NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
PURE MICHIGAN 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 16, 2013
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS  met with members of the media and discussed the challenge of the Michigan track, what it would mean to win here, success in the Nationwide Series versus the Cup Series, and more. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
 
TALK ABOUT RACING AT MICHIGAN THIS WEEKEND AND THE APPROACHING CHASE:
“Yes, time is going by pretty quick. The Chase is right around the corner. We’re excited to be here. The way the No. 48 ran and all of Hendrick Motorsports ran here in the Spring, we’ve all been excited to come back and hopefully have that pace and lead the race and hopefully get one of the cars in Victory Lane. I certainly want to get the No. 48 to Victory Lane. We’ve tried a lot of years now and have been very close here, but haven’t been able to pull that off. And we had issues that kept all four cars out of great finishes in the Spring race and if we can avoid the varying issues that took place, I think we stand a really good chance of getting into Victory Lane.”
 
BECAUSE YOU’VE NOT HAD TO FOCUS ON TRYING TO GET IN THE CHASE THIS YEAR, AND IN OTHER YEARS, HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING?
“We’ve worked really hard to maintain the same mindset. There was a year where we started some radical testing and concepts with the car and got off base and entered the Chase pretty weak and not up to par where we wanted to be. So, I think we learned that lesson. I wanted to say that was in 2007 or somewhere in there. But, since then, we really want to obviously perform as good as we can week in and week out. I think there’s a lot in that. And the way things are anymore, especially with the new car, you have to bring something new to the track each week and keep evolving. So, the mindset that we started the year with is really where we’re at now. We’re not making a stronger effort to try different things with the race car and the set-up. We are fortunate to have a lot of test sessions left. We just tested in New Hampshire and we’re going to test at Richmond next week. We have a few more out there that we’ll try to use to try to be prepared for the Chase. But, honestly, there hasn’t been a different mindset this year. We’ve had pace. We’re proud of that. We need to execute. We’ve left some wins on the table and we need to not do that. But, we’ve got to keep inching forward. We can’t sit still. And we’ll try to carry that momentum right into the start of the Chase.”
 
THIS TRACK (MIS) HAS BEEN NAMED ‘TRACK OF THE YEAR’ IN TERMS OF FAN EXPERIENCES. WHAT DO THE DRIVERS THINK OF IT?
“This track has always been high on the drivers’ list. The repave brought us back down to a pretty narrow racing groove. And in time, we know that will change and we can start racing around the top of the race track once again. The asphalt is too good these days. They just put down such good stuff that  it doesn’t wear out or age anytime quick and pins us down to a narrower lane. But I love coming here. This track has worked very well with myself and the young fans; we have a package that we do here with them and I go out and spend some time with the kids. So, I’m very proud of what this race track does with the fans.”
 
TALK ABOUT THE WINDWARD DREAM CRUISE YESTERDAY. WHAT WERE YOU DRIVING AND HOW WAS THAT?  ALSO TALK ABOUT GOING TO BRISTOL NEXT WEEK AND THE CHALLENGES OF GETTING AROUND THAT TRACK:
“At Bristol, we run well. We are probably a Top 3 or Top 5 car there in most circumstances. We were able to get a win once and we definitely want to be better. Not that I’m content with running in the Top 3 or Top 5, but from where I started off, in being a lap down 50 laps in and running 20th all the time there (laughs), I now enjoy going to Bristol. I’m excited to go there. For the longest time, I dreaded going there. I loved watching the races there and being a fan, but in the car was pretty tough on me. So, we certainly hope to be better and we want to go to Victory Lane again.
 
“At the Windward Dream Cruise, I drove my ’67 Camaro that I built in ’05. It’s been through a few modifications since then. But it has the LS9 engine in it right now and the C5 suspension under it with the ’67 body on it. So it’s a good driving car. It has lots and lots of power and it also turns and stops. So, it’s a fun car to drive. I was able to lay down a little rubber yesterday and drift the car around a little bit and not get pulled over and get arrested, so that was fun.”
 
THIS IS ABOUT THE ONLY TRACK WHERE YOU’VE BEEN TO MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES AND HAVEN’T WON. DO YOU KEEP THAT CHECK LIST OF PLACES WHERE YOU HAVE AND HAVEN’T WON? WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS PLACE THAT HAS KEPT YOU FROM WINNING?
“Yeah, I do pay attention to the tracks I haven’t won at. It’s more on the front side going to the event and building excitement about racing at the track and wanting to win. When the race starts, it doesn’t go through my mind at that point. It has when opportunity slips by, especially here. We’ve been so close that it certainly enters my mind at that point.
 
“But we’ve had varying issues here and those only consistent one, I would say, has been fuel mileage. We’ve worked hard to improve the car. And then I’ve worked real hard on my driving style to get better fuel mileage here. It seems like we’ve covered that gap, but we’ve had a mechanical or two. We blew a tire this last Spring when we were here. So, there have been a lot of reasons why. But I really look forward to the day I’m able to pull into Victory Lane over here.”
 
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE AN ANOMALY BECAUSE YOU’VE HAD SO MUCH MORE SUCCESS AT THE HIGHER CUP LEVEL (MORE THAN AT NATIONWIDE LEVEL). DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT CLICKED FOR YOU WHEN YOU MOVED UP?
“Yeah, probably. I look at (Tony) Stewart’s Nationwide career and I think our paths were kind of similar where we didn’t have great success in Nationwide. For me, when I started in Cup, that was my fifth year ever in a stock car. So I think I was really green in my Nationwide days; not only as a rookie in the sport and the cars and the tracks, but in stock cars in general.  I had two years in ASA prior to my first year of Nationwide. So, I think I was just behind. And the right circumstances came together being with Hendrick and all of that and my maturity level in the car and understanding everything came along and I kind of peaked at the right time. But when I look at the Nationwide Series today, and I haven’t driven one of those cars in a while, there is great benefit in being in the series and to learn the tracks and kind of learn the basics and fundamentals of adjustments on the car. But I think you can get trapped in those cars too long and develop habits that don’t work in the Cup Series. The Cup cars have so much more power. And you have to drive them so differently that I think it can do some damage if you stayed too long in the Nationwide Series.
 
INAUDIBLE:
“I agree. And you don’t know until you get in there. And when you look at Kyle’s background (reference Kyle Larson) and he’s driving cars with far more power than grip, I think the Cup car will suit his style far better than a Nationwide car. But you do need that foundation of knowing these tracks because when we show up, our fastest lap we run all weekend will probably be our first lap right now. And if Kyle Larson wants to go to Cup next year, that’s tough to do. He’s going to need the whole session to get where he needs to and then you’re five or six adjustments behind the fast guys. And that’s when the Nationwide Series is so good. You can learn the tracks and understand some things there. But you’ve just got to be careful to not stay there too long.”
 
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE GEN 6 CAR AND WHY YOU HAVE BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL THIS YEAR? WHAT WOULD A WIN AT MICHIGAN MEAN TO YOU?
“Th
e Gen 6 car, I think Hendrick does a very good job in responding to rules changes or rules that are put out or new cars or whatever it may be. And not always, but most times, we get on top of stuff faster than others. I think that’s been a big benefit to us and plays into the Gen 6 car and the success that we’ve had. A win here would be awesome. It would be a huge victory to win here; especially with how close I’ve been. We’ve had at least five or six that could have happened.”
 
WHAT DO YOU FIND TO BE SO TOUGH AT THIS MICHIGAN TRACK?
“The track is so different than it’s been in the past that you’ve got to maintain track position. That’s really the key. In the Spring race, we didn’t qualify well but we were able to get to the front. And then through pit strategy, we lost track position a few times and were able to recover. But in the end, I ran the right front (tire) off the car and blew a tire and hit the wall (laughs). So, I think the secret to winning here really falls into the hands of the engineer and the crew chief in what decisions they make late in the race to maintain track position. I think that’s where the key is. For the driver, when you’re out there practicing, you’re going so fast around here and you’re usually running by yourself, that it’s easy to set the car up to run in clean air. And you don’t always get that luxury. So being aware, through practice sessions and even trying to run a little bit in traffic to understand the balance shift, is going to be key today and tomorrow.”
 
