Championship Battles in the Forefront as Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Heads to Auto Club Speedway for Season Finale
 
DETROIT (October 16, 2013)  – A championship battle is on the horizon for the Chevrolet teams and drivers in the IZOD IndyCar Series as they head for the season finale at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. After 18 weeks of racing on road and street courses the season ends at one of the toughest oval tracks on the circuit.  The two-mile, D-Shaped Fontana, California track provides high speeds, an abrasive surface and the opportunity for tricky pit strategy for the championship hopefuls to traverse.
 
“The Finale at Fontana this weekend will decide numerous championships for the 2013 IZOD IndyCar racing season and our Chevrolet drivers, teams and technical partners are burning the midnight oil preparing for it,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, IZOD IndyCar Series.  “We have a strong racing package at this venue and deep talent within Team Chevy.  Flawless execution will be required to come out on top.  The drama of the championship battles coupled with 500 miles of superspeedway racing under the lights at Auto Club Speedway makes this race event the most intense of the year.  Fans should be on the edge of their seats, or standing, whether they are in the grandstands or watching it live on NBC Sports Network or following it on Sirius XM radio.”  

While everyone’s minds are focused on the tasks at hand this weekend at Auto Club Speedway the community’s thoughts are still with their injured competitor, Dario Franchitti from Chip Ganassi Racing.

“All of us at Chevrolet wish the best for Dario Franchitti and those who were injured or affected in the last lap crash in Houston,” continued Berube. “This sport pulls together like one family in these situations and everyone at Team Chevy is hoping to see Dario up on his feet and back in the race car soon.”
 
250 laps are all that remain between Team Penske Chevrolet driver Helio Castroneves and his first IZOD IndyCar Series championship.  The veteran driver enters the finale 25 points behind the championship leader, but looks to have a strong run at Auto Club Speedway.  The Brazilian has one victory on the season at the 1.5-mile oval Texas Motor Speedway and is poised to battle for the win and if all the stars align take home his first series title.
 
Chevrolet is also gridlocked in the battle for the coveted Manufacturers’ Championship title.  The quest to defend their 2012 award will come down to if the Bowtie Brigade can find their way to Victory Lane for the 10th time this season.
 
All the championship hardware will be presented following the 250 laps/500 mile race which is scheduled to start Saturday at 8:00 p.m., PST with live TV coverage on NBC Sports Network.  Additional live coverage will be provided by IMS Radio Network on XM and Sirius Channels 211 as well as on www.indycar.com live timing and scoring.
 
 
CHEVROLET IN THE IZOD INDYCAR SERIES – FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 AUTO CLUB TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 2nd IN STANDINGS (ONE 2013 WIN):
“It’s going to be an exciting weekend at Auto Club Speedway.. We have put what happened in Houston behind us and we are ready to go fight for the championship. We had a very fast Auto Club of Southern California car at the Fontana test a couple of weeks ago and we go into this weekend with a lot of confidence. I have all the faith in the world in my team and I know we are capable of getting the job done on Saturday night. Everyone should make sure they are watching, because I have a feeling this is going to be an awesome race.”
MARCO ANDRETTI, NO. 25 DR PEPPER ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, 5th IN STANDINGS:
“We have been dominant in the 500-mile races and have led a lot of laps, but Fontana is about leading the right lap, and that’s what we need to do. I’d really like to end the season with a ‘W’ for the Dr Pepper team. Auto Club Speedway is a tricky place to get right with the seams, but will be rewarding if we do.”
RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO 1 DHL ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, 6th IN STANDINGS (TWO 2013 WINS):
“As a team we have some great memories of what we accomplished at this race track. This time last year we fought through adversity all weekend long to claim the overall championship by just a few points… what a comeback. We learned a heck of a lot about what we need to do different with our setup at this track, and following a successful test just a couple weeks ago, we’re optimistic headed into the final race. For one reason or another, things just haven’t gone our way this year despite recording three poles and two wins. We may not have the championship on the line Saturday night, but we’re really hungry for that third win this season. I think we’re ready.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 7th IN STANDINGS (TWO 2013 WINS):
“We’re looking forward to ending the season strong with a good result this weekend in the Verizon Chevy at Auto Club Speedway. With the series championship and the manufacturer’s title on the line for Helio and Chevy, it’s definitely going to be interesting. We want to build on the good finishes we’ve had here in the last few races and score some points to hopefully help with both championships.”

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE, NO. 27 GODADDY ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, 9th IN STANDINGS (THREE 2013 WINS):
”This is one of the toughest tracks we race on all year! The low downforce configuration and the seams wreak havoc for us. It’s so easy to be caught off guard, and so 500 miles there feels like 1000 anywhere else! That said, the team had a strong test there a few weeks ago, and hopefully that translates into a good package on the GoDaddy car for the race weekend. It would be great to end the year with a podium and head into the off-season with some momentum.”
TONY KANAAN, NO. 11 HYDROXYCUT KV RACING TECHNOLOGY – SH RACING CHEVROLET, 11th IN STANDINGS (ONE 2013 WIN):
“I’m really looking forward to the final race of the season in Fontana. We had a good test there last month and over the season we have shown that we are very competitive on ovals. This is a big weekend for the team.  We have $250,000 on the line for the Fuzzy’s Triple Crown Award if we can win here and also, obviously it will be my last race with KV, so I would like to give Kevin Kalkhoven, my good friend Jimmy Vasser and the whole KV Racing organization another victory to remember me by.”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 7 MCAFEE DRAGON RACING CHEVROLET, 12th IN STANDINGS:
“Fontana, last oval and last race of 2013. After a strong second half of the season with a few podiums, it would be great to finish in style on a superspeedway. We haven’t been very strong so far on these kind of tracks, but during the last test, I think we found some interesting setup options and I am hopeful Dragon Racing and myself will be able to put the No.7 Mc Afee / True Car / Chevrolet at the top.”
 
E.J. VISO, NO. 5 TEAM VENEZUELA PDVSA CITGO ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT HVM CHEVROLET, 13th IN STANDINGS:
”Excited to finally head to Fontana which has always been a controversial place. Last year was a very difficult race with a lot of bumps in the track, a lot of changes in the height and seams in the lanes which makes the stability of the car more difficult. It’s also a place that is normally pretty hot, so with all these factors together, it’s going to be a tough weekend. But, we, once again, have faith in the research and development we’ve done as a team.”
SIMONA DE SILVESTRO, NO. 78 NUCLEAR ENTERGY AREVA KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET, 15th IN STANDINGS:
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend’s race at the Auto-Club Speedway in Fontana. We had a test there last month and I think it went really well. I’ve improved a lot on the ovals this year and am looking forward to a strong finish! I want to thank my team, the Nuclear Clea
n Air Energy campaign, and Chevy for all their support this year. We’ve had some really great momentum the last few races, finishing the last four races in the top-10 and getting my first IndyCar podium in Houston. We’re working hard to keep that momentum going with another great finish this weekend in Southern California.”
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S VODKA/ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 18th IN STANDINGS:
“Last year’s Fontana win was the most gratifying since it was my team and we were in our first year of operation.  It meant a lot to go up against the big teams like Ganassi, Penske and Andretti and win the race with our new one-car team.  Winning the pole at Indy was a huge accomplishment for our team too.  We were the little guys going against the big ‘Goliath’ teams and we prevailed.  Now, we come to Fontana and the big teams are racing for a series championship.  But I think they know that our one-car effort will be a contender too. It’s always fun to come back to tracks where you’ve had success. Last year we were successful at the Fontana Open Test and that carried through the race.  We were pleased with our recent test last month. So let’s hope that carries over again in Saturday’s 500-miler. Fontana is always fun because it’s really challenging. The weather changes a lot and the track changed too. One of the things we have been working on this year is to be able to use more of the track.”

