All posts by ARP Trish

Mopar Racing–Mopar Unveils New Dodge Dart Pro Stock for NHRA Gatornationals

Mopar Unveils New Dodge Dart Pro Stock for NHRA Gatornationals

Allen Johnson to Carry ‘Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar’ Sponsorship

Johnson and Coughlin Jr. to premiere the new Dodge Dart Pro Stock at the NHRA Gatornationals this weekend
Dodge Dart replaces the Dodge Avenger, Mopar’s most successful Pro Stock class vehicle in its history
Mopar partnership with Magneti Marelli extends to primary sponsorship of Johnson & Johnson Pro Stock Dodge Dart for 2014 season
Tribute to 50th anniversary GEN II 426 Race HEMI® ‘Elephant’ paint scheme also revealed on Hagan’s DSR Dodge Charger R/T in anticipation of the Mopar Mile High Nationals in July
Gainesville, Fla. (Thursday, March 13) —The much anticipated debut of Mopar’s newest Pro Stock class vehicle, the Dodge Dart, will take place this weekend at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Gatornationals, following its reveal by world champion drivers Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin Jr. at Two Tails Ranch near Gainesville, Fla., on Thursday.

Joining the Dodge Charger R/T in the Funny Car class and the Dodge Challenger in Sportsman competition, the Dodge Dart was chosen as the next generation Pro Stock vehicle and developed on a virtual platform, using production-based technology and tools used for street vehicles, with Chrysler Group LLC race and production engineers working hand-in-hand with the race teams.

The new Dodge Dart race car design was validated with aerodynamic wind tunnel testing at Chrysler Group headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., in late February, then made its first test runs at Bradenton (Fla.) Motorsports Park prior to arriving in Gainesville for the third national event on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag racing season schedule.

Retiring from competition with Johnson’s win at the last NHRA event in Phoenix, the four-door Dodge Avenger ends its run as the most successful of Mopar racecars in its class after claiming a total of 27 NHRA national titles and a record 28 No.1-qualifier positions, in addition to consecutive championships in 2012 and 2013.

Two Dodge Dart cars will make their competition debut at this weekend’s prestigious national event with defending title holder Johnson and five- time Pro Stock Champion Coughlin at the controls, while Vieri Gaines will join the fray in a few weeks upon completion of his new HEMI-powered racecar.

“We are very excited to launch the Dodge Dart, and along with our Mopar fans, to see what Allen (Johnson) and Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) can accomplish with this new vehicle as they vie for a third championship in the high-performance and ultra-competitive Pro Stock division,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “The new Dart is a testament of how Mopar uses the motorsports program as a technological proving ground with Chrysler’s own leading-edge technology and production processes. We have great expectations for its on-track success.

“Mopar also is very pleased to extend our partnership with Magneti Marelli to include primary sponsorship of Allen’s new Pro Stock in order to continue to raise awareness for our brands and quality products while bolstering our collective support and commitment to NHRA drag racing.”

Johnson’s HEMI- powered Dodge Dart will carry the “Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar” sponsorship as an extension of Mopar’s partnership with Magneti Marelli. Their racing alliance was initiated in 2012 and developed into a primary sponsorship the following year, sharing in Don Schumacher Racing driver Matt Hagan’s successful runner-up championship season.

“We at Magneti Marelli are very enthusiastic to be the main sponsor of Allen Johnson’s new Dodge Dart NHRA Pro Stock car and team for 2014,” said Pietro Berardi, CEO Magneti Marelli Aftermarket. “We have co-sponsored Allen for two years now and he has proven to be a great asset for our company with his excellent performance of becoming 2012 Pro Stock World Champion and coming close again in 2013 with the second place in the overall championship. Also this year, Allen is off to a great start already with a win in Phoenix under his belt for 2014.

“Allen and his entire team are very gracious with our customers who are always excited to meet the racing legends of Pro Stock racing,” Berardi added. “It is great that the new vehicle will be revealed at the Gatornationals as this is where Magneti Marelli started its very first NHRA involvement in 2012 and Allen has proven to be a great brand builder for Magneti Marelli with the target customer group of racing enthusiasts and independent repair facility workers. We are hoping and wishing for a very successful 2014 season for Allen and his team.”

The partnership between Mopar and Magneti Marelli first came to fruition in April 2011, combining Mopar’s more than 75 years of U.S. automotive parts and service prowess with Magneti Marelli’s 95 years of international automotive parts experience to create an automotive parts giant that provides quality parts for all major make and model vehicles.

The “all makes” parts program for the North American aftermarket gives the Chrysler Group dealership network the ability to service competitive make and model vehicles with high-quality parts at an exceptional value, creating one-stop service and parts shops for customers.

As part of the year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the GEN II 426 Race HEMI, Mopar also revealed a special paint scheme on DSR Matt Hagan Dodge Charger R/T that includes a tribute to the HEMI “Elephant”, a nickname given to the legendary power plant. The new look will make its competition premier in July for the NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo., outside of Denver.

Chevy Racing–TEAM CHEVY AT SEBRING: FRONT-ROW START FOR NEW CAMARO Z/28.R

TEAM CHEVY AT SEBRING: FRONT-ROW START FOR NEW CAMARO Z/28.R
Curran P2 in Continental Tire GS qualifying for CKS Autosport; Stevenson entries P4 and P5
 
SEBRING, Fla. (March 13, 2014) – Just two races into its debut season – and on its first time out Sebring International Raceway – the new Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R has notched its first front-row starting spot in the Continental Sports Car Championship. Eric Curran qualified P2 in the No. 01 CKS Autosport Camaro for Friday’s second round of the Continental Tire series as three of the Z/28.R race cars finished the session in the top-five.
 
Curran, driving with Lawson Aschenbach, posted a best lap of 2:16.165 (98.880 mph) in Thursday’s qualifying session for Grand Sport (GS) cars.
 
Matt Bell was fourth at 2:16.616 (98.554 mph) in Stevenson Motorsports’ No. 9 Camaro that he drives with Andy Lally. Andrew Davis, in the No. 6 Stevenson Camaro he shares with Robin Liddell, was fifth with a best lap of 2:16.628 (98.545 mph).
 
Trent Hindman was the fastest GS qualifier at 2:15.947 (99.039 mph) in a BMW M3.
 
Friday’s two-and-a-half-hour race is set for 1 p.m. ET with live streaming and timing at IMSA.com.
 
ERIC CURRAN, NO. 01 CKS AUTOSPORT CAMARO Z/28.R
(Camaro Z/28.R development) “Our Team Chevy and CKS Autosport guys – Kirk Spencer and all his boys – have been working really hard on this car. We came to Daytona with a car that was a week old and fought a lot with it there – like anyone else does with a new race car. But there has been quite a bit more work done on the car in the last month-and-a-half. We’re getting it into a better race car – more consistent and all the hard work is paying off.”
(His qualifying run) “I put down a flyer of a lap and dropped two wheels in the dirt but kept it all together. I’m really happy for that and everyone at Team Chevy. This Camaro Z/28.R is awesome.
“We’re a little concerned how this car will be on a long run. We just have Daytona on it. Continental cars haven’t run here at Sebring for years. Hopefully it’s not too hard on the rear tires. That’s our main concern.”
 
MATT BELL, NO. 9 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO Z/28.R
(His qualifying run) “The strategy was to do a pretty short run in qualifying. We have to use the same tires for the start of the race that we use in qualifying. For these tires on this track, they are probably already well degraded with this heat cycle on them. We’re going to start off the race well slower than we finished that session. Some of our competitors are in much lighter cars so they won’t be as hard on their tires in general but the strategy is that they will run out of tire halfway through their stint.”
(Continuing development) “The Camaro is great; we haven’t had too much time … just tuning. We’re still developing for the most part; we still have a lot of stuff that we’re just checking off the list as far as getting it all to work as we expect it to work. The last couple sessions are the only time we’ve spent hunting down performance. But every time we make a change the car is better so that’s the direction you want to go. We’re in a great place for the race. As long as we keep it clean, we’re in a great place with both cars.”
 
ANDREW DAVIS, NO. 6 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO Z/28.R
(His qualifying effort) “The Stevenson Motorsports crew works non-stop. Along with the guys at Chevrolet and Pratt & Miller, we’ve all have been putting our heads together to try and improve this program. That’s how well we work together. For me personally, I try to get faster every time I get in the car. The car is a pleasure to drive. The Camaro Z/28.R is just really fun. It’s good all around. It’s all the things I remember about Pratt & Miller race cars. We found good time in qualifying. There was probably a little bit left out there; I made a mistake on the first lap that cost me a little bit of time. The second lap was pretty good and I’m happy with that.”
(Challenges of the track): “Sebring is such a difficult circuit. Not only is it long with a lot of different corners, the surface makes it very quickly. There is cement, asphalt, sealer… you have to deal with that. We’re all fighting for grip, and rear grip will be at a premium at the end of a stint. We’ve been trying to make the car quick on a given lap but at the same time we have to look at the big picture. We have to race this car for two-and-a-half hours tomorrow.”

Chevy Racing–CHEVROLET BECOMES NEWEST IMSA AUTOMOTIVE PARTNER

CHEVROLET BECOMES NEWEST IMSA AUTOMOTIVE PARTNER
Chevrolet Also Official Car and Official Pace Car at Sebring International Raceway

SEBRING, Fla. (March 13, 2014) – With the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida providing the backdrop, officials from Chevrolet and the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) announced today a multi-year agreement making Chevrolet an Official Automotive Partner of IMSA, the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge.
 
“Chevrolet is proud to partner with IMSA,” said Jeff Chew, manager of business strategy and operations for Chevy Racing. “Our involvement in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship gives us a relevant platform to showcase our premier performance vehicles on the race track to our loyal customers and fans. Chevrolet’s participation in the TUDOR Championship’s Prototype and GT Le Mans classes – plus the GS category in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge – illustrates our commitment to IMSA.”
 
The No. 5 Action Express Racing team and drivers Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais gave the Corvette DP its first Rolex 24 At Daytona victory to open the 2014 TUDOR Championship and Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.
 
“Chevrolet’s reputation for excellence in sports car racing is well documented, and the brand is clearly a fan favorite,” said David Pettit, IMSA vice president, marketing. “The former GRAND-AM Rolex Series and the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón both benefited from Chevrolet’s fantastic support, which we are proud to continue in the ‘new’ IMSA.”
 
The agreement also names Chevrolet as the Official Car and Official Pace Car for Sebring International Raceway, as well as upcoming events at Detroit’s Belle Isle Park on Saturday, May 31; at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 25; and at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., on Saturday, Aug. 10. The manufacturer has a strong presence in IMSA, through the Corvette DP and Corvette Racing teams in the TUDOR Championship and Camaro Z/28.R race cars in the Continental Tire Challenge.
 
