All posts by ARP Trish

Mopar, DSR Earn Back-to-Back Funny Car Titles with Capps Victory at NHRA New England Nationals

Mopar, DSR Earn Back-to-Back Funny Car Titles with Capps Victory at NHRA New England Nationals

·         DSR’s Ron Capps drives Mopar to winner’s circle at 2nd Annual NHRA New England Nationals
·         Capps’ Funny Car title win at New England Dragway gives Mopar and DSR consecutive wins in last two NHRA national events
·         Allen Johnson is top Mopar finisher after he takes Dodge Dart to Pro Stock semifinal appearance
 
Epping, New Hampshire (Sunday, June 21) – Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Ron Capps drove his Dodge Charger R/T from a tenth place qualifying position to a Funny Car title victory at the 2nd annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) New England Nationals earning a 42nd career win, his first of the season, and enabling him to move up into fourth place in the championship standings.
 
Capps’ efforts at New England Dragway also gave DSR and Mopar back-to-back victories after teammate Tommy Johnson Jr.’s scored the team’s first win of the 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing series season last weekend at Bristol Dragway.
 
“Congratulations to Ron Capps from everyone at Mopar on the win at the New England Nationals,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “It’s wonderful to see the HEMI-powered Dodge Charger R/T package in the winner’s circle at consecutive events, and we appreciate Ron and the Don Schumacher Racing team’s continuing efforts to contend for wins and a championship to celebrate the 50 year legacy of the 426 Race HEMI.”
 
“The guys have been working so hard and we struggled on race day at Bristol and (crew chief) (Rahn) Tobler was real upset with himself after qualifying here yesterday and he stayed here late with Eric (Lane) until they got it sorted out in what they wanted to do today,” said Capps who knew his Mopar was back in the hunt after laying down a 4.064-second run in the first round for a hole shot win over Tim Wilkerson.
 
Capps chased down Cruz Pedregon and beat Courtney Force to advance to his first the final round showdown of the season to face Alexis DeJoria. He led the race from start to finish earning his first Wally since the Brainerd national event in 2013.
 
“This is a car that will go down the return road if we have to,” Capps said of the confidence he has in his Dodge Charger R/T’s ability to adapt to race track conditions, “and it’s going to be a lot of fun the next few races.”
 
While Capps carried the banner for DSR through the elimination rounds, his teammates didn’t fair quite as well.
 
After beating Bob Tasca III, loss of traction in the second round of eliminations ended Tommy Johnson Jr.’s hopes of repeating his winning performance from last weekend. He sits fifth in points right behind Capps.
 
In a marquis first round match-up, Matt Hagan who qualified his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T eighth, posted a 4.119-second pass with a .062 second reaction time only to lose to John Force who beat him on a hole shot with a 4.129-second lap and a .048-second reaction.
 
“He (Force) was in deep and it comes up on the board as a hole shot loss but the reality is that they just out ran us a little bit and that’s how it goes,” said Hagan who finished runner-up to Force in the 2013 NHRA championship but currently sits tenth in points. “It was a close drag race but that’s how it falls sometimes. We’ll just regroup and get ready for the next one. There’s no doubt that we have a good car, a good team but we just need to get some round wins and get our season turned around.”
 
Mopar teammate Jack Beckman similarly missed out on advancing past the first round with a hole shot loss (.094 to 0.74 sec. reaction time) to Del Worsham with an e.t. of 4.123-seconds to his competitor’s 4.127-seconds.
 
Defending Pro Stock title winner, Allen Johnson, had a rough road through qualifying to find himself 12th on the eliminations ladder, his lowest starting position in three years, and pitted against his HEMI®-powered teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. for the first round of competition at New England Dragway. While Coughlin’s JEGS.com Dodge Dart had the starting line advantage, Johnson’s “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart crossed the finish line first with a 6.551 elapsed time run at 213.43 mph after his teammate’s car broke a clutch finger while transitioning between fourth and fifth gear to run a 6.563 at 208.59mph.
 
After his Mopar made a move towards centerline in a second round match-up against Shane Tucker, Johnson benefitted when his opponent had a problem of his own, giving him a chance to get back on the throttle for the round win to set up a semifinal match-up against Jonathan Gray. Johnson would lose to Gray on a hole shot but finds himself within 13 points of his second place Mopar teammate, Coughlin, in the Pro Stock standings.
 
“It wasn’t our greatest weekend but we had a little luck here and there today and made a good run on that last one,” said Johnson of his 6.525 second (213.60 mph) pass in a losing effort after posting a .074 second reaction time to Gray’s.006 light and 6.583-second e.t. “I just made a mental mistake on the starting line, had to reposition my foot on the gas pedal and the yellow was already on. That’s totally on me but we’ll take this semifinal finish to the next two and hopefully get our Dodge Dart back on target and in the winner’s circle.”
 
While V. Gaines and his HEMI-powered Dodge Dart did not advance past the first round, he remains eighth in the standings. The New England Nationals Pro Stock title was won by Dave Connolly.
 

Summit Racing–Anderson moving in the right direction with New England Nationals performance

Anderson moving in the right direction with New England Nationals performance
 
EPPING, N.H. (June 22, 2014) – Greg Anderson and the white Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro had a good outing this weekend at New England Dragway, and it showed not only on the scorecard but also in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock points. Anderson enjoyed his best start of the year and advanced to the semifinals on raceday at the 2nd annual NHRA New England Nationals, and he moved up two positions in the points to come within 26 marks of a coveted position in the top 10.
 
Anderson, starting from the No. 7 spot thanks to a very strong 6.512-second pass at 213.10 mph in his Summit Racing Camaro, knocked out Chris McGaha in the first round of eliminations on a holeshot. His .019-second reaction time edged a .064 with ease, and Anderson surged ahead for a 6.547, 212.56 win over his opponent’s 6.532, 213.43.
 
Round two brought the four-time NHRA Pro Stock champion up against Erica Enders-Stevens, last weekend’s Bristol winner who was the one to oust him in the quarterfinals. Anderson was not going to have a repeat of the previous weekend’s outcome and launched .012-second ahead of Enders-Stevens, and he put the advantage to good use at the top end as identical 6.551s appeared on the scoreboard. Again, his win would go down in the books as a holeshot.
 
“I got a break there, and it all comes down to timing,” said Anderson. “For some reason, that round they didn’t have the performance that they had the rest of the weekend, and that certainly worked in our favor. Those are the kind of breaks you need sometimes.”
 
The victory came with a ticket to the semifinals and a match with Dave Connolly for the first time this season. Anderson picked up elapsed time but didn’t quite have enough for his challenger, who took the win with a 6.517 to 6.549.
 
“I had a good day, it just wasn’t a great day,” said Anderson, now No. 12 in the points. “We actually had a good weekend with our Summit Racing Camaro, but we need to get some more performance out of the racecar. There are just too many cars out there that are really, really fast in this class right now, so you can’t take anything for granted.
 
“Overall, I think we’re on the right track. It felt really good to come out here and have the best qualifying performance of the year so far, and I think we can better that when we get to Chicago. Without a doubt, we have a team that works hard and knows what to do. We’ll keep digging – it’s just what we do.”
 

Chevy Racing–Sonoma Post Race 2

 
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 22, 2014
 
 
CHEVROLET SS DRIVERS COLLECT SIX OF TOP 10 FINISHING POSITIONS AT SONOMA
Jeff Gordon Maintains Points Lead with Second Place Finish
 
 
SONOMA, Calif. – June 22, 2014 – Jeff Gordon came within 0.591 seconds of earning his sixth win at Sonoma Raceway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Save Mart 350, but crossed the finish line in second. The driver of the No. 24 Panasonic Chevrolet SS led a contingent of Chevrolet power in the top-10, seven teams strong.  Gordon led three laps in the 110-lap race to capture his 18th top 10 finish in 22-races at the 1.99-mile road course in Napa Valley.  The strong run extended the four-time champion’s lead in the 2014 point standings to 20 markers over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson.
 
“I was making some ground up on (race winner) Carl (Edwards),” Gordon said following the race. “I was good in the fast sections and he was pretty good in the slow sections. So, I was having to hit everything so perfect. And I just overdrove it into (Turn) 4 one time and went real wide off and that gave him enough of a gap that I had to close it back in and I just couldn’t put enough pressure on him. And I think had I put some more pressure on him; I saw him really struggling with the grip level. He drove a clean race and he did everything you need to do.
 
“But of course, on that last lap, I gave it my best effort and closed up on him, but I just drove into (Turn) 11 as hard as I could,” Gordon continued. “We weren’t good in 11 anyway. He didn’t overdrive it. I was hoping he might slide up and I’d get a run underneath him. But all in all, it was a great weekend for this Panasonic Chevy and I could have been more proud of the calls made and everything the team did. We didn’t qualify good, but we had a great car in the race.”
 
Gordon’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. piloting the No. 88 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet SS, earned his best career finish at Sonoma Raceway in the third position.  Pole sitter Jamie McMurray had a solid day in his No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS by finishing fourth.  Paul Menard, aboard the No. 27 Richmond/Menards Chevrolet SS, rounded out the Chevy power in the top-five with a fifth place run.
 
Kasey Kahne came back from mid-race contact with Casey Mears (No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS) to take his No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet inside the top-10 to finish sixth.  Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Johnson had a solid day at Sonoma and navigated his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS up through the field from a 22nd-place starting spot to a seventh-place finish.
 
The day ended in disappointment for AJ Allmendinger in the No. 47 Kingsford/Clorox Chevrolet SS.  He led a race high 35 laps, but was involved in an on-track incident with 24 laps remaining and was relegated to a 37th-place finish.
 
Carl Edwards (Ford) was the race winner, his second victory of the season.
 
The Sprint Cup Series heads to Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky next week to compete under the lights on Saturday night June 28th.
 
CASEY MEARS, NO. 13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 13TH
ON HIS DAY:
“We had a pretty good day.  We started out real strong.  We got bottled up with the No. 5 and No. 15 ran into the back of us and it knocked our hood up.  I think we were running seventh at the time and it put us out of sequence.  The guys did a good job putting us with an option to get good track position there at the end.  We were able to kind of catch back up to I think around 25th or 24th and got new tires and had a good run all the way up to about 10th.  With about 13 (laps) to go I was passing the No. 41 and he kind of pinched me into the tires and it knocked the tow out of the right-front really bad.  The car just didn’t turn as well from there on out.  But we had an eventful day and after everything that happened we ended up with a pretty good result and it turned out pretty good.”
 
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 PANASONIC CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 2ND
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 3RD:
 
KRISTI KING:  We’ll get started with our post‑race press conference following today’s Toyota/SaveMart 350 here at Sonoma Raceway.  We are joined by Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet who finished third in today’s race.  Your best finish at Sonoma Raceway, third in points.  Talk about your race out there today.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Yeah, I had a fast car all weekend, and we figured that our best opportunity to run well here would be to pit and get newer tires more often than everybody else, so having the two wins in the season, it allowed us to really kind of gamble and go ahead and get back there in the mess and have newer tires, and it paid off.  We were able to drive up through there.

The two leaders, Jeff and Carl, didn’t fall off as much as the 1 did, so I was hoping they might, but they were strong right at the end, all the way up until the end there.

Q.  Dale, could you talk a little bit about the race that you had, an eventful day I guess it would be fair to say, and also I heard you saying on pit road to Stevie, drive every time like this is your last.  It seems to be working.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Yeah, I told Steve I think I figured out what the trick is to being a really, really good crew chief is to run every ‑‑ to call the season like it’s your last because his strategy is aggressive and a little bit out of the box, and that pays off in most cases because if you do everything everybody else is doing, you kind of fall into ‑‑ you’re racing a lot more people trying to do everything else they’re doing.  So when you do something different and get off the pattern pit‑wise, get off the strategy and stuff, it allows you to be a lot more aggressive.

My car had the tires and I was able to drive by those guys at the end, but I had an eventful race, and I tore Matt Kenseth’s car up pretty bad jumping that curb.  I was racing him a little hard there coming out of Turn 7.  He probably had the preferred line and I probably should have yielded to him, but I was ‑‑ I thought I was a little bit faster than him and didn’t want to be stuck behind him.  I straddled a curb, and it just lost my car in the air right into his car.  I hope he’s not too sore today.

Other than that, we got tangled up with the 47 somehow.  He wheel‑hopped my left rear tire and that spun him out.  Other than that we beat and banged a little bit, everything that you normally see here.  I had a lot of fun other than the deal with Matt made me pretty sick.  But other than that it was a fun day.

KRISTI KING:  Joining Dale, our second place finisher, Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Panasonic Chevrolet, who is our all‑time winningest driver here at Sonoma Raceway.  Talk a little bit about the race out there today and your second place finish.