WERE YOU SURPRISED WHEN YOU HEARD THE JUAN PABLO MONTOYA NEWS THIS WEEK?
“A little bit. Juan has been with Ganassi for so long that it did catch me off guard. I’m used to seeing Ganassi winning races and running up front through the open wheel world and I would imagine there would be a shake-up at Ganassi through the off-season. But that did catch me off-guard. They’ve been through some crew chiefs. If I look at the evolution of things, you usually go through a couple of crew chiefs and a driver change and that’s kind of what’s going on. So, yes; shocked, but the more I think about it I feel like there was some change coming there.”
 
WHAT IS IT THAT IS SO DIFFICULT TO MAKE THE TRANSITION FROM OTHER RACING DISCIPLINES TO THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES?
“For me, I feel like you need five years to really know the tracks and the cars and that was really my evolution through the ASA racing through Nationwide and then Cup. So, Juan (Montoya) is at that seven or eight year mark. You kind of get to a spot where you’ve got the experience and there are many reasons why things might not work and I firmly believe in the relationship between the driver and the crew chief is where the magic lies; especially once you’re past that five year mark. One thing that I don’t have first-hand experience with is driving a high downforce car. But in talking with Juan and in talking with Dario (Franchitti) and even Danica (Patrick), it is such a different world in a high-downforce car than in what our vehicles do.
 
“So, there are challenges there that I don’t understand and sensations that I don’t get and understand. And through all that, I’ve been kind of curious to watch the driver go from stock cars into open wheel. Would it be as difficult or would it be easier for a driver to go to a low downforce situation to a high downforce situation and where that would be. But either way I guess my situation isn’t exactly true, but when you race against people that started off thinking sedan-style vehicles at a young age, that’s all they’ve known their whole life, I think there is something in that.
 
“And I say that, and that’s not my situation. But I want to believe there’s something in that too, where running in open wheel vehicles his whole life, and the same for Dario or Danica, there are just thing that are engrained in their habits and the way they drive that may not apply to what a stock car needs.”
 
HOW CAN TESTING THE GEN 6 CAR HELP YOU GET AN ADVANTAGE OVER THE OTHER TEAMS?
“We spend so much time trying to get the cars in an ideal aero situation. The faster the car goes, the more importance aero plays. We are breaking track records everywhere we go. The speeds are up and the aero balance is more and more important. And we’re going to great lengths to get the right attitude in the car and the proper downforce and maximize the downforce that’s available. That’s really where we’re at right now. So as long as we can keep working in those areas, and I think that leads to the troubles that we have on some tracks with passing because you’re so aero-dependant that when you lose the aero assistance and you’re just sitting on the mechanical set-up of the car that’s underneath it, the car isn’t ideal at that point. But that’s the world we live in. Aero is everything.”
 
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
PURE MICHIGAN 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 16, 2013
 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING/SERTA CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Michigan International Speedway and discussed racing at Michigan this weekend, his potential plans for 2014 and many other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
YOU’VE HAD TWO WINS HERE AND ARE 11TH IN POINTS, HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THE WEEKEND AND HOPEFULLY GET ANOTHER WIN HERE?
“Yeah, Michigan has been real good or real bad. So, if you go by the law of averages I hope this time around is pretty good. We’ve had some speed in practice; we just haven’t translated that into the race conditions. This time around we hope we can parallel what we did at Pocono a couple weeks ago, which was to improve and find more comfort in the car.”
 
WITH THE NO. 42 BEING OPEN FOR SURE NOW DOES THAT CHANGE AS FAR AS THE PEOPLE THAT YOU’RE TALKING TO ABOUT NEXT YEAR? SHOULD WE COUNT YOU AS A CANDIDATE FOR THAT RIDE?
“It hasn’t changed anything, I’m good friends with Felix Sabates and I know Chip real well and the whole gang, Max Jones, Steve Lauletta. They came up with that decision not based off any of the talks that I’ve had with them but it is a potential opportunity that’s for sure.”
 
ARE YOU ANY CLOSER? HAVE YOU MADE PROGRESS WITH WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO NEXT YEAR OR HAVE YOU PUT ALL THAT ON THE BACKBURNER WHILE TRYING TO MAKE THE CHASE?
“Well, the focus is making the chase and we have four weeks to go and we’re in great position. It’s been neat to feel the energy from the team. We spent a week in Colorado meeting with Denver media and they’ve adopted us as like a fifth sports entity for that town. It’s been really neat. They talk Broncos. They talk Rockies. And now they’re talking us. So, it’s cool to have talks with Furniture Row about what we can do in 2014 and beyond. The Ganassi thing came up and other phone calls have happened. Nothing’s going to change. We’re just still really focused on the Chase and what we can do in these next four weeks together.”
 
ANY THOUGHTS ON THE TRACKS IN THE FOUR WEEKS BEFORE THE CHASE START?
“The next four weeks as far as the tracks, I’m really looking forward to Bristol of course. I’ve won it three times at Atlanta. Richmond we did really well there in the spring. So, I look at this one as the toughest out of the next four weeks. This week here at Michigan. If we get through this, then I think we’ve got a really good shot at things.”
 
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THROWING THE FIRST PITCH AT THE COLORADO ROCKIES THE OTHER DAY? YOU NAILED IT:
“It was fun. It was the first time I went into the stretch position for throwing out the first pitch. I checked the runner over there on first to liven it up a little bit. It was cool. The Rockies have whoever throws out the first pitch do an autograph session afterwards. So a lot of the fans were lined up. A lot of them said, “Good pitch.” And one guy that looked like a full on baseball guy says, ‘You know I’m going to have to call a walk on you. You looked at first base too long. You delayed on your throw.’ I thought that was hilarious to joke around with some of the fans about the first pitch. Yeah, it was a good throw. It was a strike.”
 
WE GO TO BRISTOL NEXT WEEK, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GOING THERE AND THE CHALLENGES WE GET AROUND THAT TRACK?
“You know it’s exciting to go to that track. Just as a fan and as a spectator. The team owners get excited, the drivers do. I love that place. It couldn’t come at a better time on the schedule for us.”
 
ELEVEN OF YOUR TOP-10’S HAVE COME AT THE NEXT FOUR TRACKS, DOES THAT GIVE YOU A LOT OF CONFIDENCE AND A BOOST GOING INTO THE LAST STRETCH RIGHT BEFORE THE CHASE?
“Yes and no. It’s all about what you’ve done lately and I haven’t been to Victory Lane in a long while. It’s good to have good tracks coming up. A) For consistency and For trying to break through and get a win. You always want your strong tracks to be when you need them.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
PURE MICHIGAN 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 16, 2013
 
AUSTIN DILLON, INTERIM DRIVER FOR TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1/BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS AND GREG ZIPADELLI, COMPETITION DIRECTOR AT STEWART-HAAS RACING, met with members of the media at Michigan International Speedway and discussed expectations for the race weekend, updates on Tony Stewart and much more.  Full Transcript:
 
HOW DOES IT FEEL BEING INTRODUCED AS THE DRIVER OF THE NO. 14 MOBIL 1/BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET?
 
AUSTIN DILLON:  “It’s pretty exciting.  We all know who drives it on a regular basis and that’s one of my heroes, Tony Stewart.  I’m super excited to be representing their sponsors, Mobil 1 and Bass Pro Shops and just looking forward to this whole weekend.  We had a good test yesterday with our Nationwide car and I’m really excited to be working with Steve Addington (NSCS crew chief) and Greg (Zipadelli, competition director) and hopefully putting together a great run for both of our teams this weekend.”
 