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO.  6 TRUECAR DRAGON RACING CHEVROLET, 21st IN STANDINGS:
“It’s amazing how quick this year went by, we’ve been working so hard and seeing where we are right now compared to where we started makes us wish that there were a lot more races ahead. We need to keep the good strides we’ve put forward and finish strong. The test we had last week was good with a strong race car, we need to continue to work on the  car to have a good show out there on Saturday. “

ORIOL SERVIA, NO. 4 NATIONAL GUARD PANTHER RACING CHEVROLET, 22nd IN STANDINGS:
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 2 IZOD TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:
“It’s going to be a lot of fun to get back behind the wheel of the No. 2 IZOD Team Penske Chevy this weekend. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve raced in IndyCar so it’ll be important in practice on Friday to get comfortable in the car and with our setup. It will be an honor to represent IZOD in their final race as series sponsor and hopefully we can come through in a big weekend for Team Penske.”

 
CORVETTE RACING AT PETIT LE MANS: A Weekend of Curtain Calls
Road Atlanta marks final race for Corvette C6.R and ALMS championship
 
DETROIT (Oct. 16, 2013) – This weekend’s Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta will see two of modern-day sports car racing’s most prominent names take the checkered flag. The Corvette C6.R competes for the final time in the hands of Corvette Racing for the final event of the American Le Mans Series. One of the most successful models ever fielded by Corvette Racing, the C6.R will make way for the all-new C7.R to debut in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona in the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
 
Two Compuware-sponsored Corvette C6.Rs are entered for this weekend’s 1,000-mile/10-hour Petit Le Mans. GT championship leaders Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen team with Jordan Taylor in the No. 3 Corvette while Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Richard Westbrook pilot the No. 4 entry that opened the ALMS season with a victory at Sebring.
 
All said, the C6.R helped deliver six ALMS manufacturer and team championships along with five driving titles since 2001. Garcia and Magnussen can add to that tally this weekend by finishing at least seventh or better in class. Considering those facts, it is no surprise to see Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and its drivers throughout the ALMS’ history records.
 
There are 55 victories worldwide for the C6.R, which made its racing debut in 2005. Of those, 51 were in the ALMS and four came at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Breaking down the numbers further, the GT1 version of the C6.R scored 42 victories – including a record-setting 39 in the ALMS. At one point, the C6.R won 25 consecutive races in class between 2007 and 2009; it is the longest such streak in ALMS history, regardless of class.
 
Corvette Racing will end the American Le Mans Series as its most successful entrant. The team’s 82 victories are 27 more than any other competitor. Corvette Racing also has 54 1-2 team finishes in ALMS events and has been the fastest qualifier in 64 races – both series records.
 
Current Corvette drivers rank near the top of the ALMS’ lists of individual categories. Jan Magnussen enters Petit Le Mans as the co-leader in the ALMS starts with 115. Oliver Gavin isn’t far behind with 110 starts. The Brit leads in career fastest race laps with 29, and ranks third in both career victories (40) and career poles (20).
 
The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is a result of a merger between the ALMS and GRAND-AM. The series will feature 12 events throughout North America.
 
EDITORS: High-resolution images of Corvette Racing are available on the Team Chevy media site for editorial use only.
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“This car has won Petit Le Mans several times. For sure it would be great to end the ALMS by winning again this year at Petit Le Mans with it and win the drivers’ championship. It’s a very special car and has won so many races around the world.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“I’ve been involved in the ALMS since the beginning. It’s been a championship that personally gave me a second career in racing. I pretty much thought that when I was done with Formula One and the way it ended that it would be it for me. Coming here and getting into this championship – first with Panoz and then in GT racing – has been a super privilege. It’s not just to race but also to fight for championships with the biggest manufacturer in the ALMS.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“It is going to be the last race for quite a few things – whether it’s the last race of the ALMS or the last for the C6.R. I’ve gone all the way through the life of the C6.R – both the GT1 version and the GT spec. It’s been so successful and been a great car to drive and be around. I take a huge amount of pleasure in driving it. I’m sure the team has taken a lot of pleasure in working on it and preparing it for the racetrack each weekend. It has been up against the best car manufacturers in the world and oftentimes putting us on the top step.
“If journalists are looking to write a story on the ALMS, the GT car that been there through all its years is America’s sports car – the Corvette. It will be viewed as one of the dominants cars of the ALMS. Corvette has been there for every single Petit Le Mans. If you say ‘ALMS GT car’, I think the automatic reference is a Corvette. The noise and the velocity yellow scheme are the hallmarks of the ALMS. Other cars have come and gone. Chevrolet and Corvette Racing have always been here. The key has been a group of people who have stuck together and functioned properly as a team. Weekend after weekend, we are able to get that high level of performance from the mechanics, engineers, other crew and drivers. It’s been an amazing run. I have to pinch myself sometimes to realize I’ve been part of it. Sometimes in the sport, you have to look back after a couple of years and realize what you’ve been involved in. You look at the last couple of years here with great competition against different brands of cars and different teams. I’m sure we will look over the last couple years of the ALMS GT class and say there was some mighty and fantastic racing at every single round.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“The C6.R has featured pretty prominently throughout the ALMS. It was incredibly successful in the GT1 spec. And I think in GT that we have proven pretty well that the chassis and package – no matter where it was raced – was competitive, fast and won championships and everything there is to win in production-based racing. It’s a testament to the car and to the team’s drive, determination and competitiveness to make it a dominant force.”
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“By any measure, the Corvette C6.R has rightfully earned a place among the greatest sports cars of the modern area. Its on-track successes have proven it to be a more-than-worthy successor to the C5-R. Teamed together, these two proud representations of the Corvette production car have made Corvette Racing the most successful team in ALMS history. In addition, with seven Le Mans victories to its credit, Chevrolet and the Corvette brand are now highly respected around the world. All this was achieved through the hard work and dedication of al the guys on the team and the unwavering support of Chevrolet’s management, marketing and engineering personnel. I could not be more proud of all of them.”
(Saluting the ALMS) “It was the extraordinary passion and vision of Don Panoz that led to his creating the American Le Mans Series. In doing so, he literally set the stage for Corvette’s return to international sports car glory. His ability to bring together the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans in combination with the ALMS created what is now considered to be the most competitive sports car racing in the world. Chevrolet and Corvette will be forever grateful for his efforts – Thank you, Don!”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
BANK OF AMERICA 500
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
OCTOBER 12, 2013
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 QUAKER STATE CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED SECOND
THAT WAS A HECK OF A BATTLE BETWEEN YOU AND BRAD KESELOWSKI THERE IN THE CLOSING LAPS CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT?
“Yeah, we had a great race.  I was on two (tires) and he was on four (tires) and he could just move around a little bit better.  I was trying to move around, but I was just a little bit on the tight side with the front end, then I would get loose if I got the front working. I was doing all I could and felt pretty good, but he made some nice moves and just really had some speed there late in the race and was able to get by me.”  
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S DOVER WHITE CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED FOURTH
ON THAT FINAL RESTART IT LOOKED LIKE YOU DROPPED BACK A LITTLE BIT, BUT THEN CAME BACK AND HAD A GREAT BATTLE WITH KASEY.  WHAT HAPPENED THERE THAT YOU DROPPED BACK?
“Down in (turns) one and two just in the dirty air I pushed the No. 5 off into (turn) one. He didn’t get the best restart and something to do with that combo got me off the bottom and a couple of cars got into the side of me.  If we could have come out second which was really close with the No. 24 and start on the front row I think it would have been a much different result for us, but it didn’t happen.  We led some laps tonight, had a good car.  I’m not sure what happened in the points, but I know it’s awfully tight up there right now.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED SIXTH
IT WAS ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS YOU GUYS JUST KEPT SWINGING AWAY AND GOT A DECENT FINISH OUT OF IT:
“Yeah, we got a decent finish, but our car was terrible all night.  I just have to thank all my Jimmy John’s guys for working hard and keeping the car on the lead lap.  Then just the restart went our way there at the end and we were able to get a decent finish out of it.  We survived.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED SEVENTH
HOW WAS YOUR NIGHT? YOU HAD A REALLY STRONG CAR
“I don’t know about that. It was a solid night. I was really good out front there in the beginning. We really struggled all day on Friday and tonight we could just not get it to take off good and then be good on the long runs. It looked like some guys were maybe a little bit freer than us on the shorter runs, but we were still able to maintain some good laps times and then be good on the long runs. It was a solid effort. It was a great call there to try to make two (tires) work. Our car was just way too tight to be able to do it. We lost a few more positions than I was hoping. But it was still solid.”
 