“Chevrolet is pleased to continue our partnership with Sebring International Raceway as Official Car and Official Pace Car for 2014 and beyond,” Chew said. “Both Chevrolet and Sebring have established rich traditions in North American sports car racing, which makes this a natural alliance. Track President and General Manager Tres Stephenson has assembled a world-class team of professionals that supports our marketing efforts each year around this historic event – one in which Chevrolet has achieved considerable on-track success.”

Chevrolet has an impressive history at America’s oldest endurance race. Corvette is the defending Sebring GT champion and has recorded 25 class victories here since its first appearance at the 12-hour classic in 1956. Chevrolet ranks third all-time at Sebring among manufacturers with 36 top-10 finishes.

“Sebring is proud to extend its marketing partnership with Chevrolet,” Stephenson said. “Chevrolet and Corvette have played a key role in Sebring’s history and we are excited to have the new Corvette C7 Stingray pace the field for Saturday’s 12-hour classic.”
 
Since 2001, Chevrolet and Corvette Racing scored 10 manufacturer and team championships in the ALMS and earned seven class victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the Rolex Series, Chevrolet earned six manufacturers championships and overall victories in the 2001 and 2014 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Honda Racing–Honda Joins Daytona Prototype Ranks

Honda has expanded its attack on the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, and will join the Daytona Prototype category for the first time later this month at the 62nd annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Honda has a history of success at the Florida endurance racing classic, including LMP2 class victories in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013, and top-three overall race finishes in 2007 – the company’s debut in sports-car racing under the Acura Motorsports banner – and again in 2011. 

Honda Performance Development (HPD), Honda’s North American racing company, has developed a new, 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged Daytona Prototype version of the production J35 engine, the latest of several HPD racing applications for the V6 power plant found, in various forms,in a wide range of Honda and Acura passenger cars and light trucks.

“This is a great opportunity for HPD and our customer teams in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship,” said Steve Eriksen, HPD vice president and COO.  “Adding a Daytona Prototype effort alongside the proven HPD-Honda chassis and engine combination in LMP2 provides Honda with a strong and balanced attack in the inaugural TUDOR Championship.” 

Honda joins Chevrolet and Ford in the Daytona Prototype manufacturer ranks and becomes the only company to field efforts in both categories that make up the new Prototype class in the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship.

In the companion LMP2 prototype category, HPD produces a complete chassis-engine package, including the ARX-03b chassis andHonda 2.8-liter HR28TT twin-turbo V6 engines, in competition with both Nissan and Mazda. This combination results in an impressive five-manufacturer lineup vying for Prototype honors in the 2014 TUDOR championship.

BothHPD-developed Honda engines used in the TUDOR championship arederived from the same Honda J35 series of production V6 engines and include relevant twin-turbocharger technology, along with the efficiency provided by direct fuel injection.Key production-based components that are utilized include block and heads, crankshaft, direct injection fuel system, valve train components, drive-by-wire throttle, alternator,sensors, fasteners, etc. The engine even utilizes a stock Honda oil filter.

Other variants of the engine have been raced in Japan’s Autobacs SuperGT Championship, the One Lap of America competitive rally and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

The Daytona Prototype Honda Riley package will debut at Sebring fielded by Starworks Motorsport, while Extreme Speed Motorsports will continue to field a pair of HPD ARX-03b Hondas created to LMP2 specifications, continuing a partnership that began in 2013. 

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. The company marked its 20thanniversary in 2013.

As an engine supplier to the IZOD IndyCar Series, Honda has scored 204 race victories in both CART and IZOD IndyCar Series competition since 1994 and powered Scott Dixon to a series-high four victories and the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series drivers’ championship.

HPD offers a variety of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases “fun-to-drive” products for professional, amateur and entry-level racers

Kasey Kahne Racing–2/26-3/4

Kasey Kahne Racing – Results Recap
February 26 through March 4
 
Brad Sweet Finds Victory Lane Again
 
KKR teams headed out west to Las Vegas and Tucson for the start of the west coast swing. The teams are off to a strong start out west as Brad Sweet and the No. 49 team won in Tucson. Daryn Pittman and the No. 9 team continued to run up front, but a cut right rear tire ended a top-5 run night two at Las Vegas. Cody Darrah and the No. 4 qualified fifth in Tucson and ran up front all night until late race contact resulted in Cody being spun and an 18th-place finish.

Summit Racing–Line Welcomes Return to Venerable Gainesville Raceway

Line Welcomes Return to Venerable Gainesville Raceway
 
Mooresville, N.C., March 12, 2014 – Jason Line and Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville are on friendly terms, and this weekend at the 45th annual Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals, the 32-time national event winner hopes to strengthen the friendship and expand on an already pleasantly surprising season.
 
Line, of Mooresville, N.C., blasted into the 2014 season of NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series with a win at the season-opening Winternationals in his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro and immediately took over the points lead. At the second race of the season, just two weeks ago in Phoenix, the 2006 and 2011 Pro Stock world champ qualified a stout 3rd and raced to the semifinals. He is currently second in the series standings.
 
“The Summit Racing team likes that racetrack, that’s for sure,” said Line, who has four wins in five final rounds in Gainesville – including three in a row from 2009-2011 and a 2005 triumph. His collection of trophies earned at the Gatornationals is the most of any currently competing full-time Pro Stock competitor. KB Racing teammate Greg Anderson brings two Gainesville wins to Team Summit with victories collected in 2004 and 2007.
 
With Anderson still recovering from heart surgery to repair a bicuspid aortic valve, European Pro Stock champion Jimmy Alund will again be behind the wheel of the second Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Alund has twice before raced in Gainesville.
 
“We spent some time earlier this week in Bradenton, and that’s not too far from Gainesville. Hopefully the conditions will be similar and what we learned in that test session will help us. We’ll see, but I know that the Summit Racing guys always go to Gainesville looking for more of what we’ve had there before, that’s for sure,” said Line.
 
At last season’s race in Florida, Line qualified his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro in the No. 3 position and expertly wheeled his way to the semifinals. This year, Line will arrive in Gainesville with his familiar blue racecar but with a few upgrades. After the race in Phoenix, the Camaro was converted to a 2014 model with a noticeably sleeker front end.

“It’s been an interesting year for this team so far,” said Line. “I’m not generally surprised when we win a race, but I think we were all a little surprised to go out there and win Pomona with all that had gone on before the season even started. No one was distracted or discouraged, though, and I think that was a big factor. Now we need to do it again this weekend in Gainesville.”

Summit Racing–Alund right at home in current role as Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro pilot

Alund right at home in current role as Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro pilot
 
Mooresville, N.C., March 12, 2014 – This weekend, eight-time FIA European Pro Stock champion Jimmy Alund will continue his six-race venture with Summit Racing as he takes on the competition at the third of 24 races on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour, the 45th annual Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals. Alund, a native of Sweden, is appreciating the opportunity to race alongside Jason Line while KB Racing’s Greg Anderson is getting back in shape following surgery to repair a bicuspid aortic valve. A longtime Chevrolet enthusiast, Alund feels right at home behind the wheel of the second Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro.
 
“When I was 18, I went and bought a 1970 Chevelle with a big block and a 4-speed in it,” said Alund. “I had it for two weeks then I drove it to the racetrack. I made 13 runs and on the 14th run, I broke the rear end. That was the start of my drag racing days. Ever since, I’ve probably raced 15-20 different racecars through the years, moving up from 14-second to where we’re at today. I’m a Chevy guy – or a GM guy – I can tell you that.”
 
In addition to his avid appreciation of the Chevrolet brand, Alund is a dedicated drag racer with a passion for the exceptionally competitive Pro Stock category.
 
“I was running outlaw racing over there in Sweden – a big nitrous motor and Lenco [transmission], and you competed against people with blowers. We didn’t have any weight breaks, and you went up to the starting line knowing the guy next to you had a lighter car and 500 more horses. I got tired of that. I was successful for a couple of years, we won the series, but then I was thinking. Pro Stock always interested me because I like engines, and Pro Stock has the most sophisticated engines of anything. I said to my guys, let’s try that. You have equal equipment when you go up there, and if you’re smart and you do a good job, then you have a chance to win.”
 
Alund experienced much success in the prestigious category overseas and won his first championship in 2004, just his second year in the category.
 
“We pretty much dominated the whole season,” he recalled. “We were the first Pro Stocker to 200 miles per hour, and on that same run we were the first into the 6.80s. We won six races out of seven that season and set records. Last year we had a very similar year. It is a hobby, but it’s a big part of my life.”
 
Alund has been making a name for himself in America driving the second Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro. In Pomona, Alund qualified for his first NHRA national event, and in Phoenix two weeks ago, he came within a few thousandths of a second of beating former world champion Allen Johnson in the opening round.
 
This weekend’s Gatornationals will be another opportunity for Alund to earn his first round win – or more – on American soil, and the racetrack at Gainesville is a location with which the successful European drag racer is comfortable. He has raced there twice before and will have a strong group of supporters on hand to cheer for him and for Team Summit.
 
“I know my way around there; Gainesville has a long shutdown area and a very smooth track,” said Alund, who will drive the dark red Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro at the event. “It’s a nice facility, and I have a lot of friends in Florida. I think we will have a lot of people from Scandinavia there on vacation, and I look forward to it. Maybe this is the place to get the first round win.”
 

Chevy Racing–Corvette Racing at Sebring

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Drive for Ninth Win in 12 Hours
New Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs to take on racing’s most demanding venue
 
DETROIT (March 11, 2014) – Corvette Racing and its new Corvette C7.R race cars are about to undergo the ultimate challenge in road racing. The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is America’s oldest sports car race, and the 62nd running of the Florida classic is set for this weekend. It’s also an event that is rich with Chevrolet and Corvette history.
 
You could say that Sebring is the spiritual birthplace of the modern-day Corvette Racing program. A Corvette raced for the first time in its history at the 1956 Sebring 12 Hours and placed ninth overall. Almost 60 years later, Corvette Racing will go for its ninth class win at Sebring since 2002 – this time with the brand new Corvette C7.R. The production-based racer is Chevrolet’s entry in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
 
“Sebring is one of the toughest race tracks in the world,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet’s Director of Racing. “Corvette Racing’s success in the 12 Hours is a testament to the preparation and work ethic of the team at Chevrolet Racing, Pratt & Miller and GM Powertrain. Winning Sebring once is an incredible accomplishment, and doing so eight times is nothing short of remarkable. We are confident the new Corvette C7.R – with its improved handling, stability and efficiency – can help add to that record at Sebring.”
 
Sebring is the second round of the inaugural TUDOR Championship. As at the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, each of the Corvettes will have three drivers each. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen – last year’s American Le Mans Series GT champions – will team with IndyCar star Ryan Briscoe in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R. Defending Sebring class winners Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner will share the No. 4 entry with Robin Liddell.
 