JEFF GORDON:  Yeah, it was a fun race, a tough one, certainly tough for the guys making the calls in the pits.  You know, tire strategy as well as us on the track, because the cars just drove unbelievable on new tires, and you just felt like King Kong.  You could just drive it so aggressively.

And then eight laps later, it was where did all the grip go, and you were on ice.  There was some tire management, which I love.  I think that’s really cool to have that kind of a race and all the different strategies, and I mean, Carl, me and Dale were all on different tires as far as laps on them, and it made for a very interesting race.

Gosh, I wish I could have had those last five or six laps to do over again.&nbs
p; I started overdriving it a little bit trying to catch him a making a few mistakes, and I made one in particular that really cost me, and I think if I had just stayed smooth and stuck with it ‑‑ looked like his car really started falling off those last couple laps and I might have had a shot at least putting more pressure on Carl to force him to make a mistake or maybe get a run inside of him.

Our car was great today.  I felt confident it was going to be in the race, and it was exciting when they dropped the green that we did have a car like that.

Q.  Is the strategy now for the road courses to stay away from VIR and Road Atlanta?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Yeah, I think even on Friday practice was going so well, Steve said we weren’t going to do anything preparing for Watkins Glen since we were so good, or since it was going so well.  We weren’t the best car, but…

Yeah, I mean, I’ve been doing this a long, long time.  If you know what you’re doing driving these cars on a road course, you can go places and test and learn, but if you’re not a great road course driver, if you’re just kind of run‑of‑the‑mill going over there to Road Atlanta, you’re just going to work your guts out for nothing.  We sort of relied on our teammates a little bit that tested, and all that helped the most, really leaning on Jeff and those guys and what everybody learned when they came out here, and anybody that went to Road Atlanta or Kershaw, kind of leaning on that and just trusting what we were seeing in the data.

We went through ‑‑ it really gave us a bit of a better attitude when we got here, and I think that helped us be more productive on Friday, which that’s really important during those two practices to get everything you can, and if I get frustrated, Steve gets frustrated, we just don’t really figure anything out.  We stayed calm and I felt like we put a good car on the racetrack today.

Q.  Jeff, watching on the TV, it looks like friends or enemies, you were banging around pretty good.  You and Jimmie had a couple of tussles towards the middle of that race.

JEFF GORDON:  Those restarts when you’re double‑file like that, the first few corners get pretty hairy, and there’s not really enough room to go side by side, and so if you’re on the outside you’ve got to squeeze the guy on inside; if you’re on the inside you’ve got to push the guy on the outside.

I got a run off of 4, and I went to go to the outside of Ambrose, and I don’t know if Jimmie dove in there or if he was protecting from somebody else trying to dive in there on him, but as I made the corner, he got into my right rear pretty hard, and I almost went around.  At the moment you’re just mad that it happened, so I took it out on my right front fender, but it did more damage to my car than it did to his.

Then I calmed down and we just went back to racing, and I was able to get ‑‑ he kind of got into it with whoever, Ambrose in front of him, and I got a run on him, but I was able to make a clean pass.

You know, I don’t like to make judgment until you see the video, but we raced hard, and we had a great race and banged with a bunch of guys, but I thought it was all just in good racing.

Q.  Jeff, it looked like that last lap, Turn 11, you made it pretty close, got a little close to him.  Did it feel like a possible pass or was there just too much ground to make up at that point?

JEFF GORDON:  I mean, that particular area, my car was really good.  I could really get into Turn 11.  I was just trying to get him to overdrive the corner and get up off the bottom.  There’s such an advantage to hook around those tires that had he missed it, which he did about two laps before that, I thought that I might be able to make it interesting.  But no, he did lock up going in there, but he made the corner, and that was it.  At that point it’s a desperate move.  It’s not one worth wrecking the guy on because hey, if you’re racing the guy and you get a couple runs on him, he blocks you and he blocks you here and he blocks you there and you’re faster, then you might not give an inch.  You might go in there and you might use the bumper.

But I really had just caught him, and so that’s why I wish I could have had those last five laps to do over again because I think if I could have not made a couple mistakes, I would have been on him with more like two laps to go, and I think I would have had a shot.  But hey, that’s the way it goes, and we finished second.

Q.  Dale, you mentioned the incident with the 47 here at 11.  Is that just one of those things that happened and the hairpin as far as the contact there?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Yeah, I thought I gave him enough room on the outside.  He had a lot of wheel, we’re coming out of that corner and his right front poking out like that jumped the left rear of my car, and I felt it yank on the car real hard and looked in the mirror, and I thought he and about 10 other cars were wrecking, and I thought the caution was coming out.  I don’t know how bad it was for him, but I had just got around him and we got down into that corner and I ran low protecting my line, he shot to the outside and that’s his prerogative.  But I thought I gave him enough room.  I didn’t think I ran him in the fence.

Q.  Jeff, we’ve been seeing you in here a lot lately.  Is this the most optimistic maybe you’ve been about how you’ve been running maybe the last five, six years?

JEFF GORDON:  Absolutely.  It’s certainly the most consistent, great cars that I’ve had going week in and week out, to have cars that are capable of either winning or running up front.  I’m very confident in what I’m getting behind the wheel of every weekend, and that just is because of all the hard work that’s going on at Hendrick and all the data and work that everybody behind the scenes is doing as well as Alan and our engineers.  I’m just working really well with them, clicking with them, but the cars are just really, really good, and that’s making a lot of fun for me.

Q.  Dale, just the meaning of getting a top 5, is that beyond the expectations coming into this weekend, and what does it mean for you and your team to get this type of performance at this type of track?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Well, aside from holding a trophy, this is like a win for us.  We came in here and knew we had a good car throughout practice, and I’ve been in the top 10 in a lot of these races with two or three laps to go, but we’ve just never been able to finish.  So to be clear of the mess and just have an advantage with the tires at the end, there was a lot of confidence, and knowing we were going to be able to wrap it up or feel like we were in good position to wrap it up and really good.  The car was fun to drive all weekend, had a great time in practice, qualifying was fun, a little frustrating to get hung up there.  I thought we could have qualified a lot better, but still, the cars have been fun to drive.  We’ve been one of the better cars, and that certainly makes it fun with me not having to be defensive and root and gouge for every little spot.

Whatever the guys learned throughout testing and trying to prepare for this race really, I think, helped out the whole organization.  All the cars were real quick today.

Q.  For both of you, the tire testing here got rained out in March, and since tires were a big issue this race, I was wondering if you could tell me how you made up for that.  Second question is for Jeff Gordon:  It’s about when you got a chance to test over at New Smyrna Beach.  I was wondering what you learned at some of these short tracks.

JEFF GORDON:  I’ll take the first one since Dale wasn’t here during the tire test.  It was just the 24 and the 14 and a couple other guys.  It only rained out the first day.  The sec
ond day we actually pretty much got the full day in.  So we were able to learn something anyway, and even though we didn’t actually test on the tire that they brought here, we tested on similar ones, and maybe the 14 tested on this exact one.  But it was close to the one that I liked the most that had good grip at the beginning and it did fall off.  We knew it was going to fall off, but it seemed like some of the other ones fell off just as much or more.

You know, I like this tire.  I think it’s not easy to drive at the end, which can be good and bad.  But it’s got a lot of grip at the beginning.  I think it switches up the pit strategy where it’s not always just about fuel mileage.  We’ve been racing fuel mileage races out here for the last several years, and I think it’s nice that tires make a difference.  I like it.  I wish we had tires like this more places.

New Smyrna, I mean, we’re just short track testing stuff, just seeing what we can learn.  We go to all the tracks that we can’t race on, and if there’s someplace that’s close to Charlotte with good weather that might be able to teach us a little bit, then we’ll go there.

I thought that it was more for fun than learning anything, I’ll be honest.  There’s not another track that we go to that’s anything like that.  Not to mention that there was water seeping out of the track that we were driving on.  It was a fun day, but I don’t know if ‑‑ maybe Dale and those guys learned some things, but I didn’t think that we did.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  It’s a fun track, to be able to go run somewhere.  We’re going to have to test.  The drivers don’t line the tests up, the crew chiefs do.  So when you go somewhere fun, at least it makes it go by a little quicker.

Q.  Jeff, I seem to recall a conversation yesterday with you after qualifying and you said to me, you weren’t really one bit worried and I should talk to you today when all the Hendrick cars finish, and you had four in the top eight.  Is that how much confidence you have right now in the team and the program?  And Dale, you improved your finish here by quite a substantial deal, and you were running fast in practice and looking at your Twitter account it looked like you may have even surprised yourself a little bit how well you were running on Friday.  How big a boost is this for you personally in how you feel about road courses?  Are you starting to love them a little bit more now?

JEFF GORDON:  You like them when the cars are working good.  I’ve had some good cars over the years.

Yeah, I mean, you always say that when you qualify 15th.  You always say, hey, talk to me tomorrow when it’s all over.  I mean, I had confidence that we were much better than that, and that was just based on how our car drove in practice.  And I think that’s kind of what Dale is alluding to, as well.  You have a certain feel that you’re looking for and you look at the lap times and I thought our lap times were competitive and the car had a pretty good feel.  I didn’t feel like we were going to stay back there all day long, and I was hoping that all the Hendrick cars would ‑‑ that didn’t qualify good would come to the front, and I thought that they would.  It wasn’t being like so confident just in everything.  I mean, things are going well for us, but it was really just solely looking at the lap times and how my car felt.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  I really enjoy running at Watkins Glen, and I feel like that I understand what I need to do, not whether I do it every lap but what I need to do to get around there and what I’m looking for in the car to be competitive.  This is a real technical track where the corners are lined up one after the other, and if you make a mistake in Turn 2, you really don’t clean it up until Turn 4.  So everything sort of has to line up and the really need to put the corners together in succession, and that takes a certain mentality and a certain understanding of road course racing that guys like myself don’t have coming from late models and oval tracks and stuff like that.

You have to go to school.  You have to study.  You have to listen to people.  You have to run as many laps as you can at practices and tests and stuff like that early in your career to adapt and understand.  You know, just certain guys have certain backgrounds.  McMurray ran all those CART races and I think that paid off for him.  He’s very competitive at the road courses, especially this place, but the Glen has always kind of been fun.  It’s an equalizer because it has so many long straightaways.  You run down a straightaway and get through a turn and run down a straightaway and get through a turn.  Pretty much everybody can kind of figure that out.  But this place is really technical, and if the car is just a little bit off, I sort of get lost as to what I need and what I want the car to do and how I need the car to drive and what I’m looking for in the car.  We sort of ‑‑ when we get off the path in practice, we really never recover throughout the weekend, but we were fast all weekend and just kind of put it together.

KRISTI KING:  Jeff, Dale, congratulations on your run today.  Thank you very much for your time.

Chevy Racing–Sonoma Post Race

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 22, 2014
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 PANASONIC CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 2ND
YOU SAID YOU MADE ONE MISTAKE ON THAT LAST LAP THAT COST YOU THE WIN, AND YOU NEEDED ONE MORE LAP. WHAT WAS THAT?
“Well, it was actually maybe five or six laps to go. I was making some ground up on (race winner) Carl (Edwards). I was good in the fast sections and he was pretty good in the slow sections. So, I was having to hit everything so perfect. And I just overdrove it into (Turn) 4 one time and went real wide off and that gave him enough of a gap that I had to close it back in and I just couldn’t put enough pressure on him. And I think had I put some more pressure on him; I saw him really struggling with the grip level. He drove a clean race and he did everything you need to do.
 
“But of course, on that last lap, I gave it my best effort and closed up on him, but I just drove into (Turn) 11 as hard as I could. We weren’t good in 11 anyway. He didn’t overdrive it. I was hoping he might slide up and I’d get a run underneath him. But all in all, it was a great weekend for this Panasonic Chevy and I could have been more proud of the calls made and everything the team did. We didn’t qualify good, but we had a great car in the race.”
 
CARL EDWARDS SAID IT WAS AN HONOR TO BEAT YOU BECAUSE HE GREW UP WATCHING YOU WIN HERE
“Yeah, I’m starting to hear that a lot more where somebody was born when I won my first championship or was watching me as a kit. But I love racing here. I love being competitive and leading the points and having a shot at winning races, at 22 years into my Cup career. It doesn’t matter; we’re having fun.”
 
