Circle Sport Racing

Circle Sport Racing–Can-Am Duel at Daytona

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Duel No. 2
Daytona International Speedway
Thursday, February 18, 2016

Ty Dillon Avoids Wreck, Finishes Fifth in Duel No. 2

Ty Dillon avoided catastrophe in the final laps of Duel No. 2 Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway and drove the No. 95 Cheerios/Kroger Chevrolet SS to a fifth-place finish. Dillon was racing outside the top ten when the “big one” happened, but he dove low on the race track and missed having his car damaged. The fifth place finish qualified Dillon 12th for the 58th running of the Daytona 500 this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Start – 8th Finish -5th Laps Led – 0 Points – N/A

TY DILLON QUOTE:
“What an exciting finish. I’m fortunate to have a great spotter on top of the roof, my dad, Mike Dillon – he’s one of the best in the business. It’s a great feeling to be in the Daytona 500 for the second consecutive year. More importantly, our race car has very minimal front-end damage from contact with the 20 car. We’ll be fine for the race Sunday. Great to see our teammate, Michael McDowell, make the race tonight, too. I want to thank Circle Sport and the Leavine Family, Cheerios and Kroger. We’ll be competing for a win on Sunday.”

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing–Can-Am Duels at Daytona

Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing drivers Austin Dillon and Paul Menard finished 11th and 21st in the first of two Duels at Daytona. Ryan Newman competed in the second Duel and finished 22nd.
In the first Duel, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished first and was followed to the finish line by Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin. Kyle Busch won the second Duel and was followed to the line by Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Ty Dillon.
The 2016 Sprint Cup Series begins with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 21. The first race of the 2016 season is scheduled to be televised live on FOX beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.

Austin Dillon Runs as High as Third in Duel at Daytona before Securing 11th-Place Finish in Dow Chevrolet

Start – 5 Finish – 11 Laps Led – 0 Points – N/A

“That was a good race. I have to thank Dow and everybody involved in this program. I’m proud of my guys because they put a lot of hard work and effort into this Chevy. I was hoping for a win tonight and tried to be as aggressive as I could. I just got put in the middle and went to the back on the last lap. We got to the front a few times, but just didn’t have enough steam to hold us up there. We were close though and I learned a lot tonight. We got through the race in one piece which is what we needed because it pays on Sunday. I feel like we have a solid car for the Daytona 500.”
– AUSTIN DILLON

Paul Menard Finishes 21st in PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant/Menards Chevy in Duel at Daytona

Start – 9 Finish – 21 Laps Led – 0 Points – N/A

“I only have positive things to say after tonight’s race. We made some changes and learned a lot. I think the car was a lot better than practice and we feel confident heading into Sunday’s race. I’m proud of this team and how hard they’ve worked this week to get the car where it needs to be. Our Chevy ran really well during the race, maybe just a little more free than practice, but I was happy with the changes we made. We got some debris on the grille which hurt us in the long run and forced us to the garage a little early. Overall, I’m happy with how tonight went and looking forward to Sunday.”
– PAUL MENARD

Mechanical Issues Slow Ryan Newman to 22nd-Place Finish in Duel at Daytona

Start – 7 Finish – 22 Laps Led – 0 Points – N/A

“This is definitely not the Speedweeks we were expecting so far. We had a fast Caterpillar Chevrolet. I barely had to lift before we had an issue under the hood. We felt it was in our best interest to bring the Cat Chevy to the garage to diagnose the issue. Something is definitely off here and we’ll figure it out. I am confident what we have planned for the Daytona 500 is even better than what we had planned for this Duel. We will be fine.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Can-Am Duel#2 Post Race

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
CAN-AM DUEL #2
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES
FEBRUARY 18, 2016

JAMIE McMURRAY, NO. 1 McDONALD’S/CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 2ND
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW THIS DUEL PLAYED OUT?
“It was fairly uneventful until the last 10 laps. I was shocked that that second group was able to catch us. But it seems like that’s the way these always work out. You get strung out and then with five to go it always packs back up. The lap cars played a little bit of a factor with some guys getting a little bit of a draft of them. You just had to be either in the middle or the outside. You couldn’t be stuck on the bottom. When the 20 (Matt Kenseth) got stuck on the bottom, he was able to make up a little bit of ground but the outside was just the preferred groove.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Can-Am Duel#2 Post Race →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Can-Am Duel #1 Post Race

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
CAN-AM DUEL #1
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 12, 2016

POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTS:
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS ~ RACE WINNER

THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by the winner of the first Duel tonight, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale, talk about holding off the 22 and the 4 at the end.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: That was crazy. You know, had to just go where they were going. Everybody knows how important getting the lead is at this race.
I knew how important it was to keep it so I had to do everything I could, get pretty aggressive at blocking and getting in front of them and trying to not allow them to get up on the quarter panel. They had a great car. I know that’s evident. But this car is something special.
I was so nervous today about tearing the car up because I know how good it is versus what we have. What we have is a capable car in the trailer, but this thing is special. So I’m real excited.
Hopefully we can get through these next few practices and be able to put the car on the grid on Sunday. Whatever happens after that, I don’t really care.
I was so nervous. It’s such a tough balance because you got to go out there and try to win, but you can’t tear up your car. You got to race like tearing up the car don’t matter. It’s really crossing your fingers and hoping you get to the finish with the car in one piece.
We did, so I was real happy with that. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Can-Am Duel #1 Post Race →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Can-Am Duel 1–Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
CAN-AM DUEL #1
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES
FEBRUARY 18, 2016

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS – WINNER
TALK ABOUT THE PASS FOR THE LEAD AT THE END?
“I really don’t know. Denny (Hamlin) is such a great plate racer. There are a lot of guys that are really good at it these days. I knew he was going to be real tough to get around. When he got the lead I didn’t know if we were going to be able to get around him. He has got a great car and he is real smart. For whatever reason I was able to get to his quarter-panel, he saw we had a pretty good run. I don’t know, I didn’t think I was going to clear him. We got away from him so he couldn’t side draft us I guess. You will have to talk to him how it worked out for him. I was really surprised as anybody that we got by him. He will be tough on Sunday.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Can-Am Duel 1–Dale Earnhardt Jr. →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Chip Ganassi and Rob Kauffman

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SPEEDWEEKS
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 18, 2016

CHIP GANASSI AND ROB KAUFFMAN OF CHIP GANASSI RACING WITH FELIX SABATES met with media and discussed their new partnership. Partial Transcript:

ON HIS PARTNERS
CHIP GANASSI: “It’s a good opportunity for Chip Ganassi and Chip Ganassi Racing to have partners like Rob (Kauffman) and Felix (Sabates). From my point of view, Rob wanted to stay in the sport and this was a good opportunity for him to do that. We both have shared interest in lots of different kinds of cars and I think that’s probably what brought us together. And I think it’s obvious that Rob has skillsets I don’t have and maybe vice-versa. So, it seemed to work well.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Chip Ganassi and Rob Kauffman →

World of Outlaws

World of Outlaws–Scott Bloomquist Scores Late Model Win at DIRTcar Nationals

Scott Bloomquist Scores Late Model Win at DIRTcar Nationals
Tim Fuller wins Super DIRTcar Series DIRTcar Nationals opener
BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Feb. 17, 2016 – Scott Bloomquist was the class of the field Wednesday night at DIRTcar Nationals as he rebounded from bad luck the previous night to score the Swamp King Championship.

Bloomquist, who suffered an engine failure the night before, set the night’s overall quick time during qualifying and started the feature in the fourth position. He quickly charged to the second position and after a caution on lap six battled past Dale McDowell for the lead. Continue reading World of Outlaws–Scott Bloomquist Scores Late Model Win at DIRTcar Nationals →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Daytona 500 Practice

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
DAYTONA 500
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE QUOTES
FEBRUARY 17, 2016

TY DILLON, NO. 95 CHEERIOS CHEVROLET SS – Involved in multi-car crash in Turn 2
WHAT HAPPENED?
“The oil cooler cracked. I really hate it for those guys behind us. It’s just one of those weird situations. I hate that it tore-up race cars. I couldn’t do anything to make it any different. We were just getting the pack going. It was unfortunate for everybody involved. I hate it for our guys that our race car is torn up. It’s just as simple as a cracked weld on an oil cooler. Hey, we didn’t catch it early enough. It’s unfortunate but we’ll be fine. We have time to get everything fixed and I just hope the other guys do, too.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CAT CHEVROLET SS – Involved in multi-car crash in Turn 2
ON THE ACCIDENT:
“Something happened to the No. 95 (Ty Dillon) I saw the oil up ahead and I started checking-up. It’s amazing how quick the oil spreads out as it sprays out and it was like ice out there. I tried to keep it (the car) off the wall and even when I got back on the race track it was slick and we just kind of bounced off the wall in the Caterpillar Chevrolet.”