DID THE LONG GREEN FLAG RUNS NOT GIVE ENOUGH TIME TO ADJUST ON THE CAR?
“We’ve been adjusting on it all weekend. I don’t know. We had a very fast race car but just trying to get the balance is really temperamental. I don’t know. That’s why we debrief and keep working at it. We were very strong and overall it was a good weekend for us. But I was definitely anticipating or hoping to be a little bit better than that.”
 
DO YOU THINK THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNITY LOST WITH HOW STRONG YOU THOUGHT YOUR CAR WAS ALL WEEKEND?
“It was certainly an opportunity. You want to take advantage of that number one pit stall but we didn’t have enough cautions to do that. We need more cautions. We needed more cautions because when we had the track position we seemed to be able to maintain it, but once we lost it there was no getting it back. And all those green flag stops just didn’t really suit us. So, we still had a solid effort tonight. But yeah, when you look at the guys who finished ahead of us, they are all the guys we are racing.”
 
YOU ARE 36 BACK IN FOURTH; FIVE RACES IN. HOW GOOD IS THAT?
“I’m pretty impressed with that, to be honest. We’ve got to be realistic and while we’ve been really strong ever since the Chase started, we also came into this thing barely making it in and one week we probably weren’t in it and then the next week we’re in it and then we came from 13th to where we are. So I’m very proud of that and I’m not going to let this get us down. But, I also feel like we’ve been knocking on the door to get a win and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
 
TALLADEGA IS CONSIDERED THE WILD CARD RACE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT TALLADEGA AND MARTINSVILLE?
“I’m looking forward to Martinsville. I don’t know if anybody is looking forward to Talladega but it’s part of it. And you’ve got to go in there with a positive attitude and fight and do your best and try to avoid whatever may occur there or what’s going to occur there and hope that you come out with a race car, it doesn’t even have to be in one piece, it just needs to get across the line with a decent finish.”
 
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 QUICKEN LOANS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED EIGHTH
ON HIS NIGHT:
“We struggled all night on the short run. Our Quicken Loans Chevrolet was really good as the run went on; it would come to life 20 or 25 laps into the run. But by then, we’d lost track position and couldn’t get it back. We weren’t able to capitalize on the speed we had in the car. Matt Borland (crew chief) kept adjusting on the car all night, but we couldn’t get it where we needed it to be. At the end of the day, we came home eighth, which means we’ll pay 10 mortgages for 10 fans thanks to the “Bring it Home” sweepstakes, and Monday will be a Bloomin’ Monday at Outback Steakhouse.”
 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW/DENVER MATTRESS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 14TH
ON HIS RACE:
“We lost the handling of the car and it was a struggle the entire night. We had an upbeat feeling about tonight after two strong practices on Friday but nothing really materialized for us to make a charge. It’s disappointing to finish where we did (14th) after having a number of solid runs on the mile-and-a-halfs, including last week’s runner-up finish in Kansas.  Next week we’ll give it another go in the Wonder bread car at Talladega.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 TIME WARNER CABLE CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 15TH
TALK ABOUT YOUR NIGHT:
“The car just got really tight.  We’ve got to take it back and something moved. Something in the set-up moved, but the car was real quick at the start of the race.  We were just kind of real happy with the speed.  The No. 5 was really good and the No. 48 got real good.  Still thought we had a top-five car and I don’t know what happened.  We lost a rubber out of the right-rear spring or something like that.  It just would not turn at all the last half of the race pretty much.  We are just kind of trying to figure out what is going on.  We will get it back and figure it out when we get to the shop on Monday.  It was still a good effort by all the guys on this Time Warner Cable Chevrolet.  We are having some pretty good cars we just something happened tonight we are not quite sure what it was.  We will find something I’m sure.  The car just doesn’t get that tight from running that good without any adjustments.  We were freeing it up, moving the trackbar, taking wedge out and just getting tighter and tighter something wrong with it.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 20TH
“We didn’t have a great starting spot with our GoDaddy Chevy, and as always at these mile-and-a-halfs, track position is really important just because how tough it is to run in traffic and as a result pass. It really was just a little tight the first couple of runs and then man, I don’t know what else we could have done to fix the balance. All we needed really was track position and more yellows so we could get back on the lead lap. The team did a really great job of working through practices and m
y pit crew did an awesome job of getting me out in record time. We just needed track position.”
 
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
BANK OF AMERICA 500
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
OCTOBER 12, 2013
 
MARK MARTIN, NO. 14 BASS PRO SHOPS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS – SIDELINED WITH AN ENGINE FAILURE ON LAP 82
 
WHAT HAPPENED THAT PUT YOU BEHIND THE WALL?
“Well we broke a valve spring earlier and we were trying to nurse it along to maybe a caution where we could possibly work on it a little bit where it wouldn’t self-destruct, but we didn’t get that.  When you run one with a broken spring a lot of times you wind up failing something else.  I hate that for everybody.  I hate that we brought out a caution, but we were just trying to do the best we could there.  Trying to nurse it along and see if we could make it to the end.”
 
DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THAT SOMETHING WAS GOING TO GO WRONG?
“It went down a cylinder on the front straightaway a while ago.  That is when we started falling back obviously.  We went down on seven cylinders no warnings no issues up until that point.  These guys are pumped up and we were ready to go racing and it’s really early in the night to be out.  I would have liked to have raced and got the experience of adjusting our car and fighting and battling with it.  But we didn’t get to do that.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
BANK OF AMERICA 500
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 12, 2013
 
 
KAHNE AND JOHNSON SCORE TOP FIVE FINISHES AT CHARLOTTE
FIVE TEAM CHEVY CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS IN TOP 10 OVERALL
 
CONCORD, NC – October 12, 2012 – With a really solid No. 5 Quaker State Chevrolet SS race car, Kasey Kahne led the most laps, 138 of the 334-lap Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway to finish second overall.  It was Kahne’s 12th top-10 finish in 20 races at the 1.5-mile track and his 12th top-10 finish of the 2013 season. He currently ranks 13th in the Chase standings.
 
In spite of leading the most laps, having a strong race car, and contending for the win, Kahne came home just behind race winner Brad Keselowski (Ford).
 