DID YOU THINK YOU HAD A WAY AROUND CARL EDWARDS ON THAT LAST TURN?
“On that move, you just want to make the guy overdrive the corner, because if you miss the bottom down there, there is a real opportunity for someone to get inside of you. Carl (Edwards, race winner) was driving a really good race, and the tires were definitely falling off bad. So were mine. At that point, I was just trying to keep the wheel spin to a minimum, and see if I could inch up on him every little bit.  Those last couple of laps I really did. I made one mistake with about six (laps) to go where I overdrove – maybe five to go – where I overdrove (turn) four. I really think that was the difference. I think if I could have got to him, I probably would have had him. But, he was better in the slower sections; I was better in the faster sections. I would have liked to have a little bit closer shot at him going into (turn) 11 on that last lap. Can’t thank Panasonic Tough Book enough. Great having them on board. What a great way to finish this weekend out with a second place finish. Congrats to Carl. He did a great job.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 3RD
WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU THE MOST ABOUT YOUR RACE TODAY?
“Just putting the tires on and getting the strategy right. I told Steve (Letarte, crew chief) the secret of being a great crew chief is calling every year like it’s your last because he’s had the best strategy every week. The Kelley Blue Book Chevy was fast all weekend, really. And I tried to screw it up there a couple of times in the race but calmed down and was able to get a good finish out of it.
 
“I got into Matt (Kenseth) and jumped that curb and just jumped in there and ran into him. It was totally my fault. It’s kind of like what happened to him last year at Watkins Glen. Just racing a little too hard through there with him and probably should have let him have the spot. Other than that, we had a pretty good day. We’ll cut the shell of this thing and put it in the woods and go to Watkins Glen.”
 
ON HIS RACE:
“I am sick at my stomach getting into Matt (Kenseth) there. I just hopped that curb, and it threw me right into him. I shouldn’t have been running him hard I guess, I just got up on that curb and it just launched me over into the side of his car. I really hope he isn’t hurt too bad. I’m proud of my team. Kelly Blue Book sponsored this race. We had a fast car all weekend. The guys did a good job on the strategy, and gave me great tires at the end so I could be on the offense. Proud of Steve (Letarte); the whole job the team did. The car was fast all weekend. It was a lot of fun.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 4TH
YOU WERE ABLE TO KEEP IT IN THE TOP 5, TOP 10 ALL DAY LONG AND HAD A VERY CONSISTENT DAY
“I’m happy that I’m mad that I finished fourth, if that makes any sense. I thought I had a chance to win but when the last caution came out I was working Carl (Edwards) there a little bit, and I was just waiting on him to make a mistake. I felt like I was better than he was. And when we went back green, after the caution, I just used up too much car in (Turns) 1 and 2 and spun the tires really bad and paid the penalty for that the remainder of the run. But it was a really good day. Our pit crew did a really good job. We had a huge group of people with Cessna here today. So, overall, I’m mad that we finished fourth, but we had a great weekend.”
 
WHEN DALE JUNIOR CAME BY, WERE YOU LIKE MAN, TIRES DID MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE, DIDN’T THEY?
“Well, I could see how fast he was catching me and I came on the radio and I’m like, is he on a different strategy than we are? And it was like, yeah. So, when he caught me, I didn’t really put up a fight because I knew that he was going to get by. I was more worried about the No. 27 (Paul Menard). He was another ten seconds back, if he was going to be able to catch me at the end. It was a good race. I thought they had a great tire because it gave up a lot. And putting new tires on made a huge difference and it made it a lot of fun to pass.”
 
ON HIS RACE:
“We had a really good car. Before the last caution, I thought I was going to be able to work Carl (Edwards – race winner) over. He was struggling and I really did not have to drive that hard to keep up with him. I’m like ‘Well, I let him use his car up, and then I will get him when he starts sliding around’. But, then the next caution came out and we took off – it was like he had my car and I had his all of a sudden. I just couldn’t make it happen. But we had a good day, we qualified well. Really solid weekend. The guys did a good job on pit road. We were close, just didn’t have enough.”
 
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 RICHMOND/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 5TH
ON HIS RACE:
“It was a good day. We unloaded fast on Friday, and we qualified ninth. We were disappointed with ninth actually. We felt like we had a little bit better car than that actually. The first run was pretty brutal actually. We got really loose, and the guys tightened it up with some air pressure, and we got a lot better. From then on, we were a 10th place car probably and then drove up to top-five with tires.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 6TH
ON HIS DAY:
“We had a fast car from the start.  Our Great Clips Chevy was good.  I could pass cars early just a little bit, but definitely after like five laps I felt really good and competitive.  Then we started hurting the car.  We just didn’t have track position after that.  We fell back and luckily we got back to sixth.  We easily had a top-five car.  I don’t know how good it was definitely better than that.  I had a great car today.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 7TH
“Had a great car just got drilled by the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) and my steering was off from there. We had a great car and the guys with fresher tires got us at the end.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 OUTBACK/BUDWEISER FOLDS OF HONOR CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 20TH
“Today was just another day with the fastest car.  We had a chance to win the race and kind of flubbed it up again.  Ju
st got ourselves bad track position and crashed.”
 
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KINGSFORD/CLOROX CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 37TH
“We led a lot of laps today and we were good enough to win the thing no doubt. It’s just disappointing the way our day ended and to leave Sonoma with a car that’s tore up. I’m proud of my guys and all the hard work they put into this weekend. It’s just tough. We were hoping to bring home a win today for Kingsford and all our partners.”
 

John Force Racing– FUNNY CAR FORCES RACE TO SEMI-FINALS IN EPPING

 FUNNY CAR FORCES RACE TO SEMI-FINALS IN EPPING

 

EPPING, NH — The reigning NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car World Champion drove his Castrol GTX High Mileage Funny Car to a semifinal finish at today’s NHRA New England Nationals with skill and horsepower. Despite not having lane choice, John Force used his starting line advantage to go rounds over his opponents. Even though last year’s runner-up couldn’t repeat today, he still very happy that he was able to get back in the groove and start going rounds again.

“Things were starting to look desperate for a round win. I’m going to nuts out here because I built my name on these race tracks. Years ago, I came here with junk and no help and I was expected to be a loser. Now, to come back here with great sponsors like Castrol and Ford, crews and equipment, we’ve been struggling to past the first round. I don’t care who it is, I’m getting whipped by everybody,” said John Force.

The John Force fighting spirit began in round one in which he faced his archrival Matt Hagan. With lane choice in Hagan’s favor, the Castrol GTX High Mileage crew had to make sure their 8000 horsepower Mustang wouldn’t overpower the track and send the enormous Goodyear slicks up in smoke. John also knew he’d need a good reaction time to gain a starting line advantage as his opponent’s car was running strong and qualified better than John’s Mustang.

Just as the Christmas Tree was transitioning from three amber lights to green, John’s Castrol EDGE High Mileage Mustang launched off the starting line with a .048 reaction time to Hagan’s .062. The Mustang charged right out of the gate and never looked backed. It stopped the timers with a 4.12 second pass to Hagan’s quicker but losing 4.11 effort.

“Matt Hagan is tough and we’ve faced each other a lot and here I am screaming after I won first round. It’s unbelievable, I’m excited, and I want to stay in this sport. It’s like I won Indy and yet we didn’t do nothing, just won the first round, said John Force. 

In the quarterfinals, John Force would go up against his son-in-law and fellow teammate Robert Hight. Once again, John staged deep to gain a starting line advantage as he knew new Hight’s Mustang was faster. Force parlayed a great reaction time with a strong run of 4.09 to Robert’s much quicker but losing 4.06. John got the win light which would advance him to the semifinals.

“I doesn’t matter what the tire or the tree says, I stole all the light and almost put the top bulb out. When you’re racing Matt Hagan or Robert Hight, those two are the best leavers out here and in the business; it’s the only way I can get them until my race car can start running faster. Jimmy Prock (crew chief, Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang) and the guys are working on it,” said John Force.

In the semifinal round, John went up against Alexis DeJoria. Force knew he’d have to cut a good light again and Force’s Castrol Mustang left first with a .050 reaction time to her .087. Unfortunately for John, DeJoria just caught his Mustang at the finish line and ended his day of racing.

“I was rolling in deep all day to get a better reaction time but it actually slows the car down. It worked against Matt (Hagan) and Robert (Hight). I was hoping I could get around Alexis (DeJoria) but it was close. I’m just excited my hot rod is running consistent and we can go rounds and stay in the top of the points chase,” said John Force.

Even though Force didn’t make it to the finals as he did at last year’s New England Nationals, he broke his string of first round losses that have plagued the Castrol GTX High Mileage team for the last few races. Other than the first qualifying run on Friday, John’s Mustang made a total of six solid, consistent runs at New England Dragway.

The Castrol GTX High Mileage team leaves the NHRA New England Nationals with 713 points and in third place in the NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car standings. The team will head right to Joliet, Illinois for the 17th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals. John Force will keep the momentum going as he  once again has a consistent race car that can go rounds and win races.

Courtney Force, driver of the Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car, qualified in the No. 7 spot this weekend and took her hotrod to the semi-finals before bowing out on race day. Force took the win over Dave Richards in the opening round, followed by Del Worsham in the second round to get paired up beside Ron Capps in the semi-finals.

In eliminations, Force posted a 4.089, a 4.124 and a 4.10, proving to be one of the most consistent Funny Cars on race day.

“It was cool just to have a good weekend out here. We have a great car and I think we showed that throughout qualifying and eliminations,” said Force.

The 26-year-old celebrated her birthday on Friday with top speed and set a track speed record at 323.35 mph.

“It was great racing my Traxxas car this weekend. Traxxas being The fastest Name in Radio Control and we were able to set the track speed record out here in Epping. It was great coming back to a track where I had won in the past, last year, and to go all the way to the semi-finals. You know what, my team gave me a great car, we just didn’t have it. We were right there at the finish line with Capps in the semis, but it wasn’t enough and he went around me and got the win. It was a great race. We were right there next to each other the whole way down. We had identical leave times and identical incremental times at the start,” said Force.

The Auto Club Ford Mustang team had one of the most dominant Funny Cars on the property at New England Dragway. On Friday they made the first three second run crossing the finish line in 3.988 second for Robert Hight’s 46th career No. 1 qualifier.

On Saturday in the last session they made the quickest run of the day running 4.06 seconds to solidify their position as the team to beat on race day. In the first round against Mike Smith Hight and his Mike Neff tuned Auto Club Funny Car ran 4.06 seconds again to get their 26th round win of the season. They ran their third consecutive 4.06 in a losing effort to teammate John Force in the second round but that did not take away from the momentum the team is carrying into Chicago next weekend.

“Mike Neff has this Auto Club Mustang dialed in. Three 4.06s in a row was pretty impressive. We will get two night sessions so you could see a lot of three second runs. We will be ready and I have nothing but positive things to say about this weekend especially all the great fans. This is one of the best race tracks in the country and I am glad we put on a good show for everyone here in AAA of Northern New England country,” said Hight, who holds onto the Mello Yello Funny Car points lead for the eigth consecutive race.

Even though Brittany Force lost in the opening round today the highly motivated 27 year-old driver is still optimistic and determined to put her Castrol EDGE Dragster in the winner’s circle. With the runs she made in qualifying, today’s early departure will not dampen Brittany’s or the Castrol EDGE team’s spirits in going rounds and pursuing a NHRA Top Fuel victory.

“I’m definitely a little disappointed to go out in the first round, we had four great runs in qualifying all weekend and then to come out and not be able to make it down the track today is a bummer. However, I have a great group of guys behind me and I love my Castrol EDGE team. We’re getting there, it’s definitely a challenge bringing a Top Fuel Dragster into John Force Racing as we’ve been racing Funny Cars for decades so we’re learning and we’re definitely getting there,” said Brittany Force.

In Sunday’s opening round, Brittany Force lined up next to Clay Millican. Brittany, who had qualified fourth, had lane choice over Millican. At the first hint of green out of the Christmas Tree, Brittany’s dragster leapt off the starting line s
lightly ahead of Millican’s race car. For Brittany, she has been practicing her reaction times and it’s starting to payoff.

“I haven’t been feeling good all weekend but when I was on the starting line for round one, I was really focused and concentrated on cutting a good light and found some energy. I got on it and had a good tree and I’m happy about that,” said Brittany Force.

Unfortunately, Brittany’s dragster started to shake the tires just past the starting as the massive Goodyear slicks were struggling to maintain traction for the 10,000 horsepower on New England Dragway’s surface. Brittany had to get off the throttle as not to lose control of her race car and let the chassis settle down. Once it calmed down, Brittany did an excellent job of jumping back on the throttle and chasing down Millican.

“The car just shook right past the tree at about 100 feet. I thought I could drive through it but it rattled the tires too hard. I got out of it, but then stepped back on the throttle and it hooked back up and drove right down the track. Unfortunately Millican was too far ahead and he was on a good run so there was no way I could catch before the finish line,” said Brittany Force.

The 2013 NHRA Auto Club Rookie of the Year did move down one spot to ninth place and has 540 points. With the Countdown to the Championship looming in the not so distant future, Brittany is confident the team will get a firmer foothold in the points chase by the next race.

Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE team won’t dwell on today’s first round defeat or their current point’s standings. There’s no time and it serves no purpose when chasing points, going rounds, and winning races. They will leave the majestic rolling green hills of the Northeast and head to the Midwest for 17th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois.

Richard Childress Racing–Gardner Denver 200

NASCAR Nationwide Series
Gardner Denver 200
Road America
Saturday, June 21, 2014
 
Race Highlights:
Brendan Gaughan won the Gardner Denver 200 Fired up by Johnsonville at Road America, his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory in 98 races. Gaughan’s victory marked back-to-back victories for Richard Childress Racing in the Nationwide Series. 
Brendan Gaughan qualified fifth and was the top Richard Childress Racing qualifier for the Gardner Denver 200. Brian Scott qualified sixth and Ty Dillon seventh.
Brian Scott earned a 16th-place finish and Ty Dillon a 19th-place finish.
Ty Dillon currently leads the RCR drivers in the Nationwide Series driver point standings in fourth, Brian Scott, fifth and Brendan Gaughan seventh.
Next up for the Nationwide Series is the John R. Elliott Hero Campaign 300 presented by Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over at Kentucky Speedway. Catch all the action live on Friday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.
   
Brian Scott Finishes 16th at Road America  
 
Brian Scott and the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet Camaro team started the Gardner Denver 200 presented by Johnsonville in the sixth position at Road America. The rain halted the delay of the event by over an hour but when the green-flag waved, Scott found his way inside the top-five racing in the fourth position by lap 10. The No. 2 Shore Lodge pit crew won the race off pit road twice during 53-lap race, including the mandatory pit stop by NASCAR to put on rain tires. Scott spent the majority of the race inside the top-five and was racing in the third position when the final caution flag flew with two laps to go. The Shore Lodge team gambled on fuel mileage and was forced to pit in order to complete the green-white-checkered finish. After three-final laps around the 14-turn road course, Scott crossed the finish line 16th. The finish moved the team up one position in the driver point standings to fifth. The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to Kentucky Speedway next week for a Friday night showdown.
 
Start – 6th        Finish – 16th   Laps Led – 0    Pts – 5th
 
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“Just a really disappointing day for our Shore Lodge Chevrolet Camaro. We had a great car and we needed it to go green to the end. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out in our favor.”
 
 
Ty Dillon finishes 18th at Gardner Denver 200
 
Ty Dillon drove the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Chevrolet Camaro to a 19th-place finish Saturday afternoon at Road America. Dillon qualified seventh before a rain-delay prior to the race’s green-flag. After nearly an hour delay, Dillon finessed his way to fourth-place and remained inside the top-10 for the race’s first 26 laps. On lap 28 a steady rain fell at the four-mile, 14-turn track, and NASCAR called for teams to put on Goodyear rain tires. For the remainder of the 53-lap race, Dillon used rain tires and a windshield wiper to guide him to the finish line. Toward the end of the race a mechanical problem cost the team some speed and the 22-year-old driver crossed the finish 19th. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender remained fourth in the driver point standings leading into next Friday night’s race at Kentucky Speedway.
 
Start – 7th       Finish – 19th    Laps Led – 0     Points – 4th
                                                  
TY DILLON QUOTE:
“This was one of the most difficult races I’ve been a part of. We had a few issues throughout the race that we battled through. I’m proud of my team for sticking with me and I couldn’t be more excited for my teammate Brendan Gaughan on his victory today.”
 
 
 
Brendan Gaughan Earns First Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Victory at Road America
 
Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino team had a strong Chevrolet Camaro all weekend in Elkhart Lake, Wisc., qualifying fifth for Gardner Denver 200. The Las Vegas-native faced many challenges at the 14-turn road course, first collecting debris from sliding of the track on lap seven. By lap 17 Gaughan battled his way back to the second position. His second challenge came when the rain began. The Richard Childress Racing team’s windshield wiper would not function, crew chief Shane Wilson decided to gamble and not repair, but instead wipe the windshield down with Rain-X. When the full course caution fell on Lap 39, Gaughan came down to visit his No. 62 RCR team for four tires, fuel and to wipe down the windshield once again. Restarting in 16th position, the 38-year-old veteran battled up through the field and by Lap 44 was fourth. Gaughan had taken over second-place when the final caution fell on lap 50, resulting in a green-white-checkered restart. Restarting first after the leader ran out of fuel, Gaughan found himself fighting to maintain the lead with one lap to go. Gaughan held off the opposition and earned his first victory in 98 Nationwide Series starts. He earned his third top-10 of the season and remained seventh in the driver point standings, 43 points behind sixth-place as the team goes to Kentucky next Friday night. 
 
Start – 5th       Finish – 1st    Laps Led – 8     Points – 7th
                                                  
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“I can’t thank Richard Childress and Shane Wilson enough. I tried to give this race away three times today, I was fully embarrassed and not focused enough, but RCR gives us great equipment and my team did not give up on me. This is such a great feeling after all the years of trying, we did it. I am so happy I don’t even know how to put it into words.”

World of Outlaws–Crockett Hangs On for Dramatic First World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Win After Tire Blows on Last Lap at I-94 Speedway

Crockett Hangs On for Dramatic First World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Win After Tire Blows on Last Lap at I-94 Speedway
Limps to checkered flag for first time as Sweet, Madsen bear down
FERGUS FALLS, Minn. – June 21, 2014 – It’s hard enough to win your first World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series race when everything is working perfectly, but when your right rear tire lets go more than half lap from the checkered flag and you still earn your first victory, well, that’s a win you won’t soon forget.

That’s what happened to Roger Crockett on Saturday night at 3/8-mile I-94 Speedway. He grabbed the lead from Brad Sweet on lap eight and started to build his advantage in a caution-free 30-lap feature run under the constant threat of rain.

Crockett slid up to the turn four wall repeatedly during the closing laps as he pushed hard in his Buffalo Wild Wings car to extend his advantage over Sweet and Kerry Madsen. Those knocks on the wall apparently took a toll on his right rear tire because just after the white flag waved, he rolled into turn two and the tire came apart.

“I take the white flag and I come off of turn two and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, after all these years I’ve finally won an Outlaw race’ and the tire blows right there,” said Crockett, of Medford, Ore., who was making his 66th World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series start since 2002. “I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’ So I go into turn three and I see a lapped car I passed eight laps ago go by me and I think, ‘Man, we might have enough of a lead to do this.’ … I’m not one to give up, and there’s a perfect example. You never give up until you cross that line or until she won’t go no more.”

Sweet started the race by jumping out to a quick advantage in the SureTestSupplies.com car and setting the pace early, but he was held up in heavy traffic down the front stretch on lap 8 as Crockett blasted to the top in turns one and two and drove into the lead down the back.

Crockett continued weaving through traffic while Madsen and his American Racing Custom Wheels car charged forward to pressure Sweet. Crockett worked through the traffic to build a straightaway advantage, which he needed on the last lap to get the biggest victory of his career.

“Obviously, winning an Outlaw race, there’s nothing bigger in sprint car racing,” Crockett said. “It’s my first one. I’ve been close, run second, run third.”

It will no doubt be a victory Crockett won’t ever get tired of recounting.

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars invade Iowa and Wisconsin next weekend for events on Friday, June 27 at 34 Raceway in Burlington, Iowa; Saturday, June 28, at Beaver Dam (Wis.) Raceway; and on Sunday, June 29, in the FVP Outlaws at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis.

Summit Racing–Line sees Summit Racing Camaro come to life in New England Dragway qualifying

Line sees Summit Racing Camaro come to life in New England Dragway qualifying
 
EPPING, N.H. (June 21, 2014) – Jason Line was somewhat displeased on the first day of qualifying at the 2nd annual NHRA New England Nationals, but all of that changed on the second day of the event. Powering the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro, Line made the quickest run of the first round on Saturday to wheel his way to three bonus qualifying points. He will start from the No. 9 position and square off with Jonathan Gray in the first round on Sunday at New England Dragway.
 
Line launched into qualifying with a 6.558-second pass at 212.79 mph and immediately moved into the No. 8 position. The second session provided much more pleasing conditions that allowed the 500 cubic inch Pro Stock engines to thrive, and Line improved to a 6.523 at 213.70, but the rest of the class also improved and his quicker pace held him at No. 9 in the qualifying order.
 
After a night of rest and some careful tuning by the Rob Downing-led KB Racing crew, Line’s Summit Racing Camaro came alive with a brilliant 6.521 at a big 213.94 that was low of the round and came with three of those always-coveted bonus qualifying points. Line rounded out qualifying with a consistent 6.524, 213.84.
 
“Those were two of the best runs I’ve made in months,” said Line. “We had a fast car today, and I am actually pretty stoked because it’s the best we’ve run in a long time. The good thing about this place is that NHRA is doing a great job prepping the racetrack and making both the lanes about the same. I don’t think lane choice will be a big factor tomorrow. If there is any difference between the lanes, it isn’t by much.
 
Line enters raceday in Epping looking to add more points to his tally as NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship nears. At the conclusion of qualifying, Line was No. 4 in points and just three marks behind fourth-place Allen Johnson. Although points leader Erica Enders-Stevens has a substantial lead on the competition, Line is just 56 points away from second place. That’s just three rounds with four up for grabs on Sunday.
 
“The goal is always to get points, but we aren’t thinking about that tonight,” said Line. “We’re just thinking about round one on Sunday, and then we’ll take it from there. We had a good day today with the Summit Racing Camaro. We want more of that tomorrow.”
 

Summit Racing–Anderson to make best start of season on raceday at New England Nationals

Anderson to make best start of season on raceday at New England Nationals
 
EPPING, N.H. (June 21, 2014) – Last season, Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson really wanted the trophy at Epping’s New England Dragway, the location of the inaugural NHRA New England Nationals. This year, the Mooresville, N.C.-based competitor is heading into raceday with lane choice due to another top half start – his best start of the season – and he means to get that trophy.
 
Anderson, wheeling the white Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro, ended the first day of qualifying with one of the best passes he’s made so far this season, a 6.512-second journey down the quarter-mile at a fast 213.10 mph that launched him into the No. 7 position.
 
Although the second day of the event proved warmer and allowed no improvement, he effectively protected his position and will start seventh on Sunday with Chris McGaha in the other lane. Anderson last raced McGaha on Sunday in Englishtown, when he defeated him in the quarterfinals en route to his second final round of the season.
 
“That was a great run for us with our Summit Racing Camaro, and we were very, very happy last night,” said Anderson, a 74-time NHRA Pro Stock winner. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to better it today, and we just couldn’t seem to get a hold of the starting line.”
 
Many drivers were unable to improve upon the quick numbers seen in the great conditions of the Friday session, and Anderson raced to a 6.545 at 212.63 mph in the first round on a warmer Saturday. He came back with a 6.554 at 213.16 in the final qualifying round to solidify his No. 7 start.
 
Anderson is perhaps most enthused and encouraged by the wildly surging crowds at New England Dragway, where Pro Stock fans are as hungry to see quarter-mile racing as Anderson is to get back to the winner’s circle.
 
“The fans up here just love Pro Stock racing. They’re an enthusiastic bunch of people, and it’s really fun to interact with them at the ropes,” said Anderson. “When you pull up to make your runs – the stands are packed. That is absolutely a bright spot when it comes to racing up here; it’s just very cool. Tomorrow we’ll have our work cut out for us, but if we can accomplish what we set out to do, it’s going to be a lot of fun with so many fans in those stands.”
 

Mopar Harvests Both Positives and Negatives in Qualifying at NHRA New England Nationals

Mopar Harvests Both Positives and Negatives in Qualifying at NHRA New England Nationals

·         Mopar teammates Coughlin and Johnson will face each other in first round match up at 2nd Annual NHRA New England Nationals
·         Coughlin is top Mopar with fifth place spot on eliminations ladder after setting New England Dragway speed record in both Friday Pro Stock qualifying sessions
·         Tommy Johnson Jr leads DSR Funny Car Mopar entries as No.4 qualifier
 
Epping, New Hampshire (Saturday, June 20) – It was a good news and bad news kind of day for the Mopar entries at New England Dragway after four qualifying sessions were completed to set the eliminations ladder for Sunday’s 2nd Annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) New England Nationals.
 
The good news for Mopar driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. was that he left his mark at New England Dragway by setting the track record for speed in both Friday Pro Stock sessions in the JEGS.com Dodge Dart and added two bonus points to his tally for running second quickest in the first qualifying session. His best 6.497 elapsed time under the lights on Friday at a track record 214.25 mph also put him fifth on the eliminations ladder. Another positive is that Coughlin has been riding a hot streak with two wins, a runner-up and a semifinal in the four events leading up to this weekend for a 13-2 round-win record in that span.
 