WHAT IS THE UPDATE FROM STEWART-HAAS RACING AND WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING AT MICHIGAN WITH AUSTIN DILLON THIS WEEKEND?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  “Like we said last week, we’re taking one week at a time and trying to do the best we can.  Austin (Dillon) had run here before, ran here in the spring and did a good job.  He was willing to come here today and give us 100 percent because they had the test day yesterday, which kind of really made the difference as far as making this work for us.  With that being said, we’re certainly excited about getting on the race track, getting all this stuff kind of behind us and doing the best we can this weekend.”
 
WOULD IT BE EASIER TO HAVE ONE DRIVER FOR ALL THE RACES TONY STEWART WILL MISS RATHER THAN CHANGING DRIVERS EACH WEEKEND?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  “There’s pros and cons to it.  We’re certainly looking at trying probably in the next three to four days, before we get to Bristol everything will be ironed out for the rest of the year.  We’ve had hurdles that we’ve had to get through so we are looking at that and we’re working on that.  It will be two drivers probably the rest of the year just to do exactly what you said and just try to get them guys to try to build some chemistry and get the best finishes we can.  We’re still 11th in owner’s points, that’s a big deal and we can look at that and that’s kind of what we’re focused on right now.  We are working on that, it’s just too early to talk about.”
 
ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS ABOUT TALKING SETUPS BETWEEN RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING AND STEWART-HAAS RACING?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  “We did touch on that and it’s very important that we both respect our boundaries from team to team.  Obviously, they’re racing for a championship and we’ve got the 39 (Ryan Newman) that we’re trying to get in the Chase to race for a championship and we have the 14 that like we said we are trying to keep as high as we can in owner’s points.  We’re just going to talk about what he (Austin Dillon) feels in that car and what he needs.  We won’t talk about particulars about what we’re changing and we’re not really going to ask him to divulge things that they did here in the spring.  If he’s got a suggestion and feels like he might want the track bar up or down or wedge in or out then by all means he will communicate that with Steve (Addington, crew chief).  We’ve got to be very respectful of our partners at Hendrick Motorsports and things so I’ve talked with Hendrick Motorsports, I’ve talked with Richard Childress about it and we’ve all agreed that Austin will just get in and give tight/loose and drive the hell out of it.”
 
ARE YOU WORKING UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT TONY STEWART WILL BE OUT THE REST OF THE YEAR OR IS THERE A CHANCE HE WILL BE BACK THIS SEASON?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  “We don’t know that yet.  I’m working under the assumption that he’s (Tony Stewart) out for the next month or so or longer.  He went to the doctor’s this week, he had a decent visit.  No setbacks.  Basically, very simple instructions, stay in his bed with your leg up over your heart for the next seven days and then come back and see me.  We’ll reevaluate you and tell you what you can do.  That’s what he’s doing.  I saw him Wednesday night, we spent some time together, spent a couple hours together yesterday just kind of filling him in on all the things that we’ve got going on.  He’s in great spirits and they changed some of his medicines and things of that nature.  He’s going through a little bit of a transition period, but like I said the doctor’s appointment went well or as good as it can.  He said the next seven to 14 days will tell a lot of how it heals, how those things take and we’ll certainly continue to update you guys as we can.  It’s going to be a really slow process.”
 
IS AUSTIN DILLON ONE OF THE TWO THAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT FOR MORE RACES GOING FORWARD?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  “Yeah, obviously Austin’s (Dillon) done a great job in the Truck Series and Nationwide Series.  He’s got a long-standing relationship with Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shop so we are talking about more races.  We don’t have anything concreted yet.  We’re looking at that other option and just seeing how many races that they can do.  It looks like one more race at least for Austin through the rest of the year with us.”
 
GREG, WHY WAS AUSTIN DILLON THE RIGHT CHOICE THIS WEEKEND AND AUSTIN, HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A SUCCESSFUL WEEKEND?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  “From our side, like I mentioned earlier, he (Austin Dillon) just ran here and did a great job in the spring race.  Runs well here in the Nationwide.  He’s done some testing in these cars so we could have found a guy in the Truck Series or something like that who doesn’t have a ton of time in these race cars, which I felt was — not that they wouldn’t do a good job, but I think these cars are a little bit different and the biggest thing is that he did a good job here in the spring.  We looked at that, the association with Bass Pro Shop, both sponsors were on board.  That is a big priority to us that our partners are on board with everything we do.  Obviously, we let them down with Tony (Stewart) not being in the car the rest of the year and we need to do the best we can to represent them and they are a big part of our decisions.”
 
HOW ACTIVE IS TONY STEWART WHEN YOU VISIT WITH HIM AND WHAT IS HIS MINDSET?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  “His (Tony Stewart) mindset is pretty good.  He’s in a lot of pain at times.  He was in a wheelchair yesterday when we had our meeting with three or four of us over there for a couple hours yesterday going over things at the shop and what we were doing moving forward.  For the most part, like I said, he’s supposed to be in bed for the next seven days with his foot up above his heart I guess is what the doctor said.  It needs to be elevated just to keep the swelling and things of that nature down.”
 
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO GO FROM LAST TO THE TOP-10 AT MID-OHIO AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR WHAT YOU DO AT MICHIGAN ON SUNDAY?
 
AUSTIN DILLON:  “A top-10, I want to be able to win hopefully Saturday.  From 43rd to first is something that is tough to do, but I feel like with all the strategy and things that are going to play out during that race — I think it’s going to be a pretty wild race.  Going to the inaugural race for Mid-Ohio and there are some blind corners and some elevation changes and some really slow corners where people are going to make up ground and mistakes are going to be made.  My goal always is
to finish laps in these races and that will always bring positions to you and that answers Marty’s (Smith, ESPN) question earlier about our goal for this weekend in the 14.  I’ve been able to be pretty successful at finishing a lot of laps in my career. I think trying to put ourselves in position at the end of the race to get a top-15 would be great.  We do that by being there at the end.  That’s what I feel like we’ll try to do in the Nationwide race.”
 
WHAT ARE THE LOGISTICS YOU WILL GO THROUGH THIS WEEKEND AND CAN YOU PREVIEW BRISTOL?
 
AUSTIN DILLON:  “I think the logistics are actually not as bad as we all thought it was going to be because the test at Mid-Ohio kind of solved that.  I was able to be there all day yesterday.  We flew in on Wednesday night, I was there yesterday full time and then came over here last night.  Had a good night’s rest and then today I will stay here and even be able to watch the Truck race tonight with Ty (Dillon) in it and stay the night and stay here for a little bit of practice in the morning.  Then helicopter to Mid-Ohio before the race Saturday.”
 
WHAT IS IT LIKE RACING FOR MULTIPLE TEAMS IN THE SPRINT CUP SERIES AND WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER FROM PLAYING IN THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES?
 
AUSTIN DILLON:  “This is my third Cup team this year that we’ve run for and it’s pretty special.  I think it’s cool to be able to say that I’ve driven for multiple different people.  The great thing about it is that you learn a lot running with different guys and learning how things are supposed to be done and what it really takes to be a team leader.  I think that’s pretty important.  As far as the Little League World Series, it was a great time.  I thought I was going to be a baseball player for the rest of my life and I’m sitting in the media center for a NASCAR Cup race this weekend.  It was a very special time.  The funny thing was that I ran into a bunch of the players from my team this past weekend after our race and I thought that was cool.  They are very supportive of my career and I still have some of them come around to the races here and there.  It’s a fun time of the year.  I always love watching it and I did see on ESPN that Michigan is playing California today, is that the team?  It’s special.  It’s always a good time for a bunch of 12-year-olds and you get to miss a little school too.”
 
