Mopar Racing

Mopar Racing–Johnson Sets Track Record on Route to No.1 Qualifier Honors at NHRA Summernationals

Johnson Sets Track Record on Route to No.1 Qualifier Honors at NHRA Summernationals

·         Allen Johnson secures No.1 qualifier position at 45th annual NHRA Summernationals by setting track record and second quickest Pro Stock pass in history
·         Jeg Coughlin Jr. qualifies sixth with his second best career Pro Stock pass
·         Don Schumacher Racing’s Jack Beckman quickest in final Funny Car qualifying to start fifth on eliminations ladder

Englishtown, New Jersey (Saturday, May 31) – Picking up right where he left off last weekend with his Pro Stock title win at the Kansas Nationals, Allen Johnson drove his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart to the top spot on both qualifying days at the 45th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Summernationals to earn his 33rd career No.1 qualifier position.
 
With cool evening conditions on Friday, Johnson drove his HEMI®-powered Mopar to the provisional pole position by setting the track elapsed time record at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park with a 6.502 second / 213.00 mph pass. He followed up that performance by improving on it in the final session on Saturday with the second quickest pass in Pro Stock history to take his second No.1 qualifier honor of the season.
 
“This track is absolutely awesome when you have cloud cover and cool conditions especially that left lane so when we saw it coming, we went back and reset the car on kill and it worked,” said Johnson of his quickest career pass of 6.472 seconds (214.35 mph). “Right before our run, Erica (Enders-Stevens) and her crew chief told me not to do anything heroic and throw them a bone and I said “Nope”. It was exciting to go out and grab it from them. I’ve got a great crew and Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) is right there behind me and we have a good combination going into race day.”
 
Johnson, who finished runner-up last year at the Summernationals, will face Chris McGaha as his first round opponent in eliminations.
 
Mopar teammate and reigning champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. heads into elimination in sixth spot after posting a win and a runner-up finish in consecutive national events leading up to this weekend’s competition.
Coughlin posted his second best career e.t. run of 6.489-second (214.25 mph) in the JEGS.com Dodge Dart in Saturday’s early session to match-up against Kenny Delco in the opening round.
 
“We’re in the top half, and that’s what matters the most,” said Coughlin, who earned the win in Atlanta from the eighth spot on the eliminations ladder. “I think the left lane here is slightly better because it’s smoother and seems to have better traction from 60 feet to around 400 feet, which is an important area for Pro Stock cars.”
 
While the debut of the new Dodge Dart Pro Stock was celebrated with a win by Johnson at the Gatornationals in March, it took the HEMI-powered two–car Mopar team a few more events to get a good handle on the new combination. Their hard work, however, has most recently been rewarded with three consecutive final round appearances and two victories, including the all-Mopar final elimination showdown between the teammates last week in Topeka, which they are hoping to repeat on Sunday.
 
Fellow HEMI-powered Dodge Dart driver, V.Gaines qualified 14th with a 7.583-second e.t. and will face Shane Gray as his first round opponent.
 
Jack Beckman led the way for the Don Schumacher Racing contingent of Mopar Funny Cars with the quickest run in the final qualifying session by posting a 4.017-second (318.99 mph) to put him fifth on the eliminations ladder. He’ll see Chad Head as his first round competitor.
 
Also qualified in the top half of the ladder is Mopar teammate Tommy Johnson Jr., who drove his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T to an eighth place position and will face teammate Ron Capps in the opening round.
 
Last year’s Funny Car title winner at Englishtown, Matt Hagan is looking to rebound from a difficult start to the season and repeat last year’s performance after qualifying 13th with a best run of 4.080-seconds set in Friday’s first session.
“It’s been a tough weekend and it’s been a tough year,” said the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T driver who will see John Force as his first elimination round opponent. “There’s no way around it. It’s just that we’re still fighting through some stuff that’s biting us. We did make a good run this weekend with that 4.08 and we have a tough battle first round tomorrow.”
 

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Anderson resets career best speed to start from top half in Englishtown

Anderson resets career best speed to start from top half in Englishtown
 
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J., May 31, 2014 – Old Bridge Township Raceway Park has historically been a favored venue for Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson, and this weekend’s 45th annual Toyota Racing NHRA Summernationals is no exception. On Saturday in Englishtown, the 74-time NHRA national event victor and four time Pro Stock world champion returned to form and qualified in the top half of the field for the first time this year.
 
Anderson, who missed the first five races of the 2014 season of NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, struggled in qualifying for the first three events, but here in Englishtown he found the groove and qualified in the No. 8 position.
 
On the first day of the event and in a session where many drivers experienced tire shake just off the starting line, Anderson went right down the racetrack to clock to a 6.561 at 212.76 mph. The second day brought even better results as he wheeled the white Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro to a 6.505, 213.94 followed by a best time of 6.503 at a big speed of 214.31 mph that reset his career best.
 
“We made two consistent runs today, and they were both very smooth,” said Anderson, who will race rookie Jonathan Gray in the first round of eliminations on Sunday. “I think we could have been quicker; we were just a little too conservative, a little too safe, so we’re going to kick it a bit harder tomorrow. This car is acting like it wants to be more aggressive, and we like that. The other good news is that we are on the safe side right now, and we know it will do what it did today every time. Hopefully, the racetrack will be as good tomorrow as it was today. We will go after it harder tomorrow, though. That’s the plan.”
 
The strong desire to be ever quicker and faster is ingrained in Anderson, and on Saturday in Englishtown that hunger was somewhat rewarded by the career best speed recorded in the final session.
 
“It’s definitely fast out there, and that’s part of the reason why we love coming to Englishtown,” said Anderson. “It has often fallen in our hands here. These conditions that we had today were what we hope for every time we come to the races. This racetrack has been such a great place for this Summit Racing team, and the conditions today were so good. If I’m ever going to have a great chance to win, it will be here tomorrow.”
 
 

RCR

Richard Childress Racing–Buckle Up 200

NASCAR Nationwide Series
Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It Or Ticket
Dover International Speedway
Saturday, May 31, 2014
 
Race Highlights:
Brian Scott qualified third and was the top Richard Childress Racing starter for the Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It Or Ticket at Dover International Speedway. Brendan Gaughan qualified 10th, Ty Dillon 12th and Cale Conley started 18th.      
Brian Scott earned a seventh-place finish, with Ty Dillon, Brendan Gaughan and Cale Conley finishing eighth, 12th and 31st, respectively.
Ty Dillon currently leads the RCR teams in the Nationwide Series driver point standings in fifth, Brian Scott is sixth and Brendan Gaughan seventh.
Next up for the Nationwide Series is the Michigan 250 at Michigan International Speedway. Catch all the action live on Saturday, June 14th at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.
 
   
 
Brian Scott Finishes Seventh at The Monster Mile of Dover
 
Brian Scott followed up two great practice sessions on Friday with a third-place qualifying effort on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway later that afternoon. When the green flag waved, Scott and the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet lined up in the third position and quickly took advantage of being up front by running in the top-five through the first 75, of 200, laps. During the team’s three pit stops, all under caution, the Phil Gould-led team made several adjustments to help alleviate a tight-handling condition around the one-mile oval. After dropping to seventh during a lap 79 restart, Scott would remain in the top-10 to finish in seventh place. As a result, he and the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet team remain sixth in the driver point standings.
 
            Start – 3rd        Finish – 7th                  Laps Led – 0              Points – 6th
 
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“We had two great practice sessions and did pretty well in qualifying to start third. Once the race started, we ran in the top-five for the early part of the race. We kind of got screwed up there on that one restart and it cost us some positions, be we managed to remain in the top-10 until the checkered flag waved. We should have, and could have, had a better finish at Dover, but we’ll take another top-10 and maintain our points position.”
 
 
 
Ty Dillon Finishes Eighth in the Buckle Up 200 at Dover International Speedway
 
Ty Dillon drove the No. 3 Airgas/Bulwark Chevrolet Camaro to an eighth-place finish Saturday afternoon at the Monster Mile, recording the team’s ninth top-10 finish of the season. Dillon, who qualified 11th earlier in the day, nestled in the top-10 on the race’s green flag and remained there for the remainder of the 200-lap race. Crew chief Danny Stockman and the 22-year-old rookie driver discussed necessary adjustments to the No. 3 Airgas/Bulwark Camaro as Dillon reported a tight-handling race car while exiting the corners. The No. 3 team came in four times for near flawless pit stops, improving the car’s handling and putting on four new Goodyear tires. The final restart came on lap 159 and Dillon held on to eighth place. He was the second Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate to cross the finish line and remained fifth in the driver point standings.
 
Start – 12th    Finish – 8th   Laps Led – 0      Points -5th
 
TY DILLON QUOTE:
“I thought we had a pretty good day today. The guys made four really good pit stops, Danny made the right calls on our adjustments, and I think we are all getting comfortable with one another on this No. 3 team. I can’t thank Airgas, Bulwark, and VF Imagewear enough, they have been a great partner to this team.”
 
 
 
 

Late Race Incident Ends Cale Conley’s Day Early at Dover International Speedway, Finishes 31st
 
Cale Conley was on tap for a solid finish at Dover International Speedway until a late-race accident ended his day in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Buckle Up 200. Conley took the green flag from the 18th-position and used the opening segment to get into his rhythm. The first caution flag of the day flew on lap 17, Conley reported to crew chief Nick Harrison he was extremely free into the corner. The crew went to work on pit road changing four tires, fuel and making a chassis adjustment. On the ensuing run, Conley worked various grooves to move forward. Trouble came on lap 148 as two competitors got together and tagged the West Virginia native sending him into the wall and relegating his run to a 31st-place-finish.
 
Start: 18th        Finish: 31st      Laps Led: 0      Points: N/A
 
CALE CONLEY QUOTE:
“It was definitely a tough day, we just kind of tried to chip our way through the field. We had really strong speed on the long runs. I tried to go low to miss the wreck and kind of got into it trying to get by them. Nick Harrison and the crew worked hard all weekend in the garage and on pit road. I want to thank IAVA for being on board, we’ll come back strong.”
 
 

 
 
Brendan Gaughan Finishes 12th in the Buckle Up 200 at Dover International Speedway
 
Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino team qualified 10th for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Buckle Up 200 at Dover International Raceway on Saturday. When the first caution fell on lap 17, Gaughan reported his Chevrolet Camaro was free on entry. On the exit of the first pit stop, the No. 62 Chevrolet made contact with another car that was entering their pit stall, causing damage to the right front fender. Crew chief Shane Wilson called Gaughan back to pit road to repair any damage, restarting the Las Vegas-native in the 28th position. Gaughan and the No. 62 RCR team used the remainder of the race to gain as many track positions as possible to finish 12th at the Monster Mile. The South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro remains seventh in the driver point standings.
 
