NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
MARCH 21, 2014
 
 
 
CALIFORNIA NATIVE JIMMIE JOHNSON LEADS TEAM CHEVY
IN QUALIFYING AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
SIX TEAM CHEVY DRIVER’S WILL START IN THE TOP-12
 
FONTANA, Calif. (March 21, 2014) – Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson led the way for Team Chevy in qualifying for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway with a third-place time of 38.516 (186.935 mph) in his No. 48 Lowe’s Spring is Calling Chevrolet SS.
 
As teams and drivers get accustomed to the new ‘knockout’ qualifying format, new strategies continue to emerge.  Tire conservation and the changing of lines was the name of the game during today’s session.  43 entrants took to the track for the first session 25-minute session before the field was cut to the 24 fastest 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 five-minute session, where the fastest single laps determined the pole winner and starting lineup.  Six Team Chevy drivers ended the day in the top 12.

2011 Auto Club Speedway winner Kevin Harvick will start fourth in his No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS followed by four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Jeff Gordon, piloting the No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet SS in sixth.

Tony Stewart, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, recorded his best qualifying effort thus far this year and will roll off from the 10th starting spot on Sunday.  Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Larson, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS will start 11th, and Martin Truex, Jr., No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet SS will start 12th.

Matt Kenseth (Toyota) was the pole winner, Brad Keselowski (Ford) was second and Clint Bowyer (Toyota) qualified fifth to round out the top-five.

The Auto Club 400 takes the green flag on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET and will be aired live on FOX.
 
 
POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S “SPRING IS CALLING” CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 3rd
 
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING RUN:
“Real consistent session for us.  We did a nice job managing things and managing the balance of the race car.  I felt like I got all that my car had on that last session, just came up a little bit short.  I knew (turns) one and two was the best that I could get out of it.  I just knew I was a little too tight, but (turns) three and four, man, I was flying over there.  I just wish that up through (turns) one and two it was a touch better.  The thing I am honestly most excited about is to start this good starting the weekend.  I feel like Vegas, Phoenix, even Bristol we were really working hard to catch up and to be a factor and to have speed.  We have unloaded with speed.  That is good for us.  We are kind of in familiar territory right now and back where we want to be starting a race weekend.”
 
WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO GO OUT AND PICK UP SPEED AT TIMES?
“Shocked.  I think the cooling track conditions helped and certainly the shade in (turns) three and four.  From watching the little fan scan thing the guys ran a higher line and got into the shade and found some speed and got back around.  That was really cool to see. I think the No. 88 and the No. 99 went faster.”
 
WE’VE NOW GOT THIS QUALIFYING FORMAT IN FOUR RACES.  HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?
“I think it’s awesome.  I really do.  This track has a high wear factor for the tires and I was concerned that if you had a bad lap you couldn’t go out and improve, but to see a couple of cars do that in the first session was nice.  I think there is an argument maybe for a second set of tires to come into play.  But for an abrasive race track I think this was a very competitive knockout qualifying session.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES & QUOTES
MARCH 21, 2014
 
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CHEERIOS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 20TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“We were just too loose. We were loose the first time and I tried to run the top the second time after seeing the guys were making some time up there. It felt good in (Turns) 3 and 4 where the track was a little more shaded. In (Turns) 1 and 2, I’m just sideways. But we’re better than half the field, I guess. We’ll just go out there tomorrow and practice and work on it and get it better in happy hour. But I’m not disappointed. I feel like we could have had a little bit more if I was tighter.”
 
ON THE INTENSITY OF THE NEW QUALIFYING FORMAT
“Oh, for sure it’s intense. I had my dad on the radio giving us like, you should get in line, you should get in line; and my crew chief is telling everybody to calm down because we’ve got time. It’s definitely a bidding war right there. We tried to make a swing at it out there in the end but we’ll take it and keep going.”
 
IS QUALIFYING IN A CUP CAR A LOT DIFFERENT FROM A NATIONWIDE CAR AT THIS TRACK?
“It’s quite a bit different in the Nationwide car. The thing is we’ve put so much downforce in these cars that they actually drive somewhat similar to a Nationwide car now. It’s just trying to get used to the new style qualifying I think. Me, being a rookie, I wish I would have run more laps on the top during practice. That’s about it. I was really focused on the bottom of the track and some of them guys went quick on the bottom. But we could never get our car to turn good enough to run down there and then we’d be free on exit.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S SPRING IS CALLING CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 3RD:
“It was nice to unload as we did with so much speed in the car. The first four or five weeks we’ve been learning at lot at these tracks trying to get caught-up with the new package and we’re off to a good start this weekend.”
 
HENDRICK TEAMS SEEM TO BE STRONG THIS WEEKEND
“Yeah, we’re all working hard in different areas to try to find speed. These rules are far different, but we know that we’ve got great bodies on the race cars and great Hendrick power and once we get all the ingredients put together I think we’ll see a parade of Hendrick cars out there at some point. That’s what I want to see.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 4TH
“Just hitting a lap, time after time is the thing here, especially when you run high like that. So, it’s a fine line between overdriving it, and like I said, I overdrove it around (Turn) 2 and under drove it around (Turn) 3. But giving up a tenth was a lot better than giving up four (tenths).”
 
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 15TH
“The first lap I missed the seam in (Turns) 1 and 2 real bad, which I do, more than 50 percent of the time here when I qualify. So, I should have known better and tried to run the top. But we went out another time and were able to get in the top 24 and then better ourselves a little bit more and get 15th place. Just having to run that extra run hurt our tires a little bit and we did lack a little speed today. But overall, 15th is pretty good considering where we were going to be. After that first lap we were outside the top 24 a pretty good ways.
 
“I’m going to study what my teammates are doing. And see who is fast and see what their thoughts are on their cars and just try to get the car to handle well on the bottom and the top. We’re going to study real hard and try to learn what’s to gain in the next 24 hours. It will be a good challenge though. I like running here. It’s a fun place. Even when you’re car is off a little bit you can sort of get a line and find a line and work on it. It should be a good race.”
 
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO HAVE TO GET YOUR BEST LAP MULTIPLE TIMES?
“it seems to be working in our favor. If it was just one shot like it was last year, we’d be in trouble and pretty disappointed. I think we were customarily qualifying around 22nd on average over the last three years. You know, we’d have a couple good qualifying runs here and there but typically we were around 18th – 22nd. So, this format has given us an opportunity to better ourselves and bump-up our qualifying average a little bit. Yeah, it would be nice to go out there and hit it the first time, early, and be able to cool your tires and relax and go out in the second session with cold tires and one less run so you can try to put down a better lap.”
 
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 11TH:
“It was nice to make the last round, but once I made the last round I just thought we’d be a lot better. But we just got too tight in that last run. So, we’ll take it. P11 is not bad.”
 