Gavin, Milner and Richard Westbrook overcame early electrical issues and came from two laps down to win last year’s race in their Corvette C6.R. Ahead of this year’s race, Corvette Racing has tested the C7.R at Sebring on multiple occasions, and for good reason.
 
Sebring International Raceway pounds race cars like no other race track in the world. The facility sits on the site of Fort Hendricks – a World War II airbase that was used as a training ground for American B-17 bombers. Part of the circuit – most notably Turn 16 through the exit of Turn 1 – uses the old concrete runway and taxiway, which makes up some of the roughest sections of racing surface anywhere in the world. It’s part of what makes Sebring physically the toughest venue in endurance racing.
 
The new aluminum frame – 40 percent stiffer than the C6.R – should be a huge benefit over the bumps at Sebring. The direct-injected engine offers better fuel economy, a critical element in long-distance endurance racing. The advanced aerodynamics on the C7.R compliments both the stability and efficiency factors.
 
Television coverage of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will be available live on FOX Sports 1 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET with the remainder of the race airing live on IMSA.com. FOX Sports 1 also will air a three-hour recap at 8:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 16.
 
Corvette Racing will compete in 11 TUDOR Championship races around North America plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
 

Chevy Racing–Corvette DPs at Sebring

 
CORVETTE DPs AT SEBRING: First Time at the 12 Hours
Historic Florida circuit follows dominant showing at Rolex 24
 
DETROIT (March 11, 2014) – There’s a first time for everything, the old saying goes. It’s with that in mind that Corvette Daytona Prototype teams head this week to Sebring International Raceway for the second round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is America’s oldest sports car race but this year marks the first time DP cars race at the historic circuit.
 
The inaugural season of the TUDOR Championship couldn’t have started much better for the contingent of Corvette DP teams. Action Express Racing’s No. 5 entry led a sweep of the top four positions at the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the year. Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais look to earn a double in Florida with a victory at Sebring. The competition is tough though with 18 cars in the TUDOR Championship’s Prototype class – including four other Corvette Daytona Prototypes.
 
Wayne Taylor Racing finished second at the Rolex 24 and stands to contend again at Sebring. Action Express’ No. 9 entry followed with Spirit of Daytona’s Corvette DP in fourth. Throw in Marsh Racing’s No. 31 entry – only the team’s second race with its Corvette DP – and you have a group capable of challenging throughout 12 hours on the rough-and-tumble Florida circuit… and giving Chevrolet its first overall Sebring victory since 1965.
 
“There aren’t many racing venues in the world that are as demanding on the cars, drivers and teams as Sebring,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet’s Director of Racing.  “It is a circuit full of history and Chevrolet looks forward to returning to this amazing track. Taking the top four finishing positions at the season opening Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona race was a monumental moment for Chevrolet and our Corvette Daytona Prototype program.  We hope to build upon that success as the season continues with the 12 hour race at Sebring.”
 
The No. 5 Action Express entry set the quickest time of a two-day open test at Sebring in late February with a 1:52.480 (119.701 mph). Spirit of Daytona’s No. 90 Corvette DP was third.
 
There may not be two race circuits in North America that are as different as Daytona and Sebring. The former is a combination of high-banked oval and infield road course with smooth surfacing all the way around. That is in short supply around Sebring, which sits on the site of a World War II airbase – Hendricks Field. American B-17s trained there, and now the sound of thousands of horsepower fill the air around Sebring each March. Part of the circuit uses the old concrete runway, which makes up some of the roughest sections of racing surface anywhere in the world. It’s part of what makes Sebring physically the toughest venue in endurance racing.
 
“There are many unknowns ahead of this race for our Corvette Daytona Prototypes in their 2014 configurations,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet’s Program Manager for Corvette Daytona Prototypes. “Even that will change with the recent IMSA adjustment of performance – revisions to our downforce package and air restrictor. Our knowledge base for Sebring is limited to the two IMSA test days in February, so there is little to no prior experience of running these cars around the toughest circuit on our schedule. Our competitors running P2 machinery have an advantage in that those cars have run in the 12 Hours numerous times before.
 
“This race is half as long as Daytona but in many ways it’s twice as difficult on both the teams and equipment,” he added. “Reliability will be key, as will getting through and around traffic with nearly 70 cars over an erratic and bumpy surface.”
 
Camaro Z/28.R Set to Make Sebring Debut
Chevrolet’s newest version of the Camaro also makes its Sebring debut this week. The Z/28.R made its first race start in January at Daytona International Speedway and has undergone additional testing and development since.
 
Both Stevenson Motorsports and CKS Autosport are fielding the new Camaro Z/28.R in the car’s debut season. For Stevenson, Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis drive the No. 6 Camaro with Andy Lally and Matt Bell in the No. 9. In the CKS camp, Eric Curran and Lawson Aschenbach partner in the No. 01 with Ashley McCalmont and Bob Michaelian sharing in the No. 00.
 
A GS-class victory at Sebring would be historic on a number of levels. In addition to the first win for the Z/28.R, it would be the first at Sebring for the Camaro brand since 1990 in the IMSA Firehawk Series. In fact, the Firehawk championship was the first street-stock series to race at Sebring in 1985 – a six-hour race won by a Camaro.
 
“The Daytona weekend was a beneficial one,” said Lisa Talarico, Chevrolet’s Program Manager for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. “The time between then and now has been equally important with continuing development. Sebring is a difficult challenge on its own. We are confident, along with our partner teams, that the Camaro Z/28.R program will continue showing progress and competitive results.”

Wood Brothers Racing–Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Finishes 20th In Kobalt Tools 400

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Finishes 20th In Kobalt Tools 400
March 10, 2014
Trevor Bayne and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team bounced back from a disappointing start to the Kobalt Tools 400 weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and came away with a top-20 finish.

The team brought a brand-new 2014 Ford Fusion to Las Vegas, but during a practice session on Thursday the car was damaged in a pit-road incident. Then during qualifying on Friday, the No. 21 Fusion was just 34th fastest. Sunday, however, the story was much different. By Lap 25 of 267 Bayne had driven up to 23rd position and remained in or around the top half of the field for the remainder of the race.
 
With the 400-mile race featuring long stretches of green-flag racing and just four brief caution periods, Bayne fell a lap down. Each time the team was in position to rejoin the lead lap either through a wave-around or “lucky dog” free pass, the caution flags didn’t fly their way and Bayne wound up 20th.
 
Still, team co-owner Len Wood was pleased with the performance of Bayne, crew chief Donnie Wingo and the rest of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team.
 
“The car remained consistent all day, and we were able to stay ahead on our adjustments,” Wood said. “If the cautions had fallen our way and we’d been able to get back on the lead lap, I believe we would have had a top-15 finish because we had been outrunning a lot of those cars all day.”
 
“All in all, we were pleased with the car, especially for the first time out with a new chassis style and the first time with the new rules package.”
 
Bayne said he was close to regaining the lead lap late in the race but didn’t pass the No. 47 of A.J. Allmendinger quick enough, as the caution flag was displayed before he crossed the next scoring loop after the pass, thereby making the pass unofficial.
 
“I was really frustrated that I didn’t try to roll the top a lap sooner to try and get by him,” Bayne said. “I was working on him, but I should have maybe gone to the top sooner.”
 
“That’s not a bad run for us. ….I felt like we had a 15th-place car at times and passed quite a few cars today, so I’m happy with how the car ran.”

 As it was, Bayne was the fourth-best Ford, with one of his Blue Oval teammates, Brad Keselowski taking the victory and completing a weekend sweep for Keselowski and Ford.

 Len Wood said it was fitting that Fords ruled the day in NASCAR, given the passing earlier on Sunday of William Clay Ford, Sr., the last grandchild of company founder Henry Ford.
 
“All of us with the Wood Brothers and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team send our sincere condolences to the Ford family,” Wood said.
 
Bayne and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team return to the Sprint Cup circuit on April 4-6 for the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
 

Richard Childress Racing–Kobalt Tools 400

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Kobalt Tools 400 Post Race Report
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 9, 2014
 
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates Paul Menard, Ryan Newman and Austin Dillon finished third, seventh and 16th, respectively.
Ryan Newman ranks ninth in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, trailing current leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 36 points, while Austin Dillon ranks 13th and Paul Menard ranks 18th..
The No. 31 Chevrolet team ranks ninth in the Sprint Cup Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 3 team 13th in the standings and the No. 27 team 18th.
Brad Keselowski earned his first victory of the 2014 season and was followed to the finish line by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Paul Menard, Joey Logano and Carl Edwards.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 16. The fourth race of the 2014 season is scheduled to be televised live on FOX beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
 
Austin Dillon Earns 16th-Place Finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
 
Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon drove the No. 3 Cheerios Chevrolet to a 16th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. The Welcome, N.C., driver started the 267-lap event from the fourth position and maintained a spot in the top-10 for the first 90 laps before pitting for four tires and fuel on lap 94 under green-flag conditions. Exiting pit road in the 11th position, Dillon developed a tight-handling condition during the middle portion of the race and fell further in the running order. A series of pit stops by the RCR crew helped alleviate the handling conditions the young driver was facing, but track position was key and Dillon ultimately recorded a 16th-place finish.
 
Start – 4th           Finish – 16th      Laps Led – 0     Points – 13th     
                                                  
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“We just got too tight during the middle portion of the race and lost some track position. I am proud of the Cheerios racing team. They did a good job today and I learned a lot. We are building a good notebook that will be helpful next time we come here.”
 
2011 CC Team Icon 27 NSCS Menards
 
Paul Menard Methodically Makes His Way to Third-Place Finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
 
Paul Menard and the No. 27 Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet SS team started the 267-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in 21st place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. For the first 100 laps, the team utilized two separate four-tire pit stops to fix a loose in/tight center handling condition. Menard was up to 12th by lap 43, 10th by lap 82 and sixth on lap 93 when they pitted under green-flag conditions. After that stop by the Slugger Labbe-led crew, their Chevrolet started to respond as Menard methodically worked his way through the top-10 and then top-five by the 175th circuit. On lap 197, he raced six-time champion Jimmie Johnson for the lead and passed him. Relinquishing the lead on lap 205 for fuel, tires and a minor track bar adjustment, Menard returned to action in 11th place and was running second when the final caution waved on lap 221. Labbe called for a fuel-only pit stop and Menard restarted fourth on lap 225. He dropped back to the sixth after getting caught outside on the restart. Determined for more, Menard worked his way up to third when the checkered flag waved for his best-career finish at the 1.5-mile track. 
 