WHAT IS THE TEAM’S MINDSET ABOUT THE REST OF THE SEASON?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  “Everybody has been pretty good honestly.  We’ve been so busy trying to work through all these details and seats and seat brackets and all the things that have gone on in the last two weeks that these guys haven’t had time to stop I don’t think really and reflect on what’s going on in the year.  Like I said, we’re 11th in owner’s points and that’s the message that we keep driving to these guys that it is business as usual.  There’s no reason in the world that we can’t be in the top-10 with where we’re at and that’s our goals is to continue fighting as hard as we can, do the best we can to represent our sponsors and keep the boss smiling at home that we did a good job with what we had to work with.”
 
DOES THIS SHOW THE STRENGTH OF THE ORGANIZATION?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  “Everybody’s been great.  We’ve all spent a lot of time together, probably more time than we have in the past and maybe we’ve learned that we can do a better job of communicating and spending more time together.  Everybody from Gene (Haas) on his side with his people to Tony (Stewart) and everybody in between have really spent some time together, talked about things and all have come to common ground on what’s best for Stewart-Haas moving forward.  To be part of that, I’m proud of everybody for just not putting themselves forward and just looking at what do we need to do to do the best job we can for Stewart-Haas.  We’ve got the 39 (Ryan Newman) that we need to put as much resources as we can there and obviously there’s been distractions on my side and things of that nature, but Matt (Borland, crew chief) and those guys are doing a great job digging and moving forward and that is the priority right now.”
 
IS TONY STEWART BACK TO BEING FEISTY AGAIN?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  “He was pretty ornery Wednesday night when I left.”

Chevrolet GRAND-AM Drivers and Teams Journey to Kansas Speedway for Inaugural SFP Grand Prix
 
DETROIT –  (August 14, 2013) –  As the 2013 GRAND-AM Road Racing season heads into the final stretch with only three races remaining until champions are crowned, the Team Chevy teams and drivers face a new challenge this weekend on the 2.370-mile speedway road course at Kansas Speedway for the inaugural running of the SFP Grand Prix.
 
The newly-configured road course just east of downtown Kansas City, Kansas will present unique challenges for Chevy teams in both the Rolex Sports Car Series and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge with two corners that are extremely technical as well as high-speed oval sections and long straightaways. Each Chevrolet team would like to be the first to hoist the hardware in Victory Lane at Kansas Speedway, but it will take focus, precision and exact execution to emerge victorious in the nighttime event.
 
“It is a short week for the Chevrolet GRAND-AM teams with back-to-back races,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager, Rolex Sports Car Series. “In fact, many of the teams did their maintenance in the paddock area of Road America before heading for this week’s race at a newly configured road course at Kansas Speedway.  The track is unique in that it utilizes the majority of the 1.5-mile oval, but also has a highly-technical infield section.  The combination of the banked oval turns, and the flat infield section are going to present a challenge to crew chiefs and engineers to get the balance of the car around the entire 2.370-mile course to maximize power and handling around the high-speed oval as well as the tight infield section.  We are looking forward to putting more wins in the Chevrolet column as the season begins to wind down and the championship battles continue.”
 
2013 has been a successful one for Chevrolet teams in both the Daytona Prototype (DP) and Grand Touring (GT) classes.  Heading into this weekend’s race, the Chevrolet Corvette DP teams and drivers have won five of nine races in the DP class and Chevrolet leads the Manufacturer Standings. With only three races remaining to determine a champion, the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing team sits third in the standings on the strength of one victory at Circuit of The Americas, and four podium finishes.  Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney find themselves only nine markers away from the top spot.
 
They are closely followed by fellow Corvette DP teams and driving twosomes of Action Express Racing’s Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa and Wayne Taylor Racing’s Max Angelelli and Jordan Taylor who also find themselves within striking distance as the championship battle heats up.  This weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway’s new road course could be the final turning point in determining the 2013 team champions.  
 
In the GT class the pairing of John Edward and Robin Liddell piloting the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R have four victories and five podium finishes this season.  The co-drivers sit second in the team standings only seven points away from the top spot.  Solid runs this weekend in the inaugural event at Kansas Speedway could propel Chevrolet teams to the top positions within their respective classes heading into the final two races of the season.
 
 Also competing this weekend at Kansas Speedway will be the drivers and teams in the Continental Tire Series.  After a disappointing weekend at Road America John Edwards and Matt Bell are ready to get back behind the wheel of the No. 9 Camaro GS.R in hopes of claiming their second victory of the season.  They currently sit second in the team point standings, but are hungry for another trophy.  The driving duo of Lawson Aschenbach and Eric Curran are also due for a win, coming ever so close several times this season, the pair are looking for their first podium finish in 2013 as are their teammates Ashley McCalmont and Bob Michaelian piloting the No. 00 CKS Autosport Camaro GS.R.
 
The first race of the SFP Grand Prix weekend will be the Continental Sports Car Challenge 2 hour and 30 minute contest which is scheduled to take the green flag at 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 17 followed by the start of the Rolex Sports Car Series 2 hour and 45 minute race at 8:00 p.m., ET.
 

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 PEPSI MAX CHEVROLET SS, WAS THE GUEST ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
 
 
THE MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Welcome to today’s NASCAR teleconference.  We will start off today with Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Pepsi Max Chevrolet for HendrickMotorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Kahne is 12th in the series standings, but sits first in the wild card standings with two wins and nine top‑10 finishes. He has one career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Michigan Speedway, which is the site of Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400. Kasey, what is your mindset with four races left to make the Chase with Michigan and Bristol up next, both being tracks you’ve won at?
 
KASEY KAHNE:  I feel really good about making the Chase.  I feel good about getting into the top 10 and racing our way in. I think we’ve been fast at those tracks and good at all the tracks that we have left on the schedule this season.  I’m excited about it.  I think we’re in a good spot.
 
THE MODERATOR:  We’ll now go to the media for questions for today’s guest, Kasey Kahne.
Q.  Kasey, I wanted to ask you a little bit about, I know it looked like you were having fun on Twitter after the race on Sunday.  Talk about that, your thoughts and why you did that.  Secondly, if you could talk about Michigan, review of your stats.  Recently it’s been all good or not so good.
KASEY KAHNE:  Yeah, I think the Michigan deal, we were really fast the first race, had a right front tire go down, blow out, hit the wall hard.  So our day was over.  But we were leading at the time. I feel good about going to Michigan.  Those types of tracks seem to suit us pretty well.  So, yeah, looking forward to that.
 
The ones that have gone bad, that was one of them.  I can’t remember last year real well.  I imagine we hit something there, too.  I don’t know what happened.  But we definitely are fast when we go to Michigan.  Just circumstances haven’t always gone our way.
 
Then the Twitter stuff, I was just frustrated and at the same time trying to make fun of it.  I just tweeted about going down there.  I had a few texts and different people tweeting me back.  It ended up being kind of entertaining and I enjoyed it.
 
I wasn’t happy about Matt crashing me at Watkins Glen at all.  I feel like we had a great car and we were trying to make moves, come up through there.  I don’t know if he had a problem with Ambrose.  He said he didn’t.  Other people around, seemed like he might have.
 
I don’t know what happened.  I just know he missed the corner, wiped me out.  I gave them guys plenty of room.  It was frustrating to get crashed at that point in the race for something like that.
 
The whole Gibbs thing, this is the fourth time this year a Gibbs car has crashed me when I’ve been running.  I mean, that was 11th.  But the others were for first, second, fifth.  We’ve lost tons and tons of points because of those guys.  It doesn’t sit real well with me at all.
Q.  Have you had a chance to speak with Matt or any of them after Watkins Glen?
KASEY KAHNE:  He texted me, I don’t know, five to eight times apologizing, trying to explain what happened, how he felt really bad about how it happened and all that stuff.  I understand and I appreciate the texts.
 