ON MAKING MULTIPLE RUNS
“I like it. Always your first time out, you’re not 100 percent comfortable. And then once you figure out the balance of your car that first run, you can usually attack it harder the second time. So, I like it that way. Maybe being a rookie, I don’t know what the other guys think about it, but I like it a lot.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 6TH:
“You really just have one lap at it. And that last run, I just got a little bit too tight going back to the gas in the middle of (Turns) 1 and 2 and it just cost us a little bit. It was unfortunate. I felt like we had a car that could really get it done today, but all in-all we’re having a great weekend so far and I’m real happy with the car.
 
“This is traditionally a great track for us at Hendrick Motorsports. I love this track; this is so much fun to drive with all the different grooves and lanes you can run on. And I think you’ll hear that across the board. I’m just having a lot of fun. I’ve got a great race car and a great race team. We’re just enjoying the season so far with the momentum that we’ve been able to have and then to come here and have a strong car like we have here just really gets me excited about Sunday’s race.”
 
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 21, 2014
 
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed what he likes about Auto Club Speedway, the challenges at Martinsville, his chances for a win, and more. Full Transcript:
 
ON THE CHALLENGES OF AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY:
“I like this race track. Everybody, for the longest time, compared this one to Michigan and they were not even close to the same. They are entirely opposite. Michigan has been repaved and this is the old worn-out California, which it never was. It’s a fun race track now, and the most fun it’s ever been in my career of being here for 12 years. I look forward to it.”
 
WHAT HAS CHANGED ABOUT IT?  WHAT DO DRIVERS LOOK FORWARD TO WHEN THEY COME HERE?
“We can get off line. We drive down the straightaways. It’s really just a lot of fun. It’s got a lot of character. So many race tracks now are repaved and have no character so to speak with bumps and things like that. We can move around the race track a good bit and have some fun.”
 
DO YOU LIKE MARTINSVILLE?
“I like Martinsville. I wish we had more tracks like Martinsville; not necessarily that shape. But short track racing is one of the best things we have going for our sport with the racing we have there.”
 
WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART OF MARTINSVILLE TO FIGURE OUT?
“Martinsville is just so much of a factor of mechanical grip. It all depends on what tire Goodyear brings there if you’re fighting forward drive or graining on the left sides. Things like that kind of manipulate your weekend and kind of get you off-path at times.”
 
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR CHANCES ARE FOR A WIN HERE?
I enjoy the race track. I think our cars have been good. We’ll see. It’s typically been a fun place to drive and a good place to race and we’ve seen a lot of excitement here, more so than we ever did at least last year compared to the years before.”
 
DO YOU FIND INCONSISTENCY DURING THE WEEKEND AT MARTINSVILLE?
“I don’t find that so much. It’s just really that you kind of have to chase the tire and the race track. I don’t know exactly what the Martinsville tire is but I assume it’s the same. But you never know.”
 
AFTER LAST YEAR’S RACE, DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE ON END OF RACE ETIQUETTE?
“I don’t think there’s anything different now this year than there ever has been in racing for 100 years. You’re here to win and you do what you’ve got to do to win. And you have a certain level of respect for your competitors. That could change throughout the race but that’s been the same for the last 100 years.”
 
NOW WITH THE SYSTEM OF ‘WIN AND YOU’RE IN’, DO YOU PAY ANY ATTENTION TO POINTS NOW?
“We’re here for the best possible finish we can get. If it’s a win then great. If not, we’ll go for second or for third and so on. It’s not about man we should try harder to win or we should try harder to finish in the top 10 to get better points. We’re here to do the best we possibly can. We’ll lap the field if we can.”
 
DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION ON SHORTENING THE LENGTH OF THE CUP RACES?
“Shortening the length of our races would be great for our sport and great for the fans. It would build the excitement sooner. And I don’t think it would necessarily change the outcome, I think it would just intensify our sport.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 21, 2014
 
KYLE LARSON, driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS, met with members of the media at Auto Club Speedway to talk about his finish at Bristol last weekend, making the Sprint Cup All-Star race this year, being a rookie in Sprint Cup and other topics. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
 
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE MOMENTUM FROM BRISTOL CARRYING OVER TO AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY?
“Yeah, last week at Bristol was great for our Target Chevy and Cartwheel Chevy in the Nationwide Series. I’m excited to get here to California. It’s my home state. I grew up about six hours north of here so it’s a little bit of a home race for me. So I’m really looking forward to it. I’m hoping we have two good runs again. Definitely after the runs we had last weekend, it should help build a little bit more momentum. So I’m definitely excited about this weekend.”
 
GOING INTO YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT AT THE ALL-STAR RACE, YOU’RE ELIGIBLE FOR THE FAN VOTE. IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIAL YOU OR YOUR FANS ARE DOING TO GET YOUR NAME OUT THERE?
“Nothing yet. It will be tough to beat Austin (Dillon) and Danica (Patrick) for that vote. So we will probably have to race our way in, so that’ll make it fun. It would be nice to get a win before the All-Star race and not have to run the ‘B-Main’ as I call it.”
 
YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD BE AN EASY ROOKIE SEASON WITH A LOT OF EXPECTATIONS. WHAT HAS BEEN THE ONE THING THAT YOU THOUGHT WAS GOING TO BE HARDER THAT MAYBE HAS BEEN EASIER? AND ON THE CONVERSE, WHAT HAS BEEN A LITTLE EASIER THAN YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE?
“Nothing has really been easy. It’s all been tough. Everything is tough in the Sprint Cup Series. I got a glimpse of it last year being able to run four races so I understood how tough it was going to be this season. So nothing has really surprised me at all to start this season. Everybody races extremely hard all race long. The field is really tight. In Nationwide from what I was used to last year, it’s pretty spread out with the quality of the field and all that. In Cup, there are 25-30 drivers that are pretty fast. That’s what makes the Cup series really tough.”
 
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO PREPARE FOR MARTINSVILLE? YOU HAVEN’T RACED THERE VERY MUCH. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’VE BEEN DOING?
“Not yet. When I get home, I’m sure I’ll run it a little bit on iRacing to try and get used to that stuff. Martinsville is a lot different than what I’ve ever done. I didn’t feel like we were very good there last year when I ran the Cup race and we ended up blowing our engine up so I didn’t get in a full race. But gaining that little bit of experience last season will help some going there again this year. It’s probably not a race I’m looking forward to; I’m pretty nervous about that one. Hopefully we can just stay out of trouble and get a good finish.”
 
THIS IS A WIDER TRACK, AND YOU WERE AT BRISTOL LAST WEEK WHICH IS A BULLRING. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO TREAT THE RACING HERE? HOW MUCH EASIER OR HARDER WILL IT BE?
“I love racing at Auto Club Speedway. It’s probably one of my favorite tracks because it is so wide. You can run anywhere on the track it seems like. Grip changes throughout the race and slows down throughout a run. Those seem to be the tracks that I think I do the best at, even though last week at Bristol was as far as my stats go is my best track. But I like these bigger, slicker tracks. Hopefully practice goes good and we have a solid car and can have a good race on Sunday.”
 