Start – 10th       Finish – 12th    Laps Led – 0     Points – 7th
                                                  
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“Richard Childress Racing gave me a great car today. It is a shame we had a little contact on pit road with the No. 44, but that is racing. The No. 62 guys and I did all we could to work back through the field and gain as much track position possible. I am proud of my team and everything they do.”
 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Will Power Puts Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Power on Top of the Victory Podium in Race one of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit

Will Power Puts Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Power on Top of the Victory Podium in Race one of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit
 
DETROIT (May 31, 2014) – Will Power delivered Chevrolet’s first victory at The Raceway at Belle Isle behind the wheel of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Power capitalized on a restart with 10 laps to go to claim the lead, and score his second win of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season.  Power is credited with leading three times for 21 laps on the way to Victory Lane for Race One of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit.
 
He took the lead for the final time on lap 60, overtaking fellow Team Chevy driver Ryan Briscoe in turn eight. The win pulled him within three points of the overall lead in the Series point standings. This is Power’s 23rd career IndyCar win.
 
Tony Kanaan, No. 10 Energizer Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finished third to give the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 two drivers on the podium.
 
“Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, had an incredible qualifying run on this 2.3-mile Belle Isle track,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “And the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar team delivered a great comb ination of strategy, quick pit stops and great driving by Will Power to clinch the win.  It was great to see Tony Kanaan in the No. 10 Energizer Chevrolet with a podium finish.”
 
Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, today’s pole winner, finished fifth to give Chevrolet-power three of the top-five finishers.  The strong finish keeps Castroneves third in the standings.
 
Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finish ninth, his third top-10 of the season.
 
Graham Rahal (Honda) completed the podium, and Justin Wilson (Honda) filled out the top-five.
 
Campbell added: “”This was a very exciting day for both Chevrolet and Cadillac at Belle Isle with Johnny O’Connell and the No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V team winning the first World Challenge race, followed by Ricky and Jordan Taylor bringing home the victory in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic driving the No. 10 Corvette Daytona Prototype. Will Power capped off the day with the win in the first Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit.”
 
Race Two of the Chevrolet Indy Dual at Detroit is scheduled for Sunday, June 1 with the green flag set to fly at 3:50 p.m.  Live television coverage of the 70-lap/164.22-mile Race Two Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 31 on ABC TV.  Live radio coverage will be on XM Radio Channel 209, and IMS Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 213. In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Will Power Puts Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Power on Top of the Victory Podium in Race one of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit

Will Power Puts Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Power on Top of the Victory Podium in Race one of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit
 
DETROIT (May 31, 2014) – Will Power delivered Chevrolet’s first victory at The Raceway at Belle Isle behind the wheel of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Power capitalized on a restart with 10 laps to go to claim the lead, and score his second win of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season.  Power is credited with leading three times for 21 laps on the way to Victory Lane for Race One of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit.
 
He took the lead for the final time on lap 60, overtaking fellow Team Chevy driver Ryan Briscoe in turn eight. The win pulled him within three points of the overall lead in the Series point standings. This is Power’s 23rd career IndyCar win.
 
Tony Kanaan, No. 10 Energizer Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finished third to give the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 two drivers on the podium.
 
“Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, had an incredible qualifying run on this 2.3-mile Belle Isle track,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “And the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar team delivered a great comb ination of strategy, quick pit stops and great driving by Will Power to clinch the win.  It was great to see Tony Kanaan in the No. 10 Energizer Chevrolet with a podium finish.”
 
Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, today’s pole winner, finished fifth to give Chevrolet-power three of the top-five finishers.  The strong finish keeps Castroneves third in the standings.
 
Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finish ninth, his third top-10 of the season.
 
Graham Rahal (Honda) completed the podium, and Justin Wilson (Honda) filled out the top-five.
 
Campbell added: “”This was a very exciting day for both Chevrolet and Cadillac at Belle Isle with Johnny O’Connell and the No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V team winning the first World Challenge race, followed by Ricky and Jordan Taylor bringing home the victory in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic driving the No. 10 Corvette Daytona Prototype. Will Power capped off the day with the win in the first Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit.”
 
Race Two of the Chevrolet Indy Dual at Detroit is scheduled for Sunday, June 1 with the green flag set to fly at 3:50 p.m.  Live television coverage of the 70-lap/164.22-mile Race Two Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 31 on ABC TV.  Live radio coverage will be on XM Radio Channel 209, and IMS Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 213. In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at

John Force Racing

John Force Racing–JFR FIRED UP FOR SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS IN ENGLISHTOWN

JFR FIRED UP FOR SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS IN ENGLISHTOWN

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – After two days of qualifying at historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park the four drivers from John Force Racing are ready to take on the tough competition that awaits them on race day. Led in qualifying by Mello Yello points leader and Summernationals No. 3 qualifier in Funny Car Robert Hight the trio of JFR Ford Mustang Funny Cars will all have the all-important lane choice in the first round. Castrol-backed John Force will have his pick of lanes as the No. 4 qualifier and most recent winner Courtney Force and the Traxxas Funny Car will also be able to select her path to hopeful victory as the No. 7 qualifier. In Top Fuel Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE dragster continued to impress with a strong No. 5 qualifying effort on the heels of her No. 1 effort last weekend in Topeka.

Brittany Force, the 2013 Auto Club Rookie of the Year, made a two solid qualifying runs and is poised to claim the first Top Fuel win for Castrol EDGE and John Force Racing.

“I think the Castrol EDGE Team is definitely on a roll. My crew guys led by Todd Smith and Dean Antonelli have really put an awesome race car together. We ran that 3.77 last night and to come back today and run that 3.78 on our last qualifying past is impressive. I actually had to back pedal my car a little bit as it was starting to spin the tires on the top end. I know we can run even better so I’m pumped and excited for tomorrow,” said Brittany Force

Earlier during today’s first session, the track couldn’t handle the 10,000 horsepower the BOSS 500 engine was pumping out. Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster smoked the tires down the track and could only manage to run a 4.571 second run at 159.70 mph. This didn’t discourage her or the crew as they quickly regrouped and made the necessary adjustments to the clutch on other components on the dragster.

“Our first run wasn’t that good my dragster smoked tires 400 feet out. It obviously wasn’t what we were looking for but my guys got it figured out before the last session,” said Brittany Force

On her fourth and finally qualifying session today, Brittany was in the tricky right lane that had surface issues at the 700-foot mark. It had been throwing the other Top Fuel teams curve balls but crew chief Todd Smith had a handle on it. Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster went right down the groove and lit scoreboard up with a strong 3.78 second pass at 313.66 mph. Even though she didn’t improve from her Friday run of 3.777 seconds, she showed the competitors her race car is consistent and ready for Sunday’s eliminations.

“The car almost made it down the track but there’s a bump near the finish line and it’s a little tricky to drive through this rough section of the track. I was going around 300 mph when I felt the car jump and take a right turn so I had to wrestle the steering wheel and it felt like it the tires were going up in smoke so I lifted early before the finish line. Still, it ran a good number and we’ll be ready for tomorrow,” said Brittany Force.

Brittany Force will face Spencer Massey in round one on race day. She is 2–5 against Massey in prior match ups and she’ll be looking to avenge her semi-final loss to Massey during last weekend’s NHRA Kansas Nationals.

“We’ll have lane choice over Spencer Massey for round one tomorrow and I think the left lane might be better but that call is ultimately up to my crew chief. I’m looking forward to going rounds so we’ll see what happens tomorrow,” said Brittany Force.

Robert Hight and the Auto Club team will be racing for their first victory at the Summernationals and he will have to face fellow Blue Oval race Bob Tasca III in the first round. Hight posted the third quickest qualifying run of the event a blistering 4.014 second pass on Friday night.

“That run on Friday was great but we wanted to get down the track twice today to get ready for Sunday. Our first run was good and in the last session I think we were just a little too aggressive. I am not worried. Mike Neff will set this Auto Club Ford Mustang up great,” said Hight.

In the opening session today Hight was running beside Tim Wilkerson and ran 4.093 seconds which was only one of six runs that session in the 4.0 range.

John Force was looking to improve during today’s qualifying sessions but tricky track conditions and mechanical gremlins prevented him from improving from yesterday’s 4.015 second run. Despite having two opportunities to move up in qualifying, the Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang will start Sunday eliminations from the fourth position.

“Right now we can’t seem to repeat and conditions tomorrow could possible make it a one-lane race track, especially if the sun comes out. That right lane could be a problem but we’ll see what happens,” said John Force. 

Even with mild temperatures and partly cloudy skies shielding some sunlight from hitting and heating up the temperamental track surface of Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, John Force continued to struggle in getting his Funny Car’s performance consistent and repeatable.

“We’ll take it one run at a time and see if we can’t get past Hagan in round one. Like always, we’re excited as Brittany, Courtney and Robert all ran well and we’re all in the show. I’m excited to see if Brittany can get her first tomorrow so we’re going to keep on trucking and put some hot rods in the finals,” said John Force.

While this may present challenges for some teams, the Castrol GTX High Mileage brain trust of crew chief Jimmy Prock, assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro and the rest of the crew member will have John’s 8000-horsepower Mustang ready for Sunday.

“We went back to the old clutch disc we had been running two races ago. Unfortunately, it was engaging a little harder than we wanted it on that first qualifying pass. With the changing conditions in the afternoon, we were shooting for a 4.0 run on the second session but we just miscalculated,” said assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro.

On Sunday, the 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car Champion will face Matt Hagan in the opening round. These two have squared off against each other a total of 18 times with each driver claiming nine wins. He last faced Matt at the season opener NHRA Winternationals where John defeated him in the final round.

Tomorrow, John will be focused on one thing, driving his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Mustang to the winner’s circle for his 140th career victory and ending his 13 year NHRA Summernationals drought at Englishtown, New Jersey. 

Courtney Force posted a stout 4.030 during Friday’s night session to take her into today’s qualifying passes. The Traxxas Ford Mustang followed up with two great passes today to put the team in the No. 7 spot for Sunday’s eliminations.

“It’s exciting coming out to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park here in Englishtown, New Jersey and to have this Traxxas team go out and make some consistent runs. That’s exactly how we wanted this weekend to start before going into race day on Sunday,” said Force.

In the third qualifying session, Force posted a 4.080 ET at 306.33 mph, followed by a 4.045 ET at 319.14 mph in the fourth and final session. The Traxxas team’s 4.045 was second-quickest of that session, awarding the team two qualifying bonus points.

“We went out and laid down some 4.0s and it took us to the top half of the field. We finished off qualifying with a 4.04 to pick up two bonus points for being the second-quickest car in that session,” said Force.

The 25-year-old will have lane choice over Tim Wilkerson in the opening round. Force is 7-1 against Wilkerson in previous match-ups.