At the same time, we’re trying to get in the Chase.  It hurts when you get wiped out when you’re minding your own business.  It’s happened enough this year that I don’t know what I can do about it, but I definitely am not pleased.  It’s really annoying and upsetting.
Q.  Kasey, I received an email recently from a fan who goes to the Sprint car races at Williams Grove.  He said it was a treat to see you and Tony Stewart race there.  He hasn’t seen you there for two years.  I understand there’s nothing in your contract that prohibits you from racing Sprint cars. Have you just decided not to do it?
KASEY KAHNE:  I don’t know when the last time I raced at the Grove was.  I enjoy racing there.  As far as this year goes, I haven’t raced.  I had to have raced 10 or 12 times last year.  This year I’ve pretty much stuck with the Cup stuff, focused on that.  I have a great team, opportunity there, so I’ve stuck with that.
 
I was with three World of Outlaw teams and one team that races 60 times a year that I get to enjoy the Sprint car racing with.  I was at Knoxville as long as I could be, hung out with those guys, watched those guys kind of do their thing.
 
It’s been good, exciting to be part of that.  When I feel like racing a Sprint car again, I will.  Right now I’ve kind of been focused on trying to do the best I can in the Sprint Cup car.
 
Q.  After what happened with Tony, will that make you think twice about racing the Sprint cars again?
 
KASEY KAHNE:  I think it will all make us look at how it happened to Tony and try to make the cars a little bit safer in those areas, if we can. There’s got to be some ways we can prevent what happened to Tony or try to prevent it.  It just all kind of fell against him in those certain circumstances, got his leg.
 
I think all the teams can learn from that.  I know Tony is going to be a big part of trying to make that better, as well.  I think we’ll try to make our stuff better from what we can learn from Tony’s accident.
 
No, it doesn’t really change myself wanting to race, any of that.  It’s exactly the same as it was before he got in that wreck.
Q.  I wanted to hear about how running is helping with the late‑season grind and whether you’re able to run more or less as the Chase heats up?
KASEY KAHNE:  I’d say I’ve actually run about the same amount.  At times maybe a little less because of testing and things like that.  Just not enough time to get it all in.
 
The nice thing about running is you can do it anywhere.  I’m able to still get out there, get a good sweat in, get some miles each day.  I feel good about that.
 
I really think it helps for the Chase because I feel better at the end of the season.  When it’s all said and done, I still feel motivated, not completely drained and worn out.
 
I remember the first couple years I was in the Cup Series, by the time we got to Homestead at the end of the year, I was so happy for the season to be over.  Probably the last two years really, I’ve been wishing it went a couple more races.  I think a lot of that has to do with running, the physical work that I put in each year.
Q.  Considering what happened at the Glen, how big was the previous win at Pocono as far as keeping y’all calm and confident as far as the Chase goes?
KASEY KAHNE:  Yeah, I think it was really big.  I don’t like not being in the top 10, but I feel a lot more secure.  I feel like our chances are a lot better because of the Pocono win after falling back out of the top 10 because of getting wiped out at the Glen.  It was a big win, it was really good.  It helped all of us out.
 
These next four tracks are good tracks for us.  We want to race our way back in.  We want to get those bonus points to start the Chase.  Hopefully we can start on that this weekend at Michigan.
 
Q.  Is there anything you can do to avoid these things?  Anything you’re going to try to do to change your luck?
 
KASEY KAHNE:  Man, I feel like all you can do to change your luck is work hard, do the right things.  I try to be a good person.  I try to work hard before the races and be as prepared as I can be once I get there.  I race people the way I expect to get raced.  I don’t crash pe
ople.
 
I’ve still gotten wiped out five times this year.  It’s discouraging, but I think I just keep doing what I’m doing.  Hopefully they all figure it out.  I don’t know.  Hopefully it just quits, I guess.
 
I think over time it runs a path and a pattern.  It all kind of comes around eventually.
Q.  Obviously you’re in a lot better situation than a lot of people for the Chase.  When we get to Richmond, you’ve been through that before. What is that like, trying to race your way in, the stress and the pressure?  Is there anything in your career previously that you can relate to what that feeling is like at Richmond, trying to get your way into the Chase?
KASEY KAHNE:  No other feelings that I’ve had like that.  I’ve been in that position a lot over the years.  We just always seem to be right on that verge there, right on the edge of making it or not making it.
 
I’ve went through it.  I kind of enjoy it.  I kind of enjoy the pressure, like to have to be perfect that weekend, things like that.  It’s been good.  It’s worked out for us most of the time.  We’ve been able to make the Chase when we’re in those positions.
 
I feel pretty good about it, don’t mind it.  I’d rather have that pressure late in the season.  We haven’t had it late in the season yet.  We just have to keep working at that.  Hopefully we’ll have a little pressure when Richmond comes, and hopefully we’ll have a little more at the end of the year.
Q.  What does that do for a team in trying to race to get into the Chase and then you have to gear back up to race for a championship?  How do you reset or how does that affect guys?  Does that hurt a team, make it harder to win a championship when you’ve had to scramble to get into the Chase?
KASEY KAHNE:  Yeah, I don’t think it would make it easier by no means because everybody’s putting in the time, the pressure’s on you each week, from the driver to the team to the pit guys on Sundays.  It’s a tough part of the season.
 
But it’s kind of what we’re all here for, too, to step up when times are tough, make it happen.  I know we have a really strong team. I think with the two wins, that helps, takes some of the pressure off.  If we can run strong the next few weeks, I think we’ll be in a really good spot, just try to put those final 10 together.  That’s what it’s all about.
Q.  You’ve talked about your frustration with the run‑ins with the JGR cars this season.  Has there been a time in your career where you’ve been on the other end, where you’ve gotten into somebody or one particular team?  You talk about things kind of come around.  Has that happened to you earlier in your career, and how did you deal with that?
KASEY KAHNE:  It’s never happened to me.  Kind of makes me think I need to start taking cars out.  But it hasn’t happened to me.  I don’t know what it would be like on that side of it.
Q.  Kasey, on this issue with Matt Kenseth, you make it very clear that you’re not somebody who is going to wreck somebody on the racetrack. How do you go about getting the message to Matt, that this has to stop, this isn’t the right way to race?
KASEY KAHNE:  Well, just looking at the incidents with him and Kyle, we’ve always had conversations after the fact.  They’ve explained and felt bad about it.  Truthfully, Kyle races me really good all the time.  It’s not really on my mind when I’m racing with Kyle.
 
Matt has been pretty tough on me a lot this year.  He got me there.  That’s definitely on my mind.  I just kind of see things the way I see it.  I would expect a little difference out of him, but you never know.  We’ll see how it goes.
Q.  Going into Michigan, how important do you think it is for you to get as close as you can to a win or to the win itself and climb into the top 10 in points?
KASEY KAHNE:  I think the most important thing to me is to get into that top 10 and not have to use a wild card.  In order to do that, we need to be consistent.  It would be great to get another win and get some more of them bonus points when the Chase does start.  Michigan is a good track, Bristol, Atlanta, all of them are tracks we won at.  Hopefully we can race hard, take care of it on the track, go that way.
 
But I don’t know.  The only reason we’re in this position isn’t because of my consistency or my team’s consistency, we’ve had that all season long, it’s been other people not being able to control their racecars at times.
 
I feel like mine and my team’s consistency is as good as anybody’s.  If everybody else could control their car in those situations we’ve had, we’d be in the middle of battling for the lead in points.  That’s very easy to see for myself.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Kasey, thank you for joining us today and best of luck this weekend in Michigan.
 
KASEY KAHNE:  Thank you.
 

GREG ZIPADELLI, COMPETITION DIRECTOR OF STEWART-HAAS RACING AND AUSTIN DILLON, INTERIM DRIVER FOR THE NO. 14 MOBIL 1/ BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS, WERE GUESTS ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
 
 
 JAYME AVRIT:  Thank you.  Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to today’s NASCAR Teleconference.  Our guests today are Greg Zipadelli, competition director for Stewart‑Haas Racing, and Austin Dillon, interim driver of the No. 14, Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS at Michigan International Speedway for Stewart‑Haas Racing.  Dillon, the current NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader, has two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Michigan including last June when he finished a career best 11th.
 