“We had a great race,” said Kahne.  “I was on two (tires) and he (Keselowski) was on four (tires) and he could just move around a little bit better.  I was trying to move around, but I was just a little bit on the tight side with the front end, then I would get loose if I got the front working. I was doing all I could and felt pretty good, but he made some nice moves and just really had some speed there late in the race and was able to get by me.”
 
Kahne’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson, also had a fast race car in his No. 48 Lowe’s Dover White Chevy SS. Johnson led 130 laps and finished in fourth place; giving Team Chevy two of the top-five finishing spots. He holds strong in second place in the points, with five races remaining in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
 
Championship contenders Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS finished sixth, Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Axalta Chevy SS was seventh, and Ryan Newman, No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS finished eighth. All three drivers maintained their positions in the current standings. Harvick is third, Gordon is fourth, and Newman is in 12th place overall.
 
It was a tough race for Kurt Busch, who struggled with handling issues with his No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevy SS, but was able to finish in the 14th position. And although he had a solid start to the night, Dale Earnhardt Jr. also fought handling problems with his No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet SS and finished 15th.  Busch remains seventh in the points; Earnhardt Jr. fell one position and now ranks ninth in the standings.
 
Rounding out the top-five finishers were Matt Kenseth (Toyota) in third and Kyle Busch (Toyota) in fifth.
 
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup continues with race number six of 10 next Sunday, October 20th at Talladega Superspeedway.
 
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 QUAKER STATE CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED SECOND 
 
KERRY THARP:  We’re going to roll right into tonight’s Bank of America 500 post‑race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, No. 5 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.  Our race runner-up is Kasey Kahne.  He drove the No. 5 Quaker State Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, and Kasey, certainly had a very, very competitive race car out there tonight.  You led a lot of laps, contended for the win, and just fell a little short.  Just talk about your run out there this evening.
 
KASEY KAHNE:  Yeah, we had a really good Quaker State Chevrolet throughout the whole race from the time it started, and it was really solid until about lap 160 or so, it changed a little bit, and then we had to ‑‑ (inaudible) just got it back.  At that point we lost our speed and was then kind of second to Jimmie.  We took two at the end.  That was a great call to stay on the front row there and have a shot.  I was able to clear Jeff.  I thought I did pretty good, but as soon as I got to Turn 1 my left side was a little bit ‑‑ I could feel they weren’t working quite as well.  They were just rough, kind of bouncing a little bit, so I knew I was in trouble at that point.  So I just tried to run good laps, and Brad caught me and I tried to switch it up and find momentum and find speed.  He got by me in 3 and got back by him the front stretch and then he came up again.  He ran a really good race and they were close, but felt really good, felt strong the whole night.  I wish we could have won, but this was a good race for us considering the last four races.
Q.  Given the struggles you had in the last few laps, did you ever get a sense that you were going to be able to catch him, or did you kind of resign yourself that it was going to be a challenge?
KASEY KAHNE:  Yeah, he got by him, he got back by him and he was able to keep with me on the corner and I knew what his car felt like compared to mine because of tires.  I was trying to find speed, and after he got by me I found a little bit up high in 1 and 2 (inaudible) still could get through there pretty good, and Brad ran a strong race and did a good job and we fought until the end, and I got into the wall in 4 coming to the white (inaudible).
 Q.  I know it’s not quite the finish you wanted but what kind of momentum boost is this?
KASEY KAHNE:  Yeah, it’s a good boost.  Charlotte always gives us a pretty good boost.  We always seem to run pretty well here.  We always have, and hopefully we always do.
Q.  Kasey, Brad was talking about how he felt comfortable racing with you even though you guys raced so hard.  He said there’s other guys who freak out when he gets that close to them but you have a good respect for each other.  Can you talk about that?
KASEY KAHNE:  Yeah, I think we do.  I could feel him a lot, not too much the first half of the straightaway but towards the end of the straightaway getting in he’d really put pressure on me, on my left‑rear quarter or my right rear depending on which side he was.  I could feel him.  It would move my car.  He did it down the whole backstretch once and I tried chasing him and just about lost it in the middle of the back straightaway.  So we ended up playing kind of the air game and trying to give our cars as much speed as we could.  But neither one of us ever came close to wrecking each other.  It was just about racing hard.  He drove it into Turn 3 way far to clear me, and I got back under him, so it was a great battle.  I had a good time racing with him.  We came out on the wrong side of it.
Q.  On the restart were you wondering, where is Jimmie, why isn’t he coming up behind me?
KASEY KAHNE:  Well, I saw Jimmie.  He started right behind me, and we went ‑‑ I was racing Jeff, so I didn’t look in my mirror until I cleared Jeff off of 4, and then I didn’t see Jimmie once I cleared Jeff.  So I was coming to complete the first lap after the green flag.  I had no clue where he went.  I didn’t know if something happened or what.  And then I saw him again later in the race.  He came back through to I think to fourth or fifth.  Either way I was surprised.  I don’t know what happened to him.  He was strong the last half of the race.  He was really strong.
Q.  Kasey, intermediates seem to play well for you but you mentioned that Charlotte always gives you an extra big boost.  What is it about this place that brings out the best in you?
KASEY KAHNE:  I don’t know, we just always have ran pretty good at this track.  I wish I knew how to get my car to drive like it does here at other places.  I don’t know if it’s the tire or the track itself, what it is.  But we just always run pretty good here.  It’s a confidence, kind of always gives us confidence when we leave here.  So it’s nice.  Hopefully we can run to Texas to test and hopefully we can run pretty strong the rest of the year.  I don’t want to finish last in points, so we’ll see what happens.
Q.  In V
ictory Lane, Brad said there are a handful of guys you can’t race hard with in this deal because they freak out, but Kasey Kahne is not one of them.  I know you kind of addressed this a little bit, but do you kind of agree with Brad’s assessment, and do you agree that if so, are you guys among those that seem to not have a problem racing hard?
KASEY KAHNE:  Well, I think there’s a bunch of guys like that myself, that I’ve raced with.  But yeah, I don’t feel like me and Brad have a problem racing.  I think we’ve raced hard in the past and we’ll race hard for a while.  But tonight was a good battle.  He had four tires and I had two, and I did all I could, and he just got by me and cleared me.
 
I don’t know, I always race him pretty good, and we raced hard.  I don’t really know what else to say about it.
Q.  With the testing coming up on Monday and looking at rules for 2014, with all the slicing and dicing you were doing out there but then a bunch of people bitching about the cars being tight and everything else, where is the balance that we’re looking for moving forward with what changes, modifications need to be made to these cars?
KASEY KAHNE:  I don’t know.  I heard they have a lot of ideas and some different things to try, I think, I’m pretty sure here Monday.  We’re not part of that test, but I would imagine they’ll learn some things.  I had a great car tonight and I could race pretty good, but everybody is just so fast.  All the cars, all the teams do a really nice job, and if you look in practice, the speeds are so close, we qualify and are all within I think the top six or so, within half‑a‑tenth or a tenth or somewhere in there.  When everybody is running those types of speeds, it’s going to be tough to pass regardless of ‑‑ it just is.  Hopefully they keep looking at stuff.  I think the tire is a big part of it, and I think Goodyear definitely gave us a better tire this week to race on than last week, so I definitely thank them for that. But I think the tires can always get better and help the racing and the cars, as well, and hopefully we learn some things in the next week to keep gaining.
 
But tonight’s race wasn’t too bad, I don’t think.
 
KERRY THARP:  Kasey, thanks for putting on a great performance tonight, and we’ll see you at Talladega.
 

