IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
GRAND PRIX OF BALTIMORE
STREETS OF BALTIMORE
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 1, 2013
 
BALTIMORE (Sept 1, 2013) – Sebastien Bourdais, No. 7 McAfee Dragon Racing Chevrolet, scored his third IZOD IndyCar Series podium appearance of the season by bringing home a third place finish in today’s Grand Prix of Baltimore.  In a race that can only be described as intensely competitive with six lead changes among six drivers as well as an eventful contact-filled race that resulted in six caution flags for a total of 25 laps, Bourdais was credited with leading twice for a total of 19 laps in the 75-lap/153-mile race.
 
“The results of the Grand Prix of Baltimore were difficult to predict and more difficult to accept given the solid efforts put forth by numerous Chevy teams,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, IZOD IndyCar Series.  “Congratulations to Sebastien Bourdais and Dragon Racing for finishing third after leading the race nearly to the end before contact with the eventual race winner. The focus and hardened resolve of Team Chevy will be brought to Houston for the next double header event.”
 
Simona De Silvestro scored her best finish of the season by taking the checkered flag in fifth place behind the wheel of the No. 78 Nuclear Entergy Areva KV Racing Technology Chevrolet to give Team Chevy two of the top-five finishers.
 
Helio Castroneves, No. 3 PPG Automotive Finishes Team Penske Chevrolet, leaves the 12-turn/2.04-mile Streets of Baltimore with a 49 point lead in the battle for the Series’ championship with a ninth place finish.  Castroneves battled back from a lap-one incident that sent him to pit lane for repairs, and contact later in the race that again sent him to the attention of his crew for repairs.
 
Additional Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers were credited with top-10 finishes in the hotly contested race were: James Hinchcliffe, No. 27 GoDaddy Andretti Autosport Chevrolet – 7th; Sebastian Saavedra, No. 6 TrueCar Dragon Racing Chevrolet – 8th and Marco Andretti, No. 25 Dr Pepper Andretti Autosport Chevrolet – 10th.
 
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, led a race-high 31 laps, but was relegated to the 18th finishing position after on-track contact required lengthy repairs.  Also suffering a disappointing finish was 2012 Series’ champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 1 DHL Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, who was forced to retire with mechanical issues and was scored in the 20th finishing position.  As a result, Hunter-Reay now sits fifth in the championship standings.
 
Simon Pagenaud was the race winner.  Josef Newgarden and Justin Wilson complete the top-five finishers.
 
Next up for Team Chevy in the IZOD IndyCar Series will be the third and final doubleheader of the season at Reliant Park temporary circuit in Houston, Texas. The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston – Races 1 and 2 will be run on Saturday and Sunday October 5 and 6, 2013 with live TV coverage on NBC Sports Network.  Additional live coverage will be provided by IMS Radio Network on XM and Sirius Channels 211 as well as on www.indycar.com live timing and scoring.
 
 
CHEVROLET IN THE IZOD INDYCAR SERIES – FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:
 
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 7 MCAFEE DRAGON RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 3RD:  We had a fast car.  We had a fast car all the way to the end of the race.   That car got beat up pretty good, so by the end it was pretty ragged.  I am just really happy for the guys.  Yeah, it would have been awesome to win and in so many ways I guess we should have or would have.  But you know, it’s the podium……….another one, and its really important for the group.  For the spirits, for Jay, for the sponsors: McAfee, TrueCar, and Chevy.    Still pretty happy because when you start nearly dead last and you make it to the podium, pass a bunch of people and make it stick at the end – its pretty sweet.”

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO, NO. 78 NUCLEAR ENTERGY AREVA KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET, FINISHED 5th:  I think we recovered pretty well.  We  struggled a bit this weekend with speed and I think we kind of figured it out for the race and had some pretty good pace.  The tires didn’t go off so much on our car so that really helped us.  And it was pretty crazy out there I thought, but I was really happy with the ending of it.
 
“I’m definitely really happy with P5.  It was kind of a crazy race. I don’t think we had the fastest car out there, but we had a pretty good call on the pits when we got stuck in one of the wrecks. After that we were able to move forward and had some pretty good restarts. The Nuclear Clean Air Energy car was really good at the end, so I’m pretty happy with it for sure. Not a bad way to celebrate my birthday.”
 
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE, NO. 27 GODADDY ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, FINISHED 7TH:  “It was just wrong place, wrong time. I mean, we stopped dead on-track twice, we restarted twice and still ended up with a seventh-place finish. First of all, it’s a testament to the car, the work that the GoDaddy guys did and playing the strategy we had due to the circumstances. But, this isn’t what you want to see – this many cautions for the fans, and this many wrecked race cars. We’ll see, we’ll obviously take it. It’s a lot of points that race; it didn’t look like we were going to be anywhere near the top 10, so we’ll just keep fighting. That’s the spirit of this team; the DNA of this team is to never give up. It’s all in the recovery, and I think we all did a good job recovering today.”
 
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO.  6 TRUECAR DRAGON RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 8TH:
 
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 PPG AUTOMOTIVE FINISHES TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 9TH: “Wow, what a crazy race. Well, first off I have to say sorry to (right front tire changer) Doug (Snyder). I’m glad he seems to be alright. It was very slippery in the pits and I just slid in – I’m not really sure what happened. I want to thank PPG and Team Penske for never giving up. I am glad we were able to finish in the top 10 and keep our lead in the championship. Now, we’ll turn our attention to Houston. That will be a big race for us and our sponsors and a lot of points on the line with the doubleheader.”

MARCO ANDRETTI, NO. 25 DR PEPPER ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET,  FINISHED 10TH:  “We’ll just do what we can. We missed the balance, but my Dr Pepper guys did an awesome job of getting me in a good position, but I just couldn’t hold it without the C.O.P (center of pressure because the front wing was damaged)… I was dreading it every lap. I was so afraid I was going to get run into from the back, so I’m glad that nobody just drilled me because I could not drive it into any of the corners, was just saving myself. We had two really bad stints so to end up 10th, but it’s all we could ask for with what we dealt with today.”
 
ORIOL SERVIA, NO. 4 NATIONAL GUARD PANTHER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 12TH: “During that long yellow it was hard to keep the tire warm because our brakes were getting so hot. So when we went into the restart I didn’t try to brake too late and I wasn’t trying to pass the first two guys. I had actually planned to try to pass Sebastian (Bourdais) in Turn Three, not in (Turn) One, and when I went into the first corner I couldn’t slow down. I was still going to make the corner but Sebastian continued like nobody was there, and unfortunately I touched him. I am sorry because we both had a chance at winning and that ruined both our chances. But honestly I’m super happy with all the work done by the team, as a one-car team these guys put together one of the strongest cars out there today. I said yesterday that the National Guard Chevy felt great and we even improved it from there.
We basically drove through the field at the start of the race, and legitimately went from 15th to third. We were passing cars all over the place and we had a legit shot and winning the race, which is all you can ask for. I think that shows how hard the Panther team has been working, and I’m super excited for Houston – which is a racetrack that’s not too different from Baltimore; we have two chances there and hopefully we can do well.”
 
E.J. VISO, NO. 5 TEAM VENEZUELA PDVSA CITGO ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT HVM CHEVROLET, FINISHED 13TH :  “We were definitely a victim of an incident that had nothing to do with us. The best word I can use to describe this race is botchery. It wasn’t about who was fast or who had the right strategy, it was simply about who didn’t have a problem. We definitely had a good car that would have taken us to the podium as it was looking until we had that issue in Turn 1 where I got punted from the back and I ended up hitting (Oriol) Servia from behind. I ended up damaging my car and had to come back in for another front wing. Anyways, it was a tough weekend from the beginning, but at some point in the race, we really set our hopes pretty high.”
 
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S VODKA/ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 14TH: “Unfortunately, I made a dumb mistake early on when I slid into the turn five tire barrier.   That put us a lap down. We had a good pace after that but we could not get the lap back.  We put on a new front wing that helped.  But that mistake hurt us throughout the race. We stayed out a long time on some older Red Firestones at the end and I was just holding on.  I couldn’t fight (E.J.) Viso for the position due to the tires being down to the cords.  It was really crazy out there today.  People were just taking every chance that they could.  We kind of knew there could be carnage on those restarts and that’s what happened.  Overall, we’ll take the points and work towards the final three races.”
 
TONY KANAAN, NO. 11 HYDROXYCUT KV RACING TECHNOLOGY – SH RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 15TH : “It was a very physical and bizarre race. All the crashes on the restarts, all the cars that were involved just made the whole race difficult. I drove the whole first stint with a damaged front wing and still got up to sixth. I was hanging on the whole time and trying to fight through it. We pitted a bit out of sequence and got to the front avoiding all the carnage. After the last restart the car started getting away from me. It got worse and worse and finally I hit the wall in Turn 12.”
 
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 18TH:  “Man, that’s a very tough result today for the Verizon team. I feel really bad. We had a good start to the race in the Verizon car but then I made a mistake on the first pit stop and then the accident on the restart that really ended up ruining two good days. I thought I had a really good run on Bourdais and I was going to the inside to get around him and I thought I hit a bump or just lost it on cold tires. I really had no idea that (Scott) Dixon was there. I actually didn’t even know until I got back to the pits and they told me. I feel terrible for him and his team. All I can do is tell them how sorry I am and move on to Houston.”
 
RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO 1 DHL ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET,  FINISHED  20TH:
“Yeah I believe in miracles, but that’s probably what it’s going to take now (to clinch the championship). Hard work and fight hard probably isn’t going to do it from here. I’m just so disappointed; we had an anti-stall mechanism kick in and it worked as it wasn’t supposed to, and I was supposed to be able to pull the clutch and get going with it. Unfortunately, I had to get it back to neutral, went back to the back of the pack, we were passing some cars, had a great car, and then out of nowhere the car just died – electronics cut out on it, battery voltage looked good and then all of a sudden it just fell through the bottom. It’s heartbreaking especially when you see Helio Castroneves stuck in Turn 1 and the fact that we’re sitting in here on the other side of the track. Thanks to all the fans for their support and thank you to our great partners at DHL, Sun Drop, Chevrolet, Circle K for sticking behind us. We had a great season, and there is still more to go and we can still win out here.”
 