Greg, you captained an adversity‑filled week with a top 15 finish by Max Papis at Watkins Glen that kept the No. 14 team 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner standings.  Now you head to Michigan with another interim driver, Austin Dillon.  Tell us how you selected Austin to drive the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for the Pure Michigan 400?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Well, we went down through the list and saw who is available and who had track time, who was doing double duty and was willing to try to work out a schedule that would work for both sides.  He has a strong relationship with Bass Pro Shop, and a big part of how we go through this is making sure that our partners are happy with what we’re doing as far as who we’re putting in the car and who will represent their brands in the way they want it represented.
 
Like I said, there is a strong relationship there.  Austin’s done a great job in the past at Michigan.  We kind of felt like it was a good fit for us this week.
 
JAYME AVRIT:  Austin, what are your expectations for your 10th career Sprint Cup Series start this weekend at Michigan?
 
AUSTIN DILLON:  Well, I’m really looking forward to the opportunity that’s presented itself here at Stewart‑Haas.  I just want to thank all the parties at RCR and Stewart‑Haas for giving me this opportunity to let me go out there in a premier ride in the Cup series.  Like I said, we’ve had a great relationship with Bass Pro Shops and looking forward to representing them and Mobil 1 this weekend.
 
It’s a great opportunity for me.  We’re really focused on the Nationwide Championship as well, and we’re going to give both parties a great opportunity at a win this weekend.  We’re going to go out there and try to run strong.
Q.  Greg, I was wondering, are you guys looking at this as being sort of a weekly occurrence until Tony can get back in the car?  Do you have any idea at all when that might be?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Well, it’s going to be a weekly occurrence here for a little while.  We’ll evaluate each race as it comes and do the best job we can with putting someone in it we feel will do a good job for Stewart‑Haas and all of our partners.
 
We will probably know more next week.  Tony has a doctor’s appointment Wednesday here to just kind of go over things, and at that point we’ll have a lot better idea of what we’re doing.  But for right now it will probably be a week‑by‑week decision as far as who is in the car.
Q.  Austin, I wanted to find out if you planned to drive the Nationwide race at Mid‑Ohio this weekend in the Sprint Cup race?  How will the logistics of that work for you, if you do?  And does it help that they’re within driving distance of each other?
AUSTIN DILLON:  Yeah, we’re working all of that out right now.  We’re going to be running both of them, and the scheduling is pretty tough this weekend, so we’ll be on doing our best to give equal amount of practice time.  The good thing about Mid‑Ohio, we have a full test day there Thursday, so we’ll have plenty of time on the track.  We have lots of sets of tires, and we’ll be using them up on Thursday.
 
Qualifying seems to be the issue for the Nationwide race.  That is the only part that will be tough.  We might have to start in the rear.  But I think we’ve done a good job of trying to work out where each party gets a good amount of practice on both cars.
Q.  Austin, Max Papis just tweeted that he considered you his godson, and that makes him a godfather.  That is kind of a scary thought.  But my question to you is you’ve grown up around RCR.  I imagine you haven’t been in the SHR car, but you might have been at the shop.  I was wondering if you could tell me the things you see similar or do you see anything different at the two shops?
AUSTIN DILLON:  I think both shops strive for excellence, so it’s great to be out here at another organization.  I’ve been around Tony Stewart a lot, and know how much his passion is for racing, and he’s built a great team over here.  That is the biggest thing.  He’s the company that I’ve been able to work with, my grandfather’s and coming over here to Stewart.
 
Today is my first day.  I know the way they like to work, and that is put the best equipment on the track they can.  And that is the greatest thing about this opportunity.  We’re here with a lot of racers, and that’s what I love to do.
Q.  Austin, my question is for you. My first one is obviously this is a great opportunity that I don’t think you could turn down.  But the fact of the matter is you’re in a pretty tight points battle over there in the Nationwide Series.  Do you worry about this with the two races being at different tracks maybe compromising your title hopes for the Nationwide Series?
AUSTIN DILLON:  No, we’re going to win the Nationwide Series.  That is our main goal.  We’ve been fighting for it all year long.  This week at Mid‑Ohio we’ve had a lot of practice time.  The good thing about a road course is the strategies that you’ll be using could actually help us out with the start.  It obviously helps to start up front any race you’re at.
 
But we’ll have a plan.  If there was a better place to do it in the Cup race, Michigan is the place for me because I have a lot of laps there and confidence there.  So we’re going to do our best to come up with a good strategy for both races.  I think we’ll be just fine.
 
Road courses have been not our strong suit, but we’re getting better at them, and the good thing was we were able to test earlier this past year at Mid‑Ohio, so I have some track time.  So I’m familiar with the track.  I really think it’s going to be a wild race in the road course there in my opinion.  It’s a tight road course.  We’ll just do our best and try to work our way up to the front with whatever starting position we get.
Q.  Greg, if I could ask you, for the time that Tony is out of the car, would you rather have the consistency of maybe the same driver in there week‑in and week‑out?  Or would you like maybe the opportunity to have a bunch of different looks at different people in the 14 just to see what you might learn from a vast amount of driving styles?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  No, I think we’d rather have one or two drivers if we can work it out.  I think that will give us some consistency, build some communication between the crew and the driver and that will give us our best chance.  We’re working on some of that stuff now and hopefully we’ll see it.  It may be more than two, maybe three or four.  If that’s the case, we’ll look at each individual racetrack and see who is available that runs good at that racetrack and make the best choice we can.
Q.  Austin, the experience at Michigan having been there earlier this year, how much does that help if you do have to miss some practice time on Saturday at Michigan?
AUSTIN DILLON:  I think it’s really big.  Like I said, I’m very confident at M
ichigan.  It’s one of my favorite tracks.  We led all the laps in the Nationwide race there this year until we had the left rear flat and ran well in the Cup race.  So I’m looking forward to it.  I think it’s a place that we can really go out and have a good run at this weekend.
Q.  Greg, was there any hesitation for the time having an RCR guy in your equipment and Hendrick equipment and maybe what he might learn about what you all have so you might be competing against him down the road?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  We’re going to put a blindfold on him, and right before he backs out of the garage we’ll take it off.  (Laughing). Then he won’t be able to look.
No ‑‑ I mean, yes, it will probably be difficult at times, but I think it’s a one‑shot deal for right here right now.  We’ll see where that goes.  We’ll see how it all works.  We’ve got to be guarded, and the same with him.  He’s got to come over here and trust that we can put something in the car that he can drive.  And same time he can come over here and tell us all the things they’re doing too.
 
