Chevy Racing–Kentucky–Jeff Gordon

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
QUAKER STATE 400
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 27, 2014

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 3RD
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“Oh my gosh you never want to be satisfied unless you are on the pole or in Victory Lane, but this sort of feels like a victory for me because that first run was not pretty.  I don’t know the car just didn’t do what I wanted it to do.  It was so crazy we thought it was going to rain and then it didn’t.  That was a pretty wild session for the Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, but those last two or three runs were just so solid.  We made some good adjustments really proud of Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the guys on the adjustments they made.  Even that final lap there I really got through (Turns) one and two good.  I said ‘okay don’t mess up three and four’.  I got down into three got it turned just the way I wanted to got back in the gas and the front end just did not quite stick for me.  I don’t know how far off of those guys we were, but solid.  That is a great place to start this race.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 5TH
TOP FIVE IN QUALIFYING HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK THAT IS GOING TO BE FOR TOMORROW?
“I think it’s going to be pretty important.  We kind of have battled I think everybody has battled just a tough race track to get ahold of.  To get over the bumps and make your car turn and do all the things it needs to do. We didn’t have a great first run, made it better every run and wound up with a top five start.  I think that is a great improvement for our Budweiser team.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 SCOTT PRODUCTS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 15TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“I’m okay with it.  I think the first run we were so tight we tightened up from practice when it was really loose.  I probably over drove it just a little bit so that put us right on the edge of making it into the second group.  So we made one more run, the car was a lot better, still too tight overall throughout all of qualifying, but I think that second run on tires probably hurt us a little bit.  The third run I was proud of the guys they kept making the car a little bit better each time, but I think I hurt the right-front too much. That was all I had.  I was pleased with the lap.  I don’t think I could have got much more out of it.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CHEERIOS PROTEIN CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 16TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“I don’t know the car drove really good.  Just need some more speed.  The car is driving good that is the good thing.  I think we should be fine tomorrow night.  The car has been decent since we’ve been here and long run speed is good.  Didn’t have an issue right there as far as drive so I’m looking forward to tomorrow night.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 25TH
“Race-trim-wise, I think we’re in good shape. We made a qualifying run at the end of practice and went slower than our race run (laughs); so, it’s discouraging coming into qualifying. We didn’t get the lap that we needed out there and didn’t transfer. But I feel actually decent about our car in race trim. We put up a great two runs in the final practice session. We just couldn’t get out of our own way in Q-trim.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD SS – QUALIFIED 29TH
“We were slow in practice. We’ve been fighting the car all day and haven’t had any gains. We haven’t been able to figure out what we need to do. But we just haven’t had good speed. The car is rough. It’s just really bouncing all the way down the straightaway all the way through the corners. We’re having a real rough go of it. The car is just way too rough and has way too much movement and it’s hard to control it that way.”

IS IT THE CAR YOU’RE FIGHTING, OR THE TRACK?
“The car bounces because of the track. But it doesn’t take a scientist to figure it out. But this front straightaway is pretty mean. The corners are fine. We can figure that out. But this is something else. I’ve never seen anything like it.”