It was a tougher qualifying effort for defending Pro Stock title winner, Allen Johnson, who after posting an elapsed time run of 6.538 sec (212.79 mph) for his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart’s first lap on Friday for a provisional fifth place spot had a spark plug issue and lost traction on his next two attempts. The good news is that Johnson recovered in the final session to run his quickest and fastest lap with a 6.528-second (213.40 mph) e.t. but it was only good enough to give him the 12th spot in qualifying. The bad news is that means he’ll face his HEMI-powered teammate Coughlin as his first round opponent in Pro Stock eliminations.
 
It has been either feast or famine for Johnson this season. The good news is he has had four final round appearances this season and three of them were wins. The bad news is he has also had five first-round losses, one of which was to his teammate in Atlanta where Coughlin’s hot streak started last month.
 
“The only time you really want to face your teammate is in the final round and that happened in Topeka with my last win not too long ago,” Johnson said. “Jeggie (Coughlin Jr.)’s been on a roll here lately but I’m not ready to give up so easy and lose a third first round in a row. Those really hurt our points and we need to go rounds and play a bit of catch up on Erica (Enders-Stevens) who has a good lead on Jeg and me right now. I’m defending winner here and I’m not ready to give that title up just yet.”
 
Fellow HEMI-powered Dodge Dart driver V. Gaines made some good gains through qualifying, posting the third quickest time of the third session to improve his e.t. to 6.525 second (213.23 mph) which seeded him 11th behind pole winner Shane Gray. Gaines will face Vincent Nobile in the first round of Pro Stock eliminations.
 
Riding the positive momentum from last week’s Funny Car title win at the Thunder Valley Nationals title winner, Don Schumacher Racing’s Tommy Johnson Jr. put his Dodge Charger R/T fourth on the final qualifying results sheets with his 4.033-second e.t. at 318 mph and will have Bob Tasca III for his first round match-up.
 
In contrast, DSR teammate Jack Beckman’s ride has been more like a roller coaster of good and bad results. While he didn’t advance past a second round until the sixth national event this season and has five first round losses, he has more recently had a runner-up finish at Houston and semifinal at Englishtown and is looking to go rounds on Sunday.
 
“There is a lot of light at the end of the tunnel,” said Beckman who was third quickest in final qualifying session to earn a bonus point and sits in the No.6 spot and will meet Del Worsham as his first round opponent. “We’ve run well. We’ve already been to a final round. But, until you close the deal and win a race, you can’t call the season successful. Tommy Johnson was the first of the four DSR Funny Cars to do that this year and I’m hoping that opens up the flood gates for the rest of us.”
 
Also making some positive gains after a rough stretch, Matt Hagan added four valuable bonus points with his efforts in posting the second quickest laps in both the first and third qualifying sessions. The DSR Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T had a best elapsed time pass of 4.073 seconds to give Hagan an eighth place position on the eliminations ladder. He’ll face ninth seeded driver and 16-time NHRA Funny Car champ John Force in the first round.
 
“It’s a big first round, that’s for sure,” said Hagan who finished runner-up to Force in the 2014 NHRA championship battle and has one round-win and two losses to him this season. “But I won’t lie, I love it. It’s two good race teams battling it out in the first round. That should be a final round match-up, for sure, but we’re ready to get after it.”
 

John Force Racing–HIGHT HOLDS TOP SPOT AT EPPING

HIGHT HOLDS TOP SPOT AT EPPING

EPPING, NH – For the 46th time in his career Robert Hight was the No. 1 qualifier in the Funny Car class. He is fourth all-time in Funny Car behind only John Force (148), Cruz Pedregon (56) and Don “The Snake” Prudhomme (50). Hight blasted to the top of the class last night with a 3.988 second run but today’s final qualifying run of 4.066 seconds at 316.23 mph might have been more impressive to his competition. This is the second year in a row a JFR Funny Car driver has been the No. 1 qualifier at the Auto Plus New England NHRA Nationals. Last year John Force raced to the final round from the No. 1 spot before falling to daughter Courtney Force.

 

“I am pretty impressed with the 4.06 just now on a 116 degree racetrack. It was that quick and that smooth. It was fast too because 316 mph was top speed of the round. That was a perfect run. Later in the day tomorrow you never know we might need a 4.06 second run to win this thing,” said Hight, who secured his second No. 1 with crew chief Mike Neff. 

 

“You have to make a good run on Saturday so that you are set up for Sunday. After that first run this morning it made it so far down track before it smoked the tires that (crew chief) Mike Neff knew what he needed to do to make it go. I am pretty pleased that it is responding to what he is doing. We are here with Northern New England AAA this weekend and we want to get them into the winner’s circle.”

 

Hight has won seven times in his career from the No. 1 spot.  This is also the 20th different venue Hight and the Auto Club Mustang have been No. 1. For the first time John Force Racing has had all their professional drivers earn a No. 1 in the same season. So far this season John Force has Three No. 1s and Brittany and Courtney Force have two No. 1s each. This is the third time in four events that JFR has had at least one driver as the No. 1 qualifier.

 

In the final session Hight was in the last pair and under race-like conditions his Auto Club Mustang Funny Car made the run of the session. It was built on his first run of the day.

 

“That last round with the 4.06 was pretty stout. We were kind of on our way there on the first run today and right when it locked the clutch up it smoked the tires. Mike Neff made a couple tweaks and he told me we were real close to making it go. The closest Funny Car to us was a 4.10 so in this day and age if you have four hundredths on the field that is pretty good. Tomorrow is a new day,” said Hight. “What is encouraging to me is we are playing around with a few things. Mike Neff is already looking down the road to the Countdown. Luckily we have the great conditions here that we might see in the Countdown. Last year when John Force won the championship he out performed everybody in the Countdown under great conditions. These conditions let us play around and start testing for the end of the year.”

 

“We have a pretty good points lead now and it is encouraging to me that we are going up and down the track every run. I am excited. Mike Neff is the best. He will race it one round at a time. He is not going to go up there first round and try and set low ET of the round. We are going to look at each opponent and race smart. That is how we have won a lot of rounds this year.”

 

Courtney Force and the Traxxas Ford Mustang team are ready to defend their title. For the second year in a row, the team has qualified in the No. 3 spot at the top of the field and has lane choice in the opening round. Force’s best run of the weekend was made during Friday’s evening session. She posted a 4.031 ET at 323.35 mph to send her up to that No. 3 spot with a track speed record and also into the lane next to competitor Dave Richards tomorrow. Force has never raced Richards in eliminations.

 

“We qualified in the No. 3 spot, which is exactly where we qualified last year. We’ll be facing Dave Richards in the first round. It’s great coming into Sunday in the top half of the field. It’s going to be a tough race tomorrow against Richards. There are no easy rounds. We have lane choice and a good race car so I’d say we have a lot to work with,” said Force.

 

Force made three good passes in qualifying leading up to race day. Last year, the team only made one good run throughout all of qualifying, but went on to win the race over Alexis DeJoria, Tim Wilkerson, Jack Beckman and finally John Force.

 

“I’m excited because I feel like this Traxxas team has got a pretty consistent race car. We’ve laid down some solid numbers in both the heat and in the cool air, which exactly what you need. You need consistency to win on race day and that’s what we’re going for. I’m going to come out here tomorrow and try to defend my title. Hopefully we’re starting early Sunday morning and going to have a long day,” said Force.

 

John Force and his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang made three strong consecutive runs during qualifying at the New England Nationals and ended up in the ninth spot with a run of 4.092 seconds at 311.70 mph.

 

The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Champion has been struggling during the last few races as crew chief Jimmy Prock and the team has been chasing clutch gremlins that can come out of nowhere and trip up the winningest team in NHRA history at any given time.

 

“We pulled our hot rod back to find consistency. We know in a good session, our Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang can run high threes just like Robert’s (Hight) 3.98 last night. We ran threes back in Pomona at the Winternationals. Right now, we’re trying to find consistency,” said Force.

 

John Force will face rival Matt Hagan in the opening round with lane choice gong to his opponent. These two archrivals haves face each other 19 times in the past with John taking the win light in nine match ups.  But with his Castrol GTX crew taming his 8,000 horsepower Mustang, John’s ready to go some rounds tomorrow.

 

“What we’re trying to find is the consistency that we somehow lost for being too fast. We did make some pretty good runs and we’re right in the middle of the pack. We’re ready to go some rounds tomorrow and put this old hot rod in the winner’s circle,” said John Force.

 

The reigning NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champ is calm, cool and collective going into Sunday’s eliminations. He came up just short in the finals last year at this race in which he faced daughter Courtney. Their Mustang Funny Cars were side-by-side charging down New England Dragway with neither driver lifting for a moment. Courtney got the win and it was payback for her father taking her out in round one at Bristol the weekend before the 2013 New England Nationals.

 

It’s John’s competitive nature but he’s also very proud about what his fellow teammates have accomplished, especially during qualifying at this weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals. 

 

“All our cars are running good Brittany’s Castrol EDGE dragster, Courtney’s Traxxas Mustang and especially Robert’s Auto Club Mustang for qualifying number one. All of them are right up there running strong with those big speed numbers. Tomorrow’s a new day so let’s see what happens,” said John Force. 

 

Even though John Force still remains in second place in the point’s standings, he’d like to add some distance between him and his nearest rival. He’s working on his 140th career win and potentially a 17th NHRA Mello Yello World Championship. 

 

The Castrol EDGE Dragster driven by Brittany Force set a track record today during qualifying. The 2013 NHRA Auto Club Rookie of Year was strapped into her 10,000 horsepower race car and when the Christmas Tree flashed green, it launched off the starting line like a guided missi
le. When the dust settled, the scoreboards on the top-end of New England Dragway lit up with a 325.92 mph.

 

“I’m definitely excited as the car is running awesome. We made four great runs and the fact we set a new track record running over 325 mph say’s a lot about how hard my guys have been working on the Castrol EDGE Dragster. We even qualified number four so that’ll give us lane choice for the first round and I’m very happy about that,” said Brittany Force.

 

That record setting run earlier today also produced a time of 3.776 seconds and placed Brittany in the fourth qualified spot. This is what Brittany wanted – make four good solid runs, qualify in the top-half of the field and come out swinging on race day. Her first round opponent tomorrow will be Clay Millican whom she has raced twice in competition before and has a 1-1 record.  

 

 “Despite being down on power this weekend and feeling sick, I’m looking forward to running Clay in the first round. I’m going to bring it on tomorrow and go some rounds as I have a great team behind me and we have a great car that’s very fast and consistent,” said Brittany Force.

 

Brittany also picked up some additional Mello Yello bonus points for her excellent qualifying performance in three of the four sessions this weekend. From that standpoint, she surpassed her previous best which was the NHRA Mile High Nationals and NHRA U.S Nationals last year when she received bonus points for two sessions at each event.

 

This weekend, Brittany got the precious points in the second, third and fourth qualifying sessions for a total of three extra bonus points. These will come in handy in maintaining her hunt to stay in the top-ten in points going into the Countdown to the Championship which gets into gear immediately following the NHRA U.S. Nationals.

 

“Anytime we get points, we’ll take them. We’re currently number eight in the standings and we’ve been there for a while. We want move up this weekend and so we’re looking good come Indy. Then we’ll really battle it out, said Brittany Force.

 

In the second session, changing weather and track conditions would negate any improvement over the team’s earlier run but crew chief Todd Smith, co-crew Chief Dean “Guido” Antonelli and the rest of the guys had Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster tuned up as it marched down the track with a 3.829 second run at 322.11 mph.

 

“It’s a continual work in progress as we finally honed in on clutch and power applications and now it’s just working on consistency. We are real happy the way the car has responded and is performing and we’re given it what it wants and it’s accepting it. We’ll make some adjustments to the car tomorrow after we determine which lane is better before round one,” said Todd Smith.

 

However, going into race day, conditions always change whether it’s the track, atmosphere, or both. This is when the collaboration between Todd Smith and Dean Antonelli really starts to come together in making sure Brittany has a fast, safe and consistent and race car that’ll have the potential to go all the way to the finals.

 

“Both sessions from today will equate to one of the sessions tomorrow. Probably the second or third round on Sunday but overall, our tune up won’t change that much,” said Dean Antonelli.

 

Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE team will be geared-up come race day. She is focused on going rounds, making it to the finals and maybe even scoring her first Top Fuel win for Castrol EDGE and John Force Racing.