Start – 21st         Finish – 3 rd        Laps Led – 6     Points – 18th
 
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We have had a really good car the first three races, just missed it about halfway through the race in Phoenix. This is good redemption; the guys never give up. This Quaker State/Menards Chevy was hauling ass on long runs today in Vegas. It felt good to race the 48 car (Jimmie Johnson) for the lead there and pass him. We had a lot of those long runs today and it kind of played in our favor.”
 
2011 CC Team Logo NSCS 31 CAT
Ryan Newman Earns a Top-10 Finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Caterpillar Racing
 
Richard Childress Racing driver Ryan Newman drove the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS to a seventh-place finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Newman started 10th and quickly raced into the top five in the opening laps. By halfway, crew chief Luke Lambert focused on tightening up the No. 31 Chevrolet for the South Bend, Ind., driver in order to break back into the top 10 by making chassis adjustments during a series of pit stops on laps 137, 156 and 208. Then, on lap 222 under yellow-flag conditions, the CAT crew completed a gas-and-go service to enable Newman to take advantage of a great restart and race from 11th to eighth place in less than five laps. During the remaining 40 laps, the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team raced to their second top-10 finish in as many races with a seventh-place result. 
 
Start -10th           Finish – 7th         Laps Led – 0     Points – 9th
 
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
“It was a good comeback for our Caterpillar Chevrolet. I think that’s about the race car that we had. There were times when we could be a little bit quicker toward the end of a run. It was a good effort for the team and it was a good points day. If we keep running like that, we’ll put it in the top 5 and if we do that, we’ll win. I’m just proud of the guys and everybody from Caterpillar and Chevrolet and RCR.  Everybody did a good job. It’s nice to be able to put on a show here in Vegas for CAT, they had more than 700 people here in attendance. I hope they had a good time;”
 
 

Chevy Racing–Las Vegas Wrapup

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
KOBALT 400
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 9, 2014
 
DALE EARNHARDT JR. IS HALF LAP SHORT OF WIN AT VEGAS
Team Chevy grabs six of the top ten finishing positions
 
LAS VEGAS (March 9, 2014) – Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Mountain Dew Kick Start Chevrolet SS came ever so close to scoring his second win of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season.  Earnhardt lead a total of 51 laps in the race, including 44 of the final 45 before running out of fuel down the backstretch on the final lap at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) in the Kobalt Tools 400.  He was able to carry his momentum across the finish line to come home second. It was his is third straight top-two finish to open the season after winning the Daytona 500, and posting a runner-up finish last week at Phoenix.
Earnhardt still retains the point lead by one point over second place.
 
Paul Menard earned his best finish at LVMS with a third place run in the No. 27 Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet SS for Richard Childress Racing.  It was his third top-10 finish at the 1.5-mile Vegas track in eight races, and first top five and top ten finish of 2014.  With the finish, Menard moves up to 18th place in the point standings after three races.
 
Six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson placed sixth in the No. 48 Kobalt Tools Chevrolet SS, Ryan Newman in the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS posted his second straight top-10 finish in seventh.  Johnson moves up from fifth to third, and Newman moves up from 15th to ninth in the standings.
 
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS, and Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS, finished eighth and ninth, respectively, to place all Hendrick teams in the top 10.  Kahne sits 15th in points while Gordon moves up three spots to fifth.
 
Brad Keselowski (Ford) was the race winner, Joey Logano (Ford) was fourth and Carl Edwards (Ford) was fifth to round out the top-five.
 
The series moves to Bristol Motor Speedway, also known as the “World’s Fastest Half Mile”, on Sunday March 16th.
 
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTS:
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 MOUNTAIN DEW KICKSTART CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED SECOND

KERRY THARP:  Dale Earnhardt Jr. has joined us.  Dale was the race runner up.  He drove the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Kickstart Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.  Dale, you’re right on the verge of getting your second win of the season, and you were talking out on pit road how the new championship format system allows you to go for broke pretty much like you guys did today.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Sure does.  And that’s a great point.  I think everybody has seen that over the last couple of weeks that this format has definitely allowed teams to gamble like we have.
 
You know, it did pay off.  Not the ultimate prize, but we did run second.  We weren’t going to ‑‑ as much as you want to win, and believe me, we were out there trying to win, you do take pride in a good performance, a good finish, and we weren’t going to run in the top 5 if we hadn’t have used that particular strategy, if we’d have run the same strategy as our competitors we would have probably run just inside the top 10 where we were all day.
 
At least it felt like I was around eighth all day.  I just couldn’t get any ground, and we fought the car all day.  Just the air is so dirty behind everybody, the further back you get you’ve got less and less grip.  Once we got the lead, it was like driving a Cadillac.
 
I was lifting real early trying to save even more.  We figured we were a lap short, and I was lifting early and let Brad get there, and I felt like if we were good enough to hold him off, then we’d win the race.  If we weren’t, we would have saved enough fuel to have finished the race, at least get to the end.  I can run out of gas on the back stretch and be okay, but if I run out off of 4 coming to the white it would’ve been big trouble, so I had to save a little bit.  So I let him catch us and once he got there, I ran as hard as I could and could pull back away from him.
 
So I felt good about the car and proud of Steve and the strategy that he used to give us a chance to win.  We’re going to dearly miss that next year, and hopefully we are learning what we need to learn in these last couple of years to continue calling races as well as he does.
 
It’s disappointing, but at the same time the good Lord has blessed me with a good team and good fortune and great opportunity, so I don’t want to get too down and think about the positives and be productive so we can go to Bristol and try to win there.
Q.  Just to be clear, do you think your team would have attempted that strategy at all three races into the season if not for the current Chase format?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Absolutely not.  I can say that without a doubt.
Q.  And as a driver, even though you didn’t win, did you find it ‑‑ did you find it entertaining?  Did you find it interesting?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Interesting, oh, yeah.  Damn right, leading the race the last 50 laps is a hell of a lot better than running eighth the last 50 laps.  I was interested.  (Laughter.)
 
KERRY THARP:  So were about 100,000 people.
 
DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Yeah, it was very exciting.  I think the way the new format is, nothing is perfect, right, but it definitely is showing it has tons of positives, and it’s better as far as entertainment for our sport.  Yeah, it gives us freedom, and it’s nice to have that freedom to do the things that we did today, even though we knew our odds weren’t good.  We really shouldn’t have made it, and we didn’t, but we got to try because of the new system.  So yeah, I think it’s pretty cool.
Q.  Aside from the Chase, this has been your hottest start since I can remember, but what does that do for your confidence and the team’s confidence?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Yeah, we ran pretty good out of the gate last year.  Yeah, this is a good start for sure.  Yeah, the confidence is up there. When we first got together we’d run our guts out to run in the top 15.  Then the next year we’d run our guts out to run in the top 10, and you wondered when you’d get up to fifth and start running in the top 5 regularly.  We started doing that finally last year, and so our team just keeps stepping up this ladder.  It just makes total sense to me how that process has went, having lived it and having seen the progression.  So the sky’s the limit for us, and if we are smart and keep our composure and don’t get foolish and don’t get too proud of ourselves, just keep it in perspective, we’ve got a great opportunity this year to be this competitive every week.
 
We were really strong at the end of the year last year.  It just thrilled me to death.  So this is great.  Yeah, you definitely don’t want to take it for granted, get used to it, but this is what we envisioned, and starting to bear some fruit.
Q.  Dale, you’re obviously pretty good friends with Brad.  How much do you think it bothered him last year to miss the Chase, especially the year after he won the championship and people would say that maybe it was kind of a fluke thing for him?  Do you think that ate at him?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Yeah, I mean, he’s competitive, loves to win, driven, very driven to ‑‑ he studies his team, studies the sport, studies the cars and him and his crew chief work really hard.  He overthinks everything, and he comes up with 20 ideas and 18 of them are crazy but two of them are great.  You know, that’s the way he always was with us.  Pops has had to run him out of the shop because he’s just nitpi
cking everything on the car, why is that like that, why don’t we turn this this way and do it like this.  A lot of the stuff, Pops would have to explain it to him, but hell, a couple ideas would be pretty good.  Brad does that with everything, and that’s why he’s successful.
 
He’s obviously a very talented driver, just raw talent.  You don’t learn that, you’re kind of born with some of those things, some of those traits.  But his work ethic, I think his dedication to his craft, and he thinks about it every day, I think that’s the kind of ‑‑ that’s why he’s so successful.  He’s plugged in, real plugged into what he’s doing.
Q.  Dale, at what point late in the race did you have to give up saving fuel with Brad coming and go full for it?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  When they told me ‑‑ well, really I ran two real hard laps right after that restart, and we got about a 20‑car length lead and I started lifting real early into both corners and seeing whether they were going to catch me, and I was probably better off lifting anyways because I was badly over driving the car, so we probably weren’t even losing any lap times, maybe running even better lap times.  So I was being pretty cautious and lifting pretty early, and when I saw Brad pass the 99, I knew Brad in clean air would be quicker than us, potentially, he had been all day, and I just continued to save and hope that once he got behind me and got into dirty air I could keep him there, and he drove ‑‑ I continued to save until he got within about eight car lengths, and then I started running hard, and we were fast enough to keep him behind us.  As soon as I got to the top of 1 and 2 the last several laps, I was real comfortable that he wasn’t going to get to me, felt fine about if we had enough gas we weren’t going to have a problem.  But we didn’t have enough gas.
Q.  Forgive me if this was already asked, but I can remember when you ran out at Pocono, and it took a while for you to get that confidence back, but with Stevie, with this being his last year, is this a go for broke kind of year, and I mean, if it wasn’t already with the win in the pocket, is it kind of what do we have to lose?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  Yeah, sure.  I ran out of gas at Pocono with Tony Jr. crew chiefing in ’08 when we was driving for Rick, and we were supposed to be fine until the end of the race and then we ran out with like two laps to go and I came in, took my helmet off and bashed a fender on the car and just made a real ass of myself and learned a lot from that experience.  It took a lot ‑‑ my team was disappointed in my actions, and my cousin was disappointed in my actions and the way I was, so when we ran out ‑‑ when we run out of gas now, you know, you’ve got to try to be positive, because those kind of things, when you crash, wreck, blow up, those kind of things, there’s an opportunity there for it to be worse, and you make it worse than it is, or for you to try to clean up the mess and carry on.  Throwing a tantrum and getting upset and mad about it don’t do any good for your team.  They don’t feed off of that.  If anything it brings your team down.
 