“It feels good having a consistent race car going into race day. We’ll be matched up against Tim

Wilkerson, so we’ll do the best we can. We’re feeling confident right now and we’ll see what we can lay down tomorrow,” said Forc
e.

Extreme Speed Motorsports

Extreme Speed Motorsports–Challenging Day for ESM Patrón at Detroit

DETROIT, Mich., –  May 31, 2014 – The Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM) team had high – yet realistic – expectations heading into this weekend’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers, the fifth race of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race. Those expectations were confirmed Saturday afternoon when both Tequila Patrón-sponsored machines earned top-10 finishes.
 
Scott Sharp and Ryan Dalziel finished fifth in the No. 1 Tequila Patrón Honda Performance Development ARX-03b (HPD) while Ed Brown and Johannes van Overbeek finished seventh in the No. 2 Tequila Patrón Honda Performance Development ARX-03b (HPD).
 
Due to the tight nature of the track, ESM battled its competition and tires throughout the 100-minute sprint race. During the two practice sessions and qualifying on Friday, the team struggled in generating enough heat in the Continental Tires in comparison to the Daytona Prototypes (DP). Since the DPs are 200 pounds heavier than the ESM prototypes, the DPs are able to reach ideal tire temperature faster and are able to run quicker times.
 
Knowing the variable in the tire capabilities, ESM sought to have a clean race and gain as many points as possible. That task was completed since both cars finished the race and earned valuable points in the driver and team championship points standings.
 
Sharp started the race for the No. 1 team and dropped from the outside pole to fifth place. He kept his top-five run while battling the prototype and GT Daytona race traffic. Sharp turned the race car over to Dalziel after a 39-minute stint.

Dalziel ran the balance of the race trying to chase down the competition and battled tire temperatures similar to Sharp. In the end, Dalziel crossed the finish line in fifth position.
 
Brown started the race for the No. 2 Tequila Patrón HPD team and attempted a different pit stop and fuel strategy. Brown went a lap down and remained on track during the first caution period of the race at the 32-minute mark.  Brown then pitted with 47 minutes complete and van Overbeek started his stint.
 
Van Overbeek challenged the competition but struggled with the tires in a similar fashion to Sharp and Dalziel. At the end of the 100-minute race, van Overbeek finished in seventh position.

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Ricky and Jordan Taylor Give Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype the Win in the Chevrolet Sports Car Challenge in Detroit

Ricky and Jordan Taylor Give Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype the Win in the Chevrolet Sports Car Challenge in Detroit
 
DETROIT (May 31, 2014) – Ricky Taylor held off a last-lap challenge from fellow Team Chevy driver Richard Westbrook to score the win for Chevrolet  and the Corvette Daytona Prototype in the Chevrolet Sports Car Challenge on the Raceway at Belle Isle Park. It was the first win for the “Brothers Taylor” as season-long teammates in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype.
 
Jordan started the race and maintained position in the top-three during his stint.  Ricky took over and got the lead due to great pit work by the team, and brought it to the checkered flag in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Prototype class 100-minute race in the shadows of Chevrolet’s world headquarters in Detroit. The win propelled the pair into the lead in the Series’ driver point standing.
 
“That was a tremendous one-two Chevrolet finish for Ricky Taylor in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype and Richard Westbrook in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype,” said Mark Kent, Director of Chevrolet Racing.  “This is an important weekend for Chevrolet here at Belle Isle, so a win in the shadow of our world headquarters is very special. Also, congratulations to Ricky and Jordan Taylor on their first win as teammates.  Based on their outstanding performance today, it should be the first of many to come!”
 
This is Jordan’s third consecutive victory at Belle Isle. In 2013, teamed with Max Angelelli, Jordan also was on the top-step of the podium. In 2012, he was victorious in a Camaro GT.R in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.
 
Westbrook, the pole winner for today’s race, made a hard charge in the final laps behind the wheel of the No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP,  but had to settle for the runner-up finishing position in round five of the  11-race season.
 
Michael Valiante took the green flag in the No. 90 Corvette DP, and like J. Taylor, maintained a strong presence at the front of the field, in position to make a run at the end.
 
After a strong run, the No. 5 Action Express Corvette DP piloted by Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittapaldi had to settle for sixth in class as a result of on-track contact causing a flat rear tire.
 
Mechanical woes forced an early exit for the No. 31 Marsh Racing Corvette DP driven by Eric Curran and Boris Said.
 
Next on the schedule for the Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype teams will be the Sahlen’s Six Hour of The Glen, Watkins Glen International (New York) June 27-29, 2014,
 
DRIVER QUOTES:
RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP: YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE RACE AND VICTORY TODAY: “Great race and I have to put it up to the guys and our Corvette DP was a great car today.  I just had to keep it up there and defend like mad but I couldn’t have been out there if not for the guys, Corvette and everybody that supports the team.  And now we might be leading the championship and that’s what we want.”
 
HOW HARD WERE THOSE LAST FEW LAPS ON YOU?: “It’s used up the last bit of life I had to hold him off.  He made it really hard and he was really good but putting us in the wall like that was a little uncalled for.  But we were racing for the win and I will take it.”
 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP: TELL US ABOUT WATCHING THOSE LAST FEW LAPS: “I was trying to not listen or watch anything because it was so stressful but we had the right guy in the car at the end.  Ricky was awesome.  Couple years ago we had to finish there against Garcia where Ricky held him off for an hour.  So we knew we had the right guy in the car and although I don’t think we had the fastest Corvette, we had the strongest guys in the pits and the right guys in the car in traffic.  So we can’t really complain and it got a little aggressive unnecessarily at some points in the race but thankfully Ricky brought it home for the win.”
 
DURING YOUR STINT YOU MADE SOME FORWARD PROGRESS IN A BIG WAY: “Yeah, it was obviously a great start as we went from 5th to the lead in my stint, so I couldn’t have asked for much more.  Then the guys in the pits and then Ricky obviously doing a great job in the end.  So it’s still a team effort.”
 
WAYNE TAYLOR, TEAM OWNER NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP: DID YOUR HEART JUST SINK WHEN YOU SAW HIM GET IN THE WALL THERE? “You know, my initial thought was, ‘that was a disgraceful move’.   You know, it’s fine to challenge and put yourself inside but to push somebody into the wall…..they got what they deserved.  It was incredibly disappointing to have competitors that operate like that.  They are certainly a team that should be better than that, it’s a disgrace.   Anyway, we beat them and we beat everybody.  Of course for Ricky, Jordon and me as a family – I cannot put into words what this means.”
 
YOU NOW HAVE TWO STRAIGHT HERE: “Yeah, I mean think about it.  Jordon won in a Camaro here, and now he has won in this Corvette here, and now he and Ricky have won.   The great thing was that Ricky finished the race.  Confidence-wise for them it was really, really good but they are totally interchangeable.  I keep thinking and hoping everyone is watching these two and recognizing what they can do.  I can’t be doing this the rest of my career and they should be in big places.   We have Konica Minolta here and I can’t thank them enough for what they have done for me.  We got them a win and I think we are leading the championship.”

RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 90 VISIT FLORIDA SPIRIT OF DAYTONA RACING CORVETTE DP: WAS THAT EXCITING FOR YOU? “No.  I mean it’s great to be back on the podium and I think we deserve it, but it’s just frustrating to have such a fast car and just can’t get any temperature in the tires after the restart.   It took several laps to come in and when it did it was spot on like in qualifying.  Unfortunately when you have a half-an-hour sprint at the end you need more weaponry than that.   So it’s something to work on and Rome wasn’t built in a day and we have come from a long way down.  To get second is a good result.  Especially in Detroit.”
 
DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS COULD BE A TURNING POINT? “Yes, definitely.  We have a pacey car and we just have to fine tune now.   Had there not been another yellow, I think it could have been our day.   We just have to work on that tire issue, but we will get there.”
 
MICHAEL VALIANTE, NO. 90 VISIT FLORIDA SPIRIT OF DAYTONA RACING CORVETTE DP:  THAT WAS AN EXCITING FINISH THERE AT THE END? “These races are so close and you never know what is going to happen.  Unfortunately I got caught up in traffic, lost a couple of positions, and that is pretty much what determined the outcome of the race here.  So it’s great that the car has the pace, Richard is doing a great job, and we just want to keep the momentum going.  We have had some bad luck the last couple of rounds when we should have been on the podium if not won.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–IndyCar–Belle Isle–Race One Qualifying

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
CHEVROLET INDY DUAL IN DETROIT
RACE ONE QUALIFYING
THE RACEWAY AT BELLE ISLE
 
DETROIT (May 31, 2014) – Helio Castroneves put his Chevrolet IndyCar V6 powered No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Dallara on the pole for Race One of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit with a lap of one minute, 17.5362 seconds.  It is the first 2014 Verizon P1 Award for Castroneves.
 
That was a great job for the entire Team Penske. They did a heck of a job,” said an elated Castroneves.  “It was great. The car is spectacular – even brushing the wall a little bit, Montoya style, it was great, man. The car is on rails, man. It’s awesome.”
 
Other Team Chevy drivers in the Firestone Fast Six around the 13-turn, 2.36-mile temporary street course named The Raceway at Belle Isle Park were: Mike Conway, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet – 4th; Ryan Briscoe, No. 8 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet – 5th and Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet – 6th.
 
James Hinchcliffe (Honda) and Jack Hawksworth (Honda) completed the Firestone Fast Six for Race No. One of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit.

World of Outlaws

World of Outlaws–Dale Blaney Battles to Win the Kistler Engines Classic at Attica Raceway Park

Dale Blaney Battles to Win the Kistler Engines Classic at Attica Raceway Park
Blaney’s win makes him the 15th different World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars winner this season
ATTICA, OHIO — May 30, 2014 — In front of a full house at Attica Raceway Park Friday night, Dale Blaney battled from a fifth place starting position to capture the Kistler Engines Classic and lead an all Ohio podium.

“It’s special to win here, especially being an Outlaw race,” said Blaney, a Hartford, Ohio native. “I’ve won an all-star race here, and a regular show here and now an Outlaw race here. We’ve always run good here… It’s funny, I won this race in 2009 and I started in the fifth spot and I started fifth tonight – I told the guys back there fifth was a good spot for us.”

“I’ve been looking forward to this race for two years now,” Blaney said. “It was a beautiful day, and as I said we just put ourselves in position and that’s all I wanted to do coming in.”

Blaney credited a good draw earlier in the day that allowed him to qualify 13th out of 46 cars. He said that early time helped him eventually come out on top of qualifying.

A little good luck helped him along the way too, Blaney said. Early on in the race he had fallen back and was battling Daryn Pittman for sixth. Pittman got around Blaney, but immediately afterward the caution flew and Blaney was moved back into the sixth position. Blaney said that restarting on the third row gave him the opportunity he needed to start the charge to the front.