Dyson Racing Team Bentley–Moving On Up

Moving On Up
ELKHART LAKE, WI — Dyson Racing Team Bentley improved on yesterday’s sixth place finish with a fourth place today in the second race of the Pirelli World Challenge doubleheader at Road America.  As he did yesterday, Butch Leitzinger in the Bentley Continental GT3 set the second fastest lap of the race, underlining a strong debut weekend for the team.
The first day of summer dawned misty and damp, with heavy fog lingering at the 9:10 am race start on the four mile, 14-turn natural road course. Forty-three cars took the green flag with Leitzinger starting from the outside of the front row.  He lost three places at the start and was making up ground when the yellow came out on the fifth lap. The race resumed twenty minutes later on lap 12 for twelve minutes of green running to the checkered flag.
“We lost some positions on the first lap, but once the car came in after a couple laps and all the temperatures were good on the tires, the car was just fantastic,” said Leitzinger.  “I was trying so hard to get a podium for Bentley today but just could not do it.  It was a shame it was not a longer race or we had more green laps, because the car was getting better with every lap.  But that is part of sprint racing.
“It was a very good weekend.  The car ran every session with no problems and we kept on making it better and more competitive every time we went out. I was very impressed with the car and with the team effort between us and Bentley.  I had a blast and cannot wait for the next race and further develop the potential of this Bentley.”
Team principal Rob Dyson shared the same positive view of the weekend’s effort. “It was a good start. I would give it a solid grade.  Sprint racing is a new discipline for us and we are coming into a new ‘neighborhood.’ The series and competitors are friendly, giving and helpful.  They have terrific and fast cars here in Pirelli World Challenge.  Bentley has done an excellent job in the engineering and development of the Continental GT3, and as it continues to be raced on both sides of the Atlantic, it will continue to get better. I am very pleased with the result and how the team has made our new partnership with Bentley work seamlessly from the start.”

Chevy Racing–Sonoma–Martin Truex Jr

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 20, 2014
 
MARTIN TRUEX JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Sonoma Raceway to talk about the first practice session, coming back as defending race-winner and the effect of race strategies on tire selection. Full transcript:
 
YOU HAD A HOT ROD IN PRACTICE EARLIER. TELL US WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO GET IT TO VICTORY LANE SUNDAY:
“As you said, practice went well with our Furniture Row Chevy, and we’re looking forward to the rest of the day. This track is difficult to keep the tires on. The key to the race will be being good on longer runs and having good tire management. Obviously pit strategy always come in to play here at Sonoma. Hopefully we will have the right pit strategy and have a good car on the longer runs. I felt like we had a good first practice and feel like the car is close. There is room for improvement. We are working on that now for the second practice.”
 
YOUR CAR HAS BEEN COMING ON AS WE GO INTO THE SUMMER MONTHS. TALK ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 78 TEAM AND HOW THAT IS COMING ALONG:
“It’s been a really tough season. It’s been a lot of tough luck and a lot of things that just keep happening. You wonder what’s going to happen next. So it’s been a tough season. But through it all, I feel like the team has done a really good job of staying positive, working on race cars and focusing on the things we have learned to try to get better. Certainly we haven’t been as competitive as we’d like to be, but we’re definitely nowhere near a 25th place team, which is where we are in points. Just keep plugging away and working on it. The guys are staying positive and that’s been a good thing for us. The car has been getting faster. We just have to finish races. Hopefully this weekend we turn it around and have a good solid run and a shot at defending the race win.”
 
THE TIMES YOU WERE TURNING PRACTICE, THE ONLY GUYS QUICKER THAN YOU WERE UNDER THE TRACK RECORD. THE TRACK SEEMS TO BE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. IS THAT YOUR VIEW?
“The track is in good shape. Today being hot and sunny is a good advantage for everyone as it will give us a good idea of what we’re going to have Sunday. Typically the track is a little better in practice than it is in the race, so you kind of get a false sense of ‘OK, I think my car is pretty good’, then race starts and you say, ‘Whoa, I was wrong.’ Today will give us a good indication of what we’ll have Sunday. The track is good shape. The tire that Goodyear brought here seems to have a little more grip taking off. But it still wears out like it always did. It will be a lot of fun Sunday and we have to hope we get our Furniture Row Chevy dialed in better than anyone else.”
 
COMING BACK AS THE CHAMPION HERE, DO YOU GET A DIFFERENT LOOK OR DIFFERENT WALK AROUND HERE? YOU TALKED ABOUT THE TIRES HERE AND THE PITS, BUT ISN’T IT TRUE THAT THIS IS ONE OF THOSE PLACES WHERE THE FASTEST CAR IS THE WINNING CAR?
“I think at any road course, a lot comes into the strategy. If the caution falls at the wrong time, you can have the fastest and be out front, but it can come out and ruin your race. You have to have a little bit of luck on your side, for sure. A fast car is the first thing you want to work on; that’s what we are doing here today. But on Sunday a lot of things change. Obviously we hope to have a little better luck than we’ve had this season because we haven’t had much of that. Hopefully that will turn around for us.
 
“As far as being the defending champion, it’s a great feeling. It definitely gives you a lot of confidence but you have to be careful with that. You can’t get stuck on what you did last year and what did we have in the race car. This is a new season. The rules are a lot different and the cars are a lot different. You have to be open-minded. I have a different race team and our cars are a lot different than what I ran here last year. You have to be open-minded and be ready for new things. Hopefully we make the right decisions to put ourselves in position to win this thing again. So far today has gone well and hopefully we can keep improving on that.”
 
I WANT TO LOOK AHEAD A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO DAYTONA. YOU HAD SUCH A GREAT WEEKEND BUT DIDN’T TURN OUT SO WELL. HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU GOING BACK?
“That’s a tough one to answer. Restrictor-plate racing is a crapshoot. We’ve had pretty bad luck this year and I don’t really want to talk about it to be honest with you. Let’s focus on this weekend first and see what we can do here.”
 
YOU RAN A THREE-STOP STRATEGY LAST YEAR? CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOU GUYS CAME ABOUT THAT AND THE CHALLENGE OF HAVING THOSE OLDER TIRES AT THE END WHEN OTHER PEOPLE HAD FRESHER TIRES AND WAS TRYING TO MAKE A RUN AT THE END?
“Yeah, it was a three-stop strategy but we only put tires on twice so it was more like a two-stop strategy. We were able to stop and top off; we may have run three or four laps after we went green and were risky on whether we could make it from there or not. I think everyone pitted with us so we didn’t lose track position so it worked out perfect. At the end of the race, you put yourself at risk if a caution comes out or if a few cautions come out, the guys that have tires are going to be hard to beat. Obviously last year, it went green for a long time which played into our hands, so that worked out good for us. I think two-stop strategies were the most successful here in the past but it’s risky for sure – not only on fuel mileage but on tires at the end if we do get a caution late. It could be hard to hold off a guy on newer tires.”
 

Chevy Racing–Sonoma Qualifying

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 21, 2014
 
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – POLE SITTER
DESCRIBE THAT FINAL, QUICK LAP:
“I was really shocked that we could run fast on our third run. We made a change, but I’m not sure where that speed came front. That was a really good lap. The biggest thing here is to get off of (turns) 11 and seven with a drive.  I really could never get wide open in any gear – first, second or third – off of those corners. We kind of had all the rest of it down. Really good lap. I’m excited. It is cool. This is my third road course pole. That is pretty awesome.”

DESCRIBE HOW HARD IT WAS TO GET A CLEAN LAP OUT THERE:
“I think everybody in the garage area has been stressed out about trying to get that clean lap in qualifying all weekend long. I was really fortunate that we drew four, and I got to go right out. I didn’t hear of anyone getting in anyone’s way, but for me, I had two really clean laps so it was great.”

WILL WE SEE ANYTHING DIFFERENT TOMORROW?
“I think you are going to see more pit stops when cautions come out. Tires are so important, more important than ever.  Every time we go to a road course, we run backwards. Everyone pits 10 laps before they can make it on fuel hoping you are going to see some cautions, but I think you will see guys putting tires on tomorrow. Should be a good race.”

FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, YOU WILL PACE THE FIELD TO THE GREEN HERE. HOW IMPRESSED WERE YOU WITH THE WAY THE TIRES PERFORMED IN THAT SESSION?
“Our car, I feel like all weekend long, has not been good on the first lap. Even in qualifying it seemed like I could run quicker on my second (lap). And every weekend, in this qualifying format you’re blown away that someone goes faster on older tires than they can on new tires. The drive off of (Turns) 11 and 7 is so hard here. I didn’t feel like I had that, but I feel like we’ve got the balance of the car better. So, it was a great lap. I’m so excited.”
 
BASED ON THAT INFORMATION, HOW WILL YOU SET YOUR STRATEGY FOR TOMORROW?
“Well, I thought our car in race trim was really good. The No. 15 (Clint Bowyer), I don’t know what happened to him in qualifying. I thought maybe he had the best car in race trim. But our car was really good on the long run. Track position is important. I think for the race, I think you’re going to more pit stops than normal because the tires give up so much. But we’re not going to change a whole lot. I feel really good about it.”
 
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KINGSFORD/CLOROX CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 2ND
OH, SO CLOSE, BUT NOT QUITE THERE:
“Yes, Jamie (McMurray) put up a heck of a lap there. Two-tenths. Makes me feel a little bit better that he didn’t beat me by two-thousandths, because two-tenths is tough to find.  Just proud of everybody on the Kingsford Chevrolet No. 47 team. I think we have a good race car. Honestly, I was nervous about qualifying because we were that good in trim yesterday. So to be on the front row, it sure could be worse. We will go racing tomorrow.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 5TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“It was a good lap.  We prepared well for this race with a couple of test sessions and executed a good practice run yesterday.  The lap time we ran put us P1 in the first practice.  We knew we needed to gain a little more and today we got beat by a couple of guys that laid down really good laps.  For us it was a better than average lap.  That gets us fifth and the way the team is bolted together this qualifying set-up I think that gives us a good pattern for what we have to put under it for a race set-up.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 OUTBACK/BUDWEISER FOLDS OF HONOR CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 6TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“That was a good lap for us.  Road course qualifying kind of stresses me out because there are so many opportunities to make a mistake.  Our first goal was to get through the first round with a solid lap and we were able to do that.  Second round was good for us too, always want to do better, but we can see the front so that is a good thing on a road course.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 11TH
“The GoDaddy car was pretty good. We only made one qualifying run yesterday, but it felt good in the opening round today. It just got tight in the second session and we ended up 11th. We would have liked it to be better, but we’ll take it. We’ve got a lot of folks from GoDaddy here tomorrow, so I’m happy we are starting up front.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 PANASONIC CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 15TH:
“Some of the things you’ve just got to be aggressive and hope that it sticks and right away the nose started moving around on me. I knew from that point to just not overdrive it. I made one mistake off of (Turn) 4 and I think ultimately that cost us enough to just make it through. The question and concern for us is how all these guys went out the second time and went so much faster. I thought I put together a pretty good lap that second time; I did get loose coming out of the esses, which is not a good place to do it. And we didn’t have enough to make it through. So, we’ll just get it ready to race. I’m excited to have Panasonic onboard this weekend and we’ve got a great race car. But we certainly needed to have a faster car for qualifying. But with the tires the way they are, I think that track position is not going to be nearly as important as it has been in the past.”
 
DO YOU THINK IT NOW BECOMES A 3-STOP RACE TOMORROW BECAUSE THE FALLOFF HAS BEEN SO GREAT?
“Yeah, or four or five (laughs). It depends on how the cautions fall. But I think new tires are going to be big and I think having good rear grip on the long runs is going to be big. That’s where our focus is right now and I hate that it didn’t work out for qualifying. I love this new format though and while I wish I was in it, I’m looking forward to watching this next one.”
 
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“We pride ourselves on being good on the road courses especially here at Sonoma.  Sixth hundredths from a second from making it is disappointing. But I think the bigger disappointment for us is how many guys went out and were so much faster the second time out and we didn’t.  That is a bit of a concern. Obviously we will talk to our teammates, and see what they were dealing with as well.  Very disappoint to not have any Hendrick cars in the top-12, so something we are going to have to work on. But I feel really good about the race.  Our car has been really fast. We didn’t show a lot of speed in qualifying trim yesterday, and we didn’t show it again today. But, I feel good about the race.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 17TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“We had a good lap going, but the No. 66 run in the racing groove on his get up (to speed) lap and didn’t get out of the way.  We missed the top 12.  We would have made it.  We ran about a tenths slower than our best lap going around him on the outside of Turn 9.  That is real disappointing, but the car has been great.  Hopefully, we will be able to have a good run Sunday starting kind of mid-pack.  It’s going to be a little busy where we are going to be, but hopefully we can move forward.”
 
