Chevrolet GRAND-AM Drivers and Teams Journey to Kansas Speedway for Inaugural SFP Grand Prix
 
DETROIT –  (August 14, 2013) –  As the 2013 GRAND-AM Road Racing season heads into the final stretch with only three races remaining until champions are crowned, the Team Chevy teams and drivers face a new challenge this weekend on the 2.370-mile speedway road course at Kansas Speedway for the inaugural running of the SFP Grand Prix.
 
The newly-configured road course just east of downtown Kansas City, Kansas will present unique challenges for Chevy teams in both the Rolex Sports Car Series and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge with two corners that are extremely technical as well as high-speed oval sections and long straightaways. Each Chevrolet team would like to be the first to hoist the hardware in Victory Lane at Kansas Speedway, but it will take focus, precision and exact execution to emerge victorious in the nighttime event.
 
“It is a short week for the Chevrolet GRAND-AM teams with back-to-back races,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager, Rolex Sports Car Series. “In fact, many of the teams did their maintenance in the paddock area of Road America before heading for this week’s race at a newly configured road course at Kansas Speedway.  The track is unique in that it utilizes the majority of the 1.5-mile oval, but also has a highly-technical infield section.  The combination of the banked oval turns, and the flat infield section are going to present a challenge to crew chiefs and engineers to get the balance of the car around the entire 2.370-mile course to maximize power and handling around the high-speed oval as well as the tight infield section.  We are looking forward to putting more wins in the Chevrolet column as the season begins to wind down and the championship battles continue.”
 
2013 has been a successful one for Chevrolet teams in both the Daytona Prototype (DP) and Grand Touring (GT) classes.  Heading into this weekend’s race, the Chevrolet Corvette DP teams and drivers have won five of nine races in the DP class and Chevrolet leads the Manufacturer Standings. With only three races remaining to determine a champion, the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing team sits third in the standings on the strength of one victory at Circuit of The Americas, and four podium finishes.  Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney find themselves only nine markers away from the top spot.
 
They are closely followed by fellow Corvette DP teams and driving twosomes of Action Express Racing’s Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa and Wayne Taylor Racing’s Max Angelelli and Jordan Taylor who also find themselves within striking distance as the championship battle heats up.  This weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway’s new road course could be the final turning point in determining the 2013 team champions.  
 
In the GT class the pairing of John Edward and Robin Liddell piloting the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R have four victories and five podium finishes this season.  The co-drivers sit second in the team standings only seven points away from the top spot.  Solid runs this weekend in the inaugural event at Kansas Speedway could propel Chevrolet teams to the top positions within their respective classes heading into the final two races of the season.
 
 Also competing this weekend at Kansas Speedway will be the drivers and teams in the Continental Tire Series.  After a disappointing weekend at Road America John Edwards and Matt Bell are ready to get back behind the wheel of the No. 9 Camaro GS.R in hopes of claiming their second victory of the season.  They currently sit second in the team point standings, but are hungry for another trophy.  The driving duo of Lawson Aschenbach and Eric Curran are also due for a win, coming ever so close several times this season, the pair are looking for their first podium finish in 2013 as are their teammates Ashley McCalmont and Bob Michaelian piloting the No. 00 CKS Autosport Camaro GS.R.
 
The first race of the SFP Grand Prix weekend will be the Continental Sports Car Challenge 2 hour and 30 minute contest which is scheduled to take the green flag at 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 17 followed by the start of the Rolex Sports Car Series 2 hour and 45 minute race at 8:00 p.m., ET.
 

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 PEPSI MAX CHEVROLET SS, WAS THE GUEST ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
 
 
THE MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Welcome to today’s NASCAR teleconference.  We will start off today with Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Pepsi Max Chevrolet for HendrickMotorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Kahne is 12th in the series standings, but sits first in the wild card standings with two wins and nine top‑10 finishes. He has one career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Michigan Speedway, which is the site of Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400. Kasey, what is your mindset with four races left to make the Chase with Michigan and Bristol up next, both being tracks you’ve won at?
 
KASEY KAHNE:  I feel really good about making the Chase.  I feel good about getting into the top 10 and racing our way in. I think we’ve been fast at those tracks and good at all the tracks that we have left on the schedule this season.  I’m excited about it.  I think we’re in a good spot.
 
THE MODERATOR:  We’ll now go to the media for questions for today’s guest, Kasey Kahne.
Q.  Kasey, I wanted to ask you a little bit about, I know it looked like you were having fun on Twitter after the race on Sunday.  Talk about that, your thoughts and why you did that.  Secondly, if you could talk about Michigan, review of your stats.  Recently it’s been all good or not so good.
KASEY KAHNE:  Yeah, I think the Michigan deal, we were really fast the first race, had a right front tire go down, blow out, hit the wall hard.  So our day was over.  But we were leading at the time. I feel good about going to Michigan.  Those types of tracks seem to suit us pretty well.  So, yeah, looking forward to that.
 
The ones that have gone bad, that was one of them.  I can’t remember last year real well.  I imagine we hit something there, too.  I don’t know what happened.  But we definitely are fast when we go to Michigan.  Just circumstances haven’t always gone our way.
 
Then the Twitter stuff, I was just frustrated and at the same time trying to make fun of it.  I just tweeted about going down there.  I had a few texts and different people tweeting me back.  It ended up being kind of entertaining and I enjoyed it.
 
I wasn’t happy about Matt crashing me at Watkins Glen at all.  I feel like we had a great car and we were trying to make moves, come up through there.  I don’t know if he had a problem with Ambrose.  He said he didn’t.  Other people around, seemed like he might have.
 
I don’t know what happened.  I just know he missed the corner, wiped me out.  I gave them guys plenty of room.  It was frustrating to get crashed at that point in the race for something like that.
 
The whole Gibbs thing, this is the fourth time this year a Gibbs car has crashed me when I’ve been running.  I mean, that was 11th.  But the others were for first, second, fifth.  We’ve lost tons and tons of points because of those guys.  It doesn’t sit real well with me at all.
Q.  Have you had a chance to speak with Matt or any of them after Watkins Glen?
KASEY KAHNE:  He texted me, I don’t know, five to eight times apologizing, trying to explain what happened, how he felt really bad about how it happened and all that stuff.  I understand and I appreciate the texts.
 