“If we had restarted seventh who knows where I could have ended up,” Blaney said. “So actually that yellow coming out at that time probably won me that race even though it was on lap six.”

Blaney, the 1998 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars Rookie of the Year, became the 15th different winner of the season. This is the ninth Outlaws win of his career.

Dean Jacobs, a native of Wooster, Ohio, led the field to the start in his Northwest Ohio Towing car with Joey Saldana, Cody Darrah and Brad Sweet following.

The caution flew before the first lap could be put into the books. A four car wreck out of turn three ended the nights of Travis Philo and Cap Henry.

The early battle for the lead had Joey Saldana trying different lines through turns one and two and three and four, attempting to reel in Jacobs.

Another caution flag on lap six for James McFadden gave Blaney the chance he needed. When the green flag flew again he took fifth and set his sights on Darrah in fourth. By lap nine, Blaney found his way around Darrah and began making moves forward.

He battled Kerry Madsen and then Madsen and Saldana, who were running third and second at the time. On lap 24, as Madsen found his way around Saldana, Blaney found an opening and got around both drivers on the front stretch to take over the second position.

On lap 29, as lapped traffic came into play, Blaney got the opportunity he needed to get around leader Jacobs.

Three more cautions and a late surging Mintz were not enough to stop Blaney. He took the checkered flag with Mintz in second and Jacobs in third.

Mintz, a native of Gibsonburg, Ohio, who started 13th in his Ti22/Real-Geese car, said staying out of the wrecks and balancing the demands of a longer race helped him advance forward.

“You know it got to the point where I just tried to be patient as much as I could,” Mintz said. “Forty laps is a long time around this place. But with the quality of the cars we’re racing against, you’ve got to get going.”

“We started passing racecars, we got into some clean air, got into sixth, seventh and I could feel we were pretty good – and then the cautions late helped out too,” Mintz said. “We just try to pick them off one by one and we missed it by one.”

Jacobs, who led laps one through 29, complimented his competition.

“It’s nice to know who’s behind you because the guys I race with, I usually know what they’re going to do,” Jacobs said. “I was really shocked to see Craig [Mintz] pass me on the outside. That’s not him. He did a good job. Dale went in there and I’m trying to protect the bottom and Dale was running that thing in the middle and go by me like I wasn’t there. I’m OK – I’d been able to run second and then someone spun down here and I ended up third. That ain’t bad.”

John Force Racing

John Force Racing–JFR FLEXES MUSCLES ON FRIDAY AT ENGLISHTOWN

JFR FLEXES MUSCLES ON FRIDAY AT ENGLISHTOWN

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – John Force Racing did not waste excellent track conditions at the 45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals on Friday night. In qualifying the team was led by second year driver Brittany Force who posted the second quickest time in Top Fuel equal to Texan Steve Torrence whose speed was a hair faster and secured him the No. 2 spot while Force settled into the No. 3 spot. In Funny Car it was Robert Hight No. 3 (4.014), John Force No. 4 (4.015) and Courtney Force No. 6 (4.030) at the top of the field behind Cruz Pedregon’s 3.959 second pass which was the quickest pass in Funny Car history.

Brittany Force showed her fellow Top Fuel competitors that her number one qualifying performance from last weekend’s NHRA Kansas Nationals was no fluke. In the second session at today’s Toyota NHRA Summernationals, her Castrol EDGE Dragster rocketed to a 3.777 second pass at 324.44 mph that solidly placed her in the third qualifying spot. She was also awarded one NHRA Mello Yello bonus point for that run. This is Force’s best back-to-back qualifying performance in her Top Fuel driving career and it’s looking like it won’t be her last. 

“It’s excited to come out and be qualified third. The Castrol EDGE team is super pumped about it and that fact we were number one qualifier last weekend in Topeka says a lot about the hard work my guys have put into this dragster,” said Brittany Force.

Day one for Brittany at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals didn’t start very well. On her first run out of the box, her race car ran a lack luster 4.506 second run at a lazy 158.89 mph.

“On my first pass, the car just went out there and smoked the tires around 400 feet. I felt it in the seat and it threw me forward. The car was also very sluggish and felt like it wasn’t making any power. I was going to pedal it to see if it would hook up but I didn’t see the point as it was the first run and we could have broken some parts,” said Brittany Force.

On the second qualifying run, it was a whole different story as the Castrol EDGE team found their mojo from Topeka. Brittany was lined up against Steve Torrence and on the first flicker of green from the Christmas Tree; both dragsters rocketed down the track with matching 3.777 second times and nearly identical speeds. Steve Torrance just barely nudged Brittany out of the number two spot by running 324.51 mph verses Brittany’s 324.44 mph.

“On that pass, the Castrol EDGE Dragster went right down the track. There’s a little bump down there were the NHRA officials made some changes trying to fix the track surface. It felt like the car was starting to spin and that was my concern at the 700 foot mark on the drag strip. However, it drove right through it and the car went a 3.77 and I’m pumped about that. We’ll do our same routine tomorrow and see if we can get the number one spot and pick up some more bonus points,” said Brittany.

The Castrol EDGE team is also getting their groove on as crew chief Todd Smith and the guys have really dialed in Brittany’s new dragster. They have become a formidable threat to some of the other teams and are primed to bring Castrol EDGE and John Force Racing their first NHRA Top Fuel win.

“It’s a contribution by everyone on this team and taking the time, effort and runs to get it there. It’s been showing promise for the last few races and we’re finally getting to that point that the Castrol EDGE Dragster has its full potential,” said crew chief Todd Smith. 

The Auto Club team played it smart in the Friday night session posting an aggressive but not excessive 4.014 second elapsed time. The Ford Mustang Funny Car smoked the tires in the first session and opted to not risk smoking the tires going into Saturday.

“We wanted to be smart out there. There was no real reward but a lot of risk to being super aggressive. We needed to get a time and be at the top of the field. Mike Neff did that and we are in great shape going into Saturday. Tomorrow we will work on a race day tune-up and also try and get some of those qualifying bonus points. We picked up one tonight,” said Hight.

Hight’s Auto Club Funny Car has been the picture of consistency on race day and Hight is looking to bring some of that consistency to qualifying. On race day going back to the final three rounds of Atlanta where the Auto Club Ford Mustang got its 33rd win running 4.053, 4.074 and 4.049 it has averaged 4.053 seconds on it last seven runs down the track on Sunday.

John Force is looking to end his Toyota NHRA Summernationals drought. The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champion hasn’t parked his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang in the winner’s circle at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park since 1999. Despite a runner-up appearance in 2004, he’d like to claim his 140th career win this weekend.

To get there, the team is looking to get the car consistent and repeatable on each run but with 8,000 horsepower at John Force’s command and tricky track conditions, it can be difficult. However, crew chief Jimmy Prock and assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro got the set up right today as John Force ran a 4.015 second pass at 310.48 mph to seize the fourth qualifying spot during the second session.

“Well, I wish we had gone down the track earlier as Robert and I could have pushed it harder but we had to get in tonight. My car spun and it probably would have run in the 3.90 second range but it spun at the bad spot down on the track. ” said John Force.

After dealing with mechanical issues and a first round loss last weekend at Topeka, the 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champion is still looking to improve his qualifying spot and get some extra NHRA Mello Yello bonus points. If the team can get a handle on the clutch gremlins that send the massive Goodyear slicks up in smoke, they’ll start to rounds on race day.

“We’re learning and every day is a learning process. But I’m excited to be here with Castrol and we’ve been having a ball for 28 years,” said John Force.

John’s lively spirits can be attributed to his team working out the kinks in his Castrol EDGE Machine and improving on its early run of 5.810 seconds at 123.71. It was on this pass that John’s Mustang got out of shape early in the run and he had to shut the car down early.

“We’ve been struggling with the clutch set up this year and haven’t been able to run like we did late last year. Our set up is quite conservative compared to last year but the car still puts up good numbers. For the two sessions tomorrow we’ll be going after consistency than trying to experiment with the set out with hope a picking up a little. The weather conditions will change so we just want to get the car so it will go rounds on Sunday,” said assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro.

Courtney Force, driver of the Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car, came out today No. 5 in the NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car point standings. Force’s hot rod smoked the tires in the opening session today, but recovered in the last run of the day with a stout pass for the No. 6 spot. The 25-year-old driver posted a 4.030 ET at over 319 mph.

“In the night session we were able to go out and lay down a 4.03. It put us No. 6 in qualifying so we’re excited about that. We have a fast car out there and it makes us feel good to start on a good note. We’re excited to go into tomorrow and see if we can get some clean, consistent runs down this race track here in Englishtown,” said Force.

Force picked up the 100th pro win for women in the NHRA last weekend in Topeka, Kansas. The Traxxas Ford Mustang team has two sessions tomorrow to try to pick up some bonus points and move up the ladder to prepare for race day.

“Coming off a win, we’re excited to run in the low 4.0s, but there are a lot of teams out there that are doing the same thing. There are so many great women racers out here right now. It could have been any one of us to get tha
t No. 100.  I’m very proud of my Traxxas Ford Mustang team and we’re showing some strong performance so far this weekend so I’m looking forward to the rest of it,” said Force.

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Line claims track record for speed on first day of Englishtown qualifying

Line claims track record for speed on first day of Englishtown qualifying
 
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 30, 2014) – The first day of qualifying for the 45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park was a short affair for the Pro Stock crowd, but it came with exceptional results for the Summit Racing team. Jason Line, driving the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro, clocked a furiously swift 6.516-second pass at 213.40 mph to claim a new track record for speed in Englishtown.
 
A problem with the racing surface down-track in the right lane prevented the Pro Stock cars from participating in the first qualifying session, and with just one run in which to collect data, crew chiefs came to the session knowing they couldn’t throw everything they had at it and shoot for the moon, despite conditions with the potential to allow record setting runs.
 
Forced to make a somewhat conservative run without previous data to work off of, Line’s team knew they really had their hands full – but in true Summit Racing fashion, they pulled off the incredible by sending both of their cars cleanly and quickly down the right lane and claiming the track record with Line’s Camaro.
 
“I don’t know if that run was spectacular, but for that lane it apparently was,” said Line, who was piloting one of just three cars able to go from A to B under power on that particular side of the racetrack. His teammate Greg Anderson wheeled the white Summit Racing Camaro to a 6.561 at 212.76 to move into the No. 7 position. “There were some good calls being made on that run for our cars, and the Summit Racing team did a great job today. Hopefully, there will be more of that tomorrow.”
 
Line, currently No. 3 in the qualifying order, arrived in Englishtown in possession of the track record for elapsed time. His 213.40 track record is perhaps a bit of a consolation for losing grasp of the e.t. record.
 