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT – SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS
September 1, 2013
 
            THE MODERATOR:  Sebastien Bourdais of Dragon Racing finished third, his third podium finish of the season.  He started today’s race from the 22nd position.  Talk about working your way up to the front and continuing to stay at the front with all that beating and banging.
            SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS:  Yeah, obviously it was a pretty exciting race, starting from the back, walked our way steadily towards the front.  The guys did a great call on strategy, and that second stint, we were really strong, so we were in clean air and could run fast.
            The yellow fell right after our second pit stop, and that was it pretty much.  We just had a perfect scenario for that.  It really looked like the race was pretty much in the bag, but then, you know, the race started to be the usual Baltimore chaos, and it was one restart after another and it was just survival.
            And then when Graham got the better of us on one restart, kind of jumped it a bit, but whatever.  You know, we got hit and got turned around, thankfully, I don’t know how, but we didn’t lose so many spots.  I think we ended up like fourth, fifth.
            And the car was getting banged up a bit, but overall, we still had some pace, made some good moves, and then on the next restart, there was a bit of an incident when James tried to dive in the inside of the hairpin, and I just ‑‑ it just took my attention and I just looked at him, and, I saw, oh, yeah, and next thing I know, I just brushed the back of Justin’s car, and that spun him around and that got James up and it was just chaos.  I felt bad for him.
            But in the meantime, I was in the middle of a fight, really.  I just didn’t know what to do anymore.  If you were not aggressive, you were going to get run into.  If you were aggressive, you took the chance to hit someone.  It was very, very dodgy.
            It looked like after things settled down, we were going to really have a shot at winning again, and Simon made a mistake and nearly hit the wall.  I think he probably brushed a bit in turn seven and that got a run.  Yeah, I guess he didn’t see me coming, but squeezed me pretty good.
            We touched twice and I thought that was over, because I probably missed the tires there by about half a foot or a couple of inches, and then after that, the car bounced off a couple too many times from the wall and it wasn’t the same anymore.
            I’m just happy we finished; in the end, we won the podium.  It’s another podium and it’s what we needed for the organization and for the sponsors.  We’ll take it.
 
 
            Q.  Is a race like this stressful to the point of being ridiculous with all the things going on, or are there so many things happening that, you know, your emotions, you’re almost numb to everything?
         &
nbsp;  SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS:  I don’t think we are numb to anything.  I think we are more excited than anybody else.  From the car, sometimes it’s really hard to keep the emotions in check, particularly when you are in position when you know you have a lot to lose on all these restarts, and the problem is with these double‑file restarts, they breed another one.
            You basically get into a rhythm where you can’t get your tires and your brakes up to temperature and clean the tires up, and everybody arrives at that first corner locking wheels and running into the back of each other and cannot make the turn; and it’s just, you know, it’s inevitable.  And.
            I think that’s really when and where we probably as a group need to really think about these double‑file restarts, because, I mean, I think it was a pretty exciting show and everything.  But at the end of the day, when it’s just a series of incidents after incidents, it just reflects poorly on everybody and we just look like idiots and I don’t think it’s the best.
            But I don’t know what fans want to see, they want to see racing or they want to see crashes, but I definitely saw the first half of it was racing and the second part of it wasn’t so much.
 
            Q.  On the restart before you got spun out, did you have problems getting going on that restart, because it looked like maybe Will Power and Scott Dixon stacked up behind you and had their incident.
            SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS:  No, I just braked where I knew I could stop the car, and I guess they just brake later.  I saw them in my ‑‑ on the mirror, I was left, and the other one got tagged by an unidentified object, so that was gone, so I only had the right one.  Yeah, I saw dime getting pretty damn close, and I was like, hmmm, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but if I don’t get run into, I’ll be lucky.
            No, nothing was wrong, but the problem is also you start from the inside and there’s no grip there.  Just when you put power down, there’s absolutely no grip.  Just debris and marbles and dust and everything, and when you put power down, you just don’t get going.
            And then you start to brake on the inside where it’s less grip, so you kind of are a little careful not to try to overdo the corner, and even though you think you’re safe, you still run wide ‑‑ actually I thought I was going to lose it there.  It’s one of these races where when you finish, you just feel like a survivor because you have near misses like about ten times during the race.  It was not uneventful, that’s for sure.
 
            Q.  You talked about the chaos out there, and you talked about it quite a bit, but if thief future races here, would you like to see the courses modified?
            SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS:  Not really.  The only question is what we do with the curving situation for the chicane.  There’s not so much we can do in the series or the organizers do about the chicane.
            The problem is we would have to race the car so much to be able to run through railroad tracks on the main straight flat‑out, that it would be very difficult to actually even change the tires, because the tires would hit the ground even when the car would be on the jacks.  So that’s No. 1.
            And you know, No. 2, I think it’s always the same thing.  You know, it’s the balance between aggressivity and trying to get things going.  But the race directors are asking us to pair up and kind of keep a consistent pace through the acceleration corner which clusters everybody, because you get that, basically, two or three rows formed before you get to the throttle, and then you’ve got everybody exiting the chicane full throttle and it stacks up at some point; land it gets there when it’s already really tricky, and you’ve got a bunch of cars locking wheels getting into a very tight corner, which is going to create an accordion effect.
            So I don’t think there is so much you can do.  But for sure, what Marco was doing, basically jumping the start straightaway and not letting anybody back up with basically a single‑file restart; and that’s probably, for me, at this place, to try to get some racing, that’s probably something we should consider, because you see every time we try to go double‑file, it doesn’t quite work out so well.
 
            Q.  Regarding the chicane and what you’re talking about, would it make a difference if they adapted going to a double‑file restart and then avoiding the chicane and then just discounting the chicane on the restart?
            SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS:  We talked about that, but then the problem is basically the guys from the back end up basically going over the railroad track full blast because you exit the corner and they are on the gas.
            So they tried that and it turned into a pretty big disaster.  I’m not so sure that’s in the solution.
            THE MODERATOR:  Sebastien, congratulations on a great finish here at Baltimore.

CORVETTE RACING AT BALTIMORE: Garcia, Magnussen Lead 1-2 GT Finish
Season’s second victory for No. 3 Corvette duo in wild street race
 
BALTIMORE (Aug. 31, 2013) – Corvette Racing scored a 1-2 class finish today in one of the wildest and unpredictable sports car races in memory at the Grand Prix of Baltimore and the seventh round of the American Le Mans Series. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen won for the second time this season in the ALMS’ GT class driving their No. 3 Compuware Chevrolet Corvette C6.R. Defending ALMS GT champions Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner were runners-up for the second consecutive season on the Streets of Baltimore in the No. 4 Corvette.
 
Magnussen moved from third in class to first – and around Milner – on a restart with a little less than 20 minutes to go. The 1-2 finish was the team’s first since last year’s Laguna Seca round. It also increased Chevrolet’s lead in the GT manufacturer championship, as well as Corvette Racing’s margin in the team standings.
 
Garcia and Magnussen moved up to second in the drivers’ championship and sit just two points behind Gavin and Milner with three rounds left in the season.
 
“Congratulations to the Corvette C6.R drivers and crews on their 1-2 class finish in the ALMS GT class in Baltimore,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet US Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Both teams demonstrated exceptional driving, quick pit work and tremendous perseverance. Oliver Gavin and Antonio Garcia did a terrific job of adapting to intense, ever-changing racing conditions. And finally it was great to see Jan Magnussen and Tommy Milner drive to the front after the final restart.
 
“Today’s Corvette Racing results were important for manufacturer, driver and team standings,” Campbell added. “However our focus remains on the three final races in the ultra competitive GT class.”
 
ABC’s 1 p.m. ET Sunday broadcast of the race will be one to see. The race featured a nearly one-hour, red-flag period after a massive crash blocked the circuit immediately following the drop of the green flag. The race length was shortened from two hours to approximately 70 minutes, and both Corvettes were involved in a slight incident on the subsequent restart. The drama continued for Garcia, who lost radio communication with the Corvette Racing crew and did not hear the call to pit just 12 minutes after the restart. He made an evasive maneuver and spun 180 degrees to make the pit entry at the very last minute.
 
Milner rejoined the race in third place and Magnussen fourth. Milner chased down Maxime Martin’s BMW and moved to second with 41 minutes left, and Magnussen followed suit one lap later. The race’s fourth and final caution period led to Magnussen’s move on Milner and another BMW going into Turn 1.
 
Corvette Racing returns to action at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, for the eighth round of the ALMS championship. The race, set for 3:45 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 21, will air Sept. 22 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
 