LAST WEEK, IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT DYLAN (KWASNIEWSKI) IS GOING TO BE A DEVELOPMENT DRIVER WITH GANASSI. BEING A ROOKIE IN THAT ORGANIZATION, DO YOU FIND IT HARD TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO A MUCH YOUNGER ROOKIE OR ARE YOU FOCUSED ON YOURSELF AT THIS POINT?
“Since I’m running Nationwide this year with Dylan at Turner Scott Motorsports, I can help a little bit because of all the stuff he’s going through this year, I experienced last year. I can give him tips on how the track may change throughout a race and things like that – more driving right now in terms of advice. But he’s a really good kid and smart kid. It’s nice to have him as part of the team. It’s pretty cool getting to work with him. I got to spend a few days with him this week doing some stuff with NASCAR in LA. I’d say we’re pretty good friends, and it’s easy to work with him.”
 
I’D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT YOU’VE CHANGED IN YOUR CONDITIONING PRE-NASCAR TO NOW AS FAR AS YOUR PHYSICAL BODY GOES.
“Not a whole lot, really. Back when I raced sprint cars, I was probably in better shape because I’d race almost every day. Now I have a few days off in the week. I worked out a little bit in the offseason. I haven’t had too much time to do that after the season started. I’ve been a little bit busier. But once things slow down… it seems like the season finally starts getting in a rhythm after this race so I’ll try to get back to the shop and work out with our personal trainer.”
 
WHERE ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO USE YOUR TESTS THIS YEAR, AND IS THERE ANY CONCERN AS FAR AS THE ROAD COURSES GO?
“I think we are going to VIR sometime soon to do a road course test. As far as the handful of tests we get at tracks we race at, I don’t know what we’re doing yet. Our car is running OK so far, so we might try to save them for later this season. If we’re in the Chase or close to the Chase, we’ll use those tracks to get better at.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 21, 2014
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S “SPRING IS CALLING” CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Auto Club Speedway and discussed not having a victory thus far in the season,  racing at his home track and many other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
EARLY IN THE SEASON, BUT YOU STILL DON’T HAVE A WIN.  FIVE WINS AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY TALK ABOUT GOING FOR THE WIN THIS WEEKEND AND HOPEFULLY GETTING THAT SPOT IN THE CHASE:
“Yeah this is a good track for us.  It would be great to get the win and get ourselves locked in to the Chase.  But I think we are in a good spot, we’ve been very competitive.  We have had a shot to win a couple of races.  Bristol isn’t our best race track and unfortunately we had that tire issue early, but I still had a great car and a lot of fun in the race.  Left there with a very good impression on where our cars are and where we are going with things.  We will get out there today and see how things go and hopefully get to that final grouping for a shot at the pole today and then obviously get out there tomorrow and work on our race stuff.  All in all things are well and we will hopefully get a win before long.”
 
LAST WEEK WHEN YOUR TIRE SHREDDED AND CHAD (KNAUS) MADE THE COMMENT ON THE RADIO, SOMETHING LIKE ‘I SUPPOSE THAT IS OUR FAULT TOO’.  WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?
“Definitely frustrated and then if you look at how things transpired from there when Goodyear had a chance to respond it was our fault.  That is what Chad was preparing us for.  That of course it was going to be our fault.  I went in the truck and sat down and talked with Rick Campbell and I get along with Rick great and we had a great conversation about the wear on the tire and what potentially could have happened.  From a team standpoint we are still very adamant that the wear on the tire was not the issue.  A lot of guys had left-front wear and issues with the left-front and some stuff going on there.  We are very confident, and the tire was still intact.  Just a half inch strip came unwound from the inside corner of the tire and it was some 60 feet long.  We laid it out from the front of the truck all the way to the back of the trailer.  We could see every wear hole on it.  It wasn’t worn out.  That is all Chad was kind of referencing is that it would be our fault in the end and it was blamed as our fault.”
 
DID YOU GET ANY ANSWERS THAT MADE YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT IT FROM GOODYEAR?
“At that point there is not a lot that you can do.  We just try to learn from it and try to give them the tire and all the information we can so they can make a better product.  They tested there in October or something last year and the temperatures were far different.  It became apparent to everybody early in practice that the temps weren’t the same and the tire wasn’t acting the same.  It’s not an easy job that they have, but I think we can come back with a little better tire there.”
 
AT WHAT POINT IN THE SEASON DO YOU AND CHAD START TO GET A LITTLE ANTSY ABOUT NOT GETTING YOUR FIRST WIN OF THE YEAR?
“It’s not even close to time yet.  When you look at the stats and you have 16 different winners in a year it’s a pretty rare occurrence.  I still think that points are every bit as important as they have been until you get to Homestead.  Even when you get into the Chase itself the top guy in points will advance in pretty much every scenario or every scenario, even the final one to race at Homestead.  So points are still the focus in what I’m looking at.  We have been able to win multiple races a year with a certain mindset.  I am not going to chase home runs.  I’m looking at a smooth and consistent 26 races and when we get a look at a home run we are going to swing for it.  But we are not stepping up to the plate every time trying to hit it out.”
 
THEY MADE THIS RACE SHORTER A FEW YEARS AGO AND MADE THE RACING BETTER.  WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON MAKING SOME OF THE RACING THAT IS 500 MILES AND THE REST OF THE SEASON A LITTLE SHORTER?
“It’s a great idea.  Maybe 25 races a year would be really good?  30 maybe?”
 
ON THE FINAL RESTART WE HAD CONTROVERSY LAST YEAR WHAT IS THE ETIQUETTE WHEN TAKING THAT FINAL RESTART AND KEEPING SOMEONE BEHIND YOU IF YOU ARE STARTING IN SECOND PLACE?
“The final restart it’s all out the window.  I think etiquette comes into play earlier in the race and there is a little bit more give and take scenario.  But that final restart I’m not expecting anybody to cut me any slack.  That is not going to cross my mind with a guy in front of me.  It’s out the window and it’s time to get the best finish you can.”
 
WHAT NEEDS TO BE LEARNED FROM THE TIRE WEAR LAST WEEK THAT CAN CARRY OVER NOT ONLY TO THAT TRACK BUT MAYBE POTENTIALLY TO OTHER TRACKS DOWN THE ROAD?
“I didn’t test there for Goodyear.  All I can go off of is just my opinion so it’s nothing to write home about.  The thing I can see is Saturday when the temperatures came up the track laid rubber and tire wear got a lot better, especially the left-sides.  The right-sides were holding up fine.  The left-sides weren’t laying rubber down and you could see that white ring around the bottom of the race track.  We were all running so low and it would wear that left-side tire out.  The tire was almost rolling up and leaving marbles all around the track except for that warmer Saturday practice session, the second one we had.  Come to find out the test session it took a while for rubber to lay down and when the track temperatures came up and the test session heated up the track finally took rubber.  There is something in the compound; I would suspect it’s in the compound and the temperature where the track will accept the rubber versus ball up.  If that makes any sense at all.”
 
