NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
FEDEX 400 BENEFITING AUTISM SPEAKS
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST QUALIFYING DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 30, 2014
JIMMIE JOHNSON LEADS TEAM CHEVY IN QUALIFYING AT DOVER
Five Chevrolet SS Race Cars to Start in Top 12
DOVER, DE – May 30, 2014 – Jimmie Johnson, who has won eight times in 24 starts at Dover International Speedway, qualified his No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet SS in fourth place with a speed of 163.362 mph for Sunday’s FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks NASCAR Sprint Cup race. He was the first of five fast Chevrolet SS race cars to earn spots in the Top 12 positions in the final round of multi-car qualifying at the ‘Monster Mile’.
Kyle Larson was the fastest Rookie of the Year contender (163.080 mph) by qualifying fifth in his No. 42 Cottonelle Chevrolet SS. Jeff Gordon, a four-time winner on the concrete track, will start his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy SS from the sixth position; Kevin Harvick qualified eighth in the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS and AJ Allmendinger was 11th quick in the No. 47 Scott Products Chevrolet SS. Allmendinger knocked Dale Earnhardt Jr. out of the top 12, but the No. 88 National Guard Chevy SS will start Sunday’s race 13th.
Brad Keselowski (Ford) was the pole winner; Kyle Busch (Toyota) qualified second and Joey Logano (Ford) starts third to round out the top five starters.
The FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks is scheduled for 1p.m. Sunday, June 1st and will be aired live on FOX.
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 COTTONELLE CHEVROLET SS, QUALIFIED FIFTH, TOP ROOKIE OF THE YEAR CONTENDER
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“Qualifying was pretty good for us I think we ended up fifth. We had a Cottonelle Chevy in practice and then worked on it a little bit there in our qualifying runs and got a little bit better. Happy with a top-five starting spot for Sunday’s race. Just have to get our race car a little bit better and we should be right up there with the top guys.”
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR COMFORT LEVEL HERE AT DOVER?
“I don’t know sometimes I like this place and sometimes I hate it. In the Nationwide car so far today we have been off pretty bad. I feel like we handle okay, but it’s really slow. That is going to be frustrating over there, but then when I come over to the Cup car I actually like the track. It all just depends on how good the car is. This track is definitely tricky and a little bit on the edge. I feel like I’m pretty comfortable around here. It feels like a bigger Bristol for me and I like that place. The big drop into (Turn) 1 doesn’t really feel bad to me at all. It’s more in Turn 3 where I get upset the most. All in all it’s not that uncomfortable feeling here.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 SCOTT PRODUCTS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 11th
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“It was pretty good. I think the first run I probably under drove a little bit trying to be too smooth with the car. I could see everybody had slowed down a little bit so I was trying to be smooth with it and probably under drove. I was really happy the second run to pick up time and make it into the second group. The last one I probably just over drove a little bit. I knew we were going to have to really put down a lap with the third run on the tires, but so far I think the car has been pretty balanced. I’ve been happy with it overall. We will just try to keep up with the race track now for the rest of the weekend.”