At the same time, we’re trying to get in the Chase.  It hurts when you get wiped out when you’re minding your own business.  It’s happened enough this year that I don’t know what I can do about it, but I definitely am not pleased.  It’s really annoying and upsetting.
Q.  Kasey, I received an email recently from a fan who goes to the Sprint car races at Williams Grove.  He said it was a treat to see you and Tony Stewart race there.  He hasn’t seen you there for two years.  I understand there’s nothing in your contract that prohibits you from racing Sprint cars. Have you just decided not to do it?
KASEY KAHNE:  I don’t know when the last time I raced at the Grove was.  I enjoy racing there.  As far as this year goes, I haven’t raced.  I had to have raced 10 or 12 times last year.  This year I’ve pretty much stuck with the Cup stuff, focused on that.  I have a great team, opportunity there, so I’ve stuck with that.
 
I was with three World of Outlaw teams and one team that races 60 times a year that I get to enjoy the Sprint car racing with.  I was at Knoxville as long as I could be, hung out with those guys, watched those guys kind of do their thing.
 
It’s been good, exciting to be part of that.  When I feel like racing a Sprint car again, I will.  Right now I’ve kind of been focused on trying to do the best I can in the Sprint Cup car.
 
Q.  After what happened with Tony, will that make you think twice about racing the Sprint cars again?
 
KASEY KAHNE:  I think it will all make us look at how it happened to Tony and try to make the cars a little bit safer in those areas, if we can. There’s got to be some ways we can prevent what happened to Tony or try to prevent it.  It just all kind of fell against him in those certain circumstances, got his leg.
 
I think all the teams can learn from that.  I know Tony is going to be a big part of trying to make that better, as well.  I think we’ll try to make our stuff better from what we can learn from Tony’s accident.
 
No, it doesn’t really change myself wanting to race, any of that.  It’s exactly the same as it was before he got in that wreck.
Q.  I wanted to hear about how running is helping with the late‑season grind and whether you’re able to run more or less as the Chase heats up?
KASEY KAHNE:  I’d say I’ve actually run about the same amount.  At times maybe a little less because of testing and things like that.  Just not enough time to get it all in.
 
The nice thing about running is you can do it anywhere.  I’m able to still get out there, get a good sweat in, get some miles each day.  I feel good about that.
 
I really think it helps for the Chase because I feel better at the end of the season.  When it’s all said and done, I still feel motivated, not completely drained and worn out.
 
I remember the first couple years I was in the Cup Series, by the time we got to Homestead at the end of the year, I was so happy for the season to be over.  Probably the last two years really, I’ve been wishing it went a couple more races.  I think a lot of that has to do with running, the physical work that I put in each year.
Q.  Considering what happened at the Glen, how big was the previous win at Pocono as far as keeping y’all calm and confident as far as the Chase goes?
KASEY KAHNE:  Yeah, I think it was really big.  I don’t like not being in the top 10, but I feel a lot more secure.  I feel like our chances are a lot better because of the Pocono win after falling back out of the top 10 because of getting wiped out at the Glen.  It was a big win, it was really good.  It helped all of us out.
 
These next four tracks are good tracks for us.  We want to race our way back in.  We want to get those bonus points to start the Chase.  Hopefully we can start on that this weekend at Michigan.
 
Q.  Is there anything you can do to avoid these things?  Anything you’re going to try to do to change your luck?
 
KASEY KAHNE:  Man, I feel like all you can do to change your luck is work hard, do the right things.  I try to be a good person.  I try to work hard before the races and be as prepared as I can be once I get there.  I race people the way I expect to get raced.  I don’t crash pe
ople.
 
I’ve still gotten wiped out five times this year.  It’s discouraging, but I think I just keep doing what I’m doing.  Hopefully they all figure it out.  I don’t know.  Hopefully it just quits, I guess.
 
I think over time it runs a path and a pattern.  It all kind of comes around eventually.
Q.  Obviously you’re in a lot better situation than a lot of people for the Chase.  When we get to Richmond, you’ve been through that before. What is that like, trying to race your way in, the stress and the pressure?  Is there anything in your career previously that you can relate to what that feeling is like at Richmond, trying to get your way into the Chase?
KASEY KAHNE:  No other feelings that I’ve had like that.  I’ve been in that position a lot over the years.  We just always seem to be right on that verge there, right on the edge of making it or not making it.
 
I’ve went through it.  I kind of enjoy it.  I kind of enjoy the pressure, like to have to be perfect that weekend, things like that.  It’s been good.  It’s worked out for us most of the time.  We’ve been able to make the Chase when we’re in those positions.
 
I feel pretty good about it, don’t mind it.  I’d rather have that pressure late in the season.  We haven’t had it late in the season yet.  We just have to keep working at that.  Hopefully we’ll have a little pressure when Richmond comes, and hopefully we’ll have a little more at the end of the year.
Q.  What does that do for a team in trying to race to get into the Chase and then you have to gear back up to race for a championship?  How do you reset or how does that affect guys?  Does that hurt a team, make it harder to win a championship when you’ve had to scramble to get into the Chase?
KASEY KAHNE:  Yeah, I don’t think it would make it easier by no means because everybody’s putting in the time, the pressure’s on you each week, from the driver to the team to the pit guys on Sundays.  It’s a tough part of the season.
 
