JIMMIE JOHNSON PUTS CHEVROLET SS ON POLE AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Sixth Consecutive Race Team Chevy Leads Field to Green
 
CONCORD, NC. – May, 22, 2014 – Jimmie Johnson, six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup points paying race winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS), put his No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevrolet SS on pole for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. Johnson turned a lap of 194.911 mph, 27.705 seconds in the third round of NASCAR’s knockout qualifying format to earn his first pole of the 2014 season.
 
It was Johnson’s fourth pole at CMS, his 33rd NASCAR Sprint Cup career pole, and he moved into a tie for 20th on the all-time series poles list with Fonty Flock. He is also tied for the most all-time point wins at Charlotte with NASCAR Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison.
 
Johnson’s quick run was also the 31st pole for Team Chevy at the 1.5-mile track. For the past six consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup point-paying races, a Chevrolet SS has led the field to the green.
 
Teammate Kasey Kahne posted his ninth top-10 starting spot at CMS with the third place qualifying effort in his No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS.  Danica Patrick was fastest in the second in her No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS and fourth quick overall giving Team Chevy three of the top five starting positions.
 
Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified his No. 88 National Guard/Superman Chevrolet SS in 10th, and Kevin Harvick qualified 11th in the No. 4 Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevy SS.
 
Brad Keselowski (Ford) will start the race alongside Johnson and Clint Bowyer (Toyota) will start fifth to round out the top five qualifiers.
 
The season’s longest race, the 400-lap/600-mile event takes the green flag on Sunday afternoon at 6:00 p.m. ET and will be aired live on FOX TV
 
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
COMING INTO CHARLOTTE AND SITTING ON THE POLE, THINGS ARE LINING UP FOR YOU.
“It’s nice to have a fast car off the truck. I think we were second or third in the first practice session. We go back to last weekend and we had the fastest lap in All-Star qualifying. It was a decent car in the race; struggled a little bit in traffic. As we get into practice on Saturday, that’s really going to be the goal for us. I think we have some good ideas to secure the car up and help the clean air balance versus the traffic balance that we’ve been working on. In qualifying today, it was really interesting to start with the sun kind of out and warmer track temps. As the sessions went on, the grip level came in and the adjustments we made got the car better and better. To have my fastest lap around here come on my third time out on the track is pretty mind-boggling the way it works out. So I’m very proud of the team. We had a strong race car all day and are obviously very happy about our performance.”
 
YOU’RE THE ONLY DRIVER TO WIN FROM POLE HERE SINCE 1998. CAN WE INFER FROM THAT, THAT WHEN YOU QUALIFY WELL HERE THAT YOU’RE A THREAT TO WIN THE RACE? AND IS THE TRACK STARTING TO BECOME MORE LIKE IT WAS WHEN YOU DOMINATED BEFORE THE REPAVE?
“I don’t think it’s there yet. It’s definitely getting rougher and losing some grip. In the All-Star race we saw that four tires were definitely better than two. So it’s slowly coming. Whatever the composition of this asphalt is that they put down, it’s tough. It’s taken a long time to finally give up and get to this point. We’re getting into a sweet spot and I feel that in the next three to five years it will continue to evolve and get us to where we were before and provide some great racing.
“We’ve won a lot of races from the back, too. In today’s form of racing though, track position is so, so important. A good pit stall pick. I guess statistically and if you’re looking at the odds or something, the better you qualifying, it will show with a better performance on Sunday. We feel good about it. There’s no guarantees with 600 miles. Anything can happen. We’re so happy to start in this position than 20th or something.”
 
YOU GET ASKED QUITE A BIT ABOUT NOT WINNING A RACE YET, AND YOU REPEATEDLY TALK ABOUT HOW IT DOESN’T BOTHER YOU. DO YOU GET THE IMPRESSION SOMETIMES THAT PEOPLE WANT IT TO BOTHER YOU? AND DO SOME PEOPLE GET SATISFACTION OUT OF YOU NOT BEING ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING AT THIS POINT OF THE SEASON?
“I think there are some people getting satisfaction out of it. But honestly no matter what I do, people talk about it and I don’t mean that in a bad way. If I win, then I’m winning too much. If I’m not winning, then it’s ‘Why aren’t you winning?’ So I can’t do it right either way. I learned a long time ago to not pay attention to the outside voices and influences and just worry about my race team. We’ve been good and had a chance to win at a few tracks. And then at some our bad tracks, we went in there and ran terrible. I’ll be the first to admit it. I think we deserve a fair evaluation at times. We’ve been close to wins and we’ve been pathetic at other tracks. This is a good track for us. Next week is a good track for us and we need to capitalize on those opportunities and get some wins. Again, it doesn’t matter what I do. It’s a good situation to be in because I have had so much success. But no matter what we do, I think they’ll talk about the 48.”
 
THIS IS YOUR FIRST POLE UNDER THE NEW FORMAT. IN LIGHT OF THAT, SHOULD THE COMPETITION BE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF ON SUNDAY?
“Qualifying is on Thursday and (the race) is so far away. You’re really worrying about beating the tires up versus a fuel run when you’re out there. It certainly shows that we are going to be strong this weekend. I’m not sure that it sends a message that two or three race wins would send. That’s the position I want to get in. I’d love to rattle two or three wins and have people fear the 48 again as they have in the past