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“It was one of those situations you don’t like. We had just started to accelerate and could avoid people. But those that were three or four cars behind me couldn’t do anything at all. The situation is that no one practiced that line (around the curbing) before the start. So you don’t know how much you will jump (over the rail line). You have the chicane when we are racing to slow us down but not at the start. We are going straight. Maybe that is what caught people on the start when they went to power and jumped more than they thought. On the inside, the jump is heavier.
“I was on the lucky line because I just followed the car in front of me and it looked like it was the right one. After we crossed the rail line, I started to see people spin around. I tried to find my spot and carry on. Afterwards when I saw on TV what happened, that was not really good for the fans for sure. At that point, the race lost what looked like half of the cars.”
Loss of radio communication before the pit stop: “I got the call that when the pits were open, we were coming in. I had no other radio communication afterward. When I saw a Ferrari that was a lap down pitting, I didn’t know if it was my turn. If it was the BMW or maybe someone else pitting then I would follow. But as soon as I saw Olly (Gavin) pitting, I did a 180-degree turn to get into the pitlane.
“The main thing is that there was no communication. I started the race thinking it was a two-hour race, and then following the caution I was told we were doing a pit stop and a driver change. That’s when the radio went off completely. As soon as I saw the cars following me go into the pit, I decided I needed to go in too.”
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“It was a really weird race – a sprint race with really no pit stops. There was one in the beginning once we restarted the race but everyone had the driving time limits to figure out. We got a little bit messed up in the pit stop because of a radio failure so there was no way to tell Antonio that the pits were open. It was impossible for him to know if it was all cars, just P cars or just GT cars. He made the right decision. He stopped, spun it around and only lost a couple of spots when we could have lost them all. It was good thinking and reaction on his part. After that, it was a matter of going as hard as we could. We didn’t have to worry about tires or fuel. We just needed to go.”
Pass for the lead: “I was trying to pass one of the BMWs, and he got balked by someone. I had to get around and in front so I could defend and not give him the position back. I got a little off-line and locked up the inside-front a little and the car shoved me to the inside of Tommy. It wasn’t a planned move but when I got halfway there, I thought ‘To hell with it. I’ll just go!’ It was a clean pass, and Tommy used his head. We were just trying to race and maximize our points to get both Corvettes ahead of the BMW. We were successful in that.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“I’ve never been quite in anything like that before. You see a wreck like that at the start, and you think it’s going to be nasty. Cars start bouncing around and ricocheting everywhere and there is nowhere for anyone to go. I was off-throttle as the Level 5 car went into the wall. I thought for sure he was going to bounce back across. Immediately it was all being waved off. We came around and just sat there. No one knew what to do for the next 45 minutes. For the restart, I moved from the left side of the grid to the right side, and starting on that side is much tougher. You get such a bigger jump across the train tracks than on the left.”
On the starts the last few races: “There is something strange going on at the front of the grid with the way these races have been started. Someone is absolutely jumping the gun, and that’s making it unsafe for all of us. That’s a bit crazy.
More on the day: It’s pretty amazing that we were sitting in a wreck at Turn 4 – both cars – with others and somehow we’ve managed to pull a 1-2 out of that! It was one of those wacky races that you couldn’t take your eyes off of. You have to take every single one, and I’m very happy to take second in this one.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“It was a weird race, unfortunately. What can you say? It’s a tight street race and you can see what happens when one car gets turned around. Fortunately we missed all of it. There was a lot going on, and we’re happy to come home with some good points. Jan snookered me there at Turn 1. But that’s what he should do. We’re all here to race and win. I had to brake a little early because I was on the dirty line. But great day for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
ADVOCARE 500
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 31, 2013
 
MARK MARTIN, NO. 14 BASS PRO SHOPS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Atlanta Motor Speedway and discussed what the team will be working on in final practice today, his plans for 2014 and other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
YOU WERE ONE OF THE EARLY CARS OUT YESTERDAY FOR QUALIFYING WHICH PROBABLY MEANS YOU DIDN’T GET THE LAP THAT YOU WOULD HAVE LIKED.  WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE GET ACCOMPLISHED TODAY DURING PRACTICE?
“Just get a little bit more time to get the car more comfortable.  The car is still quite a bit different than what I have been driving for a couple of years.  The car felt pretty good.  We did some race trim stuff yesterday before we went into qualifying trim and the car actually seemed to have good speed and felt pretty good.  We definitely have some things we thought about and want to work on today to try to improve the car and work all over the race track to check out the multiple grooves.  It’s going to be hot and slick for sure and it will be a challenge for us to get those things handling good in this heat.”
 
CAN YOU GIVE AN EXPLANATION WHY YOU FOR NEXT YEAR WILL LEAVE THE MICHAEL WALTRIP TEAM?  WHAT WAS THE MAIN REASON?
“Because everybody won in that situation.  Brian Vickers, MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) had secured Brain Vickers for a two year contract to race for a championship.  Aaron’s had signed on board to fully sponsor the car for the next two years.  Everything that Michael (Waltrip) and I hoped to accomplish when we entered into that scenario was accomplished.  It was a win for them to get a chance to start with Brain.  Get a head start with Brain and because Tony (Stewart) asked me if I could come do that.  That is why.”
 
AS A GUY WHO HAS DRIVEN A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS OVER THE YEARS CAN YOU FEEL ANY DIFFERENCE AT ALL FROM THE DRIVERS SEAT WITH THE NEW DUAL TREAD TIRE?
“You know what I thought the tire had exceptional grip yesterday for the pavement.  We have really complained as drivers quite a bit about the grip level the last few years here.  The combination of the Gen-6 and the tire seem to work pretty well.  The biggest thing is that hopefully it gives us the durability that we really need for these high speeds and these long turns.  I think it’s probably a really good scenario because it pushes the teams to protect themselves by putting softer rubber on the outer part of the tire it pushes the teams to try to get out there on that instead of the fast inside shoulder which is problematic.  We certainly don’t need to abuse the inside shoulders here and fail right-front’s at this race track with these speeds.  I think it’s a very smart move because it encourages the teams to take a little camber out maybe and it gives us better grip than we would have if had the really hard stuff all the way across the tires.”
 
ANY PROGRESS ON 2014 WHAT YOUR PLANS MIGHT BE?
“You know I was thinking about it and had some discussions before Tony’s (Stewart) injury.  I will be real honest with you I could care less about 2014 right now because I am doing all I can to tread water.  Making this change was pretty huge because not only is it different crew guys work on the car which really isn’t a huge thing, but it’s a whole different thought process, it’s a whole different bunch of guys that I didn’t have a chance to go to test in February and go hang out in the shop.  Just jumping right in it added, I don’t know, about three races to my schedule what I had so I picked up three additional races.  So I am really pushed and driven to try to get immersed in this team and figure out what I like in these cars so that we can start putting that in there week to week.  We are still just throwing stuff at the car and me saying ‘nah, yeah that’s better, nah’.  When you find something that really feels good to you there is a sense of continuity from track to track you can use that same logic.  You might not use the same springs and all but you can use the same logic and you can simulate it out and shoot for those same kind of feels at other race tracks.  We are not there yet obviously.  This is not like making a change over the winter.  It’s not like stepping out of a MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) Toyota into even a (Joe) Gibbs Toyota like I did at Martinsville.  There is just a lot going on.
 
“And I’d like to say one more thing to Wolfgang (media member with question). I think everybody in here heard what I said in February. I’m not a candidate for the No. 55 car for 2014. I did not want to drive that car. It was because I wanted to see those guys run for a championship, which is something I’m not going to do. So, I had really built a strong relationship with those guys and they’re championship material and I want to see them be able to go out there and go after that. So, for me, making a decision on what I do in 2014 is not important right now. I’m in no hurry because I’m not really worried about what I do. I do have a focus on what I can do in NASCAR. I want to do more in NASCAR than drive race cars. I want to do more than that. I had a good time at MWR and they let me be a part of that organization a little bit more than just to show up and drive, driver; and I want to grow more of that. So that’s of great interest to me and is where my primary focus was before Tony’s (Stewart) No. 14 car came up. After that, it’s like I’m not worried. I’ve got to stay focused on what’s in front of me.”
 
HAVE YOU AND ARLENE MOVED TO NORTH CAROLINA AND MADE THAT YOUR RESIDENCE AS OF NOW?
“You’re on to something but not completely. This is the craziest thing. My son, Matt, lives in our house in Arkansas and we live in his house in North Carolina. So, I’m not sure this is working like it’s supposed to. But he has a place in North Carolina and we do spend a good bit of time there. He’s going to school in Arkansas, so he stays at our house in Arkansas. So, that’s kind of what we’re doing right now. We don’t have a permanent residence there but we’ve got a place to stay. I spent a lot of time there last year and am going to spend more time going forward because like I said before, I am going to find a niche in this sport that goes beyond driving. And so if I’m going to do that, I’ve got to be around more.”
 
WHAT YOU JUST SAID ABOUT BEING MORE INVOLVED WITH NASCAR, A MOVE TO THE CAROLINAS OBVIOUSLY MAKES SENSE. ARE YOU STILL KEEPING YOUR PLACE IN FLORIDA?
“Yes, we’re not giving it up. We’ve been there 20 years. We’re not giving up on that. But right now we have a lot going on in the Carolinas and enjoy getting back to Arkansas as well. I do have a place in Batesville and we enjoy getting back there. But, the business at-hand is really in Charlotte. We have been there for a couple of years now, more than we used to. And we do have a place to stay there. So, I’m getting in position. I’m positioning myself for the future, long-term.”
 
YOU WERE THE FIRST GUY TO INTRODUCE US (MEDIA) TO JOEY LOGANO. AS IT TURNS OUT, IT LOOKS LIKE HE’S GOING TO BE OKAY (LAUGHTER). WHAT DO YOU SEE IN KYLE LARSON? IF KYLE LARSON CAME TO YOU FOR ADVICE ON HOW TO HANDLE THIS JOB OFF THE RACE TRACK, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL HIM?
“To answer the last question first, I would answer his question in specifics. He wouldn’t ask me in general like your question was. He would ask me with more specifics and I would answer him honestly on my opinion on whatever specific thing that he was pondering. What I see in Kyle Larson is the same thing as what you guys see. Strapped in a race car, one that didn’t normally always run in the top 5 and almost normally does run in the top 5 now with little or no experience, whether it’s a car or a truck o
r whatever he’s done. It’s just real plain. You just turn on the TV, watch the race and say he’s never done that before but it sure looks like he has. It was a little bit like when I saw Joey Logano and he was 11 years old here at this track and I saw him race. I’d already heard about him. And when I saw him race, he raced like a man, not like an 11 year-old kid. So, different, but Kyle Larson is very obvious (laughs). It’s just obvious. You just look at his results and they are amazing.”
 

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
GRAND PRIX OF BALTIMORE
STREETS OF BALTIMORE
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
AUGUST 31, 2013
 
BALTIMORE (Aug. 31, 2013) – Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, qualified second for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Baltimore on the 12-turn/2.04-mile temporary street circuit in Baltimore’s (Maryland) Inner Harbor. It is his sixth front-row qualifying effort of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season.
 
Current Series’ point standings leader Helio Castroneves, No. 3 PPG Automotive Finishes Team Penske Chevrolet, turned in the seventh quickest qualifying time of the 24 drivers who made a qualifying attempt.
 
2012 Series’ champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 1 DHL Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, set the eighth fastest time to give Team Chevy three of the top-10 qualifiers.
 
A total of 12 Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers will take the green flag tomorrow for race 16 of the 19-race season schedule.
 
Scott Dixon won the pole with Simon Pagenaud, Justin Wilson, Josef Newgarden and Tristan Vautier completing the Firestone Fast Six.
 
The 75 laps/153 mile race is scheduled to start Sunday at 2:30 p.m. with live TV coverage on NBC Sports Network.  Additional live coverage will be provided by IMS Radio Network on XM and Sirius Channels 211 as well as on www.indycar.com live timing and scoring.
 