But it’s kind of what we’re all here for, too, to step up when times are tough, make it happen.  I know we have a really strong team. I think with the two wins, that helps, takes some of the pressure off.  If we can run strong the next few weeks, I think we’ll be in a really good spot, just try to put those final 10 together.  That’s what it’s all about.
Q.  You’ve talked about your frustration with the run‑ins with the JGR cars this season.  Has there been a time in your career where you’ve been on the other end, where you’ve gotten into somebody or one particular team?  You talk about things kind of come around.  Has that happened to you earlier in your career, and how did you deal with that?
KASEY KAHNE:  It’s never happened to me.  Kind of makes me think I need to start taking cars out.  But it hasn’t happened to me.  I don’t know what it would be like on that side of it.
Q.  Kasey, on this issue with Matt Kenseth, you make it very clear that you’re not somebody who is going to wreck somebody on the racetrack. How do you go about getting the message to Matt, that this has to stop, this isn’t the right way to race?
KASEY KAHNE:  Well, just looking at the incidents with him and Kyle, we’ve always had conversations after the fact.  They’ve explained and felt bad about it.  Truthfully, Kyle races me really good all the time.  It’s not really on my mind when I’m racing with Kyle.
 
Matt has been pretty tough on me a lot this year.  He got me there.  That’s definitely on my mind.  I just kind of see things the way I see it.  I would expect a little difference out of him, but you never know.  We’ll see how it goes.
Q.  Going into Michigan, how important do you think it is for you to get as close as you can to a win or to the win itself and climb into the top 10 in points?
KASEY KAHNE:  I think the most important thing to me is to get into that top 10 and not have to use a wild card.  In order to do that, we need to be consistent.  It would be great to get another win and get some more of them bonus points when the Chase does start.  Michigan is a good track, Bristol, Atlanta, all of them are tracks we won at.  Hopefully we can race hard, take care of it on the track, go that way.
 
But I don’t know.  The only reason we’re in this position isn’t because of my consistency or my team’s consistency, we’ve had that all season long, it’s been other people not being able to control their racecars at times.
 
I feel like mine and my team’s consistency is as good as anybody’s.  If everybody else could control their car in those situations we’ve had, we’d be in the middle of battling for the lead in points.  That’s very easy to see for myself.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Kasey, thank you for joining us today and best of luck this weekend in Michigan.
 
KASEY KAHNE:  Thank you.
 

GREG ZIPADELLI, COMPETITION DIRECTOR OF STEWART-HAAS RACING AND AUSTIN DILLON, INTERIM DRIVER FOR THE NO. 14 MOBIL 1/ BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS, WERE GUESTS ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
 
 
 JAYME AVRIT:  Thank you.  Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to today’s NASCAR Teleconference.  Our guests today are Greg Zipadelli, competition director for Stewart‑Haas Racing, and Austin Dillon, interim driver of the No. 14, Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS at Michigan International Speedway for Stewart‑Haas Racing.  Dillon, the current NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader, has two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Michigan including last June when he finished a career best 11th.
 
Greg, you captained an adversity‑filled week with a top 15 finish by Max Papis at Watkins Glen that kept the No. 14 team 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner standings.  Now you head to Michigan with another interim driver, Austin Dillon.  Tell us how you selected Austin to drive the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for the Pure Michigan 400?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Well, we went down through the list and saw who is available and who had track time, who was doing double duty and was willing to try to work out a schedule that would work for both sides.  He has a strong relationship with Bass Pro Shop, and a big part of how we go through this is making sure that our partners are happy with what we’re doing as far as who we’re putting in the car and who will represent their brands in the way they want it represented.
 
Like I said, there is a strong relationship there.  Austin’s done a great job in the past at Michigan.  We kind of felt like it was a good fit for us this week.
 
JAYME AVRIT:  Austin, what are your expectations for your 10th career Sprint Cup Series start this weekend at Michigan?
 
AUSTIN DILLON:  Well, I’m really looking forward to the opportunity that’s presented itself here at Stewart‑Haas.  I just want to thank all the parties at RCR and Stewart‑Haas for giving me this opportunity to let me go out there in a premier ride in the Cup series.  Like I said, we’ve had a great relationship with Bass Pro Shops and looking forward to representing them and Mobil 1 this weekend.
 
It’s a great opportunity for me.  We’re really focused on the Nationwide Championship as well, and we’re going to give both parties a great opportunity at a win this weekend.  We’re going to go out there and try to run strong.
Q.  Greg, I was wondering, are you guys looking at this as being sort of a weekly occurrence until Tony can get back in the car?  Do you have any idea at all when that might be?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Well, it’s going to be a weekly occurrence here for a little while.  We’ll evaluate each race as it comes and do the best job we can with putting someone in it we feel will do a good job for Stewart‑Haas and all of our partners.
 
We will probably know more next week.  Tony has a doctor’s appointment Wednesday here to just kind of go over things, and at that point we’ll have a lot better idea of what we’re doing.  But for right now it will probably be a week‑by‑week decision as far as who is in the car.
Q.  Austin, I wanted to find out if you planned to drive the Nationwide race at Mid‑Ohio this weekend in the Sprint Cup race?  How will the logistics of that work for you, if you do?  And does it help that they’re within driving distance of each other?
AUSTIN DILLON:  Yeah, we’re working all of that out right now.  We’re going to be running both of them, and the scheduling is pretty tough this weekend, so we’ll be on doing our best to give equal amount of practice time.  The good thing about Mid‑Ohio, we have a full test day there Thursday, so we’ll have plenty of time on the track.  We have lots of sets of tires, and we’ll be using them up on Thursday.
 
Qualifying seems to be the issue for the Nationwide race.  That is the only part that will be tough.  We might have to start in the rear.  But I think we’ve done a good job of trying to work out where each party gets a good amount of practice on both cars.
Q.  Austin, Max Papis just tweeted that he considered you his godson, and that makes him a godfather.  That is kind of a scary thought.  But my question to you is you’ve grown up around RCR.  I imagine you haven’t been in the SHR car, but you might have been at the shop.  I was wondering if you could tell me the things you see similar or do you see anything different at the two shops?
AUSTIN DILLON:  I think both shops strive for excellence, so it’s great to be out here at another organization.  I’ve been around Tony Stewart a lot, and know how much his passion is for racing, and he’s built a great team over here.  That is the biggest thing.  He’s the company that I’ve been able to work with, my grandfather’s and coming over here to Stewart.
 
