which is unusual. But it’s a good sign of how tricky the conditions are. When the wind is like this at Sebring, you get a double-faced car; it goes from oversteer to understeer as soon as you turn the car around. These DP cars are very sensitive to the wind and to traffic, which makes things quite interesting behind the wheel. It should be quite close tomorrow.”

RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP

“Through practice, we never knew where we really were because of traffic. The last session, we ended up quite far in the back but I think this proves we have a really good car. Now, we have a good picture of where everybody is. We obviously have work to do to catch the No. 5, but I think with the three drivers we have in our car – and having the best team on the pit lane – we’re good even through we’re third in speed in qualifying. “It’s definitely been a cool day. It’s hard to believe three hours ago I was sitting in Dad’s (Sebring International Raceway) Hall of Fame induction ceremony, thinking about qualifying. He’s had a pole here and he’s not stopped rubbing that in my face, so I had that carrot dangling in front of me during qualifying. Obviously, the team did a good job and gave me a good car. I’m really looking forward to racing here tomorrow in these cars for the first time.”

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Fourth, Fifth in GTLM Qualifying

Second and third rows in class for Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs

SEBRING, Fla. (March 14, 2014) – Corvette Racing will roll off the GT Le Mans grid from the second and third rows Saturday for the 62^nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. Oliver Gavin qualified the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R fourth in GTLM, and Antonio Garcia was fifth in his No. 3 Corvette. The new Corvette C7.R is racing at Sebring for the first time following its debut in January at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Gavin’s best lap was a 1:59.222 (112.932 mph) in the Corvette he shares with Tommy Milner – the duo won in class last year at Sebring – and Robin Liddell. Liddell already has one victory to his credit at Sebring this week with a win in Friday’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge driving a Camaro Z/28.R.

Garcia, driving with Jan Magnussen and Ryan Briscoe, set a best time of 1:59.224 (112.930 mph) – just 0.002 seconds off the pace of the sister car. Garcia and Magnussen won the 2013 American Le Mans Series championship despite scoring zero points at Sebring.

Corvette Racing tested the Corvette C7.R multiple times at Sebring during the offseason. The rough nature of the track was the ideal place to optimize the new car. The new aluminum frame is 40 percent stiffer than the Corvette C6.R from last season and helps keep the car stable over the considerable bumps and turns around Sebring’s 3.7-mile layout.

Michael Christensen qualified on the GTLM pole with a lap of 1:58.933 (113.207 mph) in a Porsche. The top six cars were within 0.315 seconds.

Television coverage of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will be available live on FOX Sports 1 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET with the remainder of the race airing live on IMSA.com. FOX Sports 1 also will air a three-hour recap at 8:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 16.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

(On different characteristics of track due to Friday’s Continental Tire race): “Yes, I think so, for sure. That is normal that it happens; especially after such a big difference in time from Practice Four to qualifying. It had been six or seven hours since we’ve been on track, and a lot of other cars had been out. So for sure, the car behaved differently because of the amount of rubber, or different cars that have been out. But the main characteristics of the car pretty much remained the same. It was just a factor of making the car work on every single point of the race track. So I didn’t probably nail it the whole lap because I had to change my style from this morning. But we were probably in the same boat. I’m sure everybody felt the same, not just us at Corvette Racing. So it is part of the game. The good thing is that we are among six cars within three-tenths. That’s pretty close, and exciting to see towards the race.”

(On consistency in stint): “That is something we will know 35-40 minutes into the race. We’ve been working really hard on that; just trying to make the car behave – not just for a single lap but to be able to go through the stint as consistent as possible.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“It was a very close session. The Porsche obviously came out and put down a great lap. It was kind of a strange session because from the Conti (Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge) race before us, there was rubber or whatever that was still on the track. Our car was quite different to drive (than from practice sessions). It was unusual in the way the fronts (tires) came in before the rears (tires) did. We never really got that matched up, and I think that if we had managed to get that matched up, we would have had an even better shot at getting pole. But it was a clean run, no traffic or anything. I think the circuit is going to get very different before the race. You are constantly fighting with that here. The wind direction changes as well so now it is blowing us down the backstretch. Blowing you in to Turn One; blowing you out of (Turn) 17; all those things you have to take into account. We are reasonably happy with the car, and looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER

“Today’s qualifying session clearly demonstrated how incredibly close the GT Le Mans class continues to be. The difference between pole position and P5 was a mere three-tenths of a second, which should make for a great race tomorrow. We have worked hard to ensure that our Corvette C7.Rs will be consistent over an entire stint, and we k
now from experience that handling is the ultimate key to success in the Sebring 12 Hours.”