But we were able to ‑‑ the gamble didn’t pay off ultimately, but we were able to run in the top 5.  We weren’t going to do that, and with the strategy we were on and everybody else was on, it was a good strategy and gave us a chance to win.  We definitely wouldn’t have taken that gamble had we not had the new points system, so we were able to really take advantage of that.  Steve is already going for broke, and he’s having a fun time.  It hurts to lose like that.  We’d definitely love to be in victory lane right now, but our time will come.  We’ll keep going.
Q.  You mentioned Steve Letarte and his kind of moving on to the broadcast next year.  Are there any thoughts as to who might be up for that position yet, or is it just way too early?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  It’s way too early.  I promise you, and I’m telling y’all the truth, there’s been no discussion as far as I know, and I wouldn’t think if there is any discussion ‑‑ I would be involved in it even if it was light discussion in the shop.  There’s been none at all yet about it.
And we’ve got a lot of time, and I think that it’s best not to jump to a conclusion early.  Steve is a great part of that process; let him sort of watch the year unfold and see how the team is and understand what his opinion is on who would be best for that role, allow Chad to do the same thing.  Everybody is busy getting the season going, and I don’t want that to be a distraction.  We can be patient, and I promise you that there have been no even initial discussions at all really.
 
Unless you’re really ready to make the decision, it’s almost best not to even discuss it because you don’t want rumors to start floating around in the shop and people start getting the wrong messages and stuff like that.  When we’re ready to make the decision, we’ll sit down and we’ll make it, and it’ll be clear.
 
 
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 QUAKER STATE/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED THIRD           

KERRY THARP:  Our third‑place finisher is Paul Menard.  Today Paul drove the No. 27 Quaker State Menard’s Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.  Certainly a valiant effort out there today.  Just talk about your afternoon.

PAUL MENARD:  Yeah, just had a really solid car all day and all weekend, really.  Started on Thursday, felt like in race practice Thursday we were really strong, switched over to qualifying trim Friday and still the car drove good, we just didn’t have any speed, so wound up qualifying 21st.

Did a few adjustments from yesterday, felt like we ended happy hour good, did a few adjustments overnight, anticipating the track was going to be a little bit hotter, slicker, kind of played into our favor, and really had a solid car from the green flag.  We tightened it up a little bit the first couple runs, and then we freed it back up and kind of bounced back and forth.  Felt like we had definitely a top 3 car and at times the best car.  It was cool going up and passing Jimmie for the lead and passing him for a few laps, but just proud of my guys.  We’re clicking really well, we got a couple new engineers and of course Slugger is back for our fourth or fifth year working together, so a good group of guys.  Our pit crew’s pit stops were awesome.
Q.  Paul, there were all kinds of fuel strategies and stuff going on today.  How did you guys fall into that, and did things work out sort of as you planned?
PAUL MENARD:  Yeah, had it gone green two runs ago, we were like four laps short, so it’s hard to save four laps.  When that caution came out, we knew that we were going to pit.  The question was whether or not to take right sides or gas only.  Took gas only, spun the tires really bad on the restart. Everybody on the outside lane seemed to really spin their tires.  Whoever had clean air seemed like they checked out.  You saw the 2 do that earlier; the 88 did it at the end.  So clean air obviously is still very important, but I felt like our car, I could move lanes and we could race people and pass people, which was obviously really important.
Q.  You were driving like a guy trying to get to the hospital for the birth of your kid.  Can you talk about the situation with your wife, any update on that?  When is her due date?
PAUL MENARD:  The due date is Tuesday.  My phone is back at the hauler so she might have called, but I told her to call.  Matt Crafton is my backup and he really wants to get in the car, so I told Jennifer if it’s important, call Matt because he’s sure as hell going to tell me.  I didn’t get the call, though, so I guess everything is good.
Q.  Paul, as a
company overall, can you evaluate how you guys are running right now?  Do you feel like you have the strength that you need with all your cars to contend each week?
PAUL MENARD:  Well, it’s too early to tell, really.  Obviously Speedweeks were really good for RCR with Austin on the pole; every single car was fast down there.  Phoenix was kind of a scratching our heads.  None of us felt like we were very good there.  The 31 had the best finish of us all, but they kind of played some strategy to get up there.
Obviously our short track program I feel like is where we need to focus on.  Intermediate track, I think Ryan finished 7th and Austin had a good car all day.  We just need to ‑‑ we’ve got a good baseline for intermediate stuff; we’ve just got to work on our short track stuff more.  But overall, proud of everybody.  Richard has put a big investment in the off‑season hiring some new people, and I feel like our engineering and support staff is awesome.

KERRY THARP:  Paul, outstanding effort this afternoon.  Best of luck next week at Bristol.

PAUL MENARD:  Thanks.  Got a plane to catch.  (Laughter.)
 
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
 
 
 
 
ADDITIONAL POST-RACE COMMENT:
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 ASPEN DENTAL CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 21ST:
“For us on the 10 car, we were really good all weekend. The guys on the Aspen Dental Chevy gave me a great car. The weakest session we had all weekend was the last practice. I’m really happy with the cars this year. I was running with the leaders the last half of the race, but I was a lap down. Unfortunately, one car always stayed out (rather than pitting), so we couldn’t get our lap back (via the wave around). And we just missed the lucky dog spot. Obviously you always want more, but I’m happy with it, especially after what we’ve gone through the last two weeks. It’s a good day and gives us something to build on going to Bristol.”

 

Chevy Racing–Las Vegas–Post Race

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
KOBALT 400
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
MARCH 9, 2014
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 MOUNTAIN DEW KICKSTART CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 2ND
ON HIS SECOND-PLACE RUN AT LAS VEGAS:
“We weren’t going to run first or second had we not stayed out on that strategy.  We knew we were a lap short.  We tried to save as much as we could.  We got it to about half a lap and it ran out off of (turn) two there.  We took a gamble and didn’t win the race, but it still worked in our favor to run second.  It gave us a chance to win.  It sucks to lose like that, but we can’t let that be a negative.  We have got to go to Bristol and try to win there.  The only way to be productive is to be positive.  We have got to look at the positives in today and keep working toward our goal of winning some more races.  It’s tough, tough losing like that.  That thing started sputtering off of (turn) two that was really disappointing.”
 
HOW DO YOU PUT THIS INTO WORDS?
“Well first I have to congratulate Brad (Keselowski) he had a good car all day.  I have to thank Mountain Dew Kickstart it’s a great looking race car.  Steve (Letarte) did a good job all day working on the car.  We really were struggling with the balance and once we got clean air there we had good speed.  We weren’t supposed to make it.  We were a lap short.  We tried to save as much as we can and make it work, but it didn’t work. We knew we were short.  It’s not shock to us to run out.  Steve said we were a half a lap short and that is about where it ran out.  We wouldn’t have run second if we hadn’t of done that strategy.  Got to thank Steve and the guys for using good strategy to get us a top three finish there.  I would love to win here this is a great race track, a great town and I’ve had some fun here.”
 
THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT ANY EASIER DOES IT?
“Well I mean running out of gas that is tough, but the one thing you can’t do is let it get under your skin and get under your teams skin.  We have got a good thing going, we’ve got to be positive.  We’ve got to keep trying to win races.  I know my fans are disappointed, but we got to stay positive.  Look forward to Bristol and try to win there.”
 
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 QUAKER STATE/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 3RD
STRONG ALL DAY LONG HOW BIG IS THIS PERFORMANCE FOR THIS TEAM THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON?
“It’s big for sure.  We have had a really good car the first three races just missed it about halfway through the race in Phoenix.  This is good redemption the guys never give up.  Had a great car in Daytona obviously led a bunch of laps, but this Quaker State/Menards Chevy was hauling ass on long runs. Had a lot of those today and it kind of played in our favor.”
 
HOW QUICKLY DO YOU GET HOME NOW?
“As soon as possible.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 7TH:
ON THE RACE
“It was a good comeback for our Caterpillar Chevrolet. I think that’s about the race car that we had. There were times when we could be a little bit quicker toward the end of a run. It was a good effort for the team and it was a good points day. If we keep running like that, we’ll put it in the top 5 and if we do that, we’ll win. I’m just proud of the guys and everybody from Caterpillar and Chevrolet and RCR.  Everybody did a good job.”
 
ON THE NEW RULES PACKAGE FOR THE 1.5-MILE TRACKS
“I can’t wait for the summer because they’re stuck too good right now.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 8TH
ON THE RACE CONDITIONS
“We missed it, set-up-wise so it’s hard for me to say. I don’t feel a lot different than any other time; if I would have been able to move around more and make more passes. Vegas is a great track. There is the outside, the inside, the middle; you can go all over. So if you have a good car you can race.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 9TH
TELL US ABOUT YOUR RACE
“Well, you’ve got to put things in perspective and looking at this race last year and the way that we were in practice yesterday, I would have given anything to finish ninth today. But we also got our expectations up a little higher than that because we were in the top 5 most of the day. So, the way that the pit sequences went there, they definitely didn’t work in our favor. But it was a really solid effort by this Axalta Chevy SS team. I’m proud of them. To come out of here with a top 10 is something to be proud of. It just took so long for my car to come in. About the time it came in, it was time to pit. So, it was just like that same way there at the end of the race. As soon as my car came in, the race was over.”
 
HOW WAS THIS NEW RULES PACKAGE ON THE 1.5-MILE TRACK UNDER RACE CONDITIONS?
“I thought it was all good. There’s a high groove and a middle groove and a bottom groove; and that’s all we can ever ask for. I knew today was going to be one of the most challenging races that we were going to have, possibly all year long. And so, I feel like this team did an incredible job. I think we were much better than ninth, but at the same time, this I think is one of my worst tracks right now. We’re off to a fantastic start. We’re very motivated by that. We’re excited.”
 
MARTIN TRUEX JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW/DENVER MATTRESS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 14TH
“We were better than 14th, no question about that. We ran in the top-10 for most of the race but lost track position at the end.  We decided to take two (right-side) tires and fuel on the final pit stop. We felt that was the right call at the time but it didn’t turn out to be the right strategic decision. Some teams took a gamble and took fuel only and some didn’t even take fuel. It was a gamble for them but it paid off.  Those are very tough calls to make. On the bright side this was our best performance as a team, much better than last week at Phoenix. We had good pit stops all day and I really like the gains we made this weekend.” 
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – EXPERIENCED A PARTS FAILURE ON LAP 193 – FINISHED 41ST
WHAT HAPPENED THAT PUT YOU IN THE GARAGE AREA?
“It’s hard to tell right now it looks like the left-front hub is locked shut and the car just kind of lost the handling the last 15 or 20 laps.  It started to get really loose which makes sense with that left-front brake dragging like that.  Just have to thank everybody on this team they have done a great job and our Jimmy John’s Chevrolet was ‘Freaky Fast’ again.  Just got to keep doing what we are doing and everything will be fine with cars like that.”
 
I KNOW YOU LOST THE LEFT-FRONT HUB HOW DISAPPOINTING IS IT WHEN YOU HAD A CAR AS FAST AS THAT?
“It’s hard to complain.  These guys on this Jimmy John’s Chevrolet have given me cars that are good every week.  Just a little parts failure there and just we will figure out the cause of it and try to just keep that from happening.  Every week is a new notebook for us.  I really think as we get established and get some foundation for our set-ups and just the little things this team is going to be dangerous.”
 