Today is my first day.  I know the way they like to work, and that is put the best equipment on the track they can.  And that is the greatest thing about this opportunity.  We’re here with a lot of racers, and that’s what I love to do.
Q.  Austin, my question is for you. My first one is obviously this is a great opportunity that I don’t think you could turn down.  But the fact of the matter is you’re in a pretty tight points battle over there in the Nationwide Series.  Do you worry about this with the two races being at different tracks maybe compromising your title hopes for the Nationwide Series?
AUSTIN DILLON:  No, we’re going to win the Nationwide Series.  That is our main goal.  We’ve been fighting for it all year long.  This week at Mid‑Ohio we’ve had a lot of practice time.  The good thing about a road course is the strategies that you’ll be using could actually help us out with the start.  It obviously helps to start up front any race you’re at.
 
But we’ll have a plan.  If there was a better place to do it in the Cup race, Michigan is the place for me because I have a lot of laps there and confidence there.  So we’re going to do our best to come up with a good strategy for both races.  I think we’ll be just fine.
 
Road courses have been not our strong suit, but we’re getting better at them, and the good thing was we were able to test earlier this past year at Mid‑Ohio, so I have some track time.  So I’m familiar with the track.  I really think it’s going to be a wild race in the road course there in my opinion.  It’s a tight road course.  We’ll just do our best and try to work our way up to the front with whatever starting position we get.
Q.  Greg, if I could ask you, for the time that Tony is out of the car, would you rather have the consistency of maybe the same driver in there week‑in and week‑out?  Or would you like maybe the opportunity to have a bunch of different looks at different people in the 14 just to see what you might learn from a vast amount of driving styles?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  No, I think we’d rather have one or two drivers if we can work it out.  I think that will give us some consistency, build some communication between the crew and the driver and that will give us our best chance.  We’re working on some of that stuff now and hopefully we’ll see it.  It may be more than two, maybe three or four.  If that’s the case, we’ll look at each individual racetrack and see who is available that runs good at that racetrack and make the best choice we can.
Q.  Austin, the experience at Michigan having been there earlier this year, how much does that help if you do have to miss some practice time on Saturday at Michigan?
AUSTIN DILLON:  I think it’s really big.  Like I said, I’m very confident at M
ichigan.  It’s one of my favorite tracks.  We led all the laps in the Nationwide race there this year until we had the left rear flat and ran well in the Cup race.  So I’m looking forward to it.  I think it’s a place that we can really go out and have a good run at this weekend.
Q.  Greg, was there any hesitation for the time having an RCR guy in your equipment and Hendrick equipment and maybe what he might learn about what you all have so you might be competing against him down the road?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  We’re going to put a blindfold on him, and right before he backs out of the garage we’ll take it off.  (Laughing). Then he won’t be able to look.
No ‑‑ I mean, yes, it will probably be difficult at times, but I think it’s a one‑shot deal for right here right now.  We’ll see where that goes.  We’ll see how it all works.  We’ve got to be guarded, and the same with him.  He’s got to come over here and trust that we can put something in the car that he can drive.  And same time he can come over here and tell us all the things they’re doing too.
 
So I think on both sides we’ll be respectful of each other, and do the best job we can.  I think it will be fine.  Besides that, he won’t be there that much anyway.  He’s got a lot of flying time.
Q.  Greg, you were talking about this weekend at Watkins Glen just about the challenges of the schedule and saying if you layoff the Nationwide schedule at Mid‑Ohio and the Cup schedule at Michigan, they don’t match up very well.  You said one of the things you could do is find somebody that could run at Michigan or you worried about somebody going back and forth.  And your word was it would be half‑assed.  How is this not going to be in that sense that term that you used or as much the pleasing of partners and that’s what makes this work this weekend, based off of what you said on Friday?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Well, obviously, they have a test day on Thursday.  We sat down with Austin.  He’s able to give us all day Friday.  So he’s given a lot because they’ve got the test day and things.  So it’s certainly different as we’ve laid it out.  A lot different than it was last week because Thursday would be a disaster.  But with the way we’re doing it, he’s going to get a full test day with a ton of tires and a lot of time on the racetrack Thursday.  We’re going to get all day Friday where we’ve got no interruptions on our side.  I didn’t think that was an option last week.  So it is this week, and we’re going to take advantage of it.
Q.  Austin, how many races have you scheduled yourself for to run at the Sprint Cup level this year?  How protective do you have to be if, in fact, you are going to run for Rookie of the Year at the Sprint Cup level next year?
AUSTIN DILLON:  They changed the rule this past year that as long as you designate a series, you can run for Rookie of the Year next year.  So I can actually run as many Cup races as I want as long as I have a designated series as the Nationwide.
Q.  Knowing that Tony was involved in this choice, how much do you feel like Austin’s victory at Eldora helped him with what he’s able to do there?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Well, I don’t know if it had anything to do with it other than if you look at his record in the Truck Series and the job he’s done in the Nationwide.  That’s kind of what we’re basing it off of.  He runs good at Michigan.  He’s got a good record there.  He’s young, and you know, ready to rock and roll there.  We’re ready to see what we can accomplish this weekend.  Hopefully, that dirt track experience doesn’t come into any play this weekend as far as Michigan goes, because it wouldn’t be very good.
Q.  Just to clarify, when you’re talking about how you’re going to handle the substitutions going forward, is there a chance if Austin does really well at Michigan, could he merge as the guy?  I know you’re saying you’re looking at each individual racetrack and how people perform.  But if Austin’s impressive at Michigan, could he become the guy you want to keep in that seat until Tony comes back?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Absolutely.  We’re talking about other races.  We just kind of want to get through this week here and then plan ahead.  Like I said, things are a little slow.  We’ve got a little bit more time this week.  We’ll be able to plan weeks out here once we get this Michigan stuff done.  Last week was kind of a short week, and we just really focused and concentrated on Watkins Glen and doing the best we could there.  Like I said, the next couple days we’ll be able to probably layout the whole schedule for everybody.
 Q.  Since you talked to Tony after the race on Sunday, can you tell me what he said it was like for him watching the race and seeing somebody else in his car?  And what is the earliest you have for him possibly coming back right now?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  I did see Tony.  I was over there this morning for a while.  He’s doing well.  As far as when he’ll be back, like I said, I think we’ll know mid week a little bit more on his schedule.  He was, you know, he was doing as good as he could.  We did talk about what we had for plans there, and he was all on board and felt like we had made good choices.  So that was important.  I don’t remember the other question.
Q.  Are you looking down in two or three weeks of possibly letting him get in the car for a lap or so just to get the points to remain possibly viable if you could go to Richmond and try to win Richmond and somehow make the Chase with two wins or something?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Honestly, if the doctor said we could do that, we’d probably do it.  We’re going to do everything that they say, because we want him back a hundred percent and don’t want to ‑‑ you know, sometimes you can do things sooner than you’re supposed to and make your healing process longer.  So we’ll follow on with what the doctor says.  If the doctor says in four weeks or six weeks he can do that, then we’ll probably look at those options and do what we can do.
Q.  How hard will it be to adjust from the road course in Mid‑Ohio back to Michigan which is a pretty speed track in Michigan?
AUSTIN DILLON:  I’ve been able to race a lot of dirt and asphalt and doing a lot of different things.  So adapting is something that you have to do as a driver.  I think as soon as I land, I’ll be tuned into what I’m doing on each track and just switch your mindset so when you get there of what you’re doing. We’ll be using a lot more break at one of them and none at the other.
Q.  Mr. Zipadelli, what are your expectations for Austin this weekend in this 14 car?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  I think we’re going to go there and run all the laps and try to stay 15th or 20th, and just see from there where we go.  We’re going to be setting our goals very obtainable and stay out of trouble.  Most important thing is running as many laps as we can.  We need to finish the race.
 