TEAM CHEVY AT SEBRING: First Victory For Camaro Z/28.R
Liddell, Davis score landmark win for Stevenson Motorsports at Sebring
 
SEBRING, Fla. (March 14, 2014) – The new Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R is a race-winner in just its second start in the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Stevenson Motorsports’ Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis took a victory Friday in the No. 6 Camaro Z/28.R at Sebring International Raceway.
 
Liddell made the winning pass on a restart with 30 minutes to go and pulled away from the field as the race ended under caution. Liddell finished ahead of John Edward, his Stevenson teammate from a year ago. The season’s second round finished under yellow-flag conditions following a massive crash for one of the Mazda ST competitors.
 
“Congratulations to Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis on taking the Stevenson Motorsports Camaro Z/28.R to victory lane at Sebring,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The entire team demonstrated a ‘never-give-up’ approach throughout the day to put the No. 6 Z/28.R in position for Robin to make a great move on a restart that ultimately gave the team the win. We are very proud of the dedicated efforts of John Stevenson and his crew at Stevenson Motorsports, our racing engineers and our technical partners on the development of Camaro Z/28.R that resulted in its first victory in the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.
“We never want to see a race conclude under caution as a result of an accident, and we extend our best wishes to Mark Miller for a speedy and complete recovery,” Campbell added.
 
Andy Lally and Matt Bell finished eighth in the No. 9 Stevenson Camaro. The No. 01 CKS Autosport Camaro Z/28.R of Lawson Aschenbach and Eric Curran retired following an incident on the race’s final restart in the same series where Liddell drove to the lead. The incident also involved Lally, who dropped from fifth to eighth.
All three of the Camaros ran in the top-five until that point – a remarkable achievement considering the car’s early life. Liddell also posted the fastest race lap – 2:16.893.
 
“Congratulations to Robin Liddell, Andrew Davis, John Stevenson and everyone at Stevenson Motorsports for a fantastic victory with the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R,” said Lisa Talarico, Chevrolet Program Manager For Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.
“Our partners at Stevenson Motorsports, Pratt & Miller and GM Powertrain put an incredible amount of effort into developing this new Camaro race car. To take a victory in just our second race is a fantastic achievement. This was a team victory in the truest sense.”
 
The next round of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is Saturday, May 3 at Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.
 
ROBIN LIDDELL, NO. 6 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO Z/28.R
“To be honest I thought John (Edwards) would drive away from us after that restart, so I kind of had the bit between my teeth just to try and see what I could make of the first lap. I thought it would settle down. Those guys were just slightly napping coming out of (Turn) 17, and I had a really good run alongside John. I just kind of boxed him in which was kind of mean and I knew he would be a bit hacked off about that. But I kept him boxed in there behind Shane (Lewis). Then when we got to the braking zone for Turn One, I just broke completely right and went around the outside of them. By then I saw there was some carnage behind me, but to be honest I had a pretty massive lead at that point. I certainly thought at that point (Edwards) was going to catch us and chase us down. Obviously the Camaro is running fantastically well, but we are still early in the program. I’m not sure had it gone back to green at the end if he would have been able to get around because I would have made that Camaro as wide as possible, as I always have done.
“I have had full confidence in the program for this new Chevy Camaro Z/28.R. Obviously Chevrolet is fully behind the program. Stevenson Motorsports and all the guys I have know and love from the team that I have worked with for six years. Credit to John Stevenson for getting behind this. Back with Andrew Davis, and here we are back in Victory Lane. It’s pretty cool.
“I’ve been involved with the development of this Z/28 right from the beginning. Right from when the car first rolled out of the shop to be driven. I’ve had a little more time in the car than some of the other cars.”
 