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES I IMAGINE THAT THIS NEW POINTS SYSTEM WORKS OUT GREAT FOR A GUY WHO ALREADY HAS A WIN IN THE BOOKS?
“Absolutely, I think it’s going to be good.”

Richard Childress Racing–Boyd Gaming 300

NASCAR Nationwide Series
Boyd Gaming 300
Las Vegas Motor Speedway     
Saturday, March 8, 2014
 
Race Highlights:
Ty Dillon won the Boyd Gaming 300 pole position at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for  his first career pole in 15 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. His other RCR teammates Brian Scott qualified fifth, with Matt Crafton and Brendan Gaughan starting 11th and 16th, respectively.
Brian Scott earned a seventh-place finish, Ty Dillon 11th, Matt Crafton 12th and Brendan Gaughan 16th.
Ty Dillon currently leads the Richard Childress Racing drivers in the Nationwide Series point standings in fourth. Brian Scott sits sixth and Brendan Gaughan seventh.
Next up for the Nationwide Series is the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 from Bristol Motor Speedway next Saturday. Catch all the action live on March 15 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.

 
 
  
Brian Scott Collects First Top-10 Finish of the Season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
 
Brian Scott qualified fifth for the Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The No. 2 Whitetail Chevrolet Camaro battled loose conditions in the opening laps of the event, but never fell outside of the top-10. Scott was scored in the fifth position when the first caution flew on lap 57 for debris. The team took four tires, fuel and made a chassis adjustment on their pit stop. The Richard Childress Racing team continued to work on the loose conditions during the three pit stops made in Sin City. The hard work paid off for the Camaro team as they gathered a solid foundation for the 1.5-mile program and finished seventh. The  finish is the first top-10 of the season for the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro, moving the team up two positions in the driver point standings to sixth heading into Bristol Motor Speedway next Saturday.

Start – 5th          Finish – 7th       Laps Led – 0       Pts – 6th

BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“Today was a really great effort by our No. 2 Whitetail Camaro team. I think that track position was definitely key and if we could have gained a few more positions on those restarts, we’d be in good shape. We had a good car. I’m excited for our 1.5-mile program this season. We’ve got a solid foundation and can only get better from here.”
 
 
 

Ty Dillon Finishes 11th at Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Ty Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Red Kap/Jiffy Lube Chevrolet Camaro to an 11th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which was done after winning his first-career pole award in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The Rookie of the Year candidate led the first seven laps of the race after his dominant qualifying run, but battled a loose race car until adjustments were able to be made on lap 54. A four tire and fuel stop on lap 114 was done to put the Welcome, N.C. driver back inside the top-five, but Dillon was hit with a speeding penalty on pit road. While serving the pass-thru, Dillon was penalized a second time for speeding, setting the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro three laps down. In the final 80 laps, the No. 3 team battled back making one additional pit stop and was able to gain enough track position to earn an 11th-place finish. Dillon was the second rookie to cross the stripe, and currently sits fourth in the Nationwide Series driver points standings going into next week’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Start – 1st    Finish – 11th       Laps Led – 7     Points – 4th
 
Ty Dillon Quote:
“We had such a fast race car today and we had the opportunity to be there at the end. Those penalties definitely hurt us and I hate it for my guys. Danny (Stockman) gave me a great car that we were able to put on the pole, but some errors on pit road cost us a top-10 today. I was really happy with how we responded and made the best of the situation. I think we’ve just got to learn from our mistakes, move on and get after it next week in Bristol.”
 
 
   
Matt Crafton Finishes 12that Las Vegas Motor Speedway
 
Matt Crafton drove the No. 33 Tarkett/Menards car to a 12th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after starting 11th in the Boyd Gaming 300. The Tulare, Calf.-native quickly jumped inside the top-10 in the opening green-flag run, but battled loose conditions. Crew chief Nick Harrison called Crafton to pit road on lap-46 under green flag racing for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Shortly thereafter, NASCAR displayed the caution flag with the No. 33 driver in the 10th-position. Because of the timing of the caution, the field was sorted out by NASCAR deeming Crafton 17th, one-lap down. For the remainder of the 200-lap event, the No. 33 team battled to get back on the lead-lap running lap times as strong as the leaders. Crafton ultimately took the checkered-flag in the 12th-position.
 
Start – 11th          Finish – 12th       Laps Led – 0        Points – N/A
 
“We definitely had a top-five car today, but we got caught a lap down after a confusing call. All-in-all we had a good Tarkett/Menards, we continued to work on it and made it better. But, it’s a shame because we had a lot better car than where we finished.”
 

 Las Vegas-Native Brendan Gaughan Finishes 16th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
 
Brendan Gaughan piloted the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro to a 16th-place finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gaughan battled a loose race car from the start of the race. On lap 53, the team brought the car down pit road for a green-flag stop where they took four tires, fuel and made a chassis adjustment. A caution fell on lap 57 for debris and the Richard Childress Racing No. 62 Camaro took advantage of the yellow flag to visit pit road for more adjustments. Gaughan began to work his way through the field and on lap 88 found himself racing for the 13th position. On lap 128.the team received a restart penalty forcing him to serve a stop-and-go penalty on pit road. Gaughan battled through traffic for the remainder of the race trying to make up as much track position as possible. The team finished the day in the 16th position. This finish puts the RCR South Point Hotel & Casino seventh in the driver point standings.
 
Start – 16th           Finish – 16th       Laps Led – 0         Points – 7th
   
 
                                              
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“Today was my own fault. The South Point Chevrolet did something it hadn’t done all weekend and that was get extremely loose, so we lost a lap early. We have a great team and pit crew. We came in for a green-flag stop and I just screwed up. I know exactly where they caught me speeding and there is no one else to blame but myself. Instead of minimizing the problem, I got caught speeding again. We are going to go to Bristol and make up some ground.”
 

Wood Brothers Racing–Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team In Kobalt 400 Field After Intense Knockout Qualifying Session

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team In Kobalt 400 Field After Intense Knockout Qualifying Session
March 8, 2014
The Wood Brothers and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew got their first taste of NASCAR’s new “knockout” qualifying procedure on Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and it was quite an eye-opener.

“It’s very intense,” team co-owner Eddie Wood said. “You can just sense the pressure in the garage. I’ve got a lot of respect for this procedure and the people who have to do it.”

His own Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew had to put forth a gallant effort to make the starting field for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400. After struggling to find speed in practice, the team managed to get Trevor Bayne on the track for three qualifying runs in the opening 25-minute session of knockout qualifying. That meant the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew had to get the engine of the No. 21 Ford Fusion cooled down two different times, and in a hurry. Teams tape off the radiator for qualifying to improve the car’s aerodynamics, but the lack of air to the radiator quickly overheats the engine.
 
“That’ all you can ask for,” Wood said of the performance by crew chief Donnie Wingo and his crew.
 
As it was, Bayne’s second attempt was his quickest lap. His speed of 188.429 was just 34th fastest, but it got him inside the top 36 and thereby in the starting field for Sunday’s 400-miler.

 “It wasn’t very pretty, but it got us in the show,” Wood said. “It’s a relief. The field is really close.”

 With one major hurdle behind them, Bayne and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew now turn their attention to tuning their No. 21 Ford Fusion for Sunday’s race on a fast, bumpy Vegas track.
 
Two practice sessions are scheduled for Saturday. The Kobalt Tools 400 is set to get the green flag just after 3 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on FOX.

Chevy Racing–Las Vegas–Qualifying

 
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
KOBALT 400
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
MARCH 7, 2014
 
ROOKIE AUSTIN DILLON LEADS THE WAY FOR TEAM CHEVY IN NEW QUALIFYING PROCEDURE AT LAS VEGAS
Eight Chevrolet SS Race Cars Qualify in Top 15 Starting Spots
 
LAS VEGAS (March 7, 2014) – Rookie Austin Dillon led the way Friday for Team Chevy in qualifying for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a fourth-place time of 28.026 (192.678 mph) in his No. 3 Cheerios Chevrolet SS.
 
The session marked the debut of a new knockout-style qualifying format for a 1.5 mile track where all 48 entrants had a 25-minute session to make a lap before the field was cut to the fastest 24 cars.  Those 24 cars moved to round two and were given 10 minutes to post another fast lap.  The fastest 12 drivers then moved on to the third and final session which consisted of five minutes where the fastest single laps determined the pole winner and starting lineup.

Six-time Sprint Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson in his No. 48 KOBALT Tools Chevrolet SS, was fifth-fastest in the final session.   Jamie McMurray qualified seventh in his No. 1 Cessna/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet and Ryan Newman posted the tenth-fastest time in his No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS.
 
Also among the top fifteen in the new qualifying procedure were four other Team Chevy drivers.  Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet SS was 12th and Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS, Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Mountain Dew Kickstart Chevrolet SS, and Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS were 13th, 14th and 15th respectively.  In all, Team Chevy occupies eight of the first 15 starting positions.
 
Joey Logano (Ford) won the pole position, Brad Keselowski (Ford) qualified second, and Clint Bowyer (Toyota) qualified third to round out the top five starters.
 
The Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race takes the green flag at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday and will air live on FOX.
 
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CHEERIOS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED FOURTH
HOW DID IT GO OUT THERE FOR YOU TODAY:
“I was very pleased with our lap.  The Cheerios Chevrolet was fast.  I just want to thank all my guys. We have been working hard and I knew that in the off season we had a great team put together.  It’s a great start to Vegas and a mile and a half program. We have to thank all of our teammates.  We worked hard together and we got two of our cars in the top 12 which is pretty cool.  It’s pretty impressive for RCR.  I’m excited for Sunday’s race and hopefully we can continue this early success in the weekend over to happy hour and then also into the race.”
 
HOW IS YOUR CAR FOR SUNDAY?
“I mean I predict it’s pretty good.  I was able to lay down three solid laps right there.  I feel like it’s pretty solid.  It was good in race trim.  So hopefully we can continue what we have got going on right now.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED FIFTH
WHAT IS YOUR INTERPRETATION OF THE RULE ON PIT ROAD SPEEDS WHEN YOU ARE LEAVING AND ENTERING?
‘They told us that a round pit road speed would be appreciated on pit road. So that leaves a wide variety of interpretation. And I get it. They don’t want to set some hard rules in place, but unfortunately we probably need to. And that initial roll-out is very sketchy and I think we’re going to start crashing cars just backing out because you’ve got guys at various angles trying to back out and guys backing out before the clock strikes zero and the track is green. There are a variety of things like that going on. We need to clean it up a little. I think the format is awesome. It’s great for the fans, it’s great for the teams; but some of the logistics and flow on pit road could be addressed.”
 
