MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 24, 2017

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Auto Club Speedway and discussed being the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series point leader, racing on dirt, thoughts on stage racing and many other topics. Full Transcript:

TALK ABOUT THE STRONG START TO 2017 AND COMING HOME TO CALIFORNIA FOR THIS WEEKEND’S RACE:
“Yeah, it’s definitely been a good start to the year. We have had a shot to win every race this season. I’ve been really happy about that. California Speedway, I’m from California so it’s kind of like my home race. It’s a long way from Sacramento, but still feels somewhat like home getting to see lots of friends and stuff out here. It would be nice to get a win here and end the second-place streak I have going, but yeah, no it’s been really cool to be contending like we have been. Hopefully, we can continue to have speed in our race cars. I’ve been really happy with everybody at our Target Chip Ganassi Racing shop, Credit One Bank, everybody that puts all their time and effort into letting Jamie (McMurray) and myself have some fun and go fast and challenge for wins. Been extremely happy and would like to be winning right now, but being the point leader is awesome.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Fontana–Kyle Larson →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUALIFYING NOTES & QUOTES
MARCH 24, 2017

Due to the incident in the first practice session, the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS team will not participate in qualifying today.

CHAD KNAUS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS:
“Unfortunately, we crashed the Lowe’s Chevrolet in practice today. We crashed on our third run and had to pull out the backup car and didn’t get back out on the track. I just felt it was wiser to get the car prepared correctly rather than qualify poorly. I wasn’t comfortable putting Jimmie in a position where he would have to hustle a car that he hasn’t turned a lap in yet.

“We are all the way out here on the west coast, and brought two race cars. If we were to crash this car, we would have to pull a car from a teammate and it would be a very difficult obstacle to overcome. We want to be prepared to put the best racecar on the track for our driver, Lowe’s, Chevrolet and all of our sponsors. So, we are going to take the time to do that by working on it this afternoon.”

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 24, 2017
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed his win last weekend at Phoenix, extreme heat conditions, his approach to the season after earning a spot in the playoffs, how the cars handle this year compared to last year, and more. Full Transcript:

TALK ABOUT YOUR WEEK AFTER WINNING AT PHOENIX AND THEN COMING TO AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
“We were obviously excited after the win on Sunday and then getting a chance to go to the shop on Monday after very little sleep to congratulate all the guys and girls that were a part of it; and just to see everybody. I don’t want to say it’s been a long time coming because I think when you say that you kind of expect it. But, it had been a while since I’d been to Victory Lane in an RCR for Richard for three years of a drought. So, it was something we were fighting very hard for and it was very rewarding. And, that’s probably the better way of saying it. I got to do some things around the farm and hangout with the kids and do some things like that like a normal person. Outside of that, just being at the shop on Monday was a lot of fun.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Fontana–Ryan Newman →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 24, 2017

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Auto Club Speedway and discussed making his 600th Cup Series start, his thoughts on NASCAR choosing not to penalize Austin Dillon, thoughts on potentially running restrictor plates at Indianapolis and much more. Full Transcript:

ON MAKING HIS 600TH CAREER START:
“…I just wanted to drive. I wanted to race cars for a living. I wanted to do it well enough to be able to afford to make a living doing it. I didn’t have vision or assume that I was going to make all of the money and success that we have made, but all I really wanted to do was to do it long enough so I didn’t have to get a real job. I mean that as sincere as I can. I’m real thrilled that I’ve had the opportunity to stay around and drive for some really great teams. Some really awesome owners. Worked with a lot of amazing crew chiefs and crew members. We have a really great group of guys that we race with in this current situation, we are having so much fun at the race track and really enjoy working with Greg (Ives, crew chief), so I feel fortunate and lucky and hope to have good success this weekend. I really like Fontana and I wish that we could have a good weekend is all. We have kind of been struggling a little bit to put together a good race this year and we qualified well last week, but didn’t run as well as we wanted to. We had a little issue with the brakes and stuff like that, but those things are going to happen. We will keep processing what we are learning and keep showing up every week and put it together eventually. I really, really like this race track. Obviously, you are running all over the race track, a lot of different grooves. That makes it a lot of fun as a driver. Looking forward to some fun this weekend and hopefully, a good result.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Fontana–Dale Earnhardt Jr. →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRACTICE NOTES & QUOTES
MARCH 24, 2017

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS ~ Crashed in the grass, Turn 4, during the first practice session and will go to a backup car.

WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE?
“We just showed up at the track swinging hard and trying to get all that we can. I crossed the line there, for sure, and the car came around on me. But, we’ve got another great Lowe’s Chevrolet coming out. I thought we might be able to stick with this one, but that was too much on the front of the race car. It’s not the way we wanted to start the weekend. But, the only way we’re going to get better without testing is just to keep trying harder in practice and swing harder. We know we got the race-side in a respectable spot but just need to start better on Fridays.”

YOU WERE CLOSE TO KURT BUSCH AS YOU CAME AROUND THE CORNER AND YOU WERE SPINNING. WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND AND HOW DID YOU KEEP FROM COLLECTING HIM IN THAT PROCESS?
“I knew I was fine, but I’m sure it caught him off-guard seeing a car come by sideways. I was really concerned about sliding up in front of others and getting into the outside wall. I actually threw it into third and redirected the car lower on the track. I was kind of wishing I’d stayed with it and let it slide up and maybe I would have avoided the grass if I did so. I was just trying to manage it all.”

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 24, 2017

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed the West Coast swing, the importance of points earned in stage racing, always trying to improve, and more. Full Transcript:

HOW HAVE YOU ENJOYED NASCAR GOES WEST?
“Yeah, it’s been fun. We’ve really enjoyed our time. I’ve always enjoyed this West Coast swing. I think it’s a great time of year to do this and get away fro the weather at home and get out here to this nice weather that we’ve seen the past three weeks. Hopefully that continues throughout the weekend. We spent a lot of time in Colorado between Phoenix and this weekend with Alan (Gustafson) and a couple of the guys. It was a fun week. I’m happy to be here and I’m looking forward to getting going.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Fontana–Chase Elliott →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 24, 2017

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Auto Club Speedway and discussed being back home, his season thus far, his thoughts on restrictor plates at Indy and many other topics. Full Transcript:

WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING HOME AT A TRACK THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL AT?
“It’s fun to be back home. After Phoenix, we flew to San Diego and kind of started a little West Coast family trip heading up the coastline and hit LEGOLAND and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and just various places. So, it’s been fun. I took my kids out to El Cajon and showed them where I grew up and granted Lydia is three and probably will never remember it, but it was just fun to kind of be back home, show my family around. My oldest (Evie) has been there to my hometown, but my youngest, it’s her first real trip through there. I don’t know, just fun to go back and see the spots and places and even talk to a few old friends. And then to come to this race track where I won my first event, I guess that photo is right there (points in the media center) to remind me of it, which is pretty cool. It’s just fun to be back. I really enjoy racing here. We have all watched this track age and turn into a facility that puts on one heck of a show. I’m excited to be back.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Fontana–Jimmie Johnson →

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
AUTO CLUB 400
FONTANA, CALIFORNIA
MARCH 26, 2017

BOWTIE BULLETS
NATIVE SON:
California native and seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, is the all-time wins’ leader at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway with six victories. Johnson is also the only driver in the 20-year history of the track to win the race from the pole, a feat he completed in 2008.

MANUFACTURER MINUTE:
Did you know? Chevrolet has more wins than any manufacturer at Auto Club Speedway with 13 victories.

CALIFORNIA CHEVY’S:
There will be six California natives entered to compete in this weekend’s Auto Club 400. Of those drivers, four will start the race behind the wheel of a Chevrolet SS. Seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson hails from El Cajon, California, driver of the No. 42 Chevy SS, Kyle Larson is a native of Elk Grove, California. The pilot of the No. 47 Chevrolet SS, AJ Allmendinger is originally from Los Gatos, California, while Cole Whitt behind the wheel of the No. 72 Chevy SS hails from Alpine, California.
Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Fontana Advance →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
CAMPING WORLD 500
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 19, 2017

RYAN NEWMAN EARNS VICTORY FOR CHEVROLET AT PHOENIX
Chevy SS Driver Kyle Larson Takes Point Lead with Runner-Up Finish

AVONDALE, ARIZ. (March 19, 2017) – When Ryan Newman and the No. 31 Grainger Chevrolet SS team made a gutsy call to stay out on old tires while the leaders pitted during the final caution in the Camping World 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENSC) race at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR), it netted winning results.