 
CHEVROLET IN THE IZOD INDYCAR SERIES – FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED  2ND: “It was a tough qualifying man, but we gave it everything we had in the Verizon Team Penske Chevy. Our chance to get pole really came the lap before our final lap but we just couldn’t get there. It should be a good race tomorrow. With the chicanes, especially, there could be a lot of action and I expect it will be another good battle.”
 
SELECTED QUOTES FROM FIRESTONE FAST SIX PRESS CONFERENCE: ON WHETHER FINAL LAP WOULD HAVE BEEN POLE BEFORE REAR-END STEPPED OUT: “No, I was five tenths down. It was not there.”
 
ON HIS PREVIOUS SUCCESS AT BALTIMORE: “It’s a cool track. It would obviously be nice if we didn’t have to use the chicane there, but these street courses are bumpy, and it is just a part of the game. I think it is good for racing, and there will be a lot of mayhem, hopefully behind me, tomorrow. (LAUGHS)”
 
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 PPG AUTOMOTIVE FINISHES TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 7TH: “In qualifying today, it’s one of those deals where on the odds you’re thinking to wait a little bit and it might pay off because the track might be better. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off for us as the red flag came out and ended the second qualifying a little early.  The PPG Team Penske boys will keep working and move forward so we can get that Chevy to the front in tomorrow’s race.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO 1 DHL ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET,  QUALIFIED 8TH: “Same thing as last year – almost the same exact circumstances; (Graham) Rahal put it into the wall and we didn’t get a lap time in that was capable of carrying us onto the next round. It’s part of it – it’s part of street course racing. I think we could have advanced to the (Firestone) Fast Six had we nailed everything today, but we’re just off a little too much at the moment. We’re going to go back, work on it and hopefully get a good race car under us. We’re starting better than we did last year so you have to look at the positives… and maybe hope for rain.”
 
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE, NO. 27 GODADDY ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 11TH: “It’s obviously really tricky right now. The track here is always a challenge with the bumps and the chicane still catching a couple people out, myself included over the weekend. You know, I feel bad; the GoDaddy guys have done a good job. We had a much stronger car in place. I was on a lap, which, I’m sure, everyone was on a lap sorta thing. But we were four turns in and already a quarter of a second up… would it have been (Firestone) Fast Six? I don’t know. Obviously there are a lot of strong cars out there. Certainly we didn’t want to back on the sixth row, but the car’s good; we definitely improved it over the weekend. It’s consistent which will be important in the race tomorrow, so I think we can do some damage from here.”
 
TONY KANAAN, NO. 11 HYDROXYCUT KV RACING TECHNOLOGY – SH RACING CHEVROLET,  QUALIFIED 16TH: “We definitely are faster than we showed in qualifying. First we had a red flag and then I got held up by traffic and couldn’t get a clean lap when I needed it. No excuses. It is the same for everyone out there. It is just disappointing. We will start in the back half of the grid again, but I think we have a good race car. We just have to make up positions during the race like we did last weekend in Sonoma.”
 
ORIOL SERVIA, NO. 4 NATIONAL GUARD PANTHER RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 17TH: “I’m confident for tomorrow because we’ve got the best car that we’ve had all year. We’ve been near the top six nearly every session and we just didn’t have our best effort in qualifying unfortunately. We just missed it by a little. But the truth is we were in a tough group; the same lap time would have put me P4 in the other session. But qualifying is the first time you put on the red tires and that always changes the balance a little and if you’re able to do the first transfer you can always tweak it and be strong in the next round. The National Guard Chevy was good, but we just didn’t have enough. We can still have a great race starting in 17th, especially here where there are always a lot of things that happen during the race with yellow flags and restarts. I just wanted to qualify a little better for the National Guard and to show that we had the speed, but now we have to do that on race day – and we will.”

MARCO ANDRETTI, NO. 25 DR PEPPER ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET,  QUALIFIED 18TH: “I’m not going to blame anybody but me… I didn’t get the greatest gap – and that’s on me, ya know. I had to blow the first lap so we had one lap to do it and I didn’t do it. I hope we can get the right set up on the Dr Pepper car to be able to get through the field tomorrow. We have the warm up, but not a lot of practice so we’ll have to see. We have two teammates that advanced so that part of it is good, but it’s frustrating. It’s a double edge sword.”
 
SIMONA DE SILVESTRO, NO. 78 NUCLEAR ENTERGY AREVA KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET,  QUALIFIED 19TH: “I’m a bit frustrated with qualifying and where we ended up. I guess we’re going to have to make it up tomorrow. We haven’t been shiny all weekend; we’ve had some brake issues to deal with. I think we got that fixed for qualifying, so now we can start working on the car. Hopefully we’ll have a good car and be able to move forward during the race tomorrow.”
 
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S VODKA/ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 20TH: “We had a little improvement from our previous times.  We closed the gap on the leaders which is good.  We had some fortune today with guys making mistakes in our group. I think we made some good changes going into that session.  I’m hopeful we are getting on to something for the race.  There is definitely some potential for a lot of carnage in the race, especially the way things have gone in practice and qualifying.  We need to keep working on getting a good race pace for here.  We are just hoping for a clean race on Sunday.  There are just so many places on this track that can create problems.  The name of the game is to stay as clean if possible.”
 
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO.  6 TRUECAR DRAGON RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 21ST:
 
E.J. VISO, NO. 5 TEAM VENEZUELA PDVSA CITGO ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT HVM CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 22ND: “Well, qualifying wasn’t right from the beginning. I think just waitin
g until the very last minute to go out and put a lap down put a lot of risk and pressure on us. We couldn’t go through – I clipped the wall on the only qualifying lap I had and bent the pushrods in the back. I couldn’t continue qualifying so we’ll be starting from the back. Anyways, this is probably one of the tracks that you can make a different call on the strategy where you would be able to cycle back to the front; that’s what we’ll be looking for tomorrow.”
 
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 7 MCAFEE DRAGON RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 24TH:
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NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
ADVOCARE 500
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 30, 2013
 
 
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA TO START THIRD IN THE ADVOCARE 500
FOUR TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS POST TOP 10 STARTING SPOTS
 
HAMPTON, GA – Aug. 30, 2013 – With a best speed of 188.539 mph in 29.405 seconds, Juan Pablo Montoya put his No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS in the third place starting postion for Sunday’s Advocare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This qualifying effort was Montoya’s fourth Top-10 start on the 1.5-mile oval, and his ninth Top-10 start of the season.
 
Behind the wheel of his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS, Jeff Gordon posted a solid qualifying run of 188.053 mph in 29.481 seconds to earn a fifth place starting position. With that, Team Chevy will occupy two of the top 5 starting places in the 500-mile race.
 
Other Team Chevy starters in the top 10 are Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 National –Guard/Race2Achieve.org Chevrolet SS in eighth and Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Dover White Chevrolet in 10th.
 
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Ford) won the pole position, Carl Edwards (Ford) qualified 2nd, and Denny Hamlin (Toyota) qualified 4th  to round out the Top 5 starters.
 
The Advocare 500 will take the green flag on Sunday evening, September 1st at 7:30 p.m. ET and air live on ESPN TV and PRN Radio.
 
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 3RD:
POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
 
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR LAP AND JUST PRACTICE IN GENERAL TODAY
“Most of practice was done in race trim. We only had two laps in qualifying trim and we kind of struggled. We were kind of loose there every run we did and we worked a lot on the car. At the end, when we went to qualfiying trim, it was actually pretty good. I actually ran a 40-something in practice and it was kind of disappointint to run a .40 tonight. It felt really good but just bottomed-out in (Turns) 1 and 2 and I had to get out of the gas. It’s okay. I’m in. Can’t complain.”
 
DID YOU HAVE AT ALL ENOUGH PRACTICE TO GET A FEEL ABOUT THE NEW TIRES AND WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE LIKE?
“What do you expect when you come to Atlanta? That they’re going to fall off, I don’t know how much, but I would say at least two seconds in the fuel run, to more like three probably. And just keeping the tires on it is going to be very important. They seem really good. When they’re new, they’re really good. When they’re brand new you have a ton of grip and a lot of stability and they are really easy to push, so it makes it fun.”
 
DO YOU FEEL ANY DIFFERENCE WITH THE NEW TIRE COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS TIRES YOU’VE HAD?
“I think we used the tires a year ago. So, a different car.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
ADVOCARE 500
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
AUGUST 30, 2013
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED THIRD
ON HIS LAP:
“I was really expecting to run in the 20’s to be honest with you.  I ran in the 40’s in practice in the heat.  It just bottomed out and with the cooler conditions the track grip bottomed out and I had to get out of the gas in (turns) one and two.  It’s okay.  I mean I can’t complain I’m third.  That is probably a top five start.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED FIFTH
ON HIS LAP AND TRACK CONDITIONS:
“I’m a little bit concerned that the conditions are going to improve here and that we may have just been right there on the edge of when the track is going to get better.  The car has been really good all day.  Gosh, I’ve been so happy. That backs it up because it wasn’t a perfect lap, but still decent lap.  I got through (turns) one and two I thought really good and (turns) three and four just a little bit too tight.  I’ve been so thrilled with the car all day.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/RACE2ACHIEVE.ORG CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED EIGHTH
ON HIS QUALIFYING LAP:
“I think we finished eighth.  That was a real good car.  The car had a lot more speed than that in it.  There was such a huge difference between the track I think in practice and qualifying that I really underestimated what kind of race car we had.  Got to give Steve (Letarte, crew chief) and my engineer Kevin (Meendering) a lot of credit because they had the car ready.  The car was really good real fast.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S DOVER WHITE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 10TH
HOW CHALLENGING WAS IT TO FIND THAT FAST LINE HERE AS THE SUN BEGINS TO SET?
“There’s nothing like taking the line in qualifying you didn’t run in practice. That was interesting. And the first time through, that seemed to work pretty good. So, it’s so hard to tell. I think the track is going to pick up some more speed. If we can stay in the Top 10, that will be good. The lap felt nice. I just don’t know how it’s going to stack up. I’m encouraged because we’re right there with Kyle (Busch), but the temp just seems like it’s dropping. I don’t know if it was because it was in a hot car and got out and now it feels cooler, or what; but it does feel like the temps are coming down a little bit.”
 