By his track record there in the past, we should do better than those.  But you just never know the circumstances, and hopefully we can get him something that he’s comfortable in, and we can go out and race and hopefully do better than that.
 Q.  I’m curious, will you use this opportunity to do any sort of testing of any parts or pieces or something you’d want to look at for 400 miles that maybe you wouldn’t if you had a car and a guy racing where points are maybe more valuable?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  We haven’t had time to think that direction quite yet.  Right now we’re still fighting for all the owner points we can get.  So finishing these races is very important, and representing our sponsors and doing that in the best way that we can would be by finishing the races, running all the laps and get
ting the best finish we can.  I’m not saying it won’t change, but right now, it’s no different than if Tony was in here.  We’re not treating it any different.
Q.  Can you say how many calls and texts did you get from prospective drivers?  Were there 20 people lobbying for this ride, 30 people, 40 people?  Did they wait for you to call them?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  I would say it was more in the 50 range.  There’s been people that I didn’t even know raced called.  And we appreciateeverybody reaching out and willing to help.  But it’s been interesting, let’s leave it at that.
Q.  Greg, has there ever been a point in your career where you’ve been in this similar position, or are you kind of like a rookie right now learning everything with each step of the process?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  You mean as far as the drivers and replacing a driver and going through all this stuff?
Q.  Yes.
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Yeah, I mean, the only time I’ve really experienced it was at Dover when we had to put Ricky Rudd in for Tony, and that was for one race.  So I don’t know.  I don’t know.  It’s just business as usual.  We need a driver, so we picked the best one we can.  We put a seat in there and get them comfortable, and try to build some communication and go to the racetrack.  That’s pretty much as cut and dry as we can keep it, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.
 
 JAYME AVRIT:  Wanted to thank you both, Greg and Austin, for joining us today, and I wish you all the best this weekend in Michigan.
 

CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: A Pair of Podium Finishes
Second and third for Compuware Corvettes; Gavin and Milner regain drivers’ title lead
 
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 11, 2013) – Corvette Racing scored two podium finishes Sunday at Road America in the Orion Energy Systems 245. The No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen placed second in the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner, driving the No. 4 Compuware Corvette, finished third.
 
The race, shown to a nationwide audience live on ABC, marked the first time this season that the two Corvettes finished on the podium in the same race. Even more importantly, the results provided a major boost for the drivers, Corvette Racing and Chevrolet in the ALMS GT championships.
 
Gavin and Milner, defending GT champions, moved back into the lead in the driver standings. Garcia and Magnussen unofficially are third but only six points out of the championship lead.
 
Chevrolet solidified its lead in the manufacturer standings, as did Corvette Racing in the team championship.
 
“The Corvette Racing drivers and team exhibited terrific teamwork on the track and in the pits, and with race strategy to claim two podium positions in the American Le Mans Series at Road America,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports.  “The team’s never-give-up approach will bode well as we go into the final races of the season. It was a great points day for Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin as they reclaimed the lead in the ALMS GT driver standings. Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia also improved their standing, as well.”
 
Endurance racing is a true team sport, and that played out again Sunday. The Corvette Racing pit crew executed two perfect stops during the race’s penultimate full-course caution period. The two Corvettes entered the pits running seventh and eighth in class. with 90 minutes remaining but left pitlane first and third.
 
The race began on a wet track with Magnussen in the No. 3 Corvette and Milner in the No. 4. Both Corvettes, like the rest of the field, began on wet tires. Both Magnussen and Milner ran aggressive yet cautious stints in the beginning before both cars went to slick tires at the 40-minute mark. From that point, strategy and some of the best pit work in the ALMS took over.
 
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Grand Prix of Baltimore on Aug. 30-31 from the Baltimore Inner Harbor street circuit. Gavin and Milner placed second there last season, and Gavin and Magnussen teamed for a third-place finish in 2011.
 
EDITORS: High-resolution images of Corvette Racing are available on the Team Chevy media site for editorial use only.
 
