MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
ISM CONNECT 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 22, 2017
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – Involved in an accident during the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
WHAT HAPPENED?
“I had a good first lap and entering Turn 3 for my second lap just got in there with a lot of speed anticipated it sticking, didn’t quite stick and then once I got out of the PJ1 there was just really no slowing down or directing it off the wall at that point. Came around and it got the fence. Definitely not the way we wanted to start. Frustrating, but we will take it and go figure it out”
INAUDIBLE:
“There was plenty of grip and that may have sucked me into going weaving too high with too much speed. The first lap went really well and I knew I could go a lot faster and I was trying to do that.”
ON THE FACT THAT SOMETHING SIMILAR HAPPENED TO TEAMMATE CHASE ELLIOTT:
“We do tend to run similar set-ups so my issue could have been the same for him. I didn’t really notice what Chase was doing until a few seconds ago, so we will go back there and sort it out and make it better.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CHEVROLET SS – Involved in an accident during the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
WHAT HAPPENED?
“It looked like about the same thing. I don’t know just got kind of loose into Turn 3 and got up the track and ran out of room. I hate it. That is not what we needed we are behind this weekend now, so that is never good, but it’s Friday, so we’ve got another day and a half to get things turned around and try to get it fixed.”
WAS THE PJ1 ENTERING TURN 3 MAYBE NOT AS WIDE AS YOU THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE?
“No, it is wide, it is plenty wide enough just when you get in there and you get on it you are carrying a lot more speed than the grip of the actual race track can withstand, so when you get off of that grip strip and you are going as fast as I was it is not going to stick and it didn’t.”
TALK ABOUT THE WEEKEND SO FAR WITHOUT CREW CHIEF ALAN GUSTAFSON AND WORKING WITH KENNY FRANCIS:
“It’s been fine. I’ve worked with Kenny before, so nothing, no surprises he is a good guy and does a good job. I hate to put everybody in this situation this weekend. That is never good, but we will go to work.”