The pit strategy call yielded the team’s first victory of the season, Newman’s second career victory at PIR and snapped a 127-race winless streak for the 39-year-old veteran driver. The victory is the first for the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) organization in 112 events. Newman and the No. 31 Chevy SS team are now qualified for the end of the year playoffs. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Phoenix Post Race →

Courtney Force, Advance Auto Parts Chevy team looking
for consistency after Gatornationals defeat
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 19) – Courtney Force and her Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team are determined to learn from their first-round exit at the NHRA Gatornationals on Sunday at Gainesville Raceway and then quickly put it in the rear-view mirror.

After qualifying No. 4 with a career-best speed, Force stumbled in the first round of eliminations, falling again to Jim Campbell. Continue reading Courtney Force, Advance Auto Parts Chevy team looking for consistency after Gatornationals defeat →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
CAMPING WORLD 500
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER RACE NOTES & QUOTES
MARCH 19, 2017

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 GRAINGER CHEVROLET SS – Race Winner:
IN THE DESERT, THE DROUGHT COMES TO AN END FOR RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING AND RYAN NEWMAN. HOW GOOD DOES IT FEEL TO BE BACK HERE IN VICTORY LANE?
“I’ve lost count; that’s how long it’s been. I’ve got to thank Grainger, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, Monster Energy, for supporting our series, and Chevrolet. The list goes on and on. What a gutsy call by (crew chief) Luke (Lambert). I called for two tires and he called for none. I’ve won more races no tires than I have with four. I’m just proud of these guys. We had a good car all day. We kept it out of trouble and collected in the end.”

A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO YOU USED UP KYLE LARSON TO MAKE THE CHASE. WERE YOU THINKING ABOUT THAT AT ALL AS HE WAS CHASING YOU DOWN?
“Trust me, I went into (Turn) 3 looking at my mirror. I knew he was down there; but it took my car forever to get going. I’m spent, man. I had the chills on lap 150. I’m done.”

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE RACEWAY AT GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA
SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 2017

Chevrolet Records Funny Car, Pro Stock, Factory Showdown Wins

• John Force adds to illustrious career with 148th Funny Car victory
• The No. 1 qualifier provides 2,500th round win for John Force Racing
• Shane Gray continues Chevrolet mastery of Pro Stock with victory
• David Barton earns SAM Tech Factory Showdown win in COPO Camaro

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 19, 2017) – It was a big day for Chevrolet Camaro drivers and teams at the sun-drenched 48th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Gainesville Post Race Wrapup →

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE RACEWAY AT GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA
POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES
SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 2017

JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK COOLANT & MOTOR OIL/REPUBLIC SERVICES CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier; 148th career Funny Car win; eighth Gatornationals victory and first since 2001):

Q: WHAT DOES THE SONG OF VICTORY SOUND LIKE?

JOHN FORCE: “(Teammate) Robert Hight fixed my old hotrod; he fixed me on the throttle. I should have listened to him earlier. “We’re going to do some damage this year. We have the heart.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Gainesville Post Race Quotes →

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE RACEWAY AT GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA
QUALIFYING RESULTS AND DRIVER QUOTES
SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2017

Chevrolet Drivers Claim No. 1 Qualifier Spots in Funny Car and Pro Stock
· John Force records 155th top qualifier honor of his Funny Car career
· Teammates Robert Hight qualifies No. 2 and Courtney Force is No. 4
· Jason Line races to third consecutive Pro Stock No. 1 qualifier spot
· Defending Gatornationals Top Fuel winner Brittany Force qualifies No. 4 Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Gainesville →

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Halfway Update
No. 3 Corvette C7.R in thick of GTLM fight after six hours; No. 4 Corvette out of race

SEBRING, Fla. (March 18, 2017) – Corvette Racing’s No. 3 Mobil 1/Sirius XM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R is in the midst of the battle for GT Le Mans (GTLM) honors as the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida enters its second half. Antonio Garcia took his second turn in the sixth-place Corvette as the team goes for its third consecutive class victory and 11th at North America’s oldest endurance race. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Halfway Update →

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Stirring Comeback for No. 3 Corvette C7.R
Corvette Racing takes third straight and 11th class victory in 12 Hours

Garcia, Magnussen, Rockenfeller complete stunning turnaround
25th Sebring class win for Chevrolet-powered entries
No. 4 Corvette suffers from overheating issue

SEBRING, Fla. (March 18, 2017) – Corvette Racing stormed to a stunning class victory in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on Saturday – its third straight in North America’s oldest endurance sports car race. Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller drove the winning No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R to a 4.453-second victory for the team’s 11th Sebring class victory. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Stirring Comeback for No. 3 Corvette C7.R Corvette Racing takes third straight and 11th class victory in 12 Hours →