IS IT ANY MORE INTENSE FROM THE FRIST ROUND OR DO YOU GUYS JUST NEED TO BE ON IT?
“Today was a little more stressful. We were kind of around the bubble on each transfer. So that makes things more exciting. But if you can blast off a quick lap, and you’re up there in that top 5 for those first two segments it’s real easy. Get your car nice and cool and talk thoroughly about your adjustments and what you want to do to the car and make things happen from there. But today we were kind of on pins and needles and had to roll down to the end of pit road both times as we were near the bump zone and kinda had to play that game. So that was more stressful.”
 
WHAT DOES RACE DAY LOOK LIKE?
“I think our test session went decent yesterday. Today we made some big improvements after sleeping on some things last night so I feel good about race day.”
 
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED SEVENTH
HOW WAS THE SESSION FOR YOU?
“I think it’s nerve wracking because at the last two tracks we’ve been to people can go faster on their second run out. So, I was third after my first run and you feel like you’re safe and then guys like I think (Brian) Vickers went out and was actually at the top of the board and a couple other guys started beating you. So, unless you’re locked into that top 5 you just don’t feel very safe. So it’s a fairly nerve-wracking sitting in the car asking the crew chief a thousand questions a minute of, ‘Do we need to go back out or are we okay?’”
 
WHAT WERE YOU ABLE TO LEARN THAT CAN HELP YOU GOING FORWARD?
“Well, this track is similar to Phoenix in that we actually ran quicker each time we were out. I think it will be a lot different when we get to Fontana because when you advance to the next round, the car is going to slow down a lot so guys are going to have to adjust on the balance of the car to get it where you can complete a lap and complete a fast lap. So, each track again if going to be different. The three rounds I thought was way more stressful than the two.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 10TH
WAS IT STRESSFUL OUT THERE DURING QUALIFYING?
“Yeah, a little bit, but the stress doesn’t make the race car go any faster. We just had to do what we had to do and we really didn’t make any adjustments at all to the race car. We just cycled through our tires and I learned a little bit and got the car going a little faster and I think we got all we could out of it there at the end.”
 
SO HOW CLOSE ARE YOU FOR WANT YOU WANT IN THE CAR ON SUNDAY?
“We’ve got some work to do on Sunday.”
 
WERE THE SLOWER CARS A PROBLEM ON TRACK TRYING TO COOL DOWN?
“It’s not safe. That’s an easy answer; it’s not safe.”

MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 12TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“No need to sugarcoat it, I messed up in the final session – I didn’t get everything out of turn one,” said a candid Truex. “But considering how the day started (broken oil pump fitting), qualifying 12th isn’t all that bad. The Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet had speed and it was sure a lift for all the guys to make it to the final round after what they went through today.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 13TH
YOU WERE OUT THERE TRYING TO COOL YOUR ENGINE BECAUSE YOU WERE IN, IN THE 12TH SPOT AND THEN WHEN YOU GOT BUMPED YOU HAD TO QUICKLY COME IN GET IT TAPED UP AND IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF SECONDS TO GET YOU BACK OUT THERE:
“Yeah it was really close we just missed it by two thousandths.  Just didn’t have enough time to get it cooled.  There is so much going on down here especially with the first round with all the cars.  When I was cooling I got a flat right rear (tire) so I had to come in.  Well NASCAR doesn’t have enough people to make a call that we can change it.  So we sat there and waited and we didn’t get to cool our car d
own.  That was what hurt us.  If it’s going to be that hectic and this much stuff going on NASCAR needs to be aware and get after it and make sure everybody can make the adjustments and the changes because we just had a flat.  That is kind of disappointing.  I thought we had a better car than that.  Putting a spare tire on just made us way too tight so I wasn’t able to run as fast as I needed to our final shot there.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 MOUNTAIN DEW KICKSTART CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 14TH
MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST ROUND HOW IS THE CAR FOR SUNDAY?
“We’ve got to work on it tomorrow in race trim.  We did all qualifying runs today.  We ended up 14th and was real tight.  I felt like I’ve got a little bit better car than that.  I messed up getting into (turn) one on that last run.  We will have to work on the car tomorrow.  I feel like it’s a fun race track and we really enjoy running here.  Hopefully we can get it tuned in.”

HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO HAVING THE CAR THAT YOU REALLY THINK CAN WIN THE RACE?
“Just right around the corner, man; just a couple of changes away. The car has got good speed and it’s had good speed all week, so we’ll just make a couple of adjustments tomorrow and hopefully we’ll hit on some things and keep up with the track.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 15TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“Definitely working hard we made some great gains from yesterday through today and right there on that qualifying session for a second I didn’t think we were going to make it out of round one.  The car was too loose.  We tightened it up and actually I made a couple of really good laps there.  Just wasn’t quite enough  to get to round three.  We missed it by hundredths of a second I think.  But the car feels much better so that gives us something very promising to work with for Sunday’s race and through practice tomorrow.”
 
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 17TH
OVERALL AS A ROOKIE IS THIS TYPE OF SESSION REALLY HELPING YOU JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE GETTING MORE SEAT TIME?
“Yeah I think it helps a little bit.  Our Target Chevy was actually pretty good there.  That last session was as fast as we’ve gone all day.  They made some good adjustments just everybody got faster so I think we ended up 17th so not terrible, but hoping for a little bit better.  We will be okay for Sunday’s race we made the car really good for race trim during the test the other day.  Looking forward to it and hopefully we can get a good (pit) stall and stay out of trouble on Sunday.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 ASPEN DENTAL CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 22ND
TALK ABOUT YOUR DAY TODAY, HOW WAS THE CAR? 
“I think if you would have asked me yesterday if I thought we would have been 22nd I would have said no, but everybody got their race stuff ready and the competition tightens up as people can see the times are so close.  I’m proud of the team for bringing better cars this year.  Last year at this point in time I would have killed for a 22nd so we have got something we can work with.  My goal last year was to be ahead of the pace car and we are going to be ahead of the pace car.  The little things, I’m just happy that it’s going better and mostly I’m excited about my race car.  I thought my race run yesterday made me really happy.  We hopefully will get this Aspen Dental car further up than where we are starting but it’s still a step in the right direction for us.  We will get going on Sunday.”
 

Chevy Racing–Las Vegas–Jamie McMurray

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
KOBALT 400
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 7, 2014
 
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and discussed his thoughts on the No. 1 Chevrolet SS teams season thus far, the new qualifying procedure and other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
OFF TO A GREAT START OF THE SEASON TALK ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS COMING INTO LAS VEGAS:
“Yeah it’s been a really good start to the season.  I’m happy with our car today.  I think coming to the first mile and a half that is such a critical size track to be able to run well at that I thought our testing went well yesterday and then we were really good in qualifying trim today in practice.  I’m a little bit nervous about qualifying.  We haven’t done the three segments yet.  I thought Phoenix was fairly straight forward on the strategy you would use.  Today is going to be different.  It’s been a good start to the season and happy with the performance of the car.”
 
FROM A SPECTATOR POINT OF VIEW WATCHING THE CARS COOL OFF THEIR ENGINES WAS A LITTLE UNEXCITING.  DO YOU SEE THAT HAPPENING TODAY OR IS THERE ANY CHANGES?  HAS THE TEAM SPOKEN WITH NASCAR TO ALLOW ENGINE COOLING?
“Well I sent Robin Pemberton a text on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.  We were trying to get a plan put together of what we were going to do here.  Phoenix is a tough track to take the tape off and be able to stay out of the way.  Especially Turn 1 there is not really an apron to get out of the way, but we knew here the track is fairly wide and you would be able to cool the cars down.  From my perspective I kind of thought it was a no brainer to just let us cool the engines down.  I know that there is a reason they are not letting us do that, but he said let’s give it a couple of weeks and just see what plays out.  I don’t know that they have had people come to them and say that they didn’t want to use cool down units because everyone I talked to felt fairly adamant that would be a good change.
 
“But I think they are just wanting to let it play out especially we haven’t done a mile and a half yet to see kind of how it works.  This is another really good track for this qualifying procedure because you can go quicker on your second run if you make the car better.  There are going to be some tracks come up that you can’t, but like Phoenix last week and here scuff tires actually are as good if not better than sticker tires are.  I think you will see that today where if guys don’t make it in the first time, if they can get their car cooled off enough that you could go quicker the second time out.  It’s just that tape is so critical here.  If you have to take tape off to keep the car cool enough you are not going to go faster.  I think it would be more exciting if we could have full tape every time so you guarantee the chance of trying to knock somebody out.”
 
COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU EXPECT IN TERMS OF THIS PACKAGE ON THIS TRACK AND HOW MUCH YOU ARE GOING TO PUT INTO HOW THE RACING GOES DOWN TODAY ARE YOU STILL IN A WAIT AND SEE MODE?
“I don’t expect the racing to be dramatically different.  It’s really hard to evaluate it right now because in the testing that we did yesterday and the little bit of practice we had this morning everyone is on good tires.  If your car doesn’t handle good you just pull in and work on it.  You never really get a chance to catch anyone.  I was a little shocked that in testing yesterday that really the bottom of the race track was the preferred line.  Normally it’s that way here until it rubbers up a little bit and then you see guys starting to move up.  Especially in (turns) one and two to get around the bumps, but yesterday we didn’t see that.  It seemed like all the guys that were quick could stay right on the bottom and you could do that for 15 or 20 laps in a row, which was somewhat unique.  I think until we get into tomorrow where it warms up and you have guys that stay out and a group of guys that stay out and run 15 or 20 laps at a time it would be hard to really give any type of an evaluation of what we are going to have.”
 
CONSIDERING THE YEAR THAT YOU WON THE DAYTONA 500 AND THE BRICKYARD WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ON THE CHASE RULES NOW AND HOW THAT WOULD HAVE HELPED YOU:
“That would have been great in 2010 for sure.  My take is that it will be more exciting to watch.  I think it’s great that if you win a race that you kind of punch your ticket and you are guaranteed into the Chase.  From a general fans perspective I think that if you win you should be in the Chase.  I like it.  It’s going to be interesting when they start knocking people out after three races.  Especially if you have somebody that dominated the first part of the season and then they don’t make it through.  It’s going to be interesting to go to the last race and have somebody that is going to win the championship based on just that race.  It’s different and when we went from running every single week to having a 10 race playoff format no one liked that and I think it turned out to be really good.  I think it’s tough to give an opinion until you see how it plays out.”
 
FOR YOU AS A DRIVER UNDER THIS NEW FORMAT WHEN DOES A SENSE OF URGENCY REALLY START TO SET IN IF YOU DON’T HAVE A WIN?
“I think that all depends on where you are in points.  Because there are going to be people that make the Chase that haven’t won a race.  Clint Bowyer kind of comes to mind last year.  I think he was second or third in points when we got to Richmond and he hadn’t won a race yet.  So there are going to be some people that make it in.  I don’t know when we get down to the two or three races leading into Richmond guys that know they have no chance of making it in on points.  Yeah, it might even be 10 guys that don’t have a chance of making it in on points.  If they win a race to be guaranteed in I think you will see it fire up at that point.”
 