Grand Prix of Baltimore (all times ET)
·         Practice 1: 8:50 a.m., Friday, Aug. 30
·         Practice 2: 12:05 p.m., Friday, Aug. 30
·         GT Qualifying: 4:50 p.m., Friday, Aug. 30
·         Warmup: 10:10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 31
·         Race: 3:45 p.m., Saturday Aug. 31
 
Road America: Watch It!
Friday, Aug. 30-Saturday, Aug. 31 (all times ET)
·         Qualifying: 4:20 p.m., Friday, Aug. 30 (ESPN3)  
·         Race (Web): 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 31 (ESPN3)
·         Race (TV): Noon, Sunday, Sept. 1 (ABC)
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
HOW MUCH DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU COULD PUSH IN THAT LAST STINT: ” I had a really good restart and was making a lot of gap to the guys. When I saw the Viper coming, I held him off for like four or five laps and I was thinking, ‘no problem’. But the problem was right when he was catching me, my engineers were telling me I need to save fuel. I said ‘All right’, so I was saving fuel but going fast. I was kind of trying to guess how much fuel I needed to save. At some point Marc (Goossens) got a really good run out of Turn 3, and at some point I was asking on the radio should I defend or should I just let him go by. That’s what I did basically. They told me it was more important to save fuel than to keep the position. And then it was a matter of just holding back, just trying to save as much fuel as possible. I knew that Ollie (Oliver Gavin) was under pressure from the Porsches as well, so we were managing that gap too. I was really aggressive on the brakes in the traffic just trying to make a gap. Then as soon as we had a gap, went just went back toward them again. I think that is what we could do. I don’t know exactly if we were good or not (on fuel at the end); I think we were right on. The thing is that I wouldn’t risk it. I think we were probably better than the Viper, but I believed I should have kept that result. I preferred to keep Corvette two-three and in good position for the championship.”
HOW SURPRISED WERE YOU TO COME OFF PIT LANE IN P1 FROM THAT STOP? “I knew after all the pit stops came that we were the guys changing four slicks the latest, and we were almost leading the guys that came in the previous time the latest so I knew we had some advantage and fuel there. We needed just to do 13-14 seconds of fuel plus the tires, so we really needed to be sure that driver change was good. Everything went smooth. Fuel, tire change was perfect and I just remember launching myself out of the pits seeing the Ferrari just come in, and I just a half of a car ahead, or something like. So that put us into one-three at the moment. I was like…that is what I said yesterday after qualifying: When it comes to race time, Corvette Racing is the best that a driver can ever have. So, that is the thing.”
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
ON THE CHALLENGE OF THE FIRST HOUR: “It was a difficult beginning of the race with the wet track. But it was not super wet so I don’t think the wets (tires) really got up to working 100 percent. The balance of the car wasn’t great or right to begin with. Everybody was pulling away from us quite a bit. Then it seemed like the car and the tires came in, and we were doing pretty well for ourselves. But making the decision to go to slicks was really hard for me to make because the wets which don’t give you a good feel for what is going on. You can feel the grip is improving, but is it improving enough for slicks? And also just looking at the track, it wasn’t clear-cut dry or not dry, so you really have to rely on other people making the decision for you. Fortunately some guys down the back made the first move – it was wrong. So good thing we didn’t follow those guys. But when we did make the move for slicks, it was definitely the right time. So that worked out well.  There was a lot of pressure from Tommy (Milner) throughout the stint when we were on the slicks.
“Then there was one absolutely fantastic pit stop from the Corvette guys! We came in seventh and eighth, and out one-three. That is unbelievable. So fantastic… absolutely fantastic. After that, Antonio drove under extreme pressure – saving fuel; trying to go fast… two things that are really, really hard to do at the same time. Overall it was a fantastic job for the whole team.
“I don’t know had we not had that yellow at the end what would have happened. We were very, very close on fuel. I have a feeling the Vipers were even closer. So who knows? But when the safety car came out right there at the end, there was a big sigh of relief from the whole team. It was ‘OK, now we have second’. I am sure we would have gone for it (if the race had restarted), but would we have won doing it or blown it?”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
ON THE RACE: “The race today was pretty hard. First of all Tommy (Milner) came in and we were seventh and eighth, and the guys just did a fab
ulous job with the tire stop, the fuel and everything. We went in eighth position, and came out third, and our sister car (No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R) came out in the lead! That is just a spectacular job by the guys. Just amazing that pit stop. At the restart, the (No. 62) Ferrari was pretty racy into Turn 1 and he tried to squeeze me as we came off. We just rubbed all the way down to Turn 3; I got by him and then I was up behind Antonio (Garcia) but the (No. 91) Viper was coming. It was quick. It just had a bit too much pace for us today.
“I was being told, ‘Save fuel, save fuel, save fuel.’ I was doing the best I could. The Porsche was catching us and catching us. They’ve got super straight-line speed so that was tough. In the end there, I think we were good to go with the fuel. I was wondering if everybody else was going to be in the same spot or not. I know we could have gone to the end, but I don’t know if the Viper could, whether the Porsche could or anybody else. We had done our job in doing that. The guys were fantastic in the pits. Tommy did a spectacular job of getting it through in very tricky conditions in the wet weather. So all-in-all it was a great team effort by everybody here at Corvette Racing.”
ON BEING TOLD TO SAVE FUEL: “You have to figure out your routine on how to do it and the way you are going to go about doing it. Where you are going to lift, where you are going to brake and how you are going to do it. I was working really hard with (engineer) Chuck (Houghton). It was frustrating, and a couple of times we were adjusting the engine map, and the Porsche was catching us, and Chuck was telling me, ‘Go back! Go back!’ The Porsche was so close. It was just one of those ones where it was nail-biting every single lap. You could not take your attention away, or ever think ‘We’ve got this now; we’ve got everything under control’, because everything was just in flux; right on the limit, and right on the balance the whole race. Sometimes that’s the way it is, and everybody on the team worked so hard.”
ON REGAINING DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD: “That is just fantastic. Of all the things that could have happened today, to get the points lead back, and to extend our lead in the manufacturers’ championship, that is spectacular. This is a huge win-win… we didn’t win the race, but in terms of the actual bigger picture, it’s been a great day for us.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
ON THE RACE: “We knew that the race would be dry toward the end. We didn’t do anything to the car to try to help it in the wet, so we actually struggled early on. It made it very difficult to keep the car underneath me. It was very loose the entire time in the wet conditions. It is tough here to tell when this track dries up; it is not very easy to see when the lines are drying and when they are still wet. So on that (first) yellow flag, we probably could have switched it to dry tires right then, but I wasn’t too sure, and didn’t want to gamble on that and then throw the race away. So we stayed out which hurt us a little bit there for awhile. But the car was really, really good on slicks in the dry again. I knew if we could just get Oliver in the car and get that last pit stop out of the way, we would be in good shape.
“I could have never imagined to go from basically eighth place to third place in the pits. Oliver did a great job on the restart and got second. So really, today’s result is thanks to Corvette Racing, the pit stops and the strategy that was played to perfection. The Viper definitely was quick today. Congrats to them. They’ve done an awesome job all year long so far. They’ve been right there, and they put one together. I know what that feels like; it is obviously very exciting for them. We’ve got a race on our hands for the rest of the year. They are quick, and we are quick. Porsche is quick; BMW is quick. It is going to be a big fight to the end.”
ON BEING THE POINTS LEAD – IS IT BETTER TO LEAD OR BE CHASING WITH A FEW RACES TO GO? “It can go either way. I think we all kind of approach each weekend as its own separate championship. We want to win that race, and if we can’t win, we want to finish as high as we possibly can. If you just focus on one race at a time, the championship takes care of itself. All we did today was not get too worried about the fact we were in seventh and eighth at the back. We were more focused on how do we make the best out of our race today. What is our best strategy. We did that. Here we are in third place, points lead. Everything is going the way it should right now.”
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“This race marks the middle of our 15th season in the American Le Mans Series. In those 14½ years, I don’t remember an event where a pair of pit stops had the impact on the outcome that it did today. The 3 and 4 car came in seventh and eighth, and they went out first and third. That’s all-world, and that’s what we do at Corvette Racing.”
 