CAN YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE ON BABY WATCH?
“It is getting close. And I’m really just going off my wife’s pulse on it all and she’s pretty calm and relaxed about it. We’ve had weekly doctor checkups and everything is going great and it looks like we don’t have anything to worry about right away, although I’d love for something to happen this weekend or next weekend and but everything is great. Mom is healthy and baby is healthy and we’re just kind of waiting for when No. 2 decides to come out.”
 
WHEN IS THE DUE DATE?
“Chicago weekend. “Richmond and here is real easy. It’s easy for me to mess with the situation being locked-in. Chicago, it gets kind of tricky there and there is no one more focused and committed on the No. 48 winning a championship than Chani, and she is like you need to be in that race car and do your job. So, that’s letting me sleep well. And I clearly want to be there for the birth of our second daughter.”
 
IS REGAN SMITH THE BACK-UP FOR THIS RACE?
“Yeah, it must be. Yeah it is kind of convoluted with Regan and James and how things bounce around; so yeah, I’d think it would be Regan.”
 
WHAT IS YOUR CHASE OUTLOOK AT THIS POINT?
“The tracks in the Chase are really good for us. The last three, four or five weeks, we’ve had a lot of different things go on. We have very fast race cars; the majority of them. I’ve blown tires and blown an engine, two different things there that have kept us from scoring points and then potential wins. But, I feel like we’ve got great race cars and great tracks in the Chase. It would be nice to have a little momentum leaving here and going into Richmond, although this race track and Richmond, we don’t have a track like either one of those in the Chase. Although momentum is key and important, if we don’t have the best Atlanta or Richmond races, we know that those 10 tracks in the Chase and really good for us and that’s where we’re really focused.”
 
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 E-Z-GO CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 15TH
ON HIS LAP:
“It looked a little worse than what it really was. You somewhat know what you have in the middle of the corner. I was just trying to keep the wheel as straight as I could and trying to leave skid marks off the corner. I didn’t feel like it was that good of a lap. I think it’s going to turn out okay and there’s been some good cars go. But it was pretty interesting. It’s such a fun race track.”
 
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 ASPEN DENTAL CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 17TH
DID THIS DRAW HELP YOU?
“I don’t know if the draw helped us, but it was a definite improvement over practice. I think we’ve beat as many guys now with 30 cars left, as we did in practice. So it was a definite improvement for our Aspen Dental Chevrolet. Not the lap that we wanted, but a huge improvement, which is what we needed.”
 
MARK MARTIN, NO. BASS PRO SHOPS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 27TH
YOU WENT OUT EARLY. DO YOU THINK THAT MIGHT BE A DISADVANTAGE?
“Yeah, well, it’s not going to help any. The guys did a good job on the car. It felt good. I don’t feel like it was a spectacular lap, but it was a decent lap, respectable for what the car could do. It was definitely early. And it’s going to get real fast as we go on. So, we’ve got a good race car. We’re all comfortable working together now. We’re starting to get kind of in a groove. Last week was really tough and no time; and we’ve had some testing time now and a good day today. The wonderful thing is we get this evening to think about it and tomorrow to get a little bit more dialed in. So, I’m enjoying working with these guys. They’re a good bunch of guys and they’ve made me feel real comfortable.”
 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW/BEAUTYREST CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 32ND
ON HIS LAP:
“We ended up on the tight side and we’ll end up 30th.”
 

CORVETTE RACING AT BALTIMORE: Third and Fifth in GT Qualifying
Top-five positions for both Compuware Corvettes on crowded streets of Baltimore
 
BALTIMORE (Aug. 30, 2013) – Corvette Racing will start its two Compuware Chevrolet Corvette C6.Rs from the second and third rows of the GT grid for Saturday’s Grand Prix of Baltimore. The positions are solid ones for Corvette Racing and Chevrolet, both of which are leading in the American Le Mans Series’ team and manufacturer championships.
 
Tommy Milner qualified the No. 4 Compuware Corvette third Friday with a time of 1:30.007 (81.594 mph) around the 2.04-mile, 12-turn street circuit alongside Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Teammate Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Corvette ended the session fifth at 1:30.132 (81.480 mph).
 
Saturday’s race is the seventh round of the ALMS championship. Live online coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3. On Sunday, ABC’s coverage starts at noon ET.
 
“Baltimore is an exciting yet demanding venue,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet US Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The ALMS GT class is extremely competitive so it will take the right combination of race strategy, smart and persistent driving, and efficient pit stops to work our way to the front of the pack. Baltimore is a critical race for the ALMS drivers’ and manufacturers’ standings.
 
“It’s great to have the support of so many Corvette owners in the Baltimore Corvette Corral,” Campbell added, “along with Corvette owners and fans from around the world as we work to defend the manufacturers, team and drivers championships in the ALMS GT class.”
 
Indeed, Milner and Oliver Gavin entered the weekend leading the GT drivers’ championship. The duo placed second in last year’s race at Baltimore and is the only pairing to win more than once in the class this season.
 
Magnussen and Antonio Garcia, stand fourth together in the championship, underwent some drama following an engine issue in the day’s first practice. The No. 3 crew changed the Corvette’s motor in less than two hours, and the car made the next session.
 
Bill Auberlen (BMW) was the fastest qualifier in class, followed by Joey Hand (BMW).
 
EDITORS: High-resolution images of Corvette Racing are available on the Team Chevy media site for editorial use only.
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“What happened this morning was unfortunate, but luckily we didn’t lose that much time in practice. It’s a shame that the guys had to change an engine instead of concentrating on making the car go faster. But they did a fantastic job of getting it back out there for the second practice. In qualifying, the car was pretty good. It had a little bit too much understeer for me to really be able to have a shot at pole. I don’t know if we could have caught the two BMWs but it is very close behind them. Usually you don’t have to deal that much with traffic in qualifying. You have to make a quick decision – are you going to fight to get by or give some time and create a big gap. What I can say is that it will be worse tomorrow.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“In the end, I could have gone quicker were it not for traffic early. It is what it is. Third place is good. Based on all the practice sessions and qualifying, it will be an incredible race. I laid it all out there in qualifying. It’s so close that if I didn’t push that extra last little bit, I would have been fifth or sixth and that puts us in a worse position for the race. In this case, qualifying matters because the race matters, and because it’s hard to pass getting the car up front is important. The car feels good and should be great for the race.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
ADVOCARE 500
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 30, 2013
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Atlanta Motor Speedway and discussed the first practice session, the addition of Kurt Busch to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 and other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
HOW DID PRACTICE GO? TYPICALLY OPEN WHEEL DRIVERS DO WELL ON THIS TRACK BECAUSE THERE IS NOT ONE SPECIFIC LANE AND IT’S FAST:
“You know I think that it’s not an easy track.  It’s slippery so grip is at a premium and balance is at a premium.  We struggled with that at the beginning.  We were trying a whole different set-up and it really didn’t work.  The very last qualifying run was a little bit better. I finally felt like the car was in the track a little bit.  Hopefully, that means that we will be able to make it even better that amount again for qualifying.  I really think it has a lot to do with the car.  When it’s the slippery you don’t just go out and hold it wide open.  There is a lot of moving around and adjusting for the car and the balance.  It’s about that.”
 
YOU LIKE HIGH SPEED TRACKS.  HOW DOES THIS PLACE SUIT YOU?
“I don’t know if I necessarily like high speed tracks.  I think it’s being able to work with the car and make it better.  I feel like I’ve had good success on everything in stock cars from real short tracks like Martinsville to big tracks like Daytona and road courses in Nationwide.  I used to think that I had a sort of track that I was best at, but I think it just has to do with where the strengths of your team are and where you just make progress on the weekend.  It could have been easy to melt down a little bit in practice and get everyone upset and take ourselves out of the game, but we all stayed calm.  We worked hard and our last run was our best run. That is the kind of stuff that we need to pull us through the weekend.”
 
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON KURT BUSCH JOINING STEWART-HAAS RACING IN 2014?
“I am glad that came out officially.  That is always nice when we there is a yes or a no to it, but it all happened pretty quick as everybody knows.  I’m looking forward to it.  Kurt (Busch) is a great driver, very fast and I’ve always gotten along with him.  I feel like we are going to have a pretty fun team.”
 
ARE YOU GLAD THE TEAM LINE-UP IS ALL DONE FOR NEXT YEAR?
“It is nice.  I think it helps from a team perspective to get things in order and in line for the year because there is going to be a lot that we are going to need to get organized everything from space at the shop to airplane space.  There is a lot for the team to get in order and this gives us the appropriate amount of time to do it without having to skirt around making it look obvious.”
 
IT’S A VERY BOISTEROUS TEAM SOME OF THESE GUYS ON THE TEAM…
“There is a girl too.”
 
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR TEAMMATES FOR NEXT YEAR?
“I think they are all great drivers and I think I have a lot to learn from all of them.”
 
DOES IT TAKE ANY OF THE PRESSURE OFF OF YOU AS FAR AS IF THE TEAM DOES STRUGGLE THERE IS ANOTHER VOICE THERE?
“I think the best part about having more drivers is one we are going to start hiring people.  We are going to get some fresh ideas and perspectives in.  We are just going to have more brain power.  There are going to be more crew chiefs, more engineers, more of everything and then when you have a line-up like we do there is a lot of experience there especially those other three guys.  I feel like it’s going to help our team from top to bottom.”
 
DID YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE ANY OF GENE’S (HAAS) PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK?
“I read a little bit here and there, but I didn’t see much of it.  I was back in Indiana with my family.  Obviously, Gene (Haas) was in a position year’s back where he was the team owner and had drivers.  Then obviously the Tony (Stewart) equation came in where he becomes a partner and I think he got excited about wanted to kind of have his own driver again.  So be it.  Again, I’m all about bringing great drivers into the team.  It’s good for everybody, especially good for me.”
 