YOU’VE GOT FIVE WINS HERE AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY MOST OF ANY ACTIVE DRIVER WHAT IS YOUR SECRET FOR BEING SO SUCCESSFUL HERE? WHY ARE YOU AND THE TEAM SO GOOD HERE?
“I think our team has done well on kind of low grip level race tracks.  This track is in that category and pretty high on that list in today’s standards.  That has usually been good for us.  Hopefully we’ve got that magic once again.  The character in the track continues to changes and the bumps.  Last year especially the bumps were as big as I’ve ever seen them.  The paving seams are very sensitive to run your right-side tires on.  We have seen that in the NASCAR vehicles and also IndyCar.  So I think those challenging elements are good for the No. 48.”
 
I KNOW IT’S EARLY IN THE SEASON BUT DO POINTS MATTER AT ALL ANYMORE WITH THE ‘WIN AND YOU ARE IN’ THING?
“I absolutely care about points.  I think that it’s a pretty rare situation to have 16 different winners in 26 races.  There will be people transferring into the Chase based on points.  Even as you look at three races and how many spots are available on the second segment and third segment the point’s leader or the highest person in points without a win is going to transfer.  Absolutely points are still very important until Homestead and then it doesn’t matter.”
 
NEXT WEEK IS THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF RICK HENDRICK’S FIRST NASCAR WIN. THERE MIGHT NOT BE ANOTHER PRO TEAM OWNER IN PRO SPORTS THAT HAS HAD SUCH A LONG CONSISTENT RUN OF SUCCESS. IF YOU HAD TO EXPLAIN WHAT MAKES RICK HENDRICK SO GOOD AT KEEPING THAT KIND OF GROUP TOGETHER AND HAVING THAT KIND OF SUCCESS WHAT IS IT?
“I think it’s a couple of things.  One his love and passion for cars is second to none.  He has an automotive empire and then his racing s
tuff. They really play off of one another.  I know a lot of other successful business men diversify and have many other interests and things that keep them busy.  But Rick is a car guy.  I think there is a lot of weight in that.  Then the other aspect is the man that he is.  People want to work for him and they show up and do the best that they can.  They treat our company like it’s theirs.  Due to Rick’s personality and who he is as a man.  I put it in those two categories.”
 
AFTER RACE FIVE WE WILL HAVE BEEN TO EVERY KIND OF RACE TRACK.  DO YOU GUYS, AS A DRIVER, AS A TEAM, MAKE ANY KIND OF FORMAL ASSESSMENT AFTER THIS RACE?
“We do and we are ready for the next five.  We showed up at all, except Daytona, we showed up at four of the five pretty far off, especially off the truck.  We didn’t test as often as we would have liked during the off season to understand this new rules package.  We have been playing a bit of catch up.  So when I look at our progress from Friday practice session to Sunday race or the Thursday that we had in Las Vegas we have covered a lot of territory at every track, Bristol included.  The next five are going to be real good races for us.  If we can come off the truck how we kind of start a race I think we will be in that race winning window.”
 
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR WEEK HERE? DO YOU GET TO GO DOWN TO SAN DIEGO? THE GUY THAT WINS GETS BOOED A LOT AT A LOT OF PLACES, BUT THIS IS YOUR HOME TRACK DO YOU KIND OF FEEL LIKE YOU CAN COME HERE AND FEEL A LITTLE BIT MORE LOVE WHEN YOU ARE HERE?
“Definitely and it’s for sure our best souvenir sales if you look at any track.  We come home and we see it on all fronts from cheers to licensed merchandise selling at the truck.  It’s great to be home and feel that love for sure.  This trip out I’ve not been to San Diego.  We are going to do that before the Sonoma race when we have our golf tournament. I came out yesterday and did some media in LA (Los Angeles) and took advantage of being out here in this market and just kind of hanging out.”
 
HOW MUCH OF BEING HOME IS A DISTRACTION?  NOW THAT WE ARE FOUR RACES INTO THE SEASON IS THERE ANYTHING THAT HAS SURPRISED YOU?
“Over the years I’ve learned how to deal with being home and family and friends at this point have been to enough races and kind of the shine is off of it.  Everybody cuts me some slack.  The surprising thing for the year would be how complicated the set-ups are on the car.  Some minor changes in the rules, at least in the wordage in the rule book and what we are allowed to do with minimum ride height in that particular area has completely changed how you work on the cars; they are very sensitive and very difficult to get right.  That has been our biggest learning curve right now is how to get all your ride heights correct and not have it change the balance of the race car and the set-up of the race car.  Because with the front sway bar and geometry and then your rear ride heights and all that whole mouse trap that goes on it gets really confusing and you can create issues.  That part has been a big shock to everybody.”
 

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS, WAS THE GUEST ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
 
THE MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Today we’re joined by Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender is coming off a career‑best 10th‑place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway, as he gets set to make his Sprint Cup Series debut at Auto Club Speedway.
 
Kyle, talk about heading into this weekend’s race with at momentum of a 10th‑place finish.
 
KYLE LARSON:  It’s definitely a good feeling going into the California, my home state, with a good finish at Bristol.
 
We’ve had really fast cars all year long.  Just haven’t really caught the right breaks to get those top 10s.  I feel at Phoenix and Vegas both we had top‑10 cars.  I got stuck a lap down there from mistakes.
 
I think with the good finish at Bristol, it’s really going to hopefully turn things around, hopefully bring a lot of consistency.
 
THE MODERATOR:  We’ll now go to the media for questions.
Q.  I saw the tweet you sent yesterday saying that it was a good finish after the first few weeks.  You mentioned mistakes you made, can you expand on that?  I know the troubles you had early in the Daytona 500.  What’s really been the biggest issue in the first three weeks?  I know Bristol is a completely different track.  Maybe the style of track was different, but what was the biggest change for you that made you have this breakthrough performance at Bristol?
KYLE LARSON:  Well, at Phoenix we got caught under green‑flag stops where we had a long stop there went a lap down.  Just kept barely missing the Lucky Dog.  Like I said, thought we had an eighth‑ to 12th‑place car there.
 
Then at Vegas I sped in pit road and we had lots of green‑flag runs and could never get a Lucky Dog there, so…
 
Finally at Bristol, we finally had a race that nothing went wrong for us.  Daytona I got in the wall, got in the wreck late.  Bristol was the first week of the season that was mistake‑free and drama‑free, I guess, didn’t have anything happen to us.  Hopefully we’ll have more and more of those.
 
After the first three weeks I realized to even get a top 15, you have to be almost perfect or have a perfect race.  It’s tough to come back from mistakes in this series.  I learned that really quick.
Q.  When you’re up there chasing Matt Kenseth for the lead, are you getting excited?  Ultimately you finished 10th, but can you sort of see it and feel it, Holy cow, I might be able to get this win?
KYLE LARSON:  Yeah, I definitely thought that through the midpoint of the race.  Our Target car was extremely fast in the middle of the race.  I thought if we were quick enough that if everything works out, maybe we can win.
There at the end maybe we pitted when we shouldn’t have and then it was tough to pass.  It’s really actually exciting to be a little bit disappointed in a top‑10 finish in the Cup Series.  Like I said, this series is really competitive and hard to do well in.  I thought we had a top‑five race going for sure and ended up 10th.
 