DO YOU HAVE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT FRONT?
“The tail section mostly is just body work but the right front is up against the frame bar just a little bit. It looks entirely fixable; that was (crew chief) Luke’s (Lambert) comment before we ever got it back into the garage. So, we’ll see.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – Involved in a multi-car crash in Turn 2
WHAT HAPPENED FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE?
“I could see him (No. 95, Ty Dillon) smoking. Obviously oil was getting put down. I was just following the guys in front of me. The whole line of us kind of just moved up, so I just followed them. We all just kind of got stuck in his oil. The front guy slowed down and then the rest of us couldn’t get slowed down in time. Just kind of a chain reaction. I got shoved into the wall, no fault of the guy behind me, but it’s unfortunate.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON GOING TO A BACK-UP CAR FOR TOMORROW’S DUEL RACE?
“It will be fine. You hate to wreck one in practice here because you kind of assume you are going to get some damage tomorrow. We will probably have to send down our Unlimited car now as a back-up for this one. But, they say the car that we will run in the Duels and hopefully the 500 is just about the same as this primary car that we had.”

World of Outlaws

World of Outlaws–Nick Hoffman Wraps Up Blockbuster UMP Modified Week at DIRTcar Nationals

Nick Hoffman Wraps Up Blockbuster UMP Modified Week at DIRTcar Nationals
Ray Bollinger wins DIRTcar UMP Modified feature and Josh Richards wins DIRTcar Late Models feature
BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Feb. 16, 2016 – Nick Hoffman wrapped up his blockbuster DIRTcar Nationals run on Tuesday night as he claimed the UMP Modified Week championship and scored his second ‘Big Gator’ trophy.

Hoffman, who was the class of the field all week with the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, picked up three wins, the Gator Championship and the overall championship. He finished sixth in the final triple-20 feature. Continue reading World of Outlaws–Nick Hoffman Wraps Up Blockbuster UMP Modified Week at DIRTcar Nationals →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day– Jimmie Johnson

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
MEDIA DAY
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2016

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS met with media during Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. Full Transcript:

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, when you know you’re not hyping yourself up, not trying to make yourself look good for the team, when you know, that’s a sweet spot that all athletes dream of being in. Doesn’t matter if you’re a batter, pitcher, receiver, quarterback, racecar driver, those are the moments you live for and hope that you have a chance to experience.

I’ve been very fortunate for years that that has happened, quite a few years. It is cool. There’s nothing like it. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day– Jimmie Johnson →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Kasey Kahne

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
MEDIA DAY
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2016

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. Full Transcript:

DO YOU FEEL ANY KIND OF PRESSURE GOING INTO THIS YEAR?
“I feel like I want to run well and we need to run well. It all goes to preparation and I’m working with the team and the team is preparing, and things like that. So I don’t feel any pressure, but I have to run well if I want to stay in the 5 car for a long time. But you can only do what you can do at the same time. We’re working hard to have the team be where it needs to be and myself, the crew chief and the engineers communicating the right way. If we do that, I don’t see why we wouldn’t run really well.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Kasey Kahne →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Brian Vickers

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
MEDIA DAY
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2016

BRIAN VICKERS, NO. 14 BASS PRO SHOPS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS met with media during Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. Full Transcript:

Q. (No microphone.)

BRIAN VICKERS: Yeah, that Xarelto commercial, the campaign has been going on for a few years now, raising awareness for blood clots, really encouraging people to go out and seek a doctor if they think something is wrong and find out what is the right plan for them.

You know, obviously that means a lot to me personally. I’ve been through a lot of scary situations. That advice is something I could have used tremendously before the first one. It’s something I gladly give after the second and third one.

The commercial was a blast. Getting to know Arnold Palmer, Kevin Nealon, now Chris Bosh, they’re all great guys. It’s been a really cool campaign. I feel like we’ve really made a difference to a lot of people.

It’s a bigger issue than people realize and we had a lot of fun with it. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Brian Vickers →

Kasey Kahne Racing

Kasey Kahne Racing Daytona Recap

Kasey Kahne Racing – Results Recap

2016 is off to a flying start!

The World of Outlaws season opening weekend was this past Friday thru Sunday at Volusia Speedway Park in Ocala, Florida and it couldn’t have gone better for KKR. Brad and the No. 49 Razor-Back Professional Tools team won the first and third night while finishing second in between.

Daryn an the No. 9 Great Clips team were quick time in qualifying two of the three nights, while finished second to Brad night one by a nose on a final lap pass. The highlights of that crazy finish are below.

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Kurt Busch

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
MEDIA DAY
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2016

KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION/MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET SS met with media during Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. Full Transcript:

Q. Danica gets attention because she’s the girl on the block. Is it nice to just kind of be the guy that can go under the radar and kick everybody’s ass?