HAS HE BEEN A LEADER IN THE TEAM OR JUST STAYED IN THE SHADOWS?
“I guess from my perspective, I feel like in general, he kind of trusts that the right people are in the right places. And Tony (Stewart) and Brett (Frood) and Eddie (Jarvis) and Zippy (Greg Zipadelli) and everybody know what we need as a team. But, then again, I wasn’t around back when it was his. So, I think he’s been a little more on the silent side from my perspective. But he’s definitely been there and whenever we’ve talked, we’re always talking about the car and things like that. So he’s just passionate on sports.”
 
ON FANTASY FOOTBALL:
‘Yeah, I was just saying today that you ought to do our Fantasy Football and Ricky (Stenhouse) said I think that’s all done. Everybody’s done their draft. But we put one together today is the point. So there are 12 of us on the team now or in the division or whatever, so I think we’re all a little lazy and we’re auto draft.”
 
SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO PICK?
“Let’s face it. I’m a football fan, but I’m not really sure I can put a whole team together from all the different teams. Now, if we’re just talking about like the Bears, Packers, Lions, and those teams, I’ve watched them enough that I could probably pick out some good ones. But I found that last year doing Fantasy Football at JR Motorsports, I found that I learned a lot more about a lot of other teams and a lot of other players because I had to pay attention to other people. So, I’m actually looking forward to auto draft because it helps me learn about other teams and other divisions. So, I’m excited because it’s really fun to do in the winter and I like it.”
 
HOW BIG OF A BEARS FAN ARE YOU?
“I go to games every year. I’m a big Bears fan for sure. I always watch their games. I even get nervous for their games. That means that’s a fan, right? I’m sure I’m not the biggest fan but I’m a big fan for sure.”
 
WHEN YOU HAVE PLAYERS FROM OTHER TEAMS PLAYING THE BEARS IN THE FANTASY DEAL…..
“It almost makes me not want to have anybody from the Packers. Because if I have players from the Packers, that means I’ve got to cheer for them. It’s tough.”
 
WHO IS IN YOUR LEAGUE?
“It’s like Ricky and I and a bunch of our friends and some family. So, yeah we’re trying to come up with a team name and we couldn’t.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
ADVOCARE 500
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 30, 2013
 
CHIP GANASSI, OWNER EARNHARDT GANASSI RACING WITH FELIX SABATES, MET WITH MEDIA TO ANNOUNCE THAT KYLE LARSON WILL DRIVE THE NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET IN 2014.  JOHN OLGUIN, VP OF COMMUNICATIONS WAS THE MODERATOR.  FULL TRANSCRIPT:
 
JOHN OLGUIN:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Welcome and thank you all for being here.  I’m John Olguin, head of communications at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.  We’re excited to be here today to introduce the 2014 driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet.  We think it’s a great day for not only our team but for our 24-year partner with Target and also for the sport.
This driver currently sits eighth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings with 13 top 10s and six top 5s in 23 starts.  He’s started twice in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series where he won at Rockingham and finished second at Eldora.  
He is a two-time SPEED performer nominee both in 2011 and 2012.  He is the 2012 NASCAR K&N Series champion and Rookie of the Year.  He’s a graduate of the NASCAR Driver For Diversity Program and their Next Program as well.
We’re pleased to announce the 2014 driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet is Kyle Larson.
Obviously we have here with us Chip Ganassi and Kyle.  Let me start with you, Chip.  Give me your thoughts on this announcement.
 
CHIP GANASSI:  I have some prepared comments here, ladies and gentlemen.
Certainly we believe that Kyle is the future of the sport.  He’s a unique talent.  Let me be very clear, this was a racing decision.  We felt that Kyle was the best short-term and long-term fit for the team and for Target.
While our team has been partnered with Target for 24 years, when we decided to make the change, we wanted to make sure we found the right driver, someone that would represent their brand as well as have a chance to win races.
Kyle was our first choice.  We did not offer any deals to any other drivers.  We talked to other drivers.  We’re thrilled to have Kyle.  Nothing he has done makes us feel he cannot move to the Sprint Cup Series.  As I said, we spoke to a number of current Cup drivers.  At the end of the day we felt that Kyle was the best option for our organization.
We do feel that we need to continue Kyle Larson’s growth, and putting him in a Cup car was the very next step.  We’re sure there will be some growing pains but we’re sure he’s ready.  Some of those growing pains will come whatever his first year in the series is.  It’s a good opportunity.
My expectations and advice to him will be to keep the car on the track and run laps.  As many of you already know, this kid is a special kid.  We couldn’t be more proud to have him here today announcing him as our driver for next year and beyond.
 
JOHN OLGUIN:  Kyle, what are your thoughts?
 
KYLE LARSON:  I’m really excited, excited to be a part of the Target brand.  Everybody knows the Target logo when they see it.  It’s a pretty iconic car.  I think I can do okay.  Like you said, there’s going to be some growing pains, I’m sure.  I think I’ll learn a lot and I’ll grow as a driver and mature as a person.
 
JOHN OLGUIN:  Let’s open it up to some questions.
 
Q.        Kyle, how much of a whirlwind do these last few years feel like to you?  Will moving up to the Sprint Cup Series cause you to focus more on that and less on all the other racing you’ve been doing?
KYLE LARSON:  It’s definitely been quite a whirlwind.  I was walking over here saying a year ago today I was making my second Truck start.  It’s been a really quick road.  But I feel like I’ve done okay with it and learned quite a bit.
As far as next year goes, I know I’ll have to focus more on the Sprint Cup stuff.  I understand it’s probably going to be the toughest step in my whole career.  I’m going to have to dedicate a lot of time to it and grow as a driver, do a great job for Target, for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and make everybody there happy.
 
Q.        Chip, obviously the past several seasons you’ve tried to double and redouble your efforts to try to get back to where you want your team to be.  Can there be a difference here when you have a young, fresh driver that everybody is enthusiastic about, does that help you throughout your team, even in your shop?  Do you have hope to believe that you can come yet again with a fresh new effort?
CHIP GANASSI:  That’s a good question.  I think we’ve made some steps since the inception of our team.  Some were solid steps.  Looking back, some were not so solid.  But it’s a building process.
I think we made a big step this past year.  Our cars are a lot better.  They seem to run at the front a lot more.  You know, we led some races.  We’ve been running at the front a lot.  Having the right drivers certainly doesn’t hurt.
Are we there yet?  Do I think I’m there yet?  You’re never there.  You’re never there.  Until we can win on a consistent basis and win championships consistently, we’re not there, you know.
 
Q.        Bottom line, are you counting on winning some races with Kyle next year?
CHIP GANASSI:  Am I counting on winning races next year?  That’s a good question.  I think Kyle is the kind of driver, when he sees an opportunity in front of him, he takes it.  If that means it’s a win, hey, great.  There’s no pressure for him to win his first year out.  I don’t think there’s any pressure like that.
I mean, the kid’s done very well in every step he’s made in his career so far.  I see no reason why this should be any different.
 
Q.        Chip, Kyle has been compared to Jeff Gordon, to Tony Stewart.  First of all, what kind of a game-changer can that be for the organization, signing him at such a young age?  Do you anticipate you’ll get him in any Sprint Cup cars this year as far as running a race or two before the 2014 season?
CHIP GANASSI:  I appreciate those comments.  They all said nice things about Kyle.
In terms of comparing him to drivers, that’s something for you guys to do in the media.  I’m not somebody that’s going to sit here and compare him to anybody.
Obviously, when those guys came into the sport, guys like Jeff, Tony, Jimmie, they were certainly game-changers when you look back on it now.
I think to say we’re sitting here today with a game-changer, I think that’s a bit rambunctious.  We have to see what the guy does.  Maybe when he’s been in it as long as those guys have, we’ll be able to look back and do that.  I wouldn’t go as far as doing that today.
In terms of Cup races this year, right now the plan is to try to do that.  I don’t foresee that happening.  It’s never been my MO to push anybody out of any cars that are on our team.  As you know, Juan has been a great asset to our team for many years.  I’m not going to push him out or do anything like that.
I would think there’s opportunity to get him in Cup races this year and we’re going to take advantage of those opportunities.
 
Q.        Chip, you call him a special talent.  What makes Kyle a special talent in your mind?
CHIP GANASSI:  Well, you know, you hear those words a lot.  That gets thrown around a lot.  Believe me, I’ve seen my share of young guys come along in motorsports.
I would say that, you know, my first indication was at Daytona this year.  I remember watching him in the race, hearing all the time how special he
is, how special he is.  He’s running around the Nationwide race 14th or 12th.  I thought, What the hell is so special about this kid?
Sure enough, at the finish line, he was right there.  Of course, he was here and there at the finish line at Daytona this year, I should say.  Be that as it may, that to me was special.  I’ve seen that five or six, eight times now.  He gives you the impression he’s dilly-dallying in the middle of the pack, not paying attention.  Always at the end he’s where it seems to matter to be.  That says something to me.
 
Q.        Kyle, you handle yourself in many situations very calmly.  People were looking at you as a young guy, look what he can do.  As you move into the Cup Series, it will be, Did he move too fast?  Is all that attention going to be the toughest part for you?
KYLE LARSON:  I don’t know.  I think I’ll pay attention a little bit to it.  As long as I’m out there, you know, living up to my expectations and Chip’s expectations, that’s all that really matters.
Like you said, I’m not one to pay attention to all the hype or the pressure that other people put on me.  I just try and go out and do the best I can.  I don’t see myself doing any different next year.  I’m not going to push it harder than I think I can push it.  I’m just going to try and do the best I can.
If that’s winning races, contending for wins every week, that’s great.  If I’m running top 15, I’m happy with that, too.  It’s going to be a fun year next year.  I think I’ll learn a ton and I’ll enjoy it quite a bit.
 
Q.        Chip, knowing that this is an incredible talent, how do you groom him, bringing him up to this series, what do you do to make it easier on him as he comes into the series?
CHIP GANASSI:  Well, I think a big part of it was certainly his Nationwide experience this year.  In fact, we’re planning on Nationwide next year, as well, being in both series.  I think he’s in a great team with Turner Scott Motorsports.  Those guys have done a great job.  I think it’s kind of a plus that he’s with a bona fide Nationwide team.  It’s not a Cup team there doing a Nationwide car.  It’s a bona fide Nationwide team.
A lot of people think his learning curve is a little steeper doing it that way, but that will pay dividends down the road.  So I think that’s pretty important.
I’ve never considered myself a great coach or anything.  I’m sure they’re out there.  We just want to win races.  We want to be at the front.  This is not a complex thing we’re talking about up here.  It’s racing cars.  We have a young talent here that deserves a shot, and we’re giving him his shot.
 