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 18TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“It wasn’t as crazy as we thought it would be.  Everybody was pretty nervous I think going into it, just about getting blocked and not getting a clean lap. Because the tires are so delicate here as far as how many times you run them.  We had a good clean lap.  We picked up a little bit of speed from yesterday which was good.  Just didn’t pic
k up enough. A lot of guys really picked up a lot from yesterday.  Not sure really what we missed there.  I feel like the car is in pretty good shape for tomorrow.  This is a long race it’s all about track position, getting on the right strategy and being up front.  I feel like our car will be good on the long runs and that is what is going to matter here. We will just see how it goes and we will find out tomorrow.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 22ND
“It was sixth-tenths faster than I had gone, so it felt plenty fast. Looking back, a lot of it probably went just me having the right flow and knowing where I can charge. Then you end up out there on warmer tires and scuffed tires, and the grip level changes so fast, you really want to get it on that first lap. We are just focused on the race tomorrow, and hopefully that pays off and get ourselves a nice finish here tomorrow.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 30TH
“The biggest thing is in Turn 4 when I come off the curb and land off the curb, I had to just stop and wait for the car; it just wants to run right into that wall. So, I’d just have to wait and then pick the throttle up down the road a little bit. So we gave up a lot of time right there. And then all the corners were just a touch snug. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have really good forward drive in this Great Clips Chevrolet. That’s going to be huge. I’d say we’ll be putting on more tires and wearing tires out quicker here this weekend than what I can remember in the past. Hopefully our car will play into our favor tomorrow and we can have a good run.”
 
WILL TIRE WEAR IMPACT YOUR STRATEGY FOR TOMORROW?
“I think everybody is talking about that. I think it’s just rear drive; I think it has a lot to do with getting into the corner, under braking, and then letting your car turn in and being able to really still enter the corner. Yesterday I noticed I had to back up the corners a ton just to turn into the corner and I don’t remember that nearly as much in the past in practice. So I would imagine tomorrow will be a little bit worse, especially if it stays sunny. Overall, I liked my car yesterday. It wasn’t the fastest car, but I felt like it was pretty consistent.”
 
JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 PHOENIX RACING CHEVROLET SS –  QUALIFIED 35TH
“We had a couple of situations on our laps out there. Obviously we weren’t up there battling for the pole or anything, but still trying to improve our spot and got blocked a few times.  In road course racing you obviously have a lot of that in the race, but really frustrating when you have that much in qualifying.”
 
 
 

Chevy Racing–Sonoma–Jamie McMurray

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 21, 2014
 
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – POLE SITTER
DESCRIBE THAT FINAL, QUICK LAP:
“I was really shocked that we could run fast on our third run. We made a change, but I’m not sure where that speed came front. That was a really good lap. The biggest thing here is to get off of (turns) 11 and seven with a drive.  I really could never get wide open in any gear – first, second or third – off of those corners. We kind of had all the rest of it down. Really good lap. I’m excited. It is cool. This is my third road course pole. That is pretty awesome.”

DESCRIBE HOW HARD IT WAS TO GET A CLEAN LAP OUT THERE:
“I think everybody in the garage area has been stressed out about trying to get that clean lap in qualifying all weekend long. I was really fortunate that we drew four, and I got to go right out. I didn’t hear of anyone getting in anyone’s way, but for me, I had two really clean laps so it was great.”

WILL WE SEE ANYTHING DIFFERENT TOMORROW?
“I think you are going to see more pit stops when cautions come out. Tires are so important, more important than ever.  Every time we go to a road course, we run backwards. Everyone pits 10 laps before they can make it on fuel hoping you are going to see some cautions, but I think you will see guys putting tires on tomorrow. Should be a good race.”

FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, YOU WILL PACE THE FIELD TO THE GREEN HERE. HOW IMPRESSED WERE YOU WITH THE WAY THE TIRES PERFORMED IN THAT SESSION?
“Our car, I feel like all weekend long, has not been good on the first lap. Even in qualifying it seemed like I could run quicker on my second (lap). And every weekend, in this qualifying format you’re blown away that someone goes faster on older tires than they can on new tires. The drive off of (Turns) 11 and 7 is so hard here. I didn’t feel like I had that, but I feel like we’ve got the balance of the car better. So, it was a great lap. I’m so excited.”
 
BASED ON THAT INFORMATION, HOW WILL YOU SET YOUR STRATEGY FOR TOMORROW?
“Well, I thought our car in race trim was really good. The No. 15 (Clint Bowyer), I don’t know what happened to him in qualifying. I thought maybe he had the best car in race trim. But our car was really good on the long run. Track position is important. I think for the race, I think you’re going to more pit stops than normal because the tires give up so much. But we’re not going to change a whole lot. I feel really good about it.”

World of Outlaws–Donny Schatz Leads Final Two Laps, Wins World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Thriller at River Cities Speedway

Donny Schatz Leads Final Two Laps, Wins World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Thriller at River Cities Speedway
Five-time champ ties Mark Kinser for third on all-time win list
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – June 20, 2014 – It seems only fitting that in his native North Dakota, Donny Schatz achieved a milestone moment on Friday night at River Cities Speedway when he earned the 153rd World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series victory of his career, tying him with Mark Kinser for third all-time behind only Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell.

On an “edge-of-your-seat” kind of night, with battles for position seemingly on every inch of the bullring, Kerry Madsen dominated the 40-lapper early, then Cody Darrah surged to the front in heavy traffic, and finally Schatz and Darrah raced side-by-side before Schatz slid in front with two laps to go and held on for the emotional win.

“It wasn’t pretty, I know that,” said Schatz, who was born in Minot, N.D., and resides in Fargo, about an hour-and-a-half south of River Cities. “It was on two wheels, no wheels, it was kind of all over the place. I was kind of nervous there the first part, I just could not get the thing to roll the corners very well. This STP crew, I can’t say enough about them. They’re unbelievable. We got qualifying a lot better. Generally we race a lot better, but tonight it wasn’t that way. They did a great job, they deserve this. They kept digging and let me have a little fun and we got the victory.”

Schatz, who was pulling double-duty at the track by also racing a dirt late model on Friday night, topped qualifying for only the third time this season in his Tony Stewart Racing STP/Armor All car. An eight-car invert in the dash forced him to dig hard, leading to a fifth-place dash finish and setting him up for a big push forward in the A-main, eventually moving in front for good on lap 39.

The victory, his sixth this season, is just the latest milestone for Schatz, who at only 36 is one of the top sprint car drivers in history. Among his 153 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series victories and five championships, he has seven Knoxville Nationals titles, a record five National Open victories at Williams Grove, four Silver Cup wins at Lernerville Speedway, two Kings Royal crowns at Eldora Speedway, and a Gold Cup Race of Champions victory at Silver Dollar Speedway.

“I enjoy them all, but I got to pass one of my heroes on the win list tonight,” said Schatz, who will go for his 154th win on Saturday night at I-94 Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn. “It’s kind of heart-breaking really. When you get to a milestone, it’s like crossing a bridge. You get to it and you never know if you’re going to get to the other side. Every time I get to one of them it’s like I stop, I can’t get across the bridge. It’s going to be a hell of a long time before I cross another one so we can just have fun from here on out.”

Steve Kinser has a record 577 victories and Sammy Swindell has 293 wins.

As for the action on the track Friday night, it was fast and furious. Madsen was the driver to beat, dominating his heat race by a straightaway and charging out to big leads in the A-main despite a handful of red flags and cautions.

Daryn Pittman applied early pressure on Madsen before he bobbled on the top, allowing Paul McMahan to take a shot at the Aussie in the American Racing Custom Wheels car. McMahan nearly had the lead just after the halfway point, but a caution negated his hard work and left Madsen to strategize where to race on the high-banked oval.

By lap 28 in heavy traffic, Darrah shot from third to the lead, pulling Schatz along with him and dropping Madsen to third. Darrah, who won last June at River Cities, was trying to duplicate that effort, but Schatz was too much on Friday night.

“I actually looked down and thought I saw [Madsen] there for a minute,” said Darrah, of Red Lion, Pa. “Donny Schatz, that guy, he’s my hero. To lose the race to him, it’s tough to get beat when you get so close, but I feel disappointed I didn’t get my guys this win. Just another exciting night at this racetrack.”

The heartbreak was evident for Madsen, who was strong on the top side of the track.

“It’s not bad, I just had the wrong strategy,” said Madsen, a native of St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia. “We had the run and as soon as I got to traffic on the top I would lose some speed. I thought this race is always won on the bottom so this time when I get in traffic switch to the bottom … I got to the bottom, it was a good strategy, I just didn’t deal with traffic well enough. I got passed by Cody, and I was coming back, then Donny just got the best of us all.”

And that’s something that has now happened 153 times in Schatz’s career.

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars remain in the upper Midwest on Saturday night as the series makes only its second appearance ever at I-94 Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn.

Summit Racing–Anderson strong and confident on first day of New England Nationals

Anderson strong and confident on first day of New England Nationals
 
EPPING, N.H. (June 20, 2014) – Greg Anderson is feeling like his old self again this weekend at the 2nd annual NHRA New England Nationals at historic New England Dragway. Anderson, now competing in his sixth race of the season, wheeled his white Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro to a speedy 6.512 at 213.10 mph to move into the No. 7 position in the lineup. The run was a familiar feeling for Anderson, who has been working hard to return to form following a late start to the year that included missing the first five races.
 
“We definitely took a step in the right direction, and that’s the best run I’ve made since I’ve gotten back into my Summit Racing Camaro,” said Anderson, who is battling hard for a position in the top 10 in the Mello Yello Series Pro Stock standings. “The KB Racing team goes to bed smiling tonight, and that’s a good thing.”
 
Anderson clocked a respectable 6.570 at 212.13 mph in the first session, and when the conditions at the sea-level facility cooled considerably for the night session, the environment was ripe for improvement. Anderson’s Summit Racing team eagerly took advantage of the situation to put together a strong top half run.
 
“The racetrack here is very good after the first 10 feet, and with the clouds coming, it started to get cooler and everyone was able to get nicely out of that first 10 feet,” said Anderson. “Now we have to figure out how to do that on a sunny day like it should be on Sunday. Tomorrow we’ll have two more runs to try and make sure we have that down, and then we’ll have to see what happens on Sunday.
 
“But for tonight, we have lots of good things, lots of positive things to focus on. We made a big step forward this week, and now we just have to keep chipping away at it. The Summit Racing team plans to be smart about it and right now we’re pretty happy.”
 

Mopar Racing–Mopar’s Coughlin Sets Track Speed Record in Provisional Pro Stock Qualifying at NHRA New England Nationals

Mopar’s Coughlin Sets Track Speed Record in Provisional Pro Stock Qualifying at NHRA New England Nationals

·         Mopar teams and drivers in action this weekend at 2nd Annual NHRA New England Nationals, in Epping, New Hampshire
·         Jeg Coughlin sets New England Dragway speed record in both Friday Pro Stock qualifying sessions
·         Allen Johnson won Pro Stock title at the inaugural event in 2013
·         Last week’s Funny Car title winner, Tommy Johnson Jr, leads DSR Mopar entries with fourth quickest qualifying effort
 
Epping, New Hampshire (Friday, June 20) – Near perfect track conditions on Friday evening provided Mopar teams and drivers the opportunity to make it a record breaking weekend in a return to New England Dragway this weekend for the 2nd Annual NHRA New England Nationals, just north of Boston, in Epping, New Hampshire,.
 
On both Friday Pro Stock qualifying runs, Mopar’s Jeg Coughlin Jr. set the track record for speed in the JEGS.com Dodge Dart, first with a 213.94 mile per hour pass, and then raised the bar in cooler evening temperatures at 214.25 mph. His first elapsed time run of 6.519 seconds put him second on the score sheets behind competitor and points leader Erica Enders-Steven, who lowered the e.t. track record to 6.514 seconds. Coughlin dropped to fifth after the second session behind provisional pole sitter Shane Gray who bettered the track record with an e.t. of 6.485 seconds.
 
Coughlin, however, is on a roll with two wins, a runner-up and a semifinal in the four events leading up to the New England Nationals and a 13-2 round-win record since the Atlanta event last month. New England Dragway remains only one of just two active national event facilities (along with Norwalk) where the Mopar driver has yet to win a race. He had a semifinal finish at the inaugural event in 2013.
 
“I’d love to add a win there to my résumé,” said Coughlin. “Still, what you’ve done in the past and the various places where we’ve won doesn’t give us any sort of advantage heading into a fresh race. We all start at zero, and we’re OK with that.”
 
The defending Pro Stock title winner, Allen Johnson, was a bit conservative in his first lap, driving his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart to a 6.538 sec (212.79 mph) pass and the fifth quickest run of the session. His second attempt however was thwarted by an electrical issue and with improved conditions and quicker times run by most entries, it dropped the HEMI-powered driver to the 11th spot on the qualifying sheets.
 