ANDREW DAVIS, NO. 6 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO Z/28.R
“I took a hiatus from Stevenson Motorsports for a while, and I come back and they are still firing on all cylinders. They are still one of the best teams out there so I knew this program was going to be strong. We made our Camaro Z/28.R better every session and just worked on the long runs trying to make sure the car was good over the run. Again, so happy to be back with Stevenson Motorsports. Thanks everybody. Robin did a superb job. It’s nice to be on the top step of the podium again.
“This means a lot to me on a personal level to be back with Stevenson Motorsports and my buddy Robin Liddell. This is my first win at Sebring after the times I have been here.  Just so happy for the Stevenson crew, for Chevy, for Pratt and Miller…thanks to everybody!
“We made another change overnight. We went back to something that worked for us in an earlier test session. I think that helped the car a little bit for a long run. Still it was all about management of the rear tires. It’s tough when you’re in a battle like that. I made a mistake and dropped back but was able to fight my way back up. With the lack of rear grip, the key is to drive mistake-free. The Stevenson Motorsports Camaro was really good. The focus we had over the weekend was not going for a single-lap but trying for a longer run. I’m proud of the team for working hard and giving us a car that is really good on those long runs.”
MATT BELL, NO. 9 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO Z/28.R
“The big issues we were having all weekend is keeping this thing cool, especially when it gets hot and gets humid. You’re running nose to tail, and it’s something you get when you’re developing a new car. What happens is the power drops off when you’re behind a car too long. So you’re bouncing back and forth between driving in a draft to keep up when the engine is cooler and popping out to try and cool it down. But with that constant change of torque, it’s hard to keep up. The tire fell off a little bit quicker than Andrew (Davis) and we didn’t want to hold him up. Other than that, the car is great. I’m having a blast driving the Camaro Z/28.R. That 7-liter engine is awesome. It’s still quite strong.”
 
ERIC CURRAN, NO. 01 CKS AUTOSPORT CAMARO Z/28.R
“Overall it was a good stint. We ran behind that BMW for awhile. That was the main goal. We have a heavier car and we have a Camaro Z/28.R with a big 7-liter motor and lots of torque. It’s pretty easy to spin up those rear tires coming off the corners. You have to be really careful on the tires, short-shift gears and not be too aggressive on the throttle and really pace yourself to have a really good run. These Camaro Z/28.Rs are so new and it’s the second race. There is still a learning curve but I’m really happy with what I’m seeing. These cars are plugging away and going fast.”
 
LAWSON ASCHENBACH, NO. 01 CKS AUTOSPORT CAMARO Z/28.R
“It was one of those deals and unfortunate things coming to the green flag. We had a rocket ship today. The car was on rails all day. I thought we had a shot at it coming to the restart and looked like the two leaders spun. At that point there was nowhere I could go, and I moved up the track and into Andy (Lally). I feel bad for Andy but there was nothing I could do at the time and into the wall. I feel bad for the CKS Autosport guys. We definitely had a shot at this. We were going to fight the Stevenson guys and the BMW all the way there.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
FOOD CITY 500
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 14, 2014
 
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 QUICKEN LOANS BILLION DOLLAR BRACKET CHALLENGE CHEVROLET SS me with media and discussed his sponsors, the track & tire conditions during practice, changes in the qualifying procedure, and more. Full Transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR SPONSORS AND HOW IT ENDED UP ON THE RACE CAR TODAY
“It’s a fairly simple deal. Just get a perfect bracket, which I think is like one in two hundred million, trillion odds; but it’s a great opportunity to engage with the fans, not just in our sport, but with college basketball. If you nail the bracket, it’s a billion dollars. There is some form of losers bracket as well, bracketology there too, as well. They’ll give out some money for that, too. But the ultimate goal is to win the billion dollars. Quicken Loans is a big supporter of ours and we appreciate the opportunity to let us come race. But in the end, we talk about their college bracket.”
 
HAVING A SPONSOR LIKE THAT WHERE YOU GET SOME GREAT CROSSOVER HAS GOT TO BE A BIG PLUS.
“Yeah, geographically they’re in southern Michigan, which is really close to my home which is in the heart of basketball country. I think it’s a no-brainer for them or for any kind of fan out there, whether you’re basketball fan or a racing fan. Who doesn’t want the opportunity at a billion dollars? Even if you just plain old get lucky, you get lucky! So, go register.”
 
WHAT THE HECK HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN PRACTICE, AND WHY HAVEN’T YOU CRASHED YET?
“I don’t know (laughs). I guess the starter would be that we had a 15-minute penalty from Vegas, so we sat there an watched a few guys crash. But it’s a big transition, I think, for us this weekend; not only with the new rules package, but with the new tires that we have here (and) getting a grasp on that. It seems like the cars are really, really sensitive to some changes just because the cars are so stiff now because of the rigidity of how we’re running them. Once you lose it, you really lose it; which is kind of what we’ve seen. More aerodynamic-related at other race tracks; but here, more mechanical-related.”
 