MONTOYA TAKES TOP FIVE FINISH FOR TEAM CHEVY
Johnson Maintains NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Point Lead
 
WATKINS GLEN, NY – Aug. 11, 2013 – The Cheez-It 355 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International featured plenty of cautions and a lengthy red flag delay, but that didn’t deter Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS from posting a strong top-five finish – his third top-five finish of 2013.  
 
“It was fun it’s just not enough laps,” Montoya said after exiting his No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS.   “It’s hard to pass.  These cars, you know, guys that run up front are pretty good here.  Our Target Chevy was really good all day.  To be honest with you we didn’t think we could make it in two (pit stops) all weekend.  We got so many cautions and I felt, you know they told me to save and I started saving a ton of gas and even saving gas we were pretty good.”
 
On the challenging 11-Turn, 2.45-mile road course, where passing is difficult, five-time series champion, Jimmie Johnson, ran a solid race in his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS to finish eighth overall from his 18-place starting position. Johnson maintained the series point lead on the strength of 15 top-10 finishes this season and now has a 75-point advantage over second place.
 
Kurt Busch brought his No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevy SS home in ninth, his 10th top-10 finish in 22 races completed this season.
 
Montoya and Busch were joined by four other Team Chevy drivers all recording top-15 finishes.  Jamie McMurray driving the No. 1 McDonald’s/Monopoly Chevrolet SS finished 11th followed by Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS in 13th.
 
Ryan Newman brought his No. 39 Haas Automation 30th Anniversary Chevrolet SS home in the 14th position followed by his Stewart-Haas Racing interim teammate, filling in for the injured Tony Stewart, Max Papis piloting the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS.
 
Kyle Busch (Toyota) was the race winner, Brad Keselowski (Ford) was second, Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota) finished third, and Carl Edwards (Ford) was fourth to round out the top-five.
 
The next race on the tour will be Sunday, August 18, 2013 at Michigan International Speedway.
 
POST RACE QUOTE:
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED FIFTH
TAKE US THROUGH THOSE LAST COUPLE OF LAPS.  THAT LOOKED LIKE FUN:
“It was fun it’s just not enough laps.  It’s hard to pass.  These cars, you know, guys that run up front are pretty good here.  Our Target Chevy was really good all day.  To be honest with you we didn’t think we could make it in two (pit stops) all weekend.  We got so many cautions and I felt, you know they told me to save and I started saving a ton of gas and even saving gas we were pretty good.”
 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING/DENVER MATTRESS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED NINTH
ON HIS RUN:
“It wasn’t one of my best efforts.  I felt like I was just off rhythm but the team did their job and we had great execution on pit strategy and we were able to gain some track position then.  Everybody it seems like is fast.  I think there is a group of us though in the top 10 that broke away most of the day.  We were right on the tail end of that group.  So I got up as high as fifth and I just couldn’t clear (Clint) Bowyer.  I think if I could have cleared Bowyer I would have hung on to a top five, but we just got out muscled at the end.  I wasn’t quite on my ‘A’ game today.”
 
MAX PAPIS, NO. 14 RUSH TRUCK CENTERS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 15TH
ON HIS RUN:
“I felt that we were definitely in bound to have a top 10 finish.  Really glad that Greg Biffle came over and apologized when he turned me around he said it was totally his mistake.  I think that really cost us a solid top 10. Beside this I drove the wheels off the car every lap.  Super proud of keeping the seat of Smoke (Tony Stewart) as warm as I could.  I felt I did a pretty good job and I’m proud of myself.”
 
WHAT HAPPENED LATE IN THE RACE WITH THE NO. 9?
“I don’t know.  The guy was sideways going up the hill.  I mean I’m going up the hill.  I touched him I turned him, not on purpose obviously.  I think that something broke in the back of his car. I guess.  Pretty weird deal.  It was not a good thing.”
 