CORVETTE RACING AT PETIT LE MANS: One More Title To Go
Garcia, Magnussen look for ALMS GT drivers’ title at end of 1,000-mile enduro
 
DETROIT (Oct. 14, 2014) – Only one more race separates Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen from the American Le Mans Series’ GT drivers’ championship. Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta is the site of the final round of the 2013 ALMS but also the series’ finale as well. The 1,000-mile/10-hour endurance classic has been a staple at Road Atlanta – an hour northeast of Atlanta – since its first running in 1998.
 
After nine of 10 rounds in this year’s championship, Garcia and Magnussen in the No. 3 Compuware Chevrolet Corvette C6.R lead their sole remaining challenger – Dirk Muller – by 16 points with 24 available to the winner at Petit Le Mans. The Corvette Racing camp is aiming for a second straight clean sweep of the ALMS GT titles. It clinched a 10th series team championship and won Chevrolet’s 10th manufacturer title in the previous race at Virginia International Raceway. The championship chase concludes at Road Atlanta with live coverage starting at 11 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 2; the race’s broadcast alternates between it and FOX Sports 1.
 
No duo in the GT class can match Garcia and Magnussen’s three victories in 2013: Laguna Seca, Baltimore and Austin. For Petit Le Mans, they will team with newly crowned GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype champion Jordan Taylor. The group must finish seventh or higher at Road Atlanta for Garcia and Magnussen to win the driving title; they were second last year.
 
If they do, the duo would succeed Corvette Racing teammates Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner as champions. Richard Westbrook returns to join them in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette; the trio opened the ALMS season with a remarkable, come-from-behind victory at Sebring. Gavin is the team’s winningest driver at Road Atlanta with five victories.
 
With five wins on the season, Corvette Racing is assured of being the ALMS’ most successful entrant in series history. The list of achievements is remarkable – 82 victories, 10 team and manufacturer titles, and 64 pole positions. All are American Le Mans Series records.
 
Starting in January, a new era begins with the debut of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship – a result of a merger between the ALMS and GRAND-AM. The season will open with the Rolex 24 at Daytona and close with Petit Le Mans.
 
EDITORS: High-resolution images of Corvette Racing are available on the Team Chevy media site for editorial use only.
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
(Championship strategy) “We need to keep racing as we have up to this point. We need to use a percentage of caution; we won’t risk as much during the race as we normally would. But in this case, you can’t hold back and wait. If you hold back a little too much, you become vulnerable. We need to keep the same strategy – try to be up front and stay out of trouble.”
“We all just need to stay calm and relax. The key is to remain consistent and keep doing the same things we have earlier in the year.”
(Being successful at Road Atlanta) “The key thing is that we normally have a few more cars and new people running in the race. The amount of traffic rises, as does the risk. Because Road Atlanta is not so easy on traffic due to the layout, you need to take it easy. You also need to have a smart, safe strategy and don’t try to do something out of sequence and completely different than anything from the season.”
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
(Championship strategy) “We will have to keep our eye on the ball and win the championship. That’s not to say we can’t go for a victory, but we do need to make sure we get the championship. The situation is looking quite good for us but it is a long race. Our main competitors will be strong but our car is usually excellent as well at Road Atlanta. We need to be clever about it – push when we need to but also smart when need to.”
(Keys to victory) “Because of the race’s length, the team plays a much bigger part. There is a ton of strategy involved and there are more pit stops. Fortunately for us, we have been able to do a really good job at both. The longer distances will suit our team even more and usually we are quite strong. We do put a lot of time and effort into stops and making the right strategy calls.”
 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“Finishing the last three races in the Rolex Series and winning those races, there isn’t a much better feeling. Having those victories and a championship is the best possible way to come into Petit Le Mans. I’m really excited to get back to the Corvette and the team since the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The No. 3 team has had a great season so far. My job is to help them to win a championship.”
(Taming the track) “Road Atlanta is one of the more traditional courses we have in America. There is a lot of speed, and the track flows very well. It’s a fun track to drive but when you get into a race situation with traffic, it can be frustrating and stressful if you’re stuck behind a slower GT car or trying to hold off a prototype in certain sections. Things can get pretty stressful and it’s easy to lose a ton of time. If you lose a little bit of rhythm or momentum at a place like Road Atlanta – where you are going by rhythm or momentum – you can lose sync of everything and wonder where your lap time went. It’s a big track for confidence and believing in yourself and the car.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“The race really is one of the crown jewels of the sports car racing world. It’s an event many teams from outside the series want to do. A thousand miles around Road Atlanta is a great challenge. The track is fast and unforgiving. It can frustrate you when you’re in traffic, but sometime you can use that your advantage if someone is chasing you. It’s a track that is suited for this race with the fact you go from starting in the middle of the day and ending at night. Those last couple of hours, you know is going to be hard and tough after racing all day. It will be a fine way to finish off the story that has been the ALMS.”
(Adding a Petit Le Mans win to Sebring) “That has to be the goal. We’ve had some ups and downs starting at Sebring. We had a great victory in Canada before things started going downhill for us. When you have three bad races in a year, you have to be super-lucky to come away with a championship. Considering how difficult this class is, you get one ‘get out of jail free’ card. Jan and Antonio played their card at Sebring, but since then they have nailed it every single weekend. They’ve had a very strong season and deserve to be leading the championship with one race to go. Let’s hope they can seal it at Petit Le Mans and get us all three championships again for Corvette Racing. It would be an amazing feat to close the American Le Mans Series with Corvette Racing and Chevrolet as champions in everything we can win.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“There is a lot to race for, that’s for sure. We can’t win the championship – we’re one point out of having a chance. We’d love to be second in the final standings. But from my perspective I’d rather go for a win at Petit Le Mans – the last ALMS race and one race I haven’t won yet. That’s higher on my list than finishing second or staying third in the standings. It’s a big race – where the ALMS started. Sebring and this one were races coming into the year that I definitely wanted to win. We got Sebring in March and if we can get Sebring, I’d be able to look back on this season and be satisfied with what Oliver, Richard and I have accomplished. There would be nothing better to end the season and the ALMS’ run with a victory.”
(Track characteristics) “Road Atlanta is a track that suits multi-class racing. There is an ebb and flo
w with traffic throughout the race within our class. It’s one I’ve always enjoyed. It’s incredibly fast and fun circuit. For whatever reason, I seem to get a little more excited for Petit Le Mans. The whole picture of that event makes it pretty special. It’s always well-subscribed by fans.”
 
RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“Petit Le Mans is one of the classics. In the sports car racing world, you’ve got the Le Mans 24 Hours, Sebring and Petit Le Mans. This is where the ALMS started. It will always be a very special event. Any driver that wins it will put it straight away on their CV. Driving a Corvette in Petit Le Mans also is a very special thing. We have a great turnout with the Corvette owners in the Corvette Corral – one of the biggest of the year. So being a Corvette driver at Road Atlanta is an incredibly special thing.”
(Dealing with traffic) “For a driver, and it’s something I have to be mindful of – you have to be patient. It’s a short track with a very large field. It’s easy to get bottled up for half your stint or even your whole stint in traffic. It’s so easy to be caught up in other people’s battles. You need to be patient early and let the racing take care of itself in the last couple hours.
(A good track) “This definitely is a track that suits our car. It’s has a long straight, a really fast section with a lot of high-speed corners. You also have the slow chicane where you are braking from very high speed. It’s a great indicator of how your car is generally because it has a bit of everything.”
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“Over the years, Petit Le Mans has proven to be one of the most exciting events on our schedule. From a driver’s perspective, the Road Atlanta circuit presents an extremely difficult challenge featuring a lot of elevation change mixed with very high-speed corners. And none of that is wasted on our fans who truly understand how important this year’s race will be to Corvette Racing. We come in having wrapped up both the ALMS manufacturers’ and team championships, which leaves the all-important drivers’ championship still up for grabs. Jan and Antonio have fought back all year to take the lead in points and Petit Le Mans will decide who goes home with the crown. You can’t ask for any more drama than that!”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
BANK OF AMERICA 500
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 10, 2013
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S DOVER WHITE CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed racing this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he currently sits in the Chase and other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT COMING BACK TO CHARLOTTE, A PLACE WHERE YOU’VE HAD SO MUCH SUCCESS, AND WHAT YOU’RE HOPING TO GET OUT OF THIS WEEKEND
“I’m definitely excited to be home and sleep in your own bed through the course of the week is obviously nice. Having Lowe’s corporate headquarters just down the road is really cool, too. We’ll have a lot of their executives out. In year’s past, we’ve been able to perform with them right here watching and joining us in Victory Lane. It would be nice to experience that once again with all of them.
 
“The track is great. We all know the history of the track and have really had some strong runs here over the years. And I think the last couple of All-Star races, we’ve been able to hit the first race really well and then when we come back for the 600 we are competitive; but it’s a little different than it was five or six years ago when they resurfaced the track. So we’re still trying to find that magic where we can separate ourselves each time we come back. But I still feel like we’re in that top 3 or top 5 group, week-in and week-out. As long as Matt (Kenseth) isn’t winning, then top 3 or top 5 wouldn’t be too bad this weekend.”
 
TALK ABOUT PHOENIX AND WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT THAT TRACK. YOU HAVE THE MOST WINS THERE.
“It’s changed quite a bit. We’ve struggled there since it’s been resurfaced. Our spring race seems to go well each time, but the fall race is pretty tough on us. It’s a totally different rhythm now through (Turn) 2. I call it ‘Turn 1, then Turn 2, then Turn 3 and Turn 4’, but some call it (Turns) 1 and 2 and the Doglegs. So whatever that little section of road is over there is really different than what we had before. And then the surface is this new asphalt that we can’t get a tire to stick to all that well. It’s obviously an extreme climate area, but hopefully that asphalt will give up and we can get a second lane working. They’ve spent a lot of money to build progressive banking in some areas and on their modeling; they had two and three lanes working around there. But we haven’t been able to see it yet and I hope that we go out there this fall and we get it.”
 
A LOT WAS MADE OF THE MIND GAMES YOU HAD WITH DENNY HAMLIN IN 2010; AND THEN LAST YEAR WITH BRAD KESELOWSKI. NOW THAT YOU ARE CHALLENGED BY A GUY LIKE MATT KENSETH, HOW DO YOU PLAY THOSE KINDS OF GAMES? OR, CAN YOU PLAY THOSE KINDS OF GAMES?
“I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the games. I felt like with Denny, whatever our personalities; we’ve always given each other a hard time in a good way. There was just some opportunity there where I could jab at him. And I think Kevin Harvick, at the champion’s press conference we had, really opened the door for it all to start happening there. Harvick had a very helpful hand in all that and getting it going. Honestly, with Bad last year, I’m not trying to play games. You are asked so many questions over the course of that week and you’re talking about somebody’s experience level; if they are defending something and what are those emotions and those conversations come out of kind of playing head games and stuff like that. But really, I’m just answering questions and stating the facts; and also stating facts that I know I’ve lived through and the challenges that I’ve had to fight through. So, with all of that, Matt has the experience. He’s been a champion. And no one is immune to it, but I feel like with someone that hasn’t won their first (title) you can suggest a few things that make them think more about it. And I don’t know what or if or how or any of that with Matt, if it would develop. And there are other years when I’ve raced Jeff (Gordon) for the championship or Mark Martin, and there really wasn’t anything to really mention there. So, I don’t have an agenda, or plan to. I didn’t necessarily those years, either. But I’m sure there will be something to talk about once we get to Homestead.”
 
ON HOW WHITE KNUCKLE OF AN EVENT IS TALLADEGA FOR YOU? WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF TENSION, KNOWING YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP COULD GO UP IN SMOKE AT ANY MOMENT?
‘Yeah, it’s tough. With this rules package, riding is not the things to do. You’ll never get back to the front. So, you’ve just got to go race and cross your fingers and go for it. You just hope that Lady Luck is on your side and that you make it through. The guys that we’re racing with right now in the championship historically go and race there. They don’t ride. So even if that opportunity was there, it would have forced our hand to race. So, we’re just going to show up and race. I’ve been able to finish all three (restrictor plate races) so far this year, and I think all three in the top 5. Hopefully we can keep this streak alive.”
 
THIS IS YOUR 10TH CHASE. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW WITH ALL THE EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE? DO YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT WINNING ANOTHER ONE OR DO YOU THINK IT’S GOING TO BE MORE OF A CHALLENGE THIS YEAR THAN IN THE PAST?
“It’s never easy. I do feel very good about our chances. Post-Talladega, depending on how things play out there, we’ll see where we stand. But the only thing I can do right now is look back on the races we’ve had and think what points we’ve left on the table. And there really aren’t many that we’ve left behind. So, yes there are a few points out there, but we’ve been very consistent. We’ve been competitive. We’ve won a race. I feel good with that. I know if we keep this pace up, we’ll definitely be a contender come Homestead. The big question is just Talladega; and then you do have some general risks that you take during the course of the weekend. Last weekend we had that engine fail with two (laps) to go and luckily, I limped it home. So you do have that mechanical aspect that’s out there. But again, it’s something I can’t control. I really work hard to worry about the things that I can control and forgetting about the rest.”
 
YOU MADE YOUR FIRST SPRINT CUP START HERE IN 2001. THAT’S ALSO WHERE YOU STARTED YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH LOWE’S. WHAT DOES THAT RELATIONSHIP MEAN TO YOU? AND, DOES THIS RACE HAVE ANY MORE SIGNIFICANCE BECAUSE OF IT?
“Yeah, I definitely think about this being my first start. It was a tough week for me. My close friend, Blaise Alexander, unfortunately lost his life on the front stretch here. So it was a weird and emotionally-charged weekend for me. The ultimate high of qualifying for my first Cup race, my relationship with Lowe’s, the Lowe’s car that they had at the time didn’t make the show, so there was that big positive emotion-swing in that direction and the tragedy of my friend, pulling me in another. So, it was a crazy week. And by the time Sunday came around, and I was in the race, my emotions were back under control and I really enjoyed the experience on the track. And I’ll never forget that first ah-ha moment I had was leaving the end of pit road. And I was running somewhere in the top 10 or top 15, and Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett, and Jeff Gordon were all around me. And I still kind of get the goose bumps now, just thinking about it. I just rolled off the end of pit road and I’m like here! This is where I’ve always wanted to be and I’m here.
 
“Shortly thereafter, I spun out and right in front of my teammate, Jeff, who was racing for the championship and I about took him out of it (laughs). It was a taste for me of how humbling the sport can be. I leave pit road on top of the world and it wasn’t five laps later when I was over there backwards in the wall. It’s a challenging sport.”
 