The No. 3 Mobil 1/Sirius XM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida for the second time in three years. Winners quotes:

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “I knew it was going to be really, really tough. Since yesterday in qualifying it was super close, the first two hours I managed to make my way up to P2. I did two hours first following the No. 66 – 2 seconds. 2 seconds. Then I did that third hour and I was kind of sick of following Fords. So at some point I just needed to go. We made that really good call to come in with the Ferrari. So the Fords stayed out on a poorer set of tires than us. I knew that had to be my stint. That first stint with two or three stints to go I needed to make the moves and pass the Ferrari. I passed the No. 68; I passed (Scott) Dixon. I passed everybody because I knew it had to be done then because that was probably the only time they would be a little bit weaker than we were. It worked. At the end the Porsche looked very, very strong. That second-to-the-last time they pitted quite a bit later than us, and they were flying. They passed all the way up to us until that last safety car. Again, there was a magnificent stop by the Corvette Racing crew. I think the Porsche made a mistake there. Without knowing, I thought it was Joey (Hand) behind us, but it was again the Porsche. I knew it was going to be tough. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to hold him , but probably. The car kept going faster and faster. When you lead the way, the aero works pretty decent compared to when you follow someone. At the end things went a little bit in our favor. It was a sprint to the end. I can’t believe what Corvette Racing did today. Just awesome. Amazing.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “I don’t even know where to start. What a fantastic race. It was a tough race… a hard race. I mean I am so happy about this. The boys did a great job with the pit stops. Antonio’s last stint there was just fantastic. What can you say? It is just fantastic. It was all about running our own race and then at the end when we had to do something, to then be able to do it. The crew – those last couple of pit stops – awesome. As I said Antonio’s last stint… just fantastic!”

MIKE ROCKENFELLER, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “It is still hard to believe right now because I didn’t expect it. We had a tough race, and Antonio (Garcia) did just a fantastic job – like always. But it is very special what he got out of the car today. That is why I am speechless. I am very happy for the team. Thanks to Corvette and everyone on the teams – all the mechanics. They always believe in it. We had a tough start in Daytona, and even here. We weren’t the quickest all the time, but at the end when it counted, we were there. This team is just amazing!”

CHEVROLET AT GAINESVILLE

What:
48th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
When:
Friday, March 17-Sunday, March 19
Where:
Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Florida
TV:
FS1: Eliminations and finals – 1 p.m. ET Sunday (live)

Chevrolet Drivers Primed to Repeat 2016 Sweep of Gatornationals Victories
Brittany Force, Robert Hight and Greg Anderson are defending race winners

DETROIT (March 15, 2017) – Brittany Force views the 2016 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals as a watershed weekend in her drag racing career.

The John Force Racing driver of the Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster had recorded four No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier honors and raced to six runner-up finishes, including the previous event at Chandler, Arizona, before visiting the winner’s circle for the first time March 20 to cap the exciting Gatornationals. Continue reading Chevrolet Racing–NHRA–Gainesville Advance →

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
CAMPING WORLD 500
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
MARCH 19, 2017

BOWTIE BULLETS
PACING THE FIELD: This weekend the field will be looking at a gold Bowtie as they head toward taking the green flag at Phoenix International Raceway. A silver Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will bring the field to the start of the 312-lap/312-mile event around the 1-mile oval in the desert. This will mark the third time in 2017 the silver Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will serve as the pace car in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

SPEEDING BOWTIE BULLET:
Seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson, holds the track qualifying record at Phoenix International Raceway. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS laid down a blistering lap of 143.158 mph/25.147 seconds and set the track qualifying record on November 13, 2015. Continue reading Chevy Advance–Camping World Truck Series–Phoenix →

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Sustained Excellence at a Familiar Place
Team searching for 11th class win in historic 12-hour race

Corvette Racing seeking third straight GTLM victory at Sebring
Gavin, Milner, Fässler enter as defending GTLM winners
Garcia, Magnussen, Rockenfeller led Corvette Racing effort at Rolex 24

DETROIT (March 14, 2017) – Corvette Racing returns this weekend to a track where it has made many memories and scored some of its most glorious achievements. In the long and storied history of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida, one would be hard-pressed to find a team that can match the continual success of Corvette Racing. America’s premier sports car team has made winning America’s oldest sports car race almost routine with 10 victories, nine pole positions and six fastest race laps in 18 appearances. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Sustained Excellence at a Familiar Place Team searching for 11th class win in historic 12-hour race →