KURT BUSCH: We have our job to do on the 41 car. Whether it’s positioned to be in the spotlight or if it’s not, we’re still doing the same job. It’s always been a matter of how a story can be told and how things can unfold if you’re going to be that big, bright shining star or if you’re just running through the system, posting results. Nobody’s necessarily talking about it. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Kurt Busch →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Austin Dillon

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
MEDIA DAY
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2016

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CHEVROLET SS met with media at Daytona International Speedway during Media Day. Full Transcript:

HOW WAS YOUR SUPER BOWL EXPERIENCE?
“It was fun. I only got there Saturday night. I had an appearance in Michigan Saturday. I got over there and went to the Direct TV party. It was a crazy party. It was the second time I’ve been to that because I went to New York with NASCAR and did the New York Super Bowl, which was a crazy event. The coolest part is just the effort that goes into all that. They’re starting now for the next Super Bowl and it’s amazing the amount of people that come to it. I had fun. It was definitely not the results I wanted because of my team. I watched them all year long and it just didn’t look the same. They didn’t seem like they were loose and having fun. I know if I’m in a championship mode, I need to remember that because you change what you do up until that period of time that got you there. You can’t forget what got you there and how your emotions were leading up to each game. It was cool. I learned from that. And then also, I sat in the sun; so that stadium was a little weird. I had to sit in the sun the whole time, up until halftime, and burn up. But, I don’t know if I ever go to a game in San Francisco to sit in the shade side.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Austin Dillon →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Regan Smith

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
MEDIA DAY
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2016

REGAN SMITH, NO. 7 NIKKO RC/GOLDEN CORRAL CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. Full Transcript:

AFTER A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY LAST YEAR, HOW’S IT FEEL TO KNOW YOU’RE LOCKED IN AN HAVE A FULL-TIME CUP RIDE AGAIN?
“It feels good. Even three weeks ago, I had no clue what was going on. I got a call from Tommy (Baldwin, team owner). Everything happened quick, and the next thing I know I’m coming to Daytona to go racing and have a full-time, locked-in deal with a charter. It was probably one of the craziest off seasons I’ve been a part of and one of the most unenjoyable to be brutally honest with you. By the time it all played out, it turned out to be one of the better off seasons for me.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Regan Smith →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Michael McDowell

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
MEDIA DAY
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2016

MICHAEL McDOWELL, NO. 59 THRIVENT FINANCIAL/ KLOVE RADIO CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. Full Transcript:

HAVE YOU REPLAYED THAT (QUALIFYING) LAP IN YOUR MIND?
“I wish I wouldn’t have had breakfast (laughs). It’ll drive you crazy, wouldn’t it; two hundredths of a second. You know, the thing is, I got through the gears well. I think I maximized everything I could, so there wasn’t a whole lot that I could’ve done different. But there are always ways to find two hundredths; it’s the same for everybody. But you got to be a little bit, to me, I just let it go a little more than that and we just didn’t get in. We’ve got do it on Thursday.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Michael McDowell →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
MEDIA DAY
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2016
An interview with:
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS:
DALE EARNHARDT JR.: — yeah, I mean, I didn’t get to steal anything, but I wanted to carry all the tapes out of there, all the video, and go catalog it myself. I got room if they would like to store it where I’m at.
So that would be pretty cool to be in charge of the archives, all the video. There’s some cool photo stuff in there, too. There was a lot of interesting stuff that I saw from way back on the beach days. All that stuff’s kind of got to be in a certain environment and so forth. It’s pretty neat. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Dale Earnhardt Jr. →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Ty Dillon

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
MEDIA DAY
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2016

TY DILLON, NO. 95 CHEERIOS CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. Full transcript:

ON RUMORS HE WILL DRIVE THE NO. 14 CHEVROLET SS FOR STEWART-HAAS RACING:
“Obviously it is something that has been talked about a lot, but nothing has been finalized. Unfortunately, it kind of stinks that we are even talking about that down here. I think everybody including myself want to Tony (Stewart) go out the right way and to able to run every single race. To get back to the question – it would be an honor for me to drive Tony’s car in his last year, and hopefully do good for those guys. Nothing has been announced yet. I haven’t signed anything yet. We’ve been in talks. Hopefully we will have some news sooner or later, but nothing is finalized yet. But, if the opportunity were to come about, I would be honored to drive the No. 14 car and represent Tony in his last year.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Ty Dillon →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Clint Bowyer

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
MEDIA DAY
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2016
An interview with:
CLINT BOWYER, NO. 15 5-HOUR ENERGY CHEVROLET SS:
Q. What do you expect to make out of this gap year, it’s like a tweener year?
CLINT BOWYER: That is the question, right? What do you do? I mean, it’s a year. I guess this is where my head is and what I’ve been thinking, what I want to use as a goal.
I want to be able to come in here and help Harry build his company to where he wants it, to where it can stand on its own two feet and be a better place than what it was when I came. I think we can do that. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR Media Day–Clint Bowyer →

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