THERE WAS AN INCIDENT WHERE A CUP D
RIVER WAS ARRESTED A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO. WITHOUT GETTING INTO THE SPECIFICS OF THAT, SO MANY TIMES NASCAR GETS HAILED AS BEING UNLIKE OTHER SPORTS WHERE ATHLETES MIGHT BE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO BEING INVOLVED IN A POLICE BLOTTER OR HEADLINES FOR THE WRONG REASONS. WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS, DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT HOW IT MIGHT COLLECTIVELY IMPACT DRIVERS’ BRANDS AND KNOWING THAT SPONSORS GET INVOLVED IN THE SPORT BECAUSE OF THAT IMAGE-CONSCIOUS-TYPE THING. DO YOU THINK NASCAR SHOULD TAKE ANY ACTION WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS?
“I hadn’t thought about it on that level. I was shocked when I heard about it. But it’s not good for our sport, for sure. I think that most realize that it’s an individual situation and nothing to do with the team or the sponsor. It might shy a sponsor away from that particular organization or driver, but I would hope that it wouldn’t impact any further than that. I guess there could be some repercussions there. But again, I hadn’t thought about it too much in a global perspective for our sport. It’s not good press, so it can’t be helpful by any means. And it is pretty rare. I think that’s something that we all pride ourselves on that we don’t have a lot of that drama in our sport. So, I’m sure there is a negative impact to a small degree.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK WAS IN HERE BEFORE YOU AND SUGGESTED THAT ONE REASON ROOKIE STRUGGLE THESE DAYS IS BECAUSE THE TRUCKS AND THE NATIONWIDE CARS JUST AREN’T AS FAST AS THE CUP CARS AND THE TRANSITION IS SO HUGE.  WHEN YOU THINK BACK TO YOUR BUSCH DAYS IN THE EARLY 2000’S WERE THE CARS THAT MUCH CLOSER?
“Man I can’t really remember and I haven’t been in a Truck or a Nationwide car much since.  Kevin would really be the perfect one to ask that.  My mind quickly goes to how little testing you can have as a rookie.  When I came in the sport I think it was 12 two-day test sessions.  So I got 24 test days to sort stuff out.  As an individual team didn’t race at Martinsville so we went to Martinsville.  Didn’t race at, trying to remember the tracks now, Pocono, went to Pocono and tested.  So we were able to get me up to speed because when a weekend starts, if you are a rookie coming in and you haven’t had a chance to test.  By the time you get up to speed and comfortable on the track the good guys are five, six changes ahead of you.   And you are behind that the entire weekend.  It’s hard to catch up.  That is the part that I can really relate to the most.  I’m thankful that in my generation I was able to test a lot.  I don’t think it’s a bad idea to open up testing more in general.  We are kind of trending that way which is encouraging.  With (Kyle) Larson making the move as he has inevitably other drivers their names come along I think Austin’s (Dillon) make the change.  When you grow up in a high horsepower vehicle at least from my own experience I struggle in the slower cars.  I need the throttle to turn the car.  I have a good feeling for both of those guys.  It’s certainly going to be a tough road for them, but coming from the dirt, coming from high horsepower cars I think the Cup car is going to fit their style a little better.”
 
GIVEN THE STRUGGLES THAT YOU HAD LEADING UP TO THE CHASE HOW GOOD DO YOU FEEL?  DID YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE SITTING HERE DOING AS WELL AS YOU’VE DONE IN THE FIRST THREE RACES?
“I honestly and genuinely felt like we had a great chance to win the championship when all that was going on.  Bristol and Richmond we don’t have any tracks like that in the Chase.  The other tracks we struggled at we were running very fast, competitive, fighting for wins and had some weird things go on.  It did add a little stress there is no doubt about it.  When you have a new stat of your four or five worst races ever in the history of a team it’s not anything to be proud of.  There was a bit of, I don’t know exactly what to call it, stress, or frustration that went with that.  But we genuinely knew that we would be fine once the Chase started and got back to our tracks, good tracks and had a little luck turn around for us.”
 
SPEAKING OF THE ENGINE AT KANSAS DID YOU GUYS FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS?  HAVE YOU EVER HAD AN ENGINE COME BACK LIKE THAT AFTER IT STARTED TO FAIL ON THE FINAL LAP?  IT SEEMED LIKE THAT MIGHT HAVE SAVED YOU ABOUT TWO OR THREE CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AND COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE:
“It really was bizarre.  I was trying to manage how hard the car was shaking with my throttle inputs and looking back on it all I just got lucky with the parts that were failing.  They decided to work in harmony for another mile and a half or something. I could use a lot more throttle and maintain that sixth position.  We had a big meeting on Tuesday and they walked all the drivers and crew chief through and it’s amazing how thorough things are in our engine shop.  We feel very comfortable and confident that they have the issue sorted out that was in the valve train.  We are feeling good about it.” 
 
YOU SAID A FEW WEEKS AGO YOU WERE ONLY REALLY FOCUSED ON THE PEOPLE IN FRONT OF YOU IN POINTS. DO YOU STILL LOOK AT IT THAT WAY NOW THAT KEVIN (HARVICK) HAS A WIN?
“Kind of the same.  Even before when I mentioned looking forward you have to be aware of people behind you.  I think any psychologist or type of coaching you would listen to nobody wants you to look behind they always want you to look forward.  I’m certainly focused forward and just trying to get that top spot.  I was really motivated last week and hopeful that we could leave Kansas as the point’s leader came close, but it didn’t turn out.  I certainly have to be aware of the No. 24 and the consistency they have had and the fast cars and great performances and the same thing with the No. 29.  Kevin has got it all. He’s won championships he understands the pressure.  He is a hard-nosed racer things don’t rattle him.  He’s got that all there and the cars have been trending faster and faster and he showed that last week with a dominating weekend.  Looking forward but I certainly know who is behind us.”
 
YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU CAUGHT A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK THERE AT KANSAS ON THE LAST TWO LAPS WITH THE ENGINE GOING SOUR.  HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THAT YOU HAVE BOTH GOOD LUCK AND FAST CARS TO OVERCOME THE BAD LUCK IN THE CHASE?  DO YOU LOOK BACK AT THAT AND SEE THAT AS KIND OF A DEFINING MOMENT OF YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP RUN THIS YEAR?
“Well it’s early.  Talladega is still out there so it’s tough to look back on four races and spot the defining moment.  When the motor first started going I thought it was over and I was looking for white smoke and thought that I wouldn’t finish the last lap.  Started to develop the opinion ‘okay I’m going to finish, but I will be 15th.’  I know the No. 20 didn’t have the best day going so I’m not going to lose a ton of points. Then the engine started running smooth again and I was able to maintain sixth.  So I went through a variety of emotions trying to get that baby home and was very thankful that it did stay running and it got me back.  We’ve still got a little while before we try to look back and spot that moment.  I’m pretty sure there will be some other hairy moments out there we’ve got to deal with.”
 
WHAT ARE THE KEY VARIABLES OR INTRICACIES THAT MADE YOU GO FROM A GUY THAT WON FIVE OUT OF NINE TO START YOUR CAREER AT THIS PLACE AND THEN HAD A 1 OUT OF 15 DROUGHT? OBVIOUSLY I THINK THE REPAVE PLAYED INTO IT, BUT WHAT WERE THE OTHER VARIABLES INVOLVED?
“The overwhelming majority of it is repave I think.  We had a set-up there is a line that I ran and you go back and look at the video and I guess guys would have figured it out and explored and probably got better at it.  But the old surface, the b
umps, how tough it was to get around this place just worked really well for me.  We were able to find a little advantage especially on long runs.  Now with the surface like it is it’s just far different.  There really aren’t any bumps very little fall off due to the tire, so within that is where I think the majority of it went.  Sure, teams get stronger so I guess the other sliver to it is guys getting stronger.   I think of Kasey Kahne and how consistent he’s been here.  It’s been a good track for the No. 29 at times for Matt (Kenseth) regardless of the car that he’s in.  I was going to say the No. 20 but also in the No. 17 you know he’s had some wins here.  I think the competition getting stronger and then certainly the track change.”
 