INAUDIBLE
“It seems, from what I’ve seen in some testing data and here in the practice session, it does seem like it’s going to give up more so. It definitely is marbling-up way more than we’ve seen any Goodyear tire marble-up in the last few years. And from what I understand, it is the Loudon left-side tire, which is not anything at all like a concrete tire that we’ve run here in the past. So, it’s definitely different. I don’t know what it’s going to do for the racing, but it definitely is marbling-up.”
 
SO MARBLING-UP IS NOT A GOOD THING, RIGHT?
“Marbling-up is not a good thing as far as the race track and giving us the ability to use all of the race track. When it marbles-up and you get up into the marbles, it takes two or three laps sometimes to get back going again. And that’s sometimes 20 or 30 positions. You want to have the confidence in the race track and your race car to be able to put it anywhere so that you can pass at any time. And obviously the track is pretty narrow.  So, giving us the ability to move around is a good thing.”
 
WAS THERE JUST NO GRIP THIS MORNING?
“Oh, there’s a lot of grip. Once you lose that grip, it’s kind of gone. That’s a full slide. You have to run it right there on the edge to kind of feel it.”
 
DO YOU HAVE A BRACKET FILLED-OUT?
“Not yet. It’s on the ‘to-do list’”.
 
SO WHAT DO YOU DO TO COMPENSATE FOR THE MARBLING-UP?
“I don’t know that it’s going to be like that in the race. I think if they blow the race track off and we go straight to the top and doing our thing like we have done here in the past, it won’t be an issue. But as of right now, it’s laying a lot of marbles and we’re running the bottom to the middle; so the top third of the race track really is marbled-up. So, I don’t know that it’s going to be an issue, but it has potential more so I think now, than last year.”
 
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR TRIP ON WEDNESDAY TO SOUTH CAROLING?
“Oh, at the National Wildlife Turkey Federation? We just went down and kind of got a chance to meet some people with the National Wildlife Turkey Federation. I’m a big outdoorsman and am really avid about saving the habitat and saving the hunt with their program as well as just in general. The love of animals, which goes along with managing them; I don’t want to get into that issue, but in the end we had a good trip down there. I got to meet the CEO and a few other people at two of their properties, and saw some of their ideas for the future and how to incorporate the youth out there to be better outdoorsmen and better for the environment. So, we had a good trip, my wife and Angie Skinner, and I.”
 
INAUDIBLE
“Well, the National Wildlife Turkey Federation has worked really closely with Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops and they’ve had a relationship. I don’t know if that’s off the record or on the record, but it’s obviously showed-up on the Bass Pro Shop car. I in fact drove the car I think two years ago at Talladega. So yeah, I wouldn’t say that there is no potential, but for us it was really kind of initiatives with our Rescue Ranch efforts and understanding how we can help engage the youth and the outdoors along with animals.”
 
DO YOU HAVE ANY METHOD TO YOUR MADNESS IN FILLING OUT YOUR BRACKET?
“That’s the thing is that with my analytical mind it’s easy for me to overthink it. So I don’t know if I’m going to take the overthink approach or the under think approach.”
 
ON THE QUALIFYING CHANGES RELATIVE TO COOL DOWN LAPS
“I think that’s the right call. It’s what we talked about as drivers from a safety standpoint and that was for two reasons. From a safety standpoint as well as giving us the opportunity to put on a better show for the fans with the drama building up with more opportunities because we can cool the car down so fast that to go out there and bog the race track down with slow race cars was not safe. So I think they made the right call, for sure; especially going into this race track.”
 
ON THE NEW FORMAT AND WINNING MEANING SO MUCH, COULD WE GO BACK TO SOME OF THE PHYSICAL STUFF THAT WE’VE SEEN HERE AT THE END OF RACES AT BRISTOL?
“Physical stuff inside the race track or outside the race track?”
 
WELL IT USUALLY SPILLS OVER IF IT STARTS INSIDE
“No, I don’t see it as that, to that extent. At least from my standpoint, I don’t have any plans to be anymore violent so to speak than I have in the past. I don’t know how you can read into that. But, ultimately we have to manage our race car. We have to manage our race. We have to have something there at the end. So, you can beat on guys, but you’re going to probably get beat back on. So, there is a balance there. It all depends on where you’re at and who you’re around.”
 
IF YOU’RE RUNNING SECOND GOING INTO TURN 1 ON THE LAST LAP, WILL IT BE TEMPTING?
“No, I’ll wait until Turn 3.”
 
BUT IT WILL BE TEMPTING, RIGHT?
“It’s always tempting, even on the first lap.”