Career‑best Sprint Cup finish for me and a little bit disappointing, too.  I guess that’s a good thing, though, from where this team has come from.
Q.  Obviously you made a few starts last year in the Cup Series.  What has been the biggest adjustment in the first four weeks of this year making that transition to Cup?
KYLE LARSON:  The biggest adjustment?  There are a lot of adjustments.  Maybe the one that stands out is trying to get your feedback right to your crew chief from Happy Hour to the race.  That’s something we’ve struggled with at Phoenix and Vegas both were making the right adjustments on the car to start out the race good.  We got behind a little bit in the beginning of both races and it’s hard to come back from those.
 
Communicating well with your crew chief, even though I ran those Cup races last year, these really are the first four races I’ve got to work with Chris Heroy.  I did some testing with him last year, but it’s totally different than putting yourself in situations in races and stuff.  The communication part has been a big adjustment.
Q.  Is the extra seat time you’re still getting in the Nationwide Series helping you on the Cup side at all?
KYLE LARSON:  I think it helps a little bit just knowing how the track might change throughout a race.  I really think it helps for my Nationwide race running the Cup stuff.  Now when I get in the Nationwide car, it feels slow.  Things happen slower.  I have more confidence in that.  That’s why I’ve been running really well in that car so far, too.  I think it helps the Cup Series a little bit, but I think it helps the Nationwide Series a whole bunch.
Q.  There’s always talk about Cup guys running in Nationwide.  How important is it for you to have that extra track time?  If they made rules saying that Cup guys can’t do Nationwide, how would you feel about it?
KYLE LARSON:  I would be disappointed if they ever did that.  I don’t see them ever doing it.
 
I think the Nationwide regulars like Cup guys running with them.  I know I do.  I consider myself still young, I guess, in racing stockcars.  Whenever I’m out there with guys like Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, I can see them in front of me, I’m learning a lot from them.
 
I like it.  I think it’s good for the development side of the young drivers ’cause it is a development series for those kids.  I think it’s a good thing for NASCAR to have the Cup guys in there because it’s just going to make their series more competitive when those young guys move up.
Q.  Do you feel like your start of the Cup season has proven anybody wrong, has shown that you do belong in Cup?
KYLE LARSON:  Maybe just that Bristol race, then moments of the race in Vegas I felt like I was really competitive, too.  I hope fans see that I’ve been competitive each week, maybe not at Daytona, but every week since then I feel like I’ve been pretty competitive.  I hope they see that.
Q.  You’re running all the Nationwide companion events.  Was that your idea, Turner Scott’s idea?
KYLE LARSON:  I think that was everybody’s idea.  Chip Ganassi, he really wanted me to do double duty.  I think I read a stat somewhere before the year, I’ve only ran 40 something stockcar races in my career.  I’m getting double the amount of experience in stockcars this year running both.  I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s good for Turner Scott Motorsports to have me still over there racing.
 
Now that Dylan is a development driver over here for Chip Ganassi, me and him get to work together a little bit.  I can teach him some things and all that. It’s kind of cool I guess being the veteran of that team over there.
Q.  Does part of you wish you still could be eligible for the Nationwide championship given the year you’re having so far?
KYLE LARSON:  Yeah, yeah, I thought about that the other day.  Obviously I like where I’m at right now.  Yeah, we’ve been running really well for far.  I guess I can still try and get Harry Scott and Steve Turner the owners championship.  Maybe I can help them accomplish that.
Q.  I know you were talking earlier about the communication being one of the adjustments.  Have you found it much different running since you ran mid‑pack and towards the front just what it’s like running in those situations, how it differs from the Nationwide Series, what the pace has been like in the Cup Series with these limited starts
?  Anything struck you about those situations?
KYLE LARSON:  Just the whole field is really aggressive in the Cup Series.  The pace, like you said, throughout the field is a lot quicker.  It’s more aggressive.
 
Nationwide, you get up to the top three or four, that’s really when the pace quickens.  But in Cup, everybody is so even, it’s tough to get an edge on somebody.  It’s just extremely tough.
 
I don’t know.  It’s a lot of fun doing that.  At Bristol I got to be up front.  You get in the back, it’s tough to pass because everybody is going so hard, a lot of the same speeds.  It makes it interesting for us and makes us try harder.
Q.  You talk about the aggressive thing.  Some people might be surprised because they might say that the Nationwide races would be aggressive because they’re shorter races.  Can you explain what you mean by things are more aggressive?  What’s happening out there that is more aggressive than what you’ve seen?
KYLE LARSON:  You know, in the Cup Series, there is a little bit more of a give‑and‑take.  I just feel like the top 25 guys are all racing really hard.  Even though it could be a 500‑mile race, you’re still racing as hard as you can to position yourself to be up near the front at the end.
 
It’s hard to give up a little bit when you know it might affect you at the end.  I know everybody thinks that when they’re racing.
 
As a fan, before I ever came over here, Oh, they’re long races.  They just ride around till the last hundred laps or whatever.  But for my first race at Charlotte last year in the Cup Series, I realize there’s not as much give‑and‑take as I thought.  It’s all racing really hard the whole time, and it’s a lot of fun.
Q.  I like how you said that you still consider yourself really young, you feel young.  A lot of times we forget how young the drivers are.  You are in the Cup Series.  I wonder if you feel that way when you go into the garage, not just the learning part but the way people treat you in there or address you as you’re around these veteran drivers?  If so, since you are a Cup driver, how long will it be before you don’t feel that?
KYLE LARSON:  I don’t know, I think it takes a little bit of time.  It’s nice, I think being there’s so many rookies in the Cup Series this year.  The veterans aren’t eyeing one rookie because there’s seven or eight of us out there.
 
I am extremely young still.  But I think it’s a good thing for everything really in this, being the new style of rules or whatever for this car.  I’m not used to how it was in the past.  I think that’s good.
 
As far as the way the other drivers have been treating me, it’s all been good so far.  I’ve raced everybody clean so far, and they’re doing the same with me. We’ll keep trying to do it the same way.
Q.  Are you a goal setter setting where you should be right now?  Do you do the best you can and you don’t set yourself specific areas?
KYLE LARSON:  Well, I want to be fast each week.  I feel like we have been fast each week.  I felt, like, as far as the speed of the cars, where they’re at, I feel like our goals are close to being met, just our finishes haven’t met our expectations. But, yeah, I think as far as how the cars have been, our goals have been met there.
Q.  About your Rookie of the Year contention, obviously you won it last year in the Nationwide Series.  This year you’re competing with Austin Dillon. You finished 10th, he finished 11th this weekend.  When you’re racing someone week in, week out for the top rookie honors, do you naturally start having a little rivalry to where you’re paying attention to what he’s doing?  Also, what would it mean to win Rookie of the Year in Cup after winning it in Nationwide?
KYLE LARSON:  Yeah, I pay attention because obviously Austin is the favorite, I would say, for winning that title.  I definitely pay attention to where he’s at on the speed charts or in the running motor, wherever, during the race.  I don’t know if he does the same with me or not.
 