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ABOUT THE NEW QUALIFYING PROCEDURE HERE AT LAS VEGAS?
“I won’t lie I’m a little bit nervous about qualifying today.  It’s so much different than just trying to get the best set-up in the car and go out and run that one lap all by yourself and you know you are going to get clean air.  There are so many more factors now where someone could pull out in front of you or if the people are cooling down their engines could get in your way and mess your lap up.  I think most of the teams approach qualifying the same way.  We were fourth in practice so we feel really confident that unless something goes wrong you are going to make the first segment.  We are not panicked to get out initially, but if someone gets in your way and messes that lap up then it creates panic. There are a lot of unknowns and I think until we do this a few times and you understand it better it’s a little nerve racking.  Which I think is good because the excitement of qualifying before was when you would come somewhere like this was how much throttle could use and it was exciting to run that fast just one lap.  But now there is so much strategy in it and if you make it through the adjustments you make to your car because it’s going to drive different on hot old tires versus what it does on new tires.  It definitely has all the teams trying to figure out what the next trick will be.”

Chevy Racing–Las Vegas–Ryan Newman

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
KOBALT 400
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 7, 2014
 
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed the new qualifying procedure, his expectations at Las Vegas, how it’s going at RCR so far, and more. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
 
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY?
“The challenges here at Vegas are the bumps in (Turns) 1 and 2. To me, the bumps are worse getting into Turn 3 than they’ve been in quite a while. I don’t know if it’s just because of the heat of the summer or the cold of what it is, but the track definitely has more character than it used to have. And it had more character than most tracks that that point. Just getting a balance in the race car and a good ride quality gives you the ability to kind of have confidence to move around the race track and pass people.”
 
LAST WEEK AT PHOENIX WE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT WITH QUALIFYING AND NOW YOU WILL DO IT AGAIN. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM LAST WEEK? DO YOU LIKE THE FORMAT?
“It was really close last week. I think we were 15th and six thousands out of 11th at that point. And I expect it to be pretty close again; well, pretty much everywhere all season. You really have to dot all your I’s and cross all your T’s just because of the situation of cars pulling out in front of you. I’m not a big fan of not being able to cool the cars down. I think we could have much better qualifying and give the fans more laps to see and a little bit more drama if they give us the units to actually cool the cars down. That, I think is something we need to look into. But in the end you’re still going to have a pole winner. You get to certain race tracks like California, it’s going to be crazy that the pole winner is a second and a half off of what the track record might have been set for the first session. So, a difference set or sense of drama, I guess you could say, in qualifying than we’ve ever seen.”
 
AT PHOENIX, A LOT OF THE DRIVERS SAID THEY LIKE NOT HAVING TO SIT AROUND AND WAIT. DO YOU LIKE THAT IT’S QUICKER THAN IT HAS BEEN?
“My answer to all of it is we need to put it into an hour window or we need to put it into a 45 minute window. Put two, three, four cars and you rifle those cars through and you get one shot at it. To me, that’s the best way to do it. It would be a similar scenario as to what we do at the road courses. But instead of turning five cars loose for five minutes, you turn a car loose and there’s no cooling down; the race track is meant to be raced on, not to go out and cool your race car off and get in somebody else’s way. To me that’s not cool. But I know there’s a sense of drama and there’s a good part of it that surrounds cars getting beat out and things like that, but you’re going to have that regardless. Do it once and be done with it.”
 
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR NEW SITUATION? ARE YOU SETTLING IN?
“We had a good run at Phoenix with the RCR Chevrolet and everybody is doing a good job. Quicken Loans and Caterpillar and we’re having some fun getting going. I was really disappointed in Daytona in not being able to show our stuff and getting crashed out when we did, because we really did have a fast race car. So, I guess I, in a roundabout way, feel bad about that for two different reasons. I didn’t show my stuff early so you could tell, and than at the end I never could show my stuff because we got crashed. But in the end, it was relieving to know we had a fast car. And then we went into Phoenix and made improvements all week long to qualify 15th and race up. We probably could have been fifth if everything had worked out right, but finishing seventh was a good day for us.”
 
GUYS SEEM TO BE REALLY AGGRESSIVE IN THE FIRST TWO RACES AND TAKING A LOT OF CHANCES. IS THAT A RESULT OF THE NEW SYSTEM?
“No, if you go back probably three years ago at Phoenix, we had like crash after crash after crash and three and four-wide on restarts. To me it’s less crazy now than it was three or four years ago. I think it’s actually just the way it is. There’s a balance in there and to me, it’s no crazier than it’s ever been.“
 

Chevy Racing–Las Vegas–Jimmie Johnson

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
KOBALT 400
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 7, 2014
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and discussed memories of racing in the Las Vegas, Nevada area, the added adjustability in the cars with the new rules package, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s confidence level and may other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT COMING TO LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY SEEKING YOUR FIRST VICTORY OF THE SEASON AT A PLACE THAT HAS BEEN GOOD TO YOU:
“I love coming back here.  I spent so much time here in my younger years racing from racing dirt bikes in the Henderson area.  A lot of years the mini nationals were placed over there for the amateur dirt bike racers.  Literally across the street is where the start/finish and the main pit area for The Mint 400 was which I changed a lot of tires and worked in a pit for many years.  Also competed in a few of The Mint 400’s myself, Vegas has been great to me in racing.  Really kind of growing up on the West Coast a racing hub, so when this track was built here hoped to race on it and certainly had my success on this track and enjoy it out here.
 
“It’s always an interesting race because it’s so early in the season and usually one of our first big tracks that we compete on.  You find out how you stack up and where you are at.  Phoenix went well for us.  We would have liked to have been a bit better but had a very good week and progressed through the practice sessions and in the race.  We learned about the qualifying format and kind of what we wanted to do this weekend.  Then yesterday’s test session was nice.  There were point’s where we were real fast and happy.  Then with the rules like they are now it is very easy to make an adjustment on your car that affects four or five other areas and takes the car right out of the race track and slows you down.  We are learning and we are enjoying the process.  There are a bunch of new challenges right now with the new car.  I love this track and I love the area.  One other thing to add to this race track and how you drive it for whatever reason it’s been a very intense track, a track that bravery usually pays off and I think that fits my driving style and works good for me here.”
 
DO YOU HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS HERE?  IS THIS A PLACE YOU COME IN YOUR OWN TIME OFF?
“No, I did a lot growing up just from a racing perspective.  Then a night or two out here is good.  I guess I might spend too much time in the casinos and doing things I shouldn’t where a night or two is about all I need.  The banquet week is three days too long because livers hate me by the end of it.  Vegas is fun, but it’s really just in my mind a racing town.  It’s why I’ve been here so many times and I do have friend from the off road racing industry that are in town.  I just saw Brendan Gaughan in the hallway, chatted with him.  Growing up I would stay at his house and we would come out here to the go-kart track and race around.  Just different memories like that, but again all racing based.”
 
HOW WILL YOU LOOK AT YOUR PERFORMANCE AT THE TEST AND WHAT YOU DO ON SUNDAY AND DIAGNOSIS THAT FOR THE REST OF YOUR SEASON GIVEN THAT WE GO TO SO MANY INTERMEDIATE TRACKS?
“I think how we run here will dictate our testing schedule.  If we don’t have the speed or feel like directionally we are going down the right road it would be useful to test on a bigger track soon.  A lot of people have been to Nashville and Nashville is great to get out and run on, but it’s not a mile and a half.  It’s tough to really take specifics from that race track to other race tracks.  It’s a concrete track, different shape and different size than a lot of places we run on.  This weekend is important for sure.  Yesterday was very helpful and useful.  I’m glad that NASCAR allowed us to come out for a few hours.”
 
DOES HAVING MORE ADJUSTABILITY IN THE CAR PUT MORE PRESSURE ON YOU IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION AND BEING PRECISE IN TERMS OF WHAT THE CAR IS DOING?
“Definitely, communication is always key.  The one thing that we have found right now with the ride heights like they are and the options you can run for springs.  You can make a change to a spring in the car and affect your ride heights and completely change the way the geometry works in the car.  As you look at it initially you think ‘okay this will free the car up’ you send it onto the race track, you come back you are plowing tight.  It’s like ‘wait a second what is going on?’  You have to look three or four layers deeper to understand the way everything works together and they are like ‘oh I see, it changed ride heights, which changed this, now I see why the car is tight.’  So there are more steps involved with making a decision now.  I feel like communication still is key, but the thought process on the pit box is more important than it’s ever been because a simple change affects more things now.”
 
DESCRIBE THE DIFFERENCE IN DALE (EARNHARDT) JR.’S CONFIDENCE FROM WHERE HE WAS WHEN IT WAS REALLY BAD TO WHERE HE IS NOW WHEN HE’S JUST RIDING ON CLOUD NINE ALL THE TIME:
“I feel that and we are all guilty of it.  When things aren’t rolling well you go multiple races without winning or seasons whatever it might be.  I think a lot of people look within and kind of shut down and get quiet.  I certainly feel like Junior is in that category and maybe more so than a lot of people.  Just guessing that pressure from fans, pressure that he puts on himself, pressure of his father’s success a lot of those elements weigh on him heavy and heavier than what a lot of other drivers deal with.  Getting to know him so well now being in the same shop I could see that effect on him and I have always tried to lighten things up and try to help keep him open and having fun.  Steve Letarte is greatly responsible for keeping him open and having fun.  When stuff is not right Steve does a nice job of ‘hey this sucked, let’s move on and do something different.’  That has worked very well for him and has kept his confidence high.  The last couple of races certainly show where his confidence is and what comes with it.  I can say that throughout all of last year and even into part of the season the year before when things really started turning around for him that success leads to confidence.  That circle started and they have been building ever since and we have all seen it in his stats and performance.  This year he is off to an awesome start.”
 
KYLE BUSCH SAID THAT THE PRESSURE TO WIN COMES IN AT CHICAGO AND LOUDON AND DOVER.  HOW DO YOU THINK THIS WILL CHANGE THE APPROACH OF DRIVERS SUCH AS YOURSELF FOR THAT FIRST SEGMENT OF THE CHASE?
“I definitely agree.  The fact that points still count for the first cut to make the Chase, essentially you need to be 16th in points, which is more generous than what we have seen in previous years.  I do agree with Kyle’s mindset.  I think that winning late in the season is very important.  I guess you still can transfer all the way through by having a great point’s situation which I’m in favor of.  I think our series still needs to have that element of consistency and be rewarded for it.  But winning becomes most important from Chicago on.”