Q.        Kyle, I don’t know if you’ve heard the debate the last couple weeks, but how ready you may be for this step.  Does it bother you?  Does it motivate you?
KYLE LARSON:  It doesn’t bother me at all.  I’d like to prove the people that don’t think I’m ready for it wrong.  The guys that think I am ready, let them pump their chest out a little bit.
Like I said, you know, as long as I’m running top 15, I’m happy with that.  I don’t know if the fans and media people think that’s good enough.  I think that’s about where I’ll set my goals for next year.
Like I said, I’ve never let the pressure get to me of running well or doing whatever.  Just always kind of sat back and raced, tried to do the best I could.  I think that’s paid off for me in all the years I’ve been racing.
I was always young.  Starting off racing Sprint cars, I was the youngest to start off in California at 14 years old, did well, proved people wrong.  I’m hoping I can do the same next year in the Cup Series and go from there.
 
Q.        This situation is nothing new to you?
KYLE LARSON:  No, I wouldn’t say so.
 
Q.        Chip, when it was clear that you and Montoya were splitting, in Europe the comment was you would bring him back to open-wheel racing.  To what percentage was Target, your sponsor, involved in signing Kyle or was it your own decision?
CHIP GANASSI:  It was our own decision.  It was a racing decision.  Target has been our sponsor for a long time, but it’s a team decision.
In terms of Juan, bring him back to open-wheel racing, whatever, I think at this time let me say this:  Juan has been a great asset to our team for many years.  We’ve enjoyed a lot of success with him.  He’s not only a driver of our team, he’s a great friend of mine.
I think there are always opportunities in our team that seem to present themselves.  You never know from time to time when those come along.
With all the different cars we have, it does make for some great opportunities at different times.  I’m certainly not counting him out of any opportunities or potential opportunities coming along.
 
Q.        Kyle, as you’ve already seen in this press conference, there’s a lot of people who have at some time or another questioned whether or not you’re ready.  For a young guy who is starting out in racing, whose goal is to race in the best and biggest series that there is, is there ever a time you’re not ready?
KYLE LARSON:  I don’t know.  I feel like I’ve learned quite a bit this year in the Nationwide Series, the K&N Series, all the stockcar stuff.  Even the Sprint car stuff I run helps when I come over here and race the stock cars.
I guess there’s a point when somebody’s not ready.  But I feel like I am ready.  I feel like I can go out there and contend.  I raced with some Cup guys in the Nationwide Series this year and learned a lot from them.  Raced them hard.  Beat some of them.
I think I can do it.  I think Chip obviously thinks I can do it, so that’s all that really matters to me.
 
Q.        Ryan Newman said earlier today when an owner comes up to a young driver like yourself and offers them a deal like this, it’s up to the driver to have the maturity and responsibility to say if he’s ready or not.  Was there any doubt in your mind that you could do this?
KYLE LARSON:  No.  Like I said, I think I can do it.  These opportunities don’t come about very often.  You never know when you have another shot like this.  You have to capitalize on it and do the best you can.
You know, there’s been people that are a lot younger than me that got their start in Cup.  I think I’ll do okay, like I said.  I’ll be all right.
 
Q.        Kyle, a number of people have said, including Jimmie Johnson and a couple of other drivers, that the Cup car may actually suit your style better given your background with the higher horsepower and greater weight.  Wondered what your thoughts on that are.
KYLE LARSON:  I believe so.  The Nationwide stuff, I don’t know, it’s about 200 horsepower less than a Cup car.  With my Sprint car background, they’re 1400-pound cars with 900-horsepower engines.  I’m used to having way too much horsepower.  I think it will translate well to the Cup cars.
I’ve gotten to test earlier this year at Rockingham.  I feel like I did pretty well in it, enjoyed it.  I feel like it suited me a little bit better.  We have to finesse the car a little bit more.  It wasn’t so much momentum driven.
I think that’s where I struggle a little bit in the Nationwide stuff, I probably don’t understand momentum quite as good as Kyle Busch or somebody.  That’s why I think the Cup stuff will be a little bit better for me.  We’ll just have to wa
it and see, I guess.
 
Q.        Chip, talking about the opportunity he may have this season to run a few races in preparation for next year, what experiences specifically would you like Kyle to have to kind of condition him for running in the Sprint Cup Series?  Kyle, in running both series, is there any room for Sprint cars as well on the schedule?
CHIP GANASSI:  That’s a good question.  What kind of experience?  Obviously, there’s no better experience than being in the races themselves, just going through all these sort of cycles that you have to go through as a young driver coming into the sport.
I think a lot of those he’s been through already.  These younger guys that come along today, they seem to take a lot of these things in stride that we all as adults think they’re big deals, scary things, whatever.  These young drivers seem to take it like a fish to water.
He’s shown a great ability to field anything that gets thrown at him, if you will.  So I think that’s what said it all for me.
KYLE LARSON:  Racing both Nationwide and Cup next year, that takes up about your whole weekend.  I know I won’t be able to race as much Sprint car stuff.  I’m cool with it.  Getting more experience in stock cars is a little bit better than racing Sprint cars.  That just shows where my focus is at being in the NASCAR stuff.
If I could still race 10 Sprint car races next year, I’d be totally fine with that.
CHIP GANASSI:  Not all of us might be (laughter).
KYLE LARSON:  I run nearly 55 to 60 this year.  That’s a bit much.  I’m ready to slow down a little bit.  If I could still be part of Sprint car racing, whether it be in ownership or having a small part in it, I would still enjoy it quite a bit and feel like I’m over there racing.
 
Q.        I don’t know what Kyle’s contract situation was with you before all this came down, but I do wonder, how important was it for you to give him this opportunity so somebody else didn’t?
CHIP GANASSI:  You know, I don’t know.  That’s a question that’s probably three years old.  I mean, that’s how long ago I met Kyle.  I don’t know.  I think that’s about when we did our first deal, two or three years ago.
To tell you the truth, I don’t have a good answer.  I think you know me well enough to know I have a pace at which we do things at our team.  Outside interference doesn’t affect that much.
 
We have our plan.  We work our plan, plan our work.  I’m sorry, but your column doesn’t influence me that much (laughter).
 
Q.        Chip, will Kyle run the full Nationwide schedule next year or just companion races or go for the title?
CHIP GANASSI:  Yeah, I mean, hopefully he’s running for a championship there next year, too.  Is he going to run every race?  That might be a stretch.  The idea is to do that.  The idea is to run as many as he can.  If he misses one or two, he may have to.  Not just companion races, no.
 
Q.        Chip, in your career you’ve brought in a lot of young guys with good and bad results.  What were you looking for during his Nationwide races to know that this was the right move?
CHIP GANASSI:  You know, I think I answered that already.  His level of maturity approaching the racing, of the race itself.  I said earlier I thought it looks sometimes like he’s back there in 10th or 12th, but always seems to be in the top 5 at the end.  I think that’s a good thing.
You know, there’s obviously a lot of questions about whether a guy like Kyle, I’ve heard from everybody, It’s too soon, too early.  Let’s take the list of drivers that we say it’s too early or they came too early and put that list over on one side.  On the right side let’s put a list of guys that at tracks all across the country, Saturday night tracks, dirt tracks, that never got the opportunity.  How long is that list, okay?  That list is 50 times longer than the list of guys that came along too soon.
As I said, there’s an opportunity here.  He’s a great driver.  He’s obviously the number one pick, as said by many other people besides myself.  Nobody deserves a shot more than he does.
 
Q.        Chip, certainly over the last couple of years you’ve made a lot of changes within your organization.  Is it to the point where your organization was ready for this type of opportunity to have a young kid?  Maybe I’m going out on a limb, but typically a young driver isn’t going to be able to come in and say, We need to do this to make the car better.  Has your team gotten to the point where you can take this opportunity?
CHIP GANASSI:  I think so.  You know, I think our cars, like I said earlier, have shown they can run easily in the top 5, top 10 on a pretty regular basis this season.  For one reason or another we’re not there at the end.
But I think plugging in a guy like Kyle, certainly the team is ready for that.  Again, until you’re winning every race and you’re winning every championship, you know, you’re never really complete, your team is never really complete.  I’m sure every race team in this garage area would like to tweak one or two things on their team from time to time.
What you’d like to do and what you actually can do are two different things sometimes, whether it’s availability of people, resources.  Lots of things come into play.  It’s not like scripting a movie.  It takes a lot of things to happen on one of these teams when you make changes or you anticipate improvements.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
ADVOCARE 500
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 30, 2013
 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING/BEAUTYREST CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Atlanta Motor Speedway and discussed the new tire at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his move to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 and other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
BIG WEEK FOR YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT AND SIGNING WITH STEWART-HAAS RACING:
“It’s tough to have the present to work on and try to get Furniture Row in the Chase and then the future with Stewart-Haas Racing.  It’s tough to balance it all, but it was nice to do the announcement Tuesday.  It’s exciting to have the future set where 2014 and beyond will go, but at the same time you know it gives you a breath of fresh air coming to the track and kick butt these next two weeks with the Furniture Row guys.  I think the most important two races in the No. 78 cars history are these next two.”
 
HOW DOES GOING TO RICHMOND AND HAVING TO CLINCH HOW DOES THAT CHANGE YOUR APPROACH THESE NEXT FEW WEEKS?
“We won’t have any type of cushion whatsoever.  We have to race these next two against right now I see the Penske cars as the two we are racing heads up.  After Sunday night after the Atlanta race we will see exactly what numbers are going to be in front of us and how that will play out, but we can’t go there to run 10th.  We have to go there and run top five in these next two races.”
 
HOW WELL PREPARED IS THIS TEAM FOR A RUN AT THE CHAMPIONSHIP IF YOU MAKE THE CHASE?
“I hate to play the ‘what if’, but ‘what if’ in this case is a good ‘what if’ and that is if we make the Chase.  We have one test left which we will probably utilize at Martinsville, which is probably my weakest link.  Just the speed that we’ve had at all the race tracks, the diversified race tracks this year, I think we will be great in the Chase.  I think we can put up a good showing.  Then the pit crew they are going to have to step it up and know that it counts now.  The Chase for us started a few weeks back.  We’ve had to be perfect and run sixth and run third and run these top fives up against the stats every week.  When we had a week like we had last week with the right-rear hub falling off while we are leading the race those are things that are tough to overcome.”
 