“It’s a good thing to have the speed record,” agreed Line. “We broke a record that’s been in place for quite awhile. It’s definitely not a great trade off, but I would say we are happy about it. All in all, I’m pretty satisfied with the Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro. There is more left; there is always more left. But it’s a good place to start.”
 

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Anderson in the top half on day one in Englishtown

Anderson in the top half on day one in Englishtown
 
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J., May 30, 2014 – Greg Anderson was in total control as he wheeled his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro down the racetrack on the first day of qualifying at the 45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown. Although many drivers experienced harsh tire shake just off the starting line, Anderson handled the right lane like a pro in his Rob Downing-tuned Camaro and raced to a 6.561 at 212.76 mph that shot him up to the top half of the field.
 
Unlike what has occurred during qualifying at recent events, weather was not a deciding factor when qualifying was abbreviated to just one run for the day for the Pro Stock competitors; instead, it was trouble down track with the right lane. The first session of Pro Stock was canceled and NHRA’s Safety Safari worked to repair the problem, and after much effort and a good layer of rubber laid down by the nitro cars, the factory hot rods were able to finally make a pass.
 
As the evening pressed on the air was cool and dry, allowing the naturally aspirated engines to thrive as the sun dipped. Anderson and teammate Jason line were two of three cars that were able to get down the right lane, and Line reset the track record for speed with a 213.40 mph blast. For Anderson, the No. 7 position is an improvement heading into the second day of the event – in each of the three events in which he has raced this season since returning to the series following heart surgery, Anderson has – surprisingly – started from the bottom of the field.
 
“This is the deepest starting position I’ve had in a while,” said Anderson. “It was a good start today, and we definitely got some data to work with, which doesn’t always happen when you’re the second pair out there. It sure looks like we’re doing something right with our Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros here. We didn’t set the world on fire, but we know we can run a whole lot faster, and we have the data while a lot of other cars don’t. We should get two clean runs tomorrow and hopefully be able to move up in the pack. I don’t have to be first or second pair out for the first time since I’ve been back driving, and I’m deep in the pack this time so I have no excuses. I should be able to run fast and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
 
Losing the first run on Friday wasn’t ideal, but Anderson did not have concern that the loss of the run would be a major issue when the final qualifying order was set.
 
“Well, we like to go down the racetrack as much as we can – we’d go down the racetrack 100 times in a weekend if we could – but one is better than none,” said Anderson. “It was a good day today, and we made fairly good use of the one run we had. We really did all we could do, and we look forward to tomorrow and climbing up the ladder.”
 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Corvette Racing–Belle Isle

Richard Westbrook Puts Corvette Daytona Prototype on the Pole at Belle Isle
 
DETROIT (May 30, 2014) – Richard Westbrook made the most of the final minutes of qualifying count with pole-winning run for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on The Raceway at Belle Isle Park. He put the No. 90 Visit Florida Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype in the number one starting position for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race with a fastest lap time of one minute, 25.011 seconds (1:25.011) to capture his first pole of the 2014 season, and his fifth career Prototype pole.
 
“Winning the pole for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic is a great way to start the weekend at Chevrolet’s home race here in Detroit,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Prototype. “Richard Westbrook and the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype team were well prepared to make pole run for the race.  With the race being only 100 minutes, track position is going to be critical. Our Corvette DP teams have been working very hard to be well prepared for this event.  We are looking forward to a very competitive race on Saturday.”
 
Christian Fittapaldi turned in a top-five qualifying effort in the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype securing the third starting position.
 
Giving Chevrolet three of the top-five, Jordan Taylor qualified the No. 10 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype in the fifth starting position.
 
The No. 31 Marsh Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype driven by Boris Said will start ninth in the 100-minute race.
 
The Chevrolet Sports Car Classic is slated to start at 12:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 31. Live coverage by MRN Radio will be aired on IMSA.com along with live timing and scoring as well as select MRN outlets. Fox Sports One will air the race tape-delayed on Saturday May 31 starting at 1:30 p.m. ET.
 
POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
 
RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 90 VISIT FLORIDA SPIRIT OF DAYTONA RACING CORVETTE DP:
 
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE POLE, LOOKED LIKE IT WAS REALLY TIGHT BETWEEN YOU AND THE SECOND PLACE QUALIFIER OUT THERE
 
“Yes, it was like déjà vu in Laguna.  There was so much chatter on the radio and it was like “P1, now you are P2, now you are P1 and then P2”.   Then I did a twenty-five one I think with three laps to go and I thought, yes I am done now.  I did a cool down lap and then fortunately they came on the radio on the last lap and said you are going to have to go a twenty-five zero.  Then I just threw caution to the wind and sometimes you get rewarded for that on a street circuit and sometimes it can bite you.   But today just felt like our day.  It was a welcome surprise when we rolled off the truck and we weren’t that competitive but it’s nice to see all the boys smiling at SDR.  We found some pace at Sebring and we are definitely on the up.  The results will come but for me it’s just great that we got our pace back again.”
 
WHAT WOULD A WIN IN THE SHADOW OF THE REN CENTER MEAN FOR YOUR TEAM, OBVIOUSLY A CORVETTE TEAM, BUT THE SEASON HASN’T BEEN EVERYTHING YOU HAVE WANTED YET?
 
“No, you are right.  Results-wise it hasn’t and I don’t want to hex it by talking about a win tomorrow so I am going to say we are aiming for the podium.  To get a good result in Detroit, the backyard of Chevy, and give yourself a nice big smile on the way to Le Mans as well………..it’s obviously an important week next week as well, it would mean so much to do well here.  Let’s see because there is a lot of work to do and like I said, we have a good pacey car now and that is the really pleasing thing right now.  Let’s see if we can convert it tomorrow.”
 
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE LOGISTICS PROBLEMS FOR WHEN YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE TOMORROW AND GET TO LE MANS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MANDATORY TEST?
 
“Well, it’s not that straightforward as we found out a year ago when we missed our flight and then missed scrutineering. So Mr. Fehan was not a happy person.  So we are under strict orders this time and he looked at our flight details to make sure we are on the safest route.  So thank god the race isn’t starting too late so we have plenty of time to get to the airport and we fly direct to Paris.  Then we get a train from Paris to Le Mans and can just about make the afternoon session.  Fingers crossed that it doesn’t rain for that afternoon session in Le Mans

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–IndyCar–Belle Isle Practice

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
CHEVROLET INDY DUAL IN DETROIT
FRIDAY PRACTICE RECAP
THE RACEWAY AT BELLE ISLE
 
DETROIT (May 30, 2014) – After two practice sessions, the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 powered drivers showed strength with three drivers in the top-four fastest on the combined practice time sheet to kick off the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit.
 
Mike Conway, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, turned in the second fastest time of the day. However, the winner of the 2013 Saturday race in the Raceway at Belle Isle Park, was atop the leaderboard for most of both the morning and afternoon sessions.
 
Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, posted the third fastest in today’s combined practice session. He was followed closely by his Team Penske teammate, Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet.
 
Qualifying for Race Number One of the Dual in Detroit will take place on Saturday May 31 at 8:35 a.m. The format will be the familiar Firestone Fast Six to determine the Verizon P1 Award winner for Saturday afternoon’s race.
 
DRIVER QUOTES:
 
MIKE CONWAY, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 2ND IN PRACTICE: “It felt good to come off the trailer and run well here.  I really like this track and the ECR/Fuzzy’s team has worked hard in the last eight to nine weeks on the engineering program.  Ed (Carpenter, team owner and oval driver for ECR) had a very good month at Indy except for the last 25 laps Sunday.  We came here with the setup we had at Long Beach when we won.  So things have been progressing well with our street program.  I really like sliding the car around here and it is fun.  The surface changing from pavement to concrete makes the car jump around and you really have to be on your toes at all times here at Detroit.  It is very encouraging to be in the top six in the first practice and we only ran one set of tires.  I think qualifying will be very exciting with the Firestone red tires added to the mix.  You could see some low 76s (seconds) laps.”
 
PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
THE MODERATOR:  We’ll continue with Mike Conway.  Mike finished second fastest in today’s combined practices.  He won race one in 2013.
Mike, obviously very successful at this track here.  Coming back it seems like you’ve been able to pick up where you left off.
MIKE CONWAY:  Yeah, seems that way.  Obviously couldn’t do that without a good car from Ed Carpenter Racing.  I think we picked up where we left off at Long Beach.  Seemed to be a good base to start with here.
Haven’t touched it much.  All credit to the team.
I do love this place.  It’s a lot of fun.  Each lap gets your attention, that’s for sure.  Non-stop action around here.  Yeah, pretty happy so far.  Obviously a bit different tomorrow with the reds and stuff.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Any significant changes you noticed?  I believe last year it was actually warmer than it was today.  Anything different about the track that you noticed?
MIKE CONWAY:  No, not really.  To start with, I thought there was more grip than there was last year.  Felt pretty hooked up to start with.  Just some curve changes down in three and seven were really the biggest things.  Opened up seven a lot more now.  Entry speed is a lot quicker than last year.  Maybe a bit of time gained there.
I don’t know.  Just the grip laid down, I suppose, helped us out too.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Questions.
Q.        (No microphone.)
MIKE CONWAY:  No, I mean, no ambitions to be out there really at all.  I felt like I was a bit out of the loop, a bit of a spare part.
It’s still good to be there, a great place to be, the Speedway, especially when the 500 is on.  Good to see Ed doing so well.  A shame it didn’t end too well.  But they ran well all month.  I think they’ll be a threat on all the ovals coming up.
But, yeah, still good to be there.
 
Q.        Mike, two different years, two different teams, but still showing success.  What do you bring as a driver to be successful at a track that you like?
MIKE CONWAY:  Just tried to bring as much back from last year as I could this year.  The car rolled out.  As soon as I went out on pit lane I felt like the car had a lot of grip.  Small input in terms of setup from where we started back in Sebring.
We’ve been trying to push the car as much as possible, developing things, dampers.  We come to this point where we can roll out and be in the top six, which is where you always want to be.  It’s always where you want to be, especially with the doubleheaders.
All credit to the team though.  They’ve been working hard, flat out.  Late night last night.  Non-stop, big effort from the boys.  They’ve been flat out for the last eight, nine weeks.  They’re still pushing all the time.  They’re so competitive.  It’s good.
 
Q.        How much more is left in the car?  What is your favorite passing place here?
MIKE CONWAY:  We started on new tires.  Didn’t get to run a second set in the first practice.  We did run a second set in this practice, but didn’t get a time out of it with the yellows.  Hopefully more time to be had.  Little tweaks to the car, I don’t want to change it too much.  Always a risk.
But, yeah, I think it should be pretty quick tomorrow on the reds.  It’s going to be, I don’t know, 76 or something.
And passing, down into three.  Get a good run through one and two, car is pretty hooked up through there.  Down into seven as well.  That’s always harder because you sweep over to the right anyway to approach the corner.  You can make your car a bit wider than it needs to be sometimes.
 