“We made a pretty decent pass on the first run and left a little on the table but then had a malfunction on the second run that has us scratching our head a little,” said Johnson who has combined with Coughlin to win three of the last four national event. “It’s good luck that we have the issue now instead of Sunday because we’re looking to defend our win. We love it here. The track, the air and especially the fans make this such a great event. Conditions won’t be quite as perfect for tomorrow’s qualifying but the morning session might be close and we should make up some spots. Sunday is what counts.”
 
Fellow HEMI-powered Dodge Dart driver V. Gaines saw his 6.551 second (211.89 mph) run put him 12th.
 
In Funny Car action, last week’s Thunder Valley Nationals title winner, Don Schumacher Racing’s Tommy Johnson Jr., finds himself third in points and carried the momentum from his victory into this weekend by driving his Mopar to a provisional fourth place qualifying spot with a 4.033-second e.t. at 318 mph on his second run. 
 
Teammate Jack Beckman was sixth in his Dodge Charger R/T with a best pass of 4.061 second (313.80 mph) to put him just ahead of Mopar Express Lane driver, Matt Hagan (4.083 / 2297.61), who hazed the tires on his second attempt and sits in seventh spot.
 
After starting the year with runner-up finish in Pomona, Calif., Hagan has five first-round losses weighing on him. However, after advancing to a second semifinal round of the season last weekend at Bristol Dragway, he is feeling better about the progress the team is making.
 
“It’s time to win, there’s no doubt about that,” said Hagan who finds himself tenth in Funny Car points standings but within striking distance of fifth place with a few more round wins. “Our performance in Bristol really got confidence back in our team which was huge. It’s no secret that we’ve just kind of been hit or miss this year and we’re going to hit our stride soon. We’re 10th and we need to make up some ground. We need to go rounds and pick up a trophy here in this four-race stretch. It’s definitely doable. We’re all close in points so it’s possible to make a big jump.”
 
Mopar teammate Ron Capps also saw a lack of traction cost him a chance to better his 4.102 second first run and has him ninth overall in qualifying which was led by provisional pole sitter Robert Hight with a 3.988 (321.58 mph) effort.
 

John Force Racing–HIGHT ROCKETS TO No. 1 AT NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS

HIGHT ROCKETS TO No. 1 AT NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS

 

EPPING, NH– The Auto Club Ford has been dominating the winner’s circle this year with four wins but on Friday at the 2nd annual Auto Plus New England NHRA Nationals Robert Hight got back to his dominating qualifying roots. The 2009 Funny car champion has 45 No. 1s in his career but none in 2014. Tonight he raced to the top of the Funny Car field with a track record elapsed time of 3.988 seconds at 321.58 mph. It was not a surprise to Hight that his Auto Club Mustang ran so well.

 

“That was pretty awesome. We made a nice run the first run. Mike Neff told me when we were going up there we were not going to be cowards tonight. We are going to get after this thing. He honestly figured there would be a few other cars running in the 3s. He said he was tired of all those guys having all the fun,” said Hight in the pressroom.  “It wasn’t like we didn’t know how to do it. We ran some 3.98s in Pomona. Neff is not a real aggressive racer. He doesn’t get a lot of no. 1 qualifiers. He goes a lot of rounds because he races smart. Tonight he said he was just tired of it and we put a different super charger on it. It was unbelievable. It was one of those runs where it is so fast and so smooth that you don’t know how fast it was going. I crossed the finish line, hit the chutes, glanced at that scoreboard and saw that 3.98. That was pretty exciting.”

 

It was total team effort to get to the top spot. Track specialist Lanny Miglizzi was instrumental in keeping all the JFR crew chiefs up to date on the improving track conditions throughout the day. Miglizzi was raving about New England Dragway as far back as last year during the inaugural event.

 

“Lanny (Miglizzi) told us that last year that this was a really good race track but there were some issues last year with the heat. He said this year if we got good air we would run fast. We saw the Pro Stock cars running track records and I think you will see track records in Top Fuel here. It is a great race track and the air is unbelievable. We wanted to put on a good show for these fans here in Northern New England. We have AAA of Northern New England with us this weekend. We have to show off for them a little bit,” said a thrilled Hight.

 

“We knew last year that if conditions were good you would see awesome runs. I told all the fans last year that they should be very proud of having one of the best race tracks in the country here. We just didn’t have good conditions because it was so hot. The cool weather gave the fans a real treat. The fans should be really proud right here in their backyard they have one of the greatest tracks in the country,” added Hight.

 

When Hight was asked about improving on his record run he reverted to his team mantra of racing smart. The team has been consistent in qualifying but on race day they have been nearly unstoppable racing to six straight final rounds earlier this season.

 

“Jimmy Prock, John Force’s crew chief, is one of those guys that picks every single run apart. Mike Neff will look at that run for a few minutes and move on to tomorrow. Tomorrow’s conditions will be different. It will be warmer. Tomorrow is really what we will be faced with on Sunday. Tomorrow is the big day. Mike Neff won’t be picking this run apart.”

 

Courtney Force is picking up where she left off last year at New England Dragway and continuing her success at this track. Force, who is celebrating her 26th birthday today, posted two strong runs on the first day of qualifying putting her in the No. 3 spot going into Saturday.

Last year’s inaugural New England NHRA Nationals event winner posted a 4. 129 ET at 310.20 mph in the opening session today, briefly setting her in the No. 8 spot.

 

“It feels good to be back here in Epping where I got the inaugural win in Funny Car last year. It feels great to come back to a track that’s familiar to me and my team. We had a good day of qualifying. We made a good pass the first run out, but I’m glad we could improve on it,” said Force.

 

The winner of the 100th professional event win for women in the NHRA came back in the second session to top her previous numbers. The now 26-year-old driver posted a 4.031 ET at a track speed record of 323.35 mph. By the end of the day, that run would be good for the No. 3 spot and one bonus point for third-quickest of that qualifying session.

 

“On the second run, everyone was going for it. We had great conditions out here. I think it was a great show for the fans. We ran a 4.03. That wasn’t exactly what my crew chief wanted to run, but I was happy. All eight of my birthday candles were lit! But Ron Douglas was hoping to run in the 3’s. It didn’t quite make it there, but I think we have a good race car. Definitely can’t be unhappy finishing third in qualifying today, picking up a bonus point and setting a track speed record on my birthday. It’s definitely a cool feeling to know you’re in the top half. I’ll be able to sleep better tonight. We’ll see what we can bring to the table tomorrow,” said Force.

 

John Force and his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang made a strong run on the second qualifying session. His 4.092 second pass run at 311.70 mph down the historic New England Dragway put the veteran Funny Car pilot solidly in the field in the No. 8 spot. The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champion has been struggling the last few races and on his first qualifying run, the massive Goodyear slicks lost traction about 100 feet past the starting line.

 

“We smoked on that first pass but Jimmy Prock (crew chief, Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang) and the rest of the guys tuned up my old hot rod before the second session. We know it would have run faster than 4.09 but Jimmy wanted to be conservative so we could make a good clean run,” said Force, runner-up at the inaugural New England Nationals last year.

 

Now that the Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang is qualified in the top-half of the field, the team will try to step up the performance during the two qualifying sessions on Saturday. Under the watchful eye of Jimmy Prock, he we try to step up Force’s 8000-horsepower Mustang even more.

 

“The 4.09 pass on that second session wasn’t as good as we wanted to run but we needed to get down the track. We’ve been struggling a little bit and on the first run, it just smoked the tires and part of the reason was the clutch issues. But, we can work on it and we’ll improve on that performance,” said Jimmy Prock, crew chief, Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang Funny Car.

 

“I’ve got a lot of changes in my operation right now but everyone is running very good so New Hampshire is starting out good. With this being Courtney’s birthday, it would be great if she was number one qualifier but Robert Hight ran that big number and set the track record,” said John Force.

 

Of all the drag strips on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule, New England Dragway is like going back in time with its vintage timing tower and bleacher grandstands. The fans are probably some of the most passionate and that fuels John Force even more.

 

“I raced up here in Epping with Castrol over 25 years ago and we won a lot of races before they had the big nationals. The fans are great and we did a great autograph session over at our midway trailer. The lines were long but the fans here are awesome,” said John Force.

 

At last year’s NHRA New England Nationals, John Force would end up qualifying number one and would go all the way to the finals in which he would face daughter Courtney. She would go on to defeat her father that day but John Force is hungry for his 140th career victory and a win this Sunday at New England Dragway would be a nice addition to hi
s already impressive career.

 

Brittany Force and her Castrol EDGE Dragster made two great qualifying runs today and showed the fans and the competition she’s ready for her first win. The Castrol EDGE Dragster was hitting on all eight and pumping out 10,000 horsepower as it blasted the fans in the stands with an impressive 3.776 second run at 325.45 mph during the evening session. Even though she wasn’t the quickest, she was the fastest race car in the pits at New England Dragway and grabbing the fourth qualifying spot. 

 

“I was excited to get the car down there, it made a good clean pass and it ran a 3.77 so I’m very excited about that. This probably our best chance to run a good number and out it on the board because the weather and track conditions were excellent and we did just that. We moved up to the number four spot so I’m very happy,” said Brittany Force.

 

In the first session, Brittany had run 3.830 seconds at 321.58 mph that place her in the eighth spot. Crew chief Todd Smith and Dean “Guido” Antonelli wanted to play it safe on the first session and make a good clean run.

 

“I was really excited after our first run. The 3.83 pass was solid and I knew we would step it up and improve from there,” said Brittany Force.

 

The Castrol EDGE team had only made five runs down New England Dragway last year so it was critical to get some good data from the first run so they can make the necessary adjustments and improve Brittany’s qualifying position going into the evening session.

 

“We wanted to have a conservative approach going into that first session so we tuned to run a 3.81 or a 3.83 and it did. We made some adjustments as we knew the conditions would improve in the second session,” said Antonelli.

 

After Brittany’s disappointing first round loss last weekend at Bristol, she’s been pumped about coming to Epping. She’s motivated her crew and knows that they are ready to get that first Top Fuel win for Castrol EDGE and John Force Racing.

 

“Coming to Epping for the second time, the playing field is definitely pretty level. Because all the teams including us have only been here twice, we basically have the same amount of runs and data in our books to tune from. We’re all starting at the same place so the Castrol EDGE team has the same chance as some of the other teams who have been racing for years,” said Brittany Force. 

 

Dyson Racing Team Bentley–Successful Inauguration Day

ELKHART LAKE, WI – It was a successful debut for Dyson Racing Team Bentley and the new Bentley Continental GT3 in today’s Pirelli World Challenge race here at iconic Road America.  Butch Leitzinger finished sixth in the twin-turbo V-8 powered entry, fourteen seconds off of first place. He set the second fastest race lap which means he will start on the outside of the front row for tomorrow’s second race of the weekend.

The race was a forward march for Leitzinger. He made up 13 positions in the 50 minute race.  While the race was run under dry conditions, this morning’s wet qualifying session was cancelled and the grid was based on points.  With this being the first race for the team in PWC, no prior championship points put Leitzinger in the 19th starting position.

Leitzinger summed up his race: “It was great. The car performed well and I had fun racing with people.  It is great to be able to dice with people and go wheel to wheel and everyone was very fair.  No one was giving anything and that is how you want to race people. The track changed quite a bit between the rain and the NASCAR rubber that was put down, and it looked like everyone was struggling for grip.  We learned a lot and Bentley has produced a great race car and Dyson has done a great job of bringing it to the race track.  We are going to have fun with this car the rest of the year.”

Chris Dyson, Vice President and Sporting Director of Dyson Racing, commented that “It was a good inaugural race for our Anglo-American partnership. The car has run trouble- free this weekend and Butch, as usual, worked the traffic well in the race.  We have been made to feel very welcome by everyone in Pirelli World Challenge, and it is great to have the team back at a race track, doing what they do best.”

“It is probably the most sorted new car that I have driven,” added Leitzinger talking about the Continental GT3. “The Bentley people and the M-Sport people had done a great job of putting together a good package.  Plus we had Guy Smith who helped with the development on the car, so everyone deserves a lot of credit for producing a good baseline car.  We have not had to chase the usual new car teething problems and from the very beginning the Bentley has felt solid.

“I am very impressed with the feel and capabilities of the car. Normally a GT car is all mechanical with very little aero, but this car has good aerodynamics.  Their wind tunnel work shows as you can feel the downforce on the car.”

Peter Weston, the race engineer for Dyson Racing, also found a lot to like about the new car. “The chassis is stiff and racy which opens up a lot of doors to the engineer as far as how he can set the car up. Butch found the same thing from the drivers’ seat that he can bring a lot to the table as a driver and use his full repertoire of race craft. Normally with GT cars, there is only one way to drive them, but with the new Bentley, the driver can drive it how he wants to go quickly. The car is actually quite nimble and is a flexible platform from both engineering and driver’s viewpoint.”