YOU HAVE HAD VERY STRONG CARS WITH NOT VERY GOOD FINISHES AT ALL WITH DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES.  YOU KNOW AS WELL AS ANYBODY THAT YOU COULD BE SITTING IN A VERY GOOD POSITION HAD THINGS FALLEN YOUR WAY JUST A FEW RACES:
“You know the best part about when you have something fail is going back through and dissecting exactly what happened and how to learn from it.  This single car team has done that every time we have had a problem there has been new procedural things to bounce back from and not have that same problem happen a second time.  Another thing that makes it easy for this group to bounce back is just the raw speed we’ve had every week when we unload.  We’ve been fast everywhere we go.”
 
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU TO LEAVE THIS TEAM AND GO TO ANOTHER TEAM? 
“The toughest part about switching teams is the notification with the current group that you are with.  There is big disappointment in that.  It’s tough because we have so many weeks left in our campaign this year to run hard.  It’s just the nature of this sport.  If you are not settled by September 1st you are behind in a lot of categories.  The number one category is just making the announcement, creating the buzz and then getting people lined up to know that is where they should look to commit to for the next year.  If you are making decisions about your team move and where you are going to be in the next year in December the next year is a waste.  You have to get things done as early as you can.”
 
HOW MUCH OF THE SUCCESS OF FURNITURE ROW RACING THIS YEAR WAS THE FIVE OR SIX RACES YOU RAN LAST YEAR?
“It was amazing to get together, to get the bugs worked out and team communication.  Walking in the hauler now we have our run through sheet we have our run log.  We have all of our procedural things in place.  Last year during those six races I didn’t know Todd (Berrier, crew chief) from Cole (Pearn, lead engineer) and how to talk to each one of them and just did like in the garage knowing who I was going to talk to on the radio next.  You just get through all those sequences and it just that is when you are building speed is knowing how to talk to the guys with ease.  Last year was great to get together with the team.  I’m going to finish the season strong with these guys though. We have a lot of unfinished business.”
 
DO YOU GET A SENSE THAT YOUR GUYS ARE NERVOUS ABOUT WHAT THEY WILL BE DOING NEXT YEAR?
“Yeah there is always that unknown and it’s tough within our sport like I was saying earlier you have to commit to something in September for next year, but then you still have three months that you are working with the same group of guys.  In a nutshell there are still 12 races left.  That is a third of the season.  We still have a long way to go together and that is the focus it’s on the present and it’s right now.”
 
WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT FURNITURE ROW RACING WAITED AS LONG AS THEY DID TO EXTEND YOU AN OPPORTUNITY?
“Yeah, it was a bit surprising; especially with all the success we had this year.  I had hoped that I exceeded in all the categories on how they evaluate their drivers.”
 
IN REGARDS TO THE NEW ZONE TIRE THAT WILL BE USED THIS WEEKEND AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
“The zone tire is something that is going to be very unique.  I hope that it turns out really well.  We always want durability, but we also want raw speed.  This tire I believe will provide us both.  It will be exciting to see the long runs as well as here in practice the short run tire temps.  There could be something just as simple as adding a ton of camber to the car will make you turn better.  At the same time you won’t have to worry about durability.”  
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
ADVOCARE 500
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 30, 2013
 
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 ASPEN DENTAL CHEVROLET SS, met with media and dicsussed the next two races leading into the Chase, the new zone tire, maintaining team momentum while planning to go to another team and season-end, the intensity of the Richmond race, and more. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
 
THE MODERATOR:  Ryan, talk a little bit about these next two races and your team’s mindset.
RYAN NEWMAN:  I think for us the absolute mindset is to focus on the racing part of it and know that these next two races are going to be what proves what we’re capable of in the next 10 if we can get what we need to done in the next two races.  As Stewart said a few years ago, we’d just be taking up a spot in the championship race.
From our standpoint, it’s our job doing business as usual, doing our best to get the best finishing position we can, no extra risk.  Especially here at Atlanta, things get spread out a little bit and you end up with 10 cars on the lead lap, that type of thing.
Having a good racecar here is extremely important – probably more important than Richmond.
 
THE MODERATOR:  We’ll take questions for Ryan.
 
Q.        Ryan, what is your take, especially from the standpoint of an engineer, on the new zone tire, the tread that they’re bringing in?
RYAN NEWMAN:  I mean, I think there’s definitely a common sense approach to it that they’re using.  It’s something that they’ve been working on.  I’ve been a part of testing it several times at different racetracks.
Here at Atlanta, it’s the best worst-case scenario for that because it is the toughest track we have on tires.  The strength of that zone tread tire is the durability side of it.  The biggest part of the durability side of what we do is the inside shoulder of the right front tire.
I think all that being said, I hope there are no issues.  The reason they’re doing that is so there won’t be any issues because this new car is definitely the most challenging we’ve had on tire durability.
 
Q.        Ryan, I’m not really referring to your current situation with Tony, but looking back to say when you went from Penske to Tony Stewart, you tell your crew guys, I’m leaving to go to another team, how do you keep that momentum up until the end of the season is over with?
RYAN NEWMAN:  Quite honestly those guys did that for me because after the announcement was made in Loudon, we didn’t know obviously.  Our goal is, was, still is to make the Chase.  They rebounded for all of us and performed at Indianapolis the way we all needed to and the way we’ve been capable of all year.
That was the answer to your question.  I mean, they said, We’re not quitting, we’re going to fight till the end.  The end is the checkered flag at Homestead.
 
Q.        Ryan, you’re obviously fighting to make the Chase.  Next season remains unsettled.  Is it difficult to kind of compartmentalize the two, keep the focus on this year as opposed to thinking about what may happen next year?
RYAN NEWMAN:  I wouldn’t say it’s difficult.  I would say it’s more of a challenge because you have to, as you said, compartmentalize, stay focused at different times on different subjects.
All that being said, it takes away from your relaxing time in your mind, which is just as important as being focused on what you need to at a given time, be it 2013 or 2014.
I feel like mentally I’m capable of doing that and have been.  Basically I’ve been in that situation for the last 12 months.  So it really hasn’t changed for me.  I think I’ve honed my skills over the last 12 months to be in the right position right now.
 
Q.        Are you any more confident that you’ll have a Cup ride next year now compared to maybe three or four weeks ago?  Also, did you watch the press conference on Tuesday and did you laugh, did you cry, did you throw anything?  What did you think?
RYAN NEWMAN:  No, I did not watch it.  I have only read it and seen the quotes from different individuals.
To me it’s a unique situation that to me doesn’t really affect me, as I said.  In the end, it’s what they’re going to do in 2014.  I already knew I wasn’t going to be a part of that.
Yeah, I do feel more confident, to answer the first part of your question, that I’m moving along.  I have nothing obviously to announce.  But my focus is on these next two races.
I do have a different focus, as we talked about, on 2014, but that won’t happen this weekend or next weekend, it will happen during the week.
 
Q.        As a guy whose background is completely dissimilar, how do you think Kyle Larson’s background prepares him for getting in a Cup car?
RYAN NEWMAN:  I think no matter if it was Chip Ganassi, Roger Penske or Tony Stewart, or whoever, they would have went to Kyle and said, Do you think you’re ready for this?  There’s a part of a driver that has to take the responsibility in saying yes or no.
I think Kyle has definitely proven across the board he can drive absolutely anything anywhere anytime.  There’s a few drivers out there that can do that.  When I say ‘a few,’ there’s 20 or 30 that are that good.
I think no matter what announcement there is, in the end we all know Kyle has a lot of talent.  I think the biggest challenge he’s going to have ahead of him is not what happens outside of this room, it’s what happens inside of this room, the media part of it, the publicity part of it.  The potential pressure, if you let it get to you, is more of a challenge I think than sitting in the seat behind the wheel and doing your job as a driver.
 
Q.        Can you describe the intensity that a lot of guys are going to feel next weekend at the Richmond race, the guys around the bubble, and how that’s different from every other week?  It has to have something extra to it.
RYAN NEWMAN:  It does.  To me, maybe I kind of view it as watching golf on TV, where you watch, you know where the leader is, you seed the leaderboard, you know where you’re at starting the race, you have maybe the last round to make up, you see where guys are plus or minus.  You keep kind of track of that under cautions.  But when the green flag drops, you have your job to do.  That’s just like swinging the clubs.
I’m no golfer, but I see it like that.  It’s doesn’t go necessarily play-by-play, but event by event, if who is on what hole, what does he have left, where are we at in the race, who is good on fuel, things like that.
You kind of watch that.  But in the end, as a driver, you’re still focused on hitting your marks, not screwing up, not taking yourself out.
So I think to me that was the first thing that came to my mind when you asked the question.  I’m not a huge golf fan, but I’ve watched enough golf on TV to know that’s how the mental and physical part of it works.
 
Q.        How different is it now in the garage looking for a ride than it was when you first came in?
RYAN NEWMAN:  I didn’t have to look.  I don’t know.  I don’t know.
I came into this garage with a great ride, you know, obviously a great organization with great people.  We proved that, proved that out of the box, winning a pole my second race, a top five in my third race.  It came not easy, but it just came.
There was a lot of hard work involved, but that’s why I can’t say it was easy.  In the end, I can’t answer that because I know it’s not easy now.  That’s why going back to a kid like Kyle Larson, if you have a go
od opportunity like that, it’s hard to say no, and that’s the bottom line.
 
Q.        You would think performance, you win at Indy, that would assure you of something.  Do you feel like the next couple of races, that it’s on the races themselves?
RYAN NEWMAN:  Yes, it’s on.  There’s no doubt it’s on.  Indianapolis and all that stuff helped.  But I think if you look at my history in the sport the last 10 years, I’ve got a good résumé on and off the racetrack.  I think there are car sponsors and owners that appreciate that.
THE MODERATOR:  Ryan, thank you for your time.
RYAN NEWMAN:  Thank you.