I think it’s fun.  I had a lot of fun racing at the end of the Bristol race on Sunday.  He was quite a bit faster than I was.  I was driving as hard as I could, as hard as I did the whole race, to try to stay in front of him.  We ran clean and hard.
 
I’m sure we’re going to have a lot of good races this year with Austin.  I hope it’s a nice, tight battle to the end.  It would mean a lot if I could win that Rookie of the Year award.  Like I said, I only had 40 something stockcar races in my career before I got to the Cup Series.  I think it would mean a lot if I could beat guys that have a lot more experience in stockcars.
 
Austin has won Nationwide Rookie of the Year, Truck Rookie of the Year, and championships in both series.  So if I could stop him this year and win that Rookie of the Year, it would be really special.
Q.  Regarding the points standings, is it too early to start thinking of those in terms of Rookie of the Year or do you set your goals that high and sort of let the chips fall where they may?
KYLE LARSON:  I don’t know.  I think you still have to worry about points a little bit to position yourself to make the Chase if you don’t win a race.  I always try and pay attention to that.  Like I say, I pay attention to where Austin’s running so hopefully I can beat him for Rookie of the Year.
 
It’s nice that you win a race, you get locked in.  But you still have to try your best to gain as many points as you can.
Q.  You’ve driven many different types of cars.  What was the biggest change when you started driving Cup cars?
KYLE LARSON:  I think the biggest change between everything versus Cup is just the competition level.  You’ve grown up racing winged Sprint cars, I used to think the best drivers in the world were in the World of Outlaws Series.  I still think they are very good, but the depth of the really good drivers in the Cup Series is really amazing.  That’s what makes it really tough, is there’s 25 to 30 drivers out there each week that are extremely good and fast.  You go to the World of Outlaws race, there might be seven or eight guys you have to beat.
 
I think that’s what makes it really tough.  Probably the one thing, I don’t know, that didn’t surprise me but made me realize how tough it really is.
 
THE MODERATOR:  That’s all the time we have today.  Kyle, thanks for joining us this week and good luck at Auto Club.
 
KYLE LARSON:  Thank you, guys.

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6 DRIVERS MIKE CONWAY, SCOTT DIXON, TONY KANAAN AND JUAN PABLO MONTOYA met with members of the media at the open test for the Verizon IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park.  Full transcript:
 
 
MIKE CONWAY, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET:
“So far it’s been very good.  Really enjoying working with Ed Carpenter Racing and the whole group of guys there.  I know a few of them from before that I worked with.  Still it’s good to get back together and work on a program for the season.  Preseason testing has gone well, but still need to keep working hard.  Obviously we are trying to learn as much as we can once we are allowed on track over these next two days.  That will be our final prep then really for St. Pete.  I’m looking forward to all the races ahead really.  I think we still have a little bit of time to find maybe, but we are working hard to find that and hopefully we will get that over the next two day and looking forward to the season ahead.  I got a good few races last year which I was fortunate to get and then obviously really happy to get all the races I’m getting this year with Ed Carpenter Racing. Really thankful for that and can’t wait to get going.”
 
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK HAS BEEN GOOD TO YOU IN THE PAST.  TALK A LITTLE ABOUT RACING AT THE TRACK:
“I love the track as opposed to when we first came here in 2009. It’s more of a track I’m used to with the European style of tracks being quite fast flowing.  It’s good fun here.  It’s always very testing on the tires and the car. It’s always some parts of the circuit compare to other it’s a bit of a give and take sometimes with set-up.  It’s always good to get that going.  It’s a fun place to come to and I think one of the best tracks including all the facilitates and the cool museum they have here. It’s always good to be here.”
 
DO YOU HAVE A PROGRAM LINED UP IN EUROPE BESIDE YOUR INDYCAR COMMITMENT?
“No, I have a deal with Toyota doing the testing with the LMP1 program and some LMP2 running as well in the WEC Series (FIA World Endurance Championship).  Yeah, keep me busy a lot of back and forth to Europe this year.  It’s good.  Lots of seat time which is good for me.  I’m glad, very fortunate to have a few programs going on.  I’m happy about that.”
 
HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT TO GET THE CAR TO YOUR LIKING COMING IN KIND OF FRESH WITH MAYBE HOW ED (CARPENTER) LEFT IT WITH WHAT HE LIKES IN A CAR VERSUS WHAT YOU LIKE IN A CAR?
“It’s been good I’ve been able to take my time a little bit longer obviously with all the testing we have had or we are going to have before the first race.  It’s been good for me to really kind of all the little details that you kind of don’t have time to work on during a race weekend has really been good to work on those.  Yeah, really explore different things, just testing loads of different items which you can’t do on a race weekend.  It’s been really good for me to learn a bit more about the car and how they have been running it and the way we progressed it over the last few tests that we have had. It’s been good; every time we have gone out we have improved it which is the main thing.  Still some bits to work on but we are looking good I think.”
 
WAS IT THAT FAR OFF WHEN YOU GOT IN THE CAR?
“No I mean straight away the car felt good when we got in at Sebring.  No I was happy with the car, but you know you always try and get it in more of a direction that you like or you are used to.  But not they definitely did a good job with preparing the car.”
 
IS IT A BIG CHANGE TO GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN INDYCAR, LMP1 AND LMP2?  IS THERE A BIG DIFFERENCE FOR YOU?
“No, it’s not really a big thing to jump back and forth to.  Yeah, each car has obviously got their own little details, intricacies and the way you have to drive them.  It’s good for me I think just to develop new skills and to apply them to different cars.  I think it’s been really good for me in terms of driving different things.  I’m enjoying that and it is certainly helping IndyCar again too it’s definitely helping me.  It’s been fun.”
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:
 
TONY KANAAN, NO. 10 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET:
 
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET:
 
WHAT IS THE TRANSITION LIKE COMING FROM SEBRING TO PREPARE FOR TESTING AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK?

SCOTT DIXON: “Not too bad.  We were just talking about it, but I will say a 12-hour is a lot easier to recover from than a 24-hour.  I think my biggest issue was staying up for the Formula 1 race and then falling asleep 10 minutes before it started.  I think the race for us was a lot of fun.  The car was really competitive.  We had a few up’s and down’s at the end, but it was really successful for the team which was fantastic to see.  I’m really proud of the No. 01 guys, but I don’t know.  It feels good and the travel was pretty easy to get here obviously.  I had a day to relax so definitely ready to go.  Unfortunately it’s a little wet out there now which has added to the delays today so far.”
 
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING TO LEARN FROM TODAY?
 