So I think on both sides we’ll be respectful of each other, and do the best job we can.  I think it will be fine.  Besides that, he won’t be there that much anyway.  He’s got a lot of flying time.
Q.  Greg, you were talking about this weekend at Watkins Glen just about the challenges of the schedule and saying if you layoff the Nationwide schedule at Mid‑Ohio and the Cup schedule at Michigan, they don’t match up very well.  You said one of the things you could do is find somebody that could run at Michigan or you worried about somebody going back and forth.  And your word was it would be half‑assed.  How is this not going to be in that sense that term that you used or as much the pleasing of partners and that’s what makes this work this weekend, based off of what you said on Friday?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Well, obviously, they have a test day on Thursday.  We sat down with Austin.  He’s able to give us all day Friday.  So he’s given a lot because they’ve got the test day and things.  So it’s certainly different as we’ve laid it out.  A lot different than it was last week because Thursday would be a disaster.  But with the way we’re doing it, he’s going to get a full test day with a ton of tires and a lot of time on the racetrack Thursday.  We’re going to get all day Friday where we’ve got no interruptions on our side.  I didn’t think that was an option last week.  So it is this week, and we’re going to take advantage of it.
Q.  Austin, how many races have you scheduled yourself for to run at the Sprint Cup level this year?  How protective do you have to be if, in fact, you are going to run for Rookie of the Year at the Sprint Cup level next year?
AUSTIN DILLON:  They changed the rule this past year that as long as you designate a series, you can run for Rookie of the Year next year.  So I can actually run as many Cup races as I want as long as I have a designated series as the Nationwide.
Q.  Knowing that Tony was involved in this choice, how much do you feel like Austin’s victory at Eldora helped him with what he’s able to do there?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Well, I don’t know if it had anything to do with it other than if you look at his record in the Truck Series and the job he’s done in the Nationwide.  That’s kind of what we’re basing it off of.  He runs good at Michigan.  He’s got a good record there.  He’s young, and you know, ready to rock and roll there.  We’re ready to see what we can accomplish this weekend.  Hopefully, that dirt track experience doesn’t come into any play this weekend as far as Michigan goes, because it wouldn’t be very good.
Q.  Just to clarify, when you’re talking about how you’re going to handle the substitutions going forward, is there a chance if Austin does really well at Michigan, could he merge as the guy?  I know you’re saying you’re looking at each individual racetrack and how people perform.  But if Austin’s impressive at Michigan, could he become the guy you want to keep in that seat until Tony comes back?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Absolutely.  We’re talking about other races.  We just kind of want to get through this week here and then plan ahead.  Like I said, things are a little slow.  We’ve got a little bit more time this week.  We’ll be able to plan weeks out here once we get this Michigan stuff done.  Last week was kind of a short week, and we just really focused and concentrated on Watkins Glen and doing the best we could there.  Like I said, the next couple days we’ll be able to probably layout the whole schedule for everybody.
 Q.  Since you talked to Tony after the race on Sunday, can you tell me what he said it was like for him watching the race and seeing somebody else in his car?  And what is the earliest you have for him possibly coming back right now?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  I did see Tony.  I was over there this morning for a while.  He’s doing well.  As far as when he’ll be back, like I said, I think we’ll know mid week a little bit more on his schedule.  He was, you know, he was doing as good as he could.  We did talk about what we had for plans there, and he was all on board and felt like we had made good choices.  So that was important.  I don’t remember the other question.
Q.  Are you looking down in two or three weeks of possibly letting him get in the car for a lap or so just to get the points to remain possibly viable if you could go to Richmond and try to win Richmond and somehow make the Chase with two wins or something?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Honestly, if the doctor said we could do that, we’d probably do it.  We’re going to do everything that they say, because we want him back a hundred percent and don’t want to ‑‑ you know, sometimes you can do things sooner than you’re supposed to and make your healing process longer.  So we’ll follow on with what the doctor says.  If the doctor says in four weeks or six weeks he can do that, then we’ll probably look at those options and do what we can do.
Q.  How hard will it be to adjust from the road course in Mid‑Ohio back to Michigan which is a pretty speed track in Michigan?
AUSTIN DILLON:  I’ve been able to race a lot of dirt and asphalt and doing a lot of different things.  So adapting is something that you have to do as a driver.  I think as soon as I land, I’ll be tuned into what I’m doing on each track and just switch your mindset so when you get there of what you’re doing. We’ll be using a lot more break at one of them and none at the other.
Q.  Mr. Zipadelli, what are your expectations for Austin this weekend in this 14 car?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  I think we’re going to go there and run all the laps and try to stay 15th or 20th, and just see from there where we go.  We’re going to be setting our goals very obtainable and stay out of trouble.  Most important thing is running as many laps as we can.  We need to finish the race.
 
By his track record there in the past, we should do better than those.  But you just never know the circumstances, and hopefully we can get him something that he’s comfortable in, and we can go out and race and hopefully do better than that.
 Q.  I’m curious, will you use this opportunity to do any sort of testing of any parts or pieces or something you’d want to look at for 400 miles that maybe you wouldn’t if you had a car and a guy racing where points are maybe more valuable?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  We haven’t had time to think that direction quite yet.  Right now we’re still fighting for all the owner points we can get.  So finishing these races is very important, and representing our sponsors and doing that in the best way that we can would be by finishing the races, running all the laps and get
ting the best finish we can.  I’m not saying it won’t change, but right now, it’s no different than if Tony was in here.  We’re not treating it any different.
Q.  Can you say how many calls and texts did you get from prospective drivers?  Were there 20 people lobbying for this ride, 30 people, 40 people?  Did they wait for you to call them?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  I would say it was more in the 50 range.  There’s been people that I didn’t even know raced called.  And we appreciateeverybody reaching out and willing to help.  But it’s been interesting, let’s leave it at that.
Q.  Greg, has there ever been a point in your career where you’ve been in this similar position, or are you kind of like a rookie right now learning everything with each step of the process?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  You mean as far as the drivers and replacing a driver and going through all this stuff?
Q.  Yes.
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Yeah, I mean, the only time I’ve really experienced it was at Dover when we had to put Ricky Rudd in for Tony, and that was for one race.  So I don’t know.  I don’t know.  It’s just business as usual.  We need a driver, so we picked the best one we can.  We put a seat in there and get them comfortable, and try to build some communication and go to the racetrack.  That’s pretty much as cut and dry as we can keep it, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.
 
 JAYME AVRIT:  Wanted to thank you both, Greg and Austin, for joining us today, and I wish you all the best this weekend in Michigan.
 

CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: A Pair of Podium Finishes
Second and third for Compuware Corvettes; Gavin and Milner regain drivers’ title lead
 
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 11, 2013) – Corvette Racing scored two podium finishes Sunday at Road America in the Orion Energy Systems 245. The No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen placed second in the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner, driving the No. 4 Compuware Corvette, finished third.
 
The race, shown to a nationwide audience live on ABC, marked the first time this season that the two Corvettes finished on the podium in the same race. Even more importantly, the results provided a major boost for the drivers, Corvette Racing and Chevrolet in the ALMS GT championships.
 
Gavin and Milner, defending GT champions, moved back into the lead in the driver standings. Garcia and Magnussen unofficially are third but only six points out of the championship lead.
 
Chevrolet solidified its lead in the manufacturer standings, as did Corvette Racing in the team championship.
 
“The Corvette Racing drivers and team exhibited terrific teamwork on the track and in the pits, and with race strategy to claim two podium positions in the American Le Mans Series at Road America,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports.  “The team’s never-give-up approach will bode well as we go into the final races of the season. It was a great points day for Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin as they reclaimed the lead in the ALMS GT driver standings. Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia also improved their standing, as well.”
 
Endurance racing is a true team sport, and that played out again Sunday. The Corvette Racing pit crew executed two perfect stops during the race’s penultimate full-course caution period. The two Corvettes entered the pits running seventh and eighth in class. with 90 minutes remaining but left pitlane first and third.
 
The race began on a wet track with Magnussen in the No. 3 Corvette and Milner in the No. 4. Both Corvettes, like the rest of the field, began on wet tires. Both Magnussen and Milner ran aggressive yet cautious stints in the beginning before both cars went to slick tires at the 40-minute mark. From that point, strategy and some of the best pit work in the ALMS took over.
 
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Grand Prix of Baltimore on Aug. 30-31 from the Baltimore Inner Harbor street circuit. Gavin and Milner placed second there last season, and Gavin and Magnussen teamed for a third-place finish in 2011.
 
EDITORS: High-resolution images of Corvette Racing are available on the Team Chevy media site for editorial use only.
 