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED ‘A’ DAY, ‘B’ DAY, HOW DO YOU LOOK AT IT?
“A+”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 20TH
IS IT MORE ABOUT SURVIVAL TODAY?
“Yeah and I think at the end of the day there was a lot going on especially at the end.  Really just trying to finish and really just trying to not get frustrated no matter what is going on out there and just taking what the car will give you.  So I just tried to stay calm and stay focused on not making any mistakes.  It was really easy to make mistakes out there and we worked on the car and I feel like we have a direction for next time.  I’m not sure.  We didn’t nail it today that is for sure, but I think we made gains for sure from the beginning of practice until the end of the race.  It’s just a matter of using that for next time and getting better.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT ON LAP 82 AND FINISHED 30TH
ON WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ACCIDENT:
“I’m fine.  The No. 18 was going after the No. 9 and tried to wreck the No. 9 and ended up hitting the No. 5, not the No. 18, but the No. 20. The No. 20 was going after the No. 9 and missed him or got him a little bit.  I don’t know if the No. 9 ended up wrecking or not, but ended up knocking the No. 5 out of the race and knocked ourselves out of the race and a couple of other guys.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT ON LAP 82 AND FINISHED 34TH
ON WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ACCIDENT:
“I’m fine.  I thought we had a pretty good Farmers Insurance Chevy.  I was trying to just get through there.  There were some openings there.  I’m not sure what happened.  I know I got hit in the left-rear.  I know the No. 9 was there and the No. 20.  I don’t know how it all happened because I haven’t seen it.  I felt like I was kind of over on my side of the road, but I would have to see it to know for sure.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – INVOLVED IN A CRASH ON LAP 13 – FINISHED THE RACE IN THE 38TH POSITION
IN REGARDS TO THE ACCIDENT WHICH OCCURRED ON LAP 13:
“It’s unfortunate. I had a big run on the No. 11 and I got up on him and the nose just completely took off and put me in the wall. We’ll get it fixed and go out there and ride around. That’s the penalty for making a mistake like that, you have to drive something like I’m getting ready to drive out there all days and we pay the price in points. It’s on to next week.”
 
WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE?
“Fight hard.  Just keep working to go to the next race and qualify better, execute better and not make mistakes.  That was my mistake that was on me today.  We can’t have stuff like that happen.”

Two Podium Finishes for Action Express Racing Corvette Daytona Prototypes
at Road America
Chevrolet solidifies lead in Rolex Series’ DP engine manufacturer championship
 
ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. (Aug. 10, 2013) – Action Express Racing’s two Corvette Daytona Prototypes (DP) placed second and third at Road America in Saturday’s VisitFlorida.com Sports Car 250, the ninth round of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa were runner-ups in the No. 5 Corvette DP, and teammates Brian Frisselle and Burt Frisselle were third in the No. 9 Corvette DP.
 
The finish enabled Chevrolet to maintain its lead in the engine manufacturer championship in the DP class. The No. 5 Action Express entry was one of three Chevrolet-powered entries to lead during the two-hour, 45-minute race.
 
GAINSCO/Bob Stallings’ Racing’s pairing of Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney closed to within four points of the DP driver’s championship and stand second. The No. 99 Corvette DP squad remained third in the team standings with three rounds left in the season.
 
“Today was another exciting day of Rolex Sports Car Series racing at Road America,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Congratulations to the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP driven by Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa, and the No. 9 Action Express Racing Corvette DP driven by Brian and Burt Frisselle on their podium finishes. Their efforts along with the other Corvette DP teams helped Chevrolet gain valuable points in the Rolex Series DP engine manufacturer standings.”
 
In GT, the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports’ Camaro GT.R of Robin Liddell and John Edwards placed eighth in a tough GT fight. Liddell and Edwards maintained their second-place position in the class’ driver’s championship with Stevenson Motorsports second in the team standings. Chevrolet is third in the GT manufacturers’ race.
 
Saturday’s Rolex Series race was the first half of a historic sports car doubleheader at Road America that also features the American Le Mans Series. The Rolex Series and ALMS will merge for 2014 to create United SportsCar Racing and a single, premier North American sports car racing championship.
“It is fantastic to see so many road racing fans here at Road America to watch the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and the American Le Mans Series this weekend,” Campbell said. “Attendance is up as the fans staked their favorite place around the four-mile track. You can feel the excitement of the fans as they get a preview of road racing in 2014 and the United SportsCar Racing series.”
 
The next round of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is the SFP Grand Prix on Saturday, Aug. 17 from Kansas Speedway.
 
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST RACE QUOTES:
 
JOAO BARBOSA, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS CORVETTE DP – FINISHED 2ND: “It all comes down to execution. Action Express did a tremendous job coming back from a little hiccup. They gave us a great car; the Corvette (Daytona Prototype) drove awesome today. We didn’t have the fastest car today. But that is why we keep telling is we have to execute, and we have to be consistent. We have to bring podiums and we have to bring points. This was a great points day, and I am really proud of all the Action Express people for a second and third place today. I am happy for Brian and Burt Frisselle on their third place finish today, they did a tremendous job. That’s a big statement to the team.”
 
CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP – FINISHED 2ND: “Unfortunately I flat-spotted the tire and we had to come in a little bit early, but still at that point we were in the race. We enough fuel to do the same amount of stops as all of the other guys. When it recycled, I was running P2. We were in the race. On my first stop, for some reason, the fuel didn’t come in the car, so I had to stop about six laps earlier than what we were planning. That definitely messed us up. But the yellows helped us today. It goes both ways; today we got helped by the yellow flags, but the same way he have been hindered in the past, at the end of the day, luck evens out. We’ll just keep on trying. Today was a good points day for us. We are solid in the championship and we are going to continue trying our very best.”
 
BRIAN FRISSELLE, NO. 9 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP – FINISHED 3RD: “The difference today was things kind of broke our way there at the end with the yellow. We’ve had some bad breaks, but this team has just been awesome all year. The No. 5 and the 9 both, the Action Express guys have been rocking. The Corvette Coyotes have been rocking. We finally got some track position at the end and were able to use it.”
 
BURT FRISSELLE, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP – FINISHED 3RD: “I definitely threw a curve ball at Elton (Sawyer, team manager) and Brian when I flat-spotted that tire with at minutes into the race. Elton took that curve ball, and hit is out of the park getting Brian the track position he needed. Brian drove a brilliant last stint, so I feel lucky to have gotten away a little error. These guys gave us such a good car underneath us. That Coyote Corvette was a joy to drive”