TONY KANAAN: “I think it’s a lot of we have all of us, we have our race engines for the first time.  It’s going to be making sure everything runs okay and we can get a couple… the last two good days before the season starts.  I think it’s getting rid of some of the issues that we probably can’t avoid up until we get to St. Pete and just have a good test.  We are coming back here to race, but still a track that we haven’t tested this year as a team so it will be pretty important for us to come out of here with a pretty good idea of what we wanted to have.”
 
MAKING YOUR RETURN TO INDYCAR THIS SEASON I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN TO A FEW TESTS WITH A LOT OF CARS ON TRACK WITH YOU.  THIS IS THE FIRST SERIES OFFICIAL OPEN TEST WITH THE FIELD YOU WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN.  AS YOU CONTINUE THAT ADJUSTMENT PERIOD WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU WILL BE LOOKING FOR TODAY?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: “For us it’s work on the car and myself a little bit on new tires.  Just trying to find a good balance on long runs.  Just learn.  We just have to keep going through a learning process again and just see what happens.”
 
WHEN YOU CAME BACK TO OPEN WHEEL FROM THE NASCAR BUSINESS HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT TO ADAPT THE CAR?  IS THERE STILL SOMETHING YOU CAN USE WHEN YOU WERE DRIVING CHAMP CARS WITH THESE NEW DALARRA CARS?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: “I think a little bit of everything that I have done helps me with experience.  Adjusting to the cars no I got up to speed pretty easy.  There are a lot of things still to learn.  Sebring was easy because I have been there before.  I was there before in the Champ cars so I knew the track really well.  Did a lot of laps back in the day.  It hasn’t changed, it’s bumpier than hell, but has always been.  It is what it is.  I’m very open minded about this year.  I think being with Team Penske and Verizon is really exciting.  We have a hell of a car, hell of a team and I’m very open minded right now what’s coming.”
 
DO YOU EXPECT YOUR TEAMMATES TO BE AS HELPFUL AS THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE OFF SEASON ONCE THE SEASON STARTS?
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: “Yeah I think we work really well together.  We have a really good friendship with Helio (Castroneves) and Will (Power) and we understand that the ultimate goal is the team.  We get that.  I think we do a really good job of working together and maximizing everything and helping ea
ch other.  Yeah, I don’t see why not.”
 
COMING INTO ST. PETE WHAT IS GOING TO BE YOUR MINDSET WITH THE NEW DIFFERENT FORMAT TO THE WEEKEND, THE FAST SIX QUALIFYING ALL THOSE THINGS YOU HAVEN’T REALLY EXPERIENCED?
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: “I haven’t experienced for example red tires.  I asked why they don’t give us red tires for practice or like official tests like today would have been useful to get on a set of reds to get an idea of what they do, but have to wait until St. Pete and see what it does.  I think the positive is I did a lot of testing in Formula 1 with a lot of different tires, hard, soft so you learn to drive them all.  I think that will play into my hands a little bit.  Of course I think the guys that do it every week know what the tires doing they are going to be a little bit ahead of me on that, but we will see.  It’s a matter of putting a good lap together.”
 
YOU SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN NASCAR, REGRETS MAYBE NOT LIVING UP TO THE EXPECTATIONS THAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO DO ON THAT SIDE OF THE RACING WORLD?
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: “Not really. We did what the team could do and what the car could do.  When we had a good car we made the Chase we won races and we competed for wins on oval and stuff.  But when you don’t have the car to win it makes it impossible.  When the car was competitive and it was good we were good when it was bad it was bad.  As a driver you can do so much, but at the end of the day if your equipment is not where it needs to be it makes it impossible.”
 
JUST THE FACT YOU MIGHT GET TO TRY OUT BOTH RAIN TIRES AND DRY TRACK TIRES DOES THAT HELP?

TONY KANAAN: “I think we are going to be using slick tires.  Maybe some people will do an installation lap with the slicks, but the track is going to be damp for sure this afternoon, but it looks like tomorrow will be better.  Different conditions for a fact I believe that when we come back here it is not going to be this cold.  Just have to play with what we got.  Track time is extremely important especially now a days that we don’t have much track time. This is really the first time that we are all together.  It’s just a different day.”
 
HOW DOES BARBER STACK UP WITH OTHER VENUES IN TERMS OF TESTING?
 
SCOTT DIXON: “I think at this point of the season it’s just getting miles.  We have only done three days so far this year. It doesn’t really apply to any other track that we go to.  At least this year Sonoma, Mid-Ohio we run similar tires so that actually helps a lot.  Years previous the tires have been different from track to track to track.  Barber is a unique circuit.  It’s kind of close to Mid-Ohio and Sonoma, but in a lot of ways it’s not.  It’s unique, it’s a lot of fun, it’s a fantastic facility and definitely for the fans and people out this way it’s been a fantastic event for us.  This early in the season to get miles is the important thing as Tony (Kanaan) touched on.  Everybody has got their first new engine spec for one of the four engines for the season.  There is a lot to be learned on drive ability.  There are some brake options that are sort of being circulated out there that we need to get through and it’s just trying to get everything ready for the first race which is in a week and a half.  There is a lot to be achieved and obviously with the weather today it’s sort of hindered that a little bit, but I’m sure we will be out this afternoon to get some laps in.”
 
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE NOW TO SWITCH TO THE TARGET TEAM AND HOW YOU HAVE KIND OF FOUND A NEW HOME THERE?
 
TONY KANAAN: “Well in a way it was a very easy transition for me.  I’ve known a lot of the guys there and I’ve hung with Scott (Dixon) and Dario (Franchitti) forever outside the race track so it wasn’t like everything new.  The new thing for me is just the size of the team, the resources is just like it’s endless.  For me it took me a little bit of time to adjust to that.  They made me feel extremely welcome.  It definitely helped a lot by doing the Tudor United Sportscar Series races with them because some of my crew actually was on the No. 02 car.  I had a lot of time with them.  We had a 24-hour race and a 12-hour race together already.  It’s not like I don’t know those guys.  I’m happy I’m extremely excited about the season.  I think I still have a lot of things to get a grip as far as the way the Target Chip Ganassi team works, but so far it’s been pretty good.  Now we just need to go to the track and do what we know.”
 
YOU ARE THE DEFENDING SERIES CHAMPION.  IT’S GOING TO BE A NEW SEASON FOR YOU WHAT IS THAT PRESSURE LIKE DEFENDING THE SERIES TITLE AS YOU ENTER A NEW SEASON?
 
SCOTT DIXON: “I think it’s obviously a good problem to have.  I’ve been in this situation a couple of times before and we actually haven’t defended it that well.  In ’09 we had a close shot and nearly won another championship.  We will just have to sort of see how it goes.  For us in the past when we have come close to another three championships I think it’s always been the start of the year that has kind of hindered us.  I think we need to focus on making a good start in the first three or four races.  Barber has always been – I think I’ve finished second here every year I have come here.  It would be nice to improve on that maybe.  I think we need to start the season stronger and I know the team will be very good.  The transition to Chevy has been very smooth and very exciting I think for the team in a whole.  Expect us to be competitive it’s just hopefully we don’t give out too many point’s at will.”
 