Q.        What do you like about this track?  It seems to be made to order for you.
MIKE CONWAY:  Yeah, I don’t know.  It’s a real challenge around this place.  Every lap, as I said, gets your attention.  Very bumpy, very challenging.  There’s some corners that have got a lot of grip.  Sometimes you go into corners and you’re like, Oh, am I going to make it?  You come through it.
It’s always like that around here really.  Just because of the bumps, quick change of direction, it’s a lot of fun.
 
Q.        It seems like watching the cars in general, they look like they’re sliding, then at the last second the driver catches it.  Is that part of the problem with the bumps?  Do you expect problems during the race?
MIKE CONWAY:  I wouldn’t expect any problems.  You can easily get caught out here, cold tires, restarts, stuff like that.  You’ve got to keep your wits about you.
It’s all part and parcel of the circuit, the way the bumps are.  You can get your car set afterwards.  That’s the biggest thing with the dampers, getting the thing to catch afterwards.  A lot of corners, you’re going in, the car is very neutral on entry, then you catch the bumps.  You got to make sure you’re going to make the corner, then get out.
Even on a quick lap around here, you seem to have quite a few slides.  Most circuits don’t seem to get as much as that.  But it’s fun though.
 
Q.        (No microphone.)
MIKE CONWAY:  Simon is standing next to me.  I can’t say too much.  I don’t want to give him any secrets (laughter).
But Simon was bloody quick around here last year, too.
 
Q.        (No micro
phone.)
MIKE CONWAY:  I don’t know.  I think it’s being comfortable with letting the car slide on you.  If you don’t like a car loose on entry or sliding around, if you drive it in too much, you’ll get a lot of understeer around here.  That’s something you don’t want.
True or not?
THE MODERATOR:  Mike, we’ll let you go.  Thank you for joining us.
 
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 3RD IN PRACTICE: “Today was a good day for the Hitachi team. We were quick in both practice sessions and were able to try some new things in the terms of our pit stops which I think will be very beneficial to us during the race. Hopefully our speed will carry over into tomorrow’s qualifying and then race.”
 
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 4TH IN PRACTICE: “The No. 12 Verizon Chevy is slowly making progress. We definitely have to put everything together so we can get it done for qualifying tomorrow.  We’ll be ready.”
 
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 6TH IN PRACTICE: “I wasn’t too happy with the car in the session this morning.  Traffic was a bit of an issue and it was hard to get a clear lap.  We made some changes to the Target car and picked up some speed in the afternoon session. We still need to get the car better though.  It looks like we’re about six tenths of a second off still.”
 
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 9TH IN PRACTICE: “Today was a pretty solid day of practice for the No. 8 NTT DATA Chevrolet.  It’s always a bit of a challenge after the month of May to make sure that you’re in a street course mindset, just because we’ve spent almost a month thinking about nothing but ovals.  We used today to tweak a few things and just make sure that we’re ready to go for the doubleheader.  You don’t get as much time to prepare for doubleheaders, so we made sure to take advantage of the few hours we did have on-track today.”
 
TONY KANAAN, NO.10 ENERGIZER CHIP GANASSI CHEVROLET, 11TH IN PRACTICE:  “Obviously this is the way we should be starting each race weekend – in the top five.  We know we have the team and personnel to do it, it just takes time working together to get to know each other and making it all happen.  We have a good Energizer car so far this weekend in Detroit and we’ll start working to move up further on the speed chart for qualifying tomorrow.”
 
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO. AFS 17 KV AFS RACING CHEVROLET, 13TH IN PRACTICE: “Welcome to Detroit and the home of Chevrolet. It’s an amazing track….very bumpy and tricky, which makes it hard for the drivers to put a fast lap together. With it being a doubleheader this weekend, double points are on offer so we need to stay focused all weekend. Today’s practice session wasn’t too bad, we were a little looser than we would want especially when we have to drive so close to the walls but with a little bit of work with the engineers tonight, I think we are going to have a nicely balanced car for qualifying and race one tomorrow.”
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 19TH IN PRACTICE:    “A tough day for the No. 2 Verizon Chevy. We are fighting some shifting issues that have kept us from really focusing on making the car faster. It’s not bad, just a bit of understeer in the second session. Unfortunately the red flags fell at bad times for us as well. We’ll just have to put our heads down tonight and come out with a plan to qualify well tomorrow.”
 
CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 83 NOVO NORDISK CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 20TH IN PRACTICE: “Overall I think today’s practice sessions went pretty well for the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet.  It felt good to get back in the car after the disappointing 500 we had.  We don’t have a ton of time to prepare for doubleheaders, especially when we come straight from the 500 so we made sure that we worked everything out today that we needed to.  We have a really good car, and I’m very confident about our chances here.”
 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Dover–Qualifying

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
FEDEX 400 BENEFITING AUTISM SPEAKS
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST QUALIFYING DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 30, 2014
 
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON LEADS TEAM CHEVY IN QUALIFYING AT DOVER
Five Chevrolet SS Race Cars to Start in Top 12
 
DOVER, DE – May 30, 2014 – Jimmie Johnson, who has won eight times in 24 starts at Dover International Speedway, qualified his No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet SS in fourth place with a speed of 163.362 mph for Sunday’s FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks NASCAR Sprint Cup race.  He was the first of five fast Chevrolet SS race cars to earn spots in the Top 12 positions in the final round of multi-car qualifying at the ‘Monster Mile’.
 
Kyle Larson was the fastest Rookie of the Year contender (163.080 mph) by qualifying fifth in his No. 42 Cottonelle Chevrolet SS.   Jeff Gordon, a four-time winner on the concrete track, will start his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy SS from the sixth position; Kevin Harvick qualified eighth in the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS and AJ Allmendinger was 11th quick in the No. 47 Scott Products Chevrolet SS.  Allmendinger knocked Dale Earnhardt Jr. out of the top 12, but the No. 88 National Guard Chevy SS will start Sunday’s race 13th.
 
Brad Keselowski (Ford) was the pole winner; Kyle Busch (Toyota) qualified second and Joey Logano (Ford) starts third to round out the top five starters.
 
The FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks is scheduled for 1p.m. Sunday, June 1st and will be aired live on FOX.
 
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 COTTONELLE CHEVROLET SS, QUALIFIED FIFTH, TOP ROOKIE OF THE YEAR CONTENDER
 
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“Qualifying was pretty good for us I think we ended up fifth.  We had a Cottonelle Chevy in practice and then worked on it a little bit there in our qualifying runs and got a little bit better.  Happy with a top-five starting spot for Sunday’s race.  Just have to get our race car a little bit better and we should be right up there with the top guys.”
 
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR COMFORT LEVEL HERE AT DOVER?
“I don’t know sometimes I like this place and sometimes I hate it.  In the Nationwide car so far today we have been off pretty bad. I feel like we handle okay, but it’s really slow.  That is going to be frustrating over there, but then when I come over to the Cup car I actually like the track.  It all just depends on how good the car is.  This track is definitely tricky and a little bit on the edge.  I feel like I’m pretty comfortable around here.  It feels like a bigger Bristol for me and I like that place.  The big drop into (Turn) 1 doesn’t really feel bad to me at all.  It’s more in Turn 3 where I get upset the most.  All in all it’s not that uncomfortable feeling here.”
 
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 SCOTT PRODUCTS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 11th
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“It was pretty good.  I think the first run I probably under drove a little bit trying to be too smooth with the car.  I could see everybody had slowed down a little bit so I was trying to be smooth with it and probably under drove.  I was really happy the second run to pick up time and make it into the second group.  The last one I probably just over drove a little bit.  I knew we were going to have to really put down a lap with the third run on the tires, but so far I think the car has been pretty balanced.  I’ve been happy with it overall.  We will just try to keep up with the race track now for the rest of the weekend.”
 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Dover–Qualifying

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
FEDEX 400 BENEFITING AUTISM SPEAKS
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
MAY 30, 2014
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 4th
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“Good lap did have a moment off of (Turn) 4.  Certainly drug some speed out of the car with that.  I think we could have been a little bit better.  I’m not sure where it would have put us, but a strong day.  We unloaded fast and we made it through each round and had a lot of speed in the car.  I’m excited about the weekend.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 COTTONELLE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 5th
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“Qualifying was pretty good for us I think we ended up fifth.  We had a Cottonelle Chevy in practice and then worked on it a little bit there in our qualifying runs and got a little bit better.  Happy with a top-five starting spot for Sunday’s race.  Just have to get our race car a little bit better and we should be right up there with the top guys.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 6th
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“Pretty solid effort.  Our car was good all day and the first run out was a little bit better lap time.  But I knew that we were going to be pretty tight.  We made a big adjustment and it helped, just not enough to put that lap down that we really needed to compete for the pole.  All in all I’m very excited about this race on Sunday the car is really excellent.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 13th
OUR TELEMETRY SHOWS YOU WERE LOOKING GOOD UNTIL TURN 4:
“Oh, really? I thought we were real tight. I didn’t think we got through (Turns) 1 and 2 real good. And we were really pretty happy with the car. We made some good adjustments in practice and freed the car up a good amount. But it was just not enough. I was happy with the car earlier in race trim today. It’s not too bad a qualifying spot. It’s a little bit of an improvement for us. So, we’ll see what we’ve got tomorrow when we get into race trim and have a shot to work on it.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 28th
ON HER QUALIFYING RUN:
“There were some signs in practice that should have pushed us in another direction for qualifying. Unfortunately, we kind of left things. We didn’t want to make too big a change; just hoping to make it just a little bit better. I feel like the more methodical we are, the better we do. But in hindsight, we probably should have gone back on some of that. We were about a change behind on our balance I think. Because when I went out for the second round, I went about the same speed but we’d only really kept up with the track. So, it was just too tight. I was trying to do some things too that I had seen in the data that might help me go faster. I’ve got to see if it worked or didn’t work. When you’re not at the top, you might as well try something. Unfortunately I tried it on the driving side and maybe we should have tried on the car side. But hey, it’s all right. We’ve got all kinds of time on Sunday.”
 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Dover–Jeff Gordon

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
FEDEX 400 BENEFITING AUTISM SPEAKS
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 30, 2014
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed his back issues, questions regarding retirement, the challenges of the Dover track, and more. Full Transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR EXPECTATIONS THIS WEEKEND AT DOVER
“We’re certainly looking forward to this weekend. I really enjoy Dover and I always have. Our team is really bringing great race cars to the track right now, so honestly I look forward to every weekend. Today has gone very well and I’m looking forward to qualifying and to the race.
 