Grand Prix of Baltimore (all times ET)
·         Practice 1: 8:50 a.m., Friday, Aug. 30
·         Practice 2: 12:05 p.m., Friday, Aug. 30
·         GT Qualifying: 4:50 p.m., Friday, Aug. 30
·         Warmup: 10:10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 31
·         Race: 3:45 p.m., Saturday Aug. 31
 
Road America: Watch It!
Friday, Aug. 30-Saturday, Aug. 31 (all times ET)
·         Qualifying: 4:20 p.m., Friday, Aug. 30 (ESPN3)  
·         Race (Web): 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 31 (ESPN3)
·         Race (TV): Noon, Sunday, Sept. 1 (ABC)
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
HOW MUCH DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU COULD PUSH IN THAT LAST STINT: ” I had a really good restart and was making a lot of gap to the guys. When I saw the Viper coming, I held him off for like four or five laps and I was thinking, ‘no problem’. But the problem was right when he was catching me, my engineers were telling me I need to save fuel. I said ‘All right’, so I was saving fuel but going fast. I was kind of trying to guess how much fuel I needed to save. At some point Marc (Goossens) got a really good run out of Turn 3, and at some point I was asking on the radio should I defend or should I just let him go by. That’s what I did basically. They told me it was more important to save fuel than to keep the position. And then it was a matter of just holding back, just trying to save as much fuel as possible. I knew that Ollie (Oliver Gavin) was under pressure from the Porsches as well, so we were managing that gap too. I was really aggressive on the brakes in the traffic just trying to make a gap. Then as soon as we had a gap, went just went back toward them again. I think that is what we could do. I don’t know exactly if we were good or not (on fuel at the end); I think we were right on. The thing is that I wouldn’t risk it. I think we were probably better than the Viper, but I believed I should have kept that result. I preferred to keep Corvette two-three and in good position for the championship.”
HOW SURPRISED WERE YOU TO COME OFF PIT LANE IN P1 FROM THAT STOP? “I knew after all the pit stops came that we were the guys changing four slicks the latest, and we were almost leading the guys that came in the previous time the latest so I knew we had some advantage and fuel there. We needed just to do 13-14 seconds of fuel plus the tires, so we really needed to be sure that driver change was good. Everything went smooth. Fuel, tire change was perfect and I just remember launching myself out of the pits seeing the Ferrari just come in, and I just a half of a car ahead, or something like. So that put us into one-three at the moment. I was like…that is what I said yesterday after qualifying: When it comes to race time, Corvette Racing is the best that a driver can ever have. So, that is the thing.”
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
ON THE CHALLENGE OF THE FIRST HOUR: “It was a difficult beginning of the race with the wet track. But it was not super wet so I don’t think the wets (tires) really got up to working 100 percent. The balance of the car wasn’t great or right to begin with. Everybody was pulling away from us quite a bit. Then it seemed like the car and the tires came in, and we were doing pretty well for ourselves. But making the decision to go to slicks was really hard for me to make because the wets which don’t give you a good feel for what is going on. You can feel the grip is improving, but is it improving enough for slicks? And also just looking at the track, it wasn’t clear-cut dry or not dry, so you really have to rely on other people making the decision for you. Fortunately some guys down the back made the first move – it was wrong. So good thing we didn’t follow those guys. But when we did make the move for slicks, it was definitely the right time. So that worked out well.  There was a lot of pressure from Tommy (Milner) throughout the stint when we were on the slicks.
“Then there was one absolutely fantastic pit stop from the Corvette guys! We came in seventh and eighth, and out one-three. That is unbelievable. So fantastic… absolutely fantastic. After that, Antonio drove under extreme pressure – saving fuel; trying to go fast… two things that are really, really hard to do at the same time. Overall it was a fantastic job for the whole team.
“I don’t know had we not had that yellow at the end what would have happened. We were very, very close on fuel. I have a feeling the Vipers were even closer. So who knows? But when the safety car came out right there at the end, there was a big sigh of relief from the whole team. It was ‘OK, now we have second’. I am sure we would have gone for it (if the race had restarted), but would we have won doing it or blown it?”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
ON THE RACE: “The race today was pretty hard. First of all Tommy (Milner) came in and we were seventh and eighth, and the guys just did a fab
ulous job with the tire stop, the fuel and everything. We went in eighth position, and came out third, and our sister car (No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R) came out in the lead! That is just a spectacular job by the guys. Just amazing that pit stop. At the restart, the (No. 62) Ferrari was pretty racy into Turn 1 and he tried to squeeze me as we came off. We just rubbed all the way down to Turn 3; I got by him and then I was up behind Antonio (Garcia) but the (No. 91) Viper was coming. It was quick. It just had a bit too much pace for us today.
“I was being told, ‘Save fuel, save fuel, save fuel.’ I was doing the best I could. The Porsche was catching us and catching us. They’ve got super straight-line speed so that was tough. In the end there, I think we were good to go with the fuel. I was wondering if everybody else was going to be in the same spot or not. I know we could have gone to the end, but I don’t know if the Viper could, whether the Porsche could or anybody else. We had done our job in doing that. The guys were fantastic in the pits. Tommy did a spectacular job of getting it through in very tricky conditions in the wet weather. So all-in-all it was a great team effort by everybody here at Corvette Racing.”
ON BEING TOLD TO SAVE FUEL: “You have to figure out your routine on how to do it and the way you are going to go about doing it. Where you are going to lift, where you are going to brake and how you are going to do it. I was working really hard with (engineer) Chuck (Houghton). It was frustrating, and a couple of times we were adjusting the engine map, and the Porsche was catching us, and Chuck was telling me, ‘Go back! Go back!’ The Porsche was so close. It was just one of those ones where it was nail-biting every single lap. You could not take your attention away, or ever think ‘We’ve got this now; we’ve got everything under control’, because everything was just in flux; right on the limit, and right on the balance the whole race. Sometimes that’s the way it is, and everybody on the team worked so hard.”
ON REGAINING DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD: “That is just fantastic. Of all the things that could have happened today, to get the points lead back, and to extend our lead in the manufacturers’ championship, that is spectacular. This is a huge win-win… we didn’t win the race, but in terms of the actual bigger picture, it’s been a great day for us.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
ON THE RACE: “We knew that the race would be dry toward the end. We didn’t do anything to the car to try to help it in the wet, so we actually struggled early on. It made it very difficult to keep the car underneath me. It was very loose the entire time in the wet conditions. It is tough here to tell when this track dries up; it is not very easy to see when the lines are drying and when they are still wet. So on that (first) yellow flag, we probably could have switched it to dry tires right then, but I wasn’t too sure, and didn’t want to gamble on that and then throw the race away. So we stayed out which hurt us a little bit there for awhile. But the car was really, really good on slicks in the dry again. I knew if we could just get Oliver in the car and get that last pit stop out of the way, we would be in good shape.
“I could have never imagined to go from basically eighth place to third place in the pits. Oliver did a great job on the restart and got second. So really, today’s result is thanks to Corvette Racing, the pit stops and the strategy that was played to perfection. The Viper definitely was quick today. Congrats to them. They’ve done an awesome job all year long so far. They’ve been right there, and they put one together. I know what that feels like; it is obviously very exciting for them. We’ve got a race on our hands for the rest of the year. They are quick, and we are quick. Porsche is quick; BMW is quick. It is going to be a big fight to the end.”
ON BEING THE POINTS LEAD – IS IT BETTER TO LEAD OR BE CHASING WITH A FEW RACES TO GO? “It can go either way. I think we all kind of approach each weekend as its own separate championship. We want to win that race, and if we can’t win, we want to finish as high as we possibly can. If you just focus on one race at a time, the championship takes care of itself. All we did today was not get too worried about the fact we were in seventh and eighth at the back. We were more focused on how do we make the best out of our race today. What is our best strategy. We did that. Here we are in third place, points lead. Everything is going the way it should right now.”
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“This race marks the middle of our 15th season in the American Le Mans Series. In those 14½ years, I don’t remember an event where a pair of pit stops had the impact on the outcome that it did today. The 3 and 4 car came in seventh and eighth, and they went out first and third. That’s all-world, and that’s what we do at Corvette Racing.”