CHEVROLET SS DRIVER TONY STEWART EARNS BEST FINISH OF SEASON AT BRISTOL
STEWART FINISHES FOURTH IN RAIN MARRED FOOD CITY 500
 
BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 16, 2014) – In a race plagued by inclement weather for the entire day and into the evening, the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway was shortened by 2.5 laps when the skies opened-up again and forced Round 4 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to end under caution. Mother Nature finished ahead of Team Chevy’s Tony Stewart in his No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, who collected fourth place, his best in the 2014 season thus far, after a leg injury in mid-2013.
 
After starting 37th, Stewart navigated his Chevrolet SS through on-track turmoil, rain delays and ever-changing track conditions, to earn his best finish since the 0.5-mile track was reconfigured in 2012. The finish moves Stewart up four positions in the standings to 23rd.
 
Having halted the race for nearly three and a half hours, wet weather conditions intervened again with a sudden soaking shower, leaving the field to scramble for top finishing spots. Five-time Bristol Motor Speedway winner Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS, earned his fourth consecutive top-10 finish of 2014 with a seventh-place spot at the ‘World Fastest Half-Mile’.  This marks the first time in Gordon’s 23-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career he has started the season with four top-10 finishes. Gordon’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate and 2013 Bristol winner Kasey Kahne, piloted his No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS to an eighth-place run.  Rookie-of-the-Year contender, Kyle Larson, drove the No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS to a 10th place finish and impressed many onlookers with his solid run at the difficult short-track.
 
Carl Edwards (Ford) was the race winner, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (Ford) was second, Aric Almirola (Ford) was third and Marcos Ambrose (Ford) was fifth to round out the top-five.
 
The series travels back to the West Coast to take on Auto Club Speedway on Sunday March 23rd.
 
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 BASS PRO SHOPS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 4TH
ON HIS RUN:
“It was great. To start 37th and end up fourth today, I’m pretty excited about that. I’m really excited for Chad Johnson and everybody on the Mobil 1/Bass Pro team. Everybody just worked hard all weekend. We had a long way to go from Friday, when we weren’t very good and every day we just got better and better. So, I’m really proud of this team.”
 
HOW DO YOU FEEL?
“I feel great! Let’s do it again!” (laughter)
 
I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FINAL CAUTION WAS FOR, BUT A GREAT RUN FOR YOUR TEAM TONIGHT:
“Well I think the end result of it was going to be the same.  Man really proud of Chad Johnston and everybody on this Bass Pro/Mobil 1 Chevy team, awesome job, Rush Truck Centers, Code 3 and Associates.  It’s not a win, I know that, but it feels like a win.”
 
HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS THE NIGHT?
“I think we will take that.  Come to Bristol and run 500 laps here and a top five that is just what the doctor ordered.”
 
I KNOW IN YOUR MIND A COMEBACK ISN’T COMPLETE YET.  THIS HAS TO BE A BIT OF A RELIEF:
“Yeah it’s a step in the right direction for sure.  This is a big one.  If you come out of this place with a top-five you’ve had a good day. Track position was big like it always is here.  We were pretty strong at the end we just couldn’t run those guys down in front of us.  Carl (Edwards) was obviously really strong at the end.  Happy with the day that we had.”
 
TALK ABOUT MAKING YOUR WAY UP THROUGH THE FIELD YOU HAD A LONG WAY TO GO:
“Us and Brian Vickers both.  We started 37th and 38th and ended up 4th and 9th I would say we both had really good days.  It’s not impossible to do it, but you have got to think through your way.  We stayed around the top 15 all day.  We had a really good car, very balanced and very driveable.  Chad just kept working on it all day and making it better for us.”
 
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE ENTIRE TEAM?
“Obviously it wasn’t the day we wanted for our teammates.  It is something I needed for sure.  Obviously for Chad and I to work together for the first time for four or five races into the season be able to get a top five at Bristol that is pretty big for us.”
 
HOW MUCH WAS A TEST FOR YOU PHYSICALLY?
“It’s big.  I mean this is a physical place.  If you look at the lap times we were running mid 15 second laps around here all day it is no walk in the park by any means.”
 
LOTS OF THREE WIDE RACING OUT THERE TONIGHT:
“It’s pretty cool.  When leaders caught traffic you had to make holes.  We saw that yesterday in the Nationwide race and knew it was probably going to be the same today.  The closing rates weren’t quite as big, but if people don’t like the racing here tonight I don’t know what they want.  Unless they just want a wreck fest I thought the racing was pretty good.  Like I said you run mid 15 second laps on a half mile track and run three wide that is pretty impressive.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 8TH
GOOD FINISH ANOTHER TOP 10 YOU GUYS BATTLED BACK AFTER THAT PIT ROAD INCIDENT TELL US ABOUT YOUR NIGHT:
“Yeah we did.  It was a great battle by this Axalta Chevrolet.  The whole team did an awesome job.  We had a really good race car at different times throughout the night.  It’s crazy when we went back racing after the rain delay we just completely wore out the left-front tire in just like 20 or 30 laps.  I mean we were going backwards in a hurry.  Thankfully for that competition caution, but we fixed that and got the car better.  Drove up into the top five, I was pretty happy.  The car came up through there so good on four tires that we decided to put four more on.  The restart just didn’t go the way I needed it to and we never got up through there again.”
 
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 10TH:
ON HIS RUN:
“We had a really good run today.  Started off the race in 20th and got to the top 10 pretty easily there in the beginning, and then pretty much stayed in the top 10 for the whole race and inched our way up to the front.  Ran in second and third for a long time.  Our Target Chevy was great in the middle part of the race.  I just think we didn’t keep up with it enough the last two pit stops.  May have made a bad pit call there at the end also to come in for two.  Just got a little bit too tight there in the center and ended up 10th.
           
“It’s crazy to think it’s kind of a disappointing finish for the way we ran for most of the race, but all in all it was a good race.  It was a lot of fun racing with Austin Dillon there at the end.  We must have ran side by side or so for the last 20 laps.  I definitely had to got up on the wheel and get the elbows up and try not to make any mistakes.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 18TH
ON HER RUN:
“The GoDaddy guys worked hard all weekend. We had to go to a back-up car just four laps into practice, so I appreciate the effort of Tony Gibson and the guys. It was a tough weekend, so to come out of here with 18th, I’ll take it. It was an eventful night. The 26 (Cole Whitt) wasn’t clear and got into us and so we had some damage. Then I lost 1st and 2nd gear and then finally 3rd gear, so the last 100 or 200 laps I only had fourth gear. That’s why I hit Clint (Bowyer) in the pits. It wouldn’t go, so I dipped the clutch and got sideways and when it was about to spin around, I lifted, it caught and then it went straight and it wouldn’t stop. So I hit him. I apologized to his crew after the race. And then it was like yellow after yellow and if
there was any day I didn’t want yellows, it’s today because I didn’t have any gears. We survived and got a decent finish out of it. Gibson made good calls all night and hopefully we can build on this going to Fontana.”