“But this is a challenging race track for a lot of reasons. The surface, the banking, and the loads that we go through, and some of the bumps really create quite a challenge for the teams and the drivers and I feel like our team has done a great job with that so far. We came here and unloaded close, and we’re just fine-tuning right now, which is always good to be able to do that.
 
“That’s what we’ve been doing a lot of this year and why I think we’ve been as successful as we have been because the team has just done such a great job over the off-season and in preparation for each week to come in and work on the small details instead of trying to recreate set-ups to find big gains that we’re missing.”
 
COULD YOU UPDATE US ON YOUR BACK AND HOW YOU ARE FEELING? REGAN SMITH SAID HE WASN’T ON STANDBY, SO ARE WE TO ASSUME YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAKE THAT MEASURE THAT WEEK? DO YOU GET ANYTHING OUT OF THIS DOVER RACE TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR COMING BACK DURING THE CHASE?
“I wouldn’t say I’m 100%. I’m back closer to normal, which is just always aggravation and some discomfort. I’m still feeling some of the affects of what went on last week, but I felt good in the car. I didn’t have any sharp pains, so that’s good. I just had a week of rest and normal activity. Lots of ice this week. I was pretty sore on Monday and Tuesday after that long 600, but that’s not totally unusual; but probably just a little bit more than normal because of all that I went through. So, I feel good for this weekend.
 
“As far as this race, yeah, I think that every time we come to a track that is going to be in the Chase, we’re not just looking at how we can perform well at that race, but we’re looking for as much information as we can gather to make sure that if we’re in the Chase and come back, we can be competitive enough to go win the championship and be strong at that race. So, there’s no doubt that this is an important track. We recognize that this is a track that you can win this championship with.”
 
LAST WEEK, DID YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR YOUR BACK? AND HAS THIS MAKE YOU THINK ANY MORE ABOUT RETIREMENT?
“The issues that I’ve had in the past never really were like what I dealt with last weekend. That’s the first time that something like that happened in the car, on qualifying day, into a race weekend. I’ve rolled out of bed and had things like that happen, and that’s just being tight and just not having the muscles with blood flow and being loose, and that’s part of just getting older. So, it was a little bit foreign to me to have that and that’s why I had to get out of the car. The treatment that I had was I had an epidural as well as another type of injection. I don’t know what they call it. It’s some type of Cortisone that’s fairly typical and common. I don’t know all the different stuff that was in there that made the pain go away and helped more of the inflammation, is I think what they were trying to accomplish. So, that’s the first time I’ve ever had to do that on a race weekend. I’ve done that before on a different part of my back that didn’t really do much for me. This one luckily did.
 
“I think that it really more pointed toward some things that I have to address throughout a race weekend and how I handle the downtime. I’ve been working a lot harder on my training and riding a bike and exercising and the problem with that is that it tightens everything up even more so than normal. If I don’t stay loose and ice and do other things that keep me loose when I get to the race weekend, what happened could possible occur again. So, that’s the biggest thing I’m focused on; not thinking or focusing on anything else. I can tell you if that happens many more times, I won’t have a choice (regarding retirement).”
 
HAS THE TEAM HAD TO ALTER YOUR DRIVER’S SEAT FOR THIS WEEKEND?
“There is nothing they can do any different. The seats are fine. It’s not about the seat. Over the years I’ve tried lumbar support, I’ve tried all kinds of things (like) different positioning and all that stuff. The position that I’m in is the best I could ask for. I’ve talked to the doctor about that. We shortened-up the throw on the clutch pedal last week because I was having some issues when I extended my left foot all the way out. We’ve taken that out this week. I didn’t like it in the car last week.
 
“Most of it is just in the treatments that I went through that are going to help that pain and then ice and some different types of stretches. And it’s just not sitting. The biggest contributor was we practiced on Thursday and we had about a three-hour delay in between practice and qualifying. And I just sat in the truck for too long in one place and I really think that those issues that I have all the time just got inflamed and irritated. And then when I went in the car kind of cold and tight, it just made it inflamed and agitated more. And that’s where the pain came from. And then, once that happened, there was nothing that was going to fix it until I had those injections on Saturday.”
 
WHAT IS THE PART OF BEING IN THE CAR AND AT WHAT TRACK IS THE MOST SENSITIVE TO A DRIVER’S BACK?
“I’m sitting here fine. I can walk fine. It’s just sitting in the car and pushing on the pedals and turning the steering wheel. Doing this for 30 or 40 years (laughs) has definitely contributed to those things. It’s not unlike any other profession whether you are a golfer or a tennis player. That continuous motion and pushing those muscles and parts of your body; and I do have some degenerative disc (which are) again, very common for a lot of people. But when you put that into racing, it just makes it a little bit tougher. It’s just something I continue to learn and push through. It’s no big deal.”
 
LAST WEEK AFTER THE 600 YOU WENT TO VICTORY LANE TO CONGRATULATE JIMMIE JOHNSON AND IT REALLY DIDN’T SEEM LIKE IT BOTHERED YOU MUCH
“I iced it for a while so it was numb by then (laughs). Once the blood is flowing and the Adrenalin and all those things get going, it’s not so bad. Monday and Tuesday were a lot tougher.”
 
WITH THE INJURY IT MAKES THE QUESTION EASIER TO ASK, BUT EVEN WITH YOUR BACK CONDITION DO YOU FEEL AGGRAVATED THAT PEOPLE CONTINUE TO ASK YOU WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO RETIRE AS IF WE ARE PUSHING YOU OUT THE DOOR ALREADY?
“No, it doesn’t bother me.  You guys can ask me whatever you want to ask me.  I will try to answer it the best that I can.  My focus is not on that.  My focus and I feel like if you are going to be a good race car driver you better be willing to handle distractions and maybe have some questions asked to you that you prefer not to have asked.  And get your mind back refocused on what your job is and that is what I’m doing.  I understand I got out of the car on Saturday.  I knew, one is it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, in my racing career for sure to make that decision.  It was not an easy one and I doubted myself while I was doing it.  But my body was telling me that I thought it was the right thing to do.  I knew that there would be repercussions that came from that which would bring up a lot of these questions
.  Luckily Sunday went well and we got through it and we actually had a really strong car and a strong race up until that last caution came.
 
“I think that if anything that only built more momentum for our race team to go through what we went through and to go have that kind of a race to show the team what kind of determination I have as well as kind of show our competitors that it’s going to take a lot to get us down.  I think that did more good for us for this season and our chances for a championship than anything else.  That is where my focus is.  But you guys feel free to ask me all the questions that you want about retirement.  I don’t have an answer for you.  When the day comes and that decision is made I will be more than happy to share it with you.”
 
DESPITE THE DIFFICULTY AND UNIQUENESS OF THIS TRACK WHAT IS THE APPEAL AND THE ATTRACTION OF THIS TRACK?  WHY IS IT A FUN TRACK TO COME TO?
“It’s the only track that we have that is like this.  One-mile, oval, high-banked, big sweeping corners and it’s concrete.  Those are all the ingredients to make it unique.  Trying to describe it from a driver’s standpoint you carry a lot of speed in the corner.  The car sort of gets light and drops into that banking then it really picks it up heavily.  You put a lot of wheel input into the front tires and today especially, these cool temperatures and the cars with the more downforce in them we are flying out there.  So you have to be really committed to the throttle and the steering wheel.  You are in that corner for a long time.
 
“That is something we don’t have on the circuit.  We have some fast race tracks, Charlotte is certainly one of them, but it is 1.5-miles and it is pavement.  This definitely challenges everybody and if it gets warmer throughout the weekend then the track will get slicker and that will challenge us even more.  I’m anxious to get these two rounds of qualifying in today to see how this goes.  It’s something we have never done here before.  Every time we go to the track the first time with this new format it’s always a learning experience for every one of us.”
 
HOW TOUGH IS DOVER GOING TO BE ON YOUR BACK?
“Yeah, this is typically a pretty tough race.  The thing that made me get out of the car last week is I got in the car, I pushed in the clutch pedal to take off out of the garage and I had shooting pain in my back.  Then I went out onto the track and when I drove into the corner and loaded up into the banking I had more shooting pain.  I knew the very first lap I ran in practice that I probably was not going to run the rest of the day.  So, that is what I’m looking for now.
 
“When I go to a track I’m looking for if there is shooting pain then I’m going to get out.  There was no shooting pain.  Yeah, there were loads and there were muscles in my back that were being used a lot because it’s a high-banked very fast race track with big sweeping corners.  Those are the toughest places that we go to that I feel it and that is on a normal basis as well as with what is going on right now.”
 
YOU SAID AFTER KANSAS YOU FELT LIKE YOU WERE 25 AGAIN.  DO YOU STILL FEEL THAT WAY?
“If I win this race on Sunday I will.  It’s amazing how a win takes away all your pain.  I didn’t say I felt 25 on Monday (laughs).”
 
GOING TO POCONO NEXT WEEK CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU THINK THE QUALIFYING FORMAT MIGHT PLAY THERE?  12 RACES IN NOW HOW DO YOU LIKE THE QUALIFYING FORMAT?
“Pocono is usually one of those tracks and a lot of these places really here and Pocono – this is different because you hold your breath shorter.  But this is a white knuckle hold your breath experience that you kind of go out there and do it for one or two laps and you say ‘okay whew boy I’m glad that is over’; where this weekend we are going to have to hopefully do that more than once if you make it to round two especially.  Where Pocono it’s the same kind of thing that’s a long lap, it’s a tough qualifying session you’ve really got to be committed and put the car on the edge.  And even though you can breathe down those long straightaways you are holding your breath through those corners with the shifting and all the things that are involved and there being an extra session there.  There will be three sessions there and whether or not drafting is going to come into play.  I’m not saying we would be bumper to bumper, but you might want a car out in front of you to get a little bit of a draft off at Pocono.  We won’t really truly know until we go there and experience it.
 
“I love the format.  Even though we haven’t done very well at it or I haven’t done very well at it.  It doesn’t mean I don’t like it, I do.  We just have to get the balance of the car a little bit closer for this type of format.”

Uncategorized

Chevy Racing–Dover–Tony Stewart

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
FEDEX 400 BENEFITING AUTISM SPEAKS
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 30, 2014
 
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 CODE 3 ASSOCIATES/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Dover International Speedway and discussed getting back in a sprint car for the first time since his accident last year, his outlook for Dover this weekend and many other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
YOU GOT BACK IN A SPRINT CAR THIS WEEK HOW DID THINGS GO FOR YOU?
“Just fine it was just like when I got in the Cup car it felt like I hadn’t been out of it.”
 