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
BANK OF AMERICA 500
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES & QUOTES
OCTOBER 10, 2013
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER:
IT WAS EXCITING TO WATCH. HOW EXCITING WAS IT TO DRIVE A LAP LIKE THAT?
“Man, that was awesome. It’s been a while since we’ve had a pole here at Charlotte as well as doing it in that fashion. The way that the draw was today, there’s a lot of fast cars going late in qualifying. But when you didn’t see the lap times picking up as much as we thought they were going to, I didn’t know if that late draw was going to really be a big factor. But I saw that the guys ahead of me were putting down good laps and I knew the grip was there and what the car did in practice. And the guys just did an phenomenal job on our Axalta Chevrolet all day long making good adjustments. The car just did everything I wanted it to do.”
 
SO MANY GUYS’ TIME DROPPED OFF BETWEEN TURNS 3 AND 4, PARTICULARLY OFF TURN 4. YOUR’S DIDN’T. YOU REALLY GOT OFF THE CORNER GOOD. DID YOU FEEL THAT?
“Well we got through (Turns) 3 and 4 good in practice. But I thought I was a little bit tight. They freed the car up a little bit and I thought there was a little bit I could do to help my car in (Turns) 1 and 2. As long as the guys helped it turn in 3 and 4, I thought it would be a good lap. There was a lot of speed and a lot of security and it allowed me to have a lot of confidence.
 
“When I went through (Turns) 1 and 2 as good as it did, I thought all you can do is be committed at this point and hope that it sticks. The front end just kept cutting and I knew a lot of guys were getting tight and I just kept pushing the throttle down and it just carried great speed. But I didn’t know if it was going to be enough and then I found out how close it really was and that was pretty amazing.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 2nd:
TELL US ABOUT THAT QUALIFYING LAP. YOU MISSED IT BY ONE. DID YOU LEAVE SOMETHING OUT THERE?
“I felt like I didn’t get everything in (Turns) 3 and 4. I knew from the way things were going and the way practice was that I needed to try to get everything that I could n (Turns) 1 and 2 and not get tight coming off of Turn 4 and I probably lost the pole right there. I’ve just got to thank all these guys on my Jimmy John’s Chevy. They’ve done a great job. We knew we needed to qualify better in the Chase. We knew we needed to run better on the 1.5-mile race tracks and they’re capitalizing on last week and doing that. We would really have liked to have the pole tonight. But everybody knows how we have qualified in the past and to be on the front row is a great benefit for us.”
 
WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE TRACK TONIGHT?
“We ran about the same time, maybe a tenth faster, than what we did in practice. Or just a touch faster. Once we saw where the session was headed with everybody saying they were going slower, as a driver you kind of know what you need to push forward and what you don’t. I just didn’t want to be 25th and make mistakes. The race is no problem. It’s the qualifying sessions for me that stress me out.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S DOVER WHITE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 4th:
HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING LAP?
“That was really nice.  I was really happy with that lap.  Great pick up we made some good adjustments to get the car right.  I’m not sure many guys have picked up two almost three tenths in the session so we did the right things.  I’m excited.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 QUAKER STATE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 5TH
ON HIS LAP:
“Turns 1 and 2 were way better than I did in practice, but worse than (Turns) 3 and 4. So that’s why I kind of equaled out. I just got a little tight off and I couldn’t go back to wide-open soon enough. It was still a good lap for our Quaker State Chevrolet. It’s just not quite where I want it to be.
 
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 6TH
“Our National Guard Chevy was pretty good all day and I thought we made some good adjustments in between practice and qualifying. I think I underdrove Turn 2 a little bit. We had a real right car through that corner and I just feel like I underdrove it a little bit.”
 
HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO DO MUCH WORK SO FAR IN RACE TRIM?
“Yeah, we ran a couple of runs early and thought that we had a good handle.  We were really in the ballpark and really happy with how the car came off the trailer.  That is a good sign for us.”
 
TALK ABOUT MAKING YOUR 500TH CUP START THIS WEEKEND:
“Yeah, it’s not that big of a milestone to me.  I just hope I’m around for at least 250 or 500 more.  I’ve really been blessed to have the opportunity to do what I do.  I feel thankful every weekend to be able to get in some of the best cars in the series.  I really mean that from my heart.
 
“It’s truly been a dream career for me and I never took it for granted that I would be driving race cars all my life and be able to make a living doing it.  I’m real thankful and it makes me reflect on that kind of thing.”
 
HAVE YOU HAD A GOOD BIRTHDAY?
“It’s been great.  Getting older is not awesome, but it’s all how you feel I suppose.”
 
HOW OLD DO YOU FEEL?
“I feel 20.  I feel good.”
 
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 QUICKEN LOANS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 7th
HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR LAP?
“I had a good lap.  I didn’t nail (turns) three and four.  I thought I had a pretty good (turns) one and two, but a good run for our Quicken Loans Chevrolet.  I think we were 23rd in practice and we are sitting fourth right now with less than a handful of cars to go I think.  Good effort I obviously wanted a pole, but coming from 23rd a pole would have been a really big surprise.”
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, HO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 8th
HOW WAS YOUR LAP?
“It was okay. We really thought we had a little more in the car. But to be honest our Target Chevy is pretty good. I had to bail a little bit in (Turns) 3 and 4.  I was just surprised to run a .91. I was really good through (Turns) 1 and 2. (Turns) 3 and 4 have always been a struggle here. We’re a lot better than we used to be, but I got there and it turned and I’m like oh yes, and it turned and I got on the gas and kind of missed the bottom. I got too much throttle. I was too keen.”
 
WHAT WOULD A GOOD SHOWING HERE DO FOR YOU?
“These guys work really hard and we’ve got about five weeks or six races left, or something like that. I’m having a good time. We have a great bunch of guys. I think we have a great relationship and we all want to have a good ending of this. And so we’re working hard. I’m excited about next year and IndyCars and everything, but I’ve still got to keep my mind on what I’m doing right now.”
 
BRIAN SCOTT, NO. 33 SHORE LODGE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 19th:
“I don’t really remember much of it. I remember I was not breathing as well as I normally do (laughs).  It was exciting. This Chevy SS has a lot of power and it’s just fun to get behind the wheel obviously to enjoy this moment and make my first Sprint Cup Series start is really cool. I’m proud to do it with Chevrolet. And happy to be doing double duty. We have a really good Camaro in the Nationwide Series. This car, I think, is going to be good when we go into race trim. The guys have done a phenomenal job. They’ve given me a car that I can learn a lot in and the car is obviously better than my ability now.”
 
KYLE LARSON, NO. 51 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 21st
IN YOUR SPRINT CUP SERIES DEBUT, HOW HAVE THINGS GONE SO FAR THROUGH PRACTICE AND NOW YOUR FIRST QUALIFYING EFFORT?
“It’s been a lot of fun working with all the guys. I feel like our Target
Chevy is pretty good. We just got a little too free there in qualifying. We were good in (Turns) 1 and 2 and in our mock run; and tight in (Turns) 3 and 4. We just kind of got 3 and 4 good but loose in 1 and 2. I just couldn’t connect to the gas like I needed to. Maybe this is good enough to be 18th. We’ll see.”