HOW NICE WAS IT TO GET BACK ON DIRT FOR YOU?
“It was fun.  Obviously, it’s been nine and a half months since I got a chance to run one.  It felt good we actually did a full blown test it wasn’t just going out and making laps.  We actually got a chance to run through a lot of shock stuff and set-up stuff.  Ready to go again.”
 
DOVER HASN’T BEEN THE BEST PLACE FOR YOU UNTIL LAST YEAR WHEN YOU WON.  YOU ARE SECOND FASTEST IN PRACTICE HERE DOES THAT GIVE YOU SOME OPTIMISM?
“Yeah, it does.  A cool day like today we are all going to be flying around here.  It was really good in qualifying trim.  I’m not sure it’s where we want to be in race trim yet.  If we can get a decent starting spot that will make the day a lot easier at least get started.”
 
HOW ABOUT KEVIN (HARVICK) AND THE PIT CREW CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH WORK IT IS TO KEEP THE PIT CREWS RIGHT AND UP AND WHAT YOU DO ABOUT THAT?
“We had the same thing on our last stop too it just wasn’t as big a penalty for us I guess.  Man it is very hard.  The good thing is that is something that you can fix pretty easy.  It’s not that you are searching trying to find something it is cleaning things up a little bit.  They are a good group of guys.  They are a group that can shake things off pretty easy so I don’t think that will be an issue for them.”
 
NOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN IN A SPRINT CAR AND TESTED HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT COMPETING IN A RACE ANYTIME SOON?
“Yes I have.”
 
CAN YOU TELL US WHEN?
“Nope, I will be able to tell you how it went.  Let’s put it that way.  You won’t know when it’s coming.  When I do go nobody is going to know about it.  I’m going to just slide in and do it.  I want to enjoy it.  I don’t want it to be a cluster.  Judging off the fact of how many people showed up just to talk to me about going and testing for a couple of hours I can imagine what the group is going to be like after I run my first race.”
 
YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR SMILE RIGHT NOW. WHAT IS IT YOU LOVE SO MUCH ABOUT SPRINT CAR RACING?
“I’m smiling because I am laughing at you guys because it’s like my God I went and tested a sprint car.  I still laugh about how big a deal this has all been made.  We had Cup drivers get hurt last year.  One had a broken wrist, one had a broken back and nobody said anything.  It was all minor news.  I’ve made more news by getting hurt in a dirt car than any of these guys.  It’s bigger news than the guy that had the same injury I had falling off a bicycle last week.  I get chuckled.”
 
DID ANYONE TRY TO TALK YOU OUT OF GETTING BACK INTO A SPRINT CAR? WOULD IT OF DONE ANY GOOD IF THEY HAD TRIED?
“Nope, it’s my life.  I’m going to live my life.  It’s nobody else’s decision, but mine.  I think there are a lot worse things I could be doing with my life than what I choose to do.”
 
IS THAT PART OF THE RECOVERY PROCESS FOR YOU A LITTLE BIT GETTING BACK INTO A SPRINT CAR?  IS THAT PART OF THE CHECKLIST?
“No, it’s just what I wanted to do.   It wasn’t really part of a checklist.  Daytona was the checklist of being able to get back in. Once we did that we knew we could do this it was just a matter of when to do it.”
 
ARE YOU ON SCHEDULE YOU THINK WITH HOW YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD FEEL OR HOW YOU HOPED YOU WOULD FEEL AT THIS POINT BOTH MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY?
“I honestly thought I would be done with all this by now.  As far as rehab, pain, all that stuff I thought it would all be done.  I thought we would be healed 100 percent by now.  But keep going to the doctor on our scheduled appointments and they keep updating us on how it’s going and what they think the outlook is for it.  We just adjust it.  When you haven’t gone through something like this you don’t know what to think and don’t know how to feel about it.  You don’t know what to judge for recovery times and this and that because you’ve just never been through it.  If it ever happens again I will have a better idea of how to answer that.  You just take it a day at a time still.”
 
WOULD THE BEST PART OF FINALLY WINNING AGAIN WOULD THAT BE THE BEST PART US LEAVING YOU ALONE WITH THE QUESTION?
“I can pretty much make you leave me along anyway without having to win a race.  The best part of winning a race would be winning a race.  Trust me you guys think that you guys weigh too much on my opinion and views about things.  It’s not going to be about you guys trust me.”
 
HAVE YOU EVER WORKED OUT THIS MUCH IN YOUR LIFE AS YOU HAVE DOING REHAB FOR THIS INJURY?
“No, I hate it.  You sweat; you get out of breath it is crazy.  Then you feel sore.  I don’t know anything about this that is good, but I know at the end of the day it’s going to make me feel a lot better.”
 
IT APPEARS LIKE YOU HAVE A GOOD TEAM AROUND YOU:
“Yeah, we have fun.  They work me hard in therapy, but it’s kind of like everything else you do in life.  If you are not having some fun while you are doing it there is no reason to make yourself miserable doing it.  We have a lot of fun.  We joke around, we kid and we laugh a lot.  That laughter covers up a lot of pain in therapy.”
 
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT HERE ON THIS RACE TRACK IN DOVER?
“I would like to see it really get hot and slick.  It’s cool and has a lot of grip right now.  Everybody can go fast when it’s like that.  I would just like to see it get really hot and slick like it normally does.”
 
ARE YOU ENJOYING HEARING FROM YOUR FANS ON TWITTER?
“Yeah, I am.  There are times when you get some down time and you are not really doing anything and it’s kind of neat to just go and read what is on their mind.  I realize what I have been missing a long time, but I realize why I have been missing it too.  You say 100,000 things that are right and fun and then you say one thing that is bad and destroy everything.  The risk versus reward isn’t very good on this deal for people in our position, but you realize why it’s cool for the fans too.  It’s cool for me to see what is on their minds.  I think I’m having as much fun reading what they are writing as they are about what I’m putting on there.”
 
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR GUYS LIKE YOU AND OTHERS TO GO BACK AND RUN INDYCAR TO KIND OF SHARE THE NASCAR SPOTLIGHT WITH OTHER FORMS OF RACING AND KIND OF CREATE A UNIFIED RACING COMMUNITY?
“I thought the racing community was unified all along.  I didn’t know it was ever divided.”
 
IT’S LIKE AN US VERSUS THEM MENTALITY:
“I’ve never really heard that.  I think that is more on the media side.  Anytime you have seen guys do the double the IndyCar guys were behind Kurt (Busch) and kind of followed what he did in the evening and all the NASCAR guys followed what he did there.  I don’t think it’s ever really been as divided as everybody thinks it’s been.  It’s been more perception than anything.”
 
WAS KURT (BUSCH) AS INVOLVED WITH THE CUP TEAM AS HE NEEDED TO BE DURING THE DO
UBLE PREPARATION?
“I don’t know I was too busy with my team. You would have to ask him and his crew chief that.”
 
HOW CLOSE DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE TO GETTING A WIN?
“We luckily have been able to win at least one race a season my entire Cup career.  I don’t think there is ever a point where especially with this format that you get panicked.  Because you don’t have to be stellar in the points you just have to get a win.  Our track record shows that we can get it.  It’s just a matter of when is it going to happen.  Especially with the new rules package this year I don’t think anybody is in panic mode I think it’s more just everybody is still learning.  We are still right at the end of May right now so everybody is still learning these cars and going to tracks for the first time in the season. I think you get six or eight weeks before Richmond then you start panicking if you don’t have that win.  I think it’s still too early to panic at least for us.”
 
TALK ABOUT DANICA PATRICK’S MATURITY AS A DRIVER:
“She’s much better than the media and some of the fans give her credit for.  They are not there when we are in our debriefs.  Most of the people that are sitting there saying she is not doing a good job have never set foot in a race car to begin with.  I don’t really pay attention to that too much.  I think she is doing a good job or we wouldn’t have her here.”
 
 
 

John Force Racing

CASTROL AND JOHN FORCE RACING DEDICATE KEY REHABILITION TOOL TO ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL

CASTROL AND JOHN FORCE RACING DEDICATE KEY REHABILITION TOOL TO ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL
 
WAYNE, NJ (May 29, 2014) – Castrol and John Force Racing today dedicated the delivery of a WT-960 TRAN-SIT® Car Transfer Simulator to be used at St. Joseph’s Hospital. A numerous dignitaries from Castrol and St. Joseph’s Hospital were on hand for the momentous occasion.
The state-of-the-art and high-tech WT-960 TRAN-SIT® Car Transfer Simulator will forever change how patients can reclaim their independence by providing them a convenient and safe method of regaining their basic driving skills within a controlled environment.

 “The simulated car or vehicle that we have on the unit will allow our patients the freedom and ability to get back on the road as well as feel safe about it. They will also be safe for other passengers and other drivers. The fact that John and Brittany Force came out today to support this product and show that there is a need for rehabilitation equipment like this. We are very grateful to them and Castrol BP,” said Dr. Massod, Medical Director of the Acute Rehabilitation Unit.

“Today’s dedication enhances our offering of services for patients trying to improve the quality of their lives and helping them get back to doing what they do every day,” said Dan Kline, St. Joseph’s Site Administrator
Daryl Benton, US Marketing Director with Castrol, was also in attendance spoke about the importance of the who talked about the Castrol EDGE brand and how it ties to “Performance” and “Driven Stronger”.
“I’m thrilled to be here having a chance to represent Castrol EDGE. A brand like Castrol EDGE is all about driving performance and by introducing John and Brittany Force that drive these high-performance vehicles, it’s a natural fit,” said Daryl Benton. “For John to tell his story about recovery and rehabilitation and how he worked with a vehicle simulator that help to bring him back to win two more NHRA Funny Car championships is inspirational.”
Castrol sponsored drivers John Force and Brittany Force were also on hand for the dedication.
The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champion John Force spoke of his accident during the 2007 NHRA Fall Nationals in which his race car was involved in a horrific crash. He acknowledged how important the rehabilitation process was that allowed him to eventually get back into his 8000-horsepower Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang Funny Car and win two more NHRA championship in 2010 and 2013. John mentioned his motivating and stirring anthem of “Never Give Up, Never Back Down, Never Quit!”
“When I had my accident in 2007, the doctors told me I’d be lucky to walk, let alone drive a race again. I was even more determined to prove them wrong and began going through recovery and rehab on car simulator just like this one. Since then, I’ve won two NHRA Funny Car Championships,” said John Force.                   
Brittany Force, the 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year and driver of the Castrol EDGE Dragster, also gave an inspirational and heartfelt talk about what it was like to see her father, John Force, fight back the odds of never racing again after his accident in 2007. She also spoke on how this piece of equipment Castrol is dedicating to the hospital is important in getting patients back on their feet and maintaining their ability to drive again.  
“We were worried about my dad after that horrible crash and questioned if he’d ever race again. After seeing is hard work and determination, he’s inspired all of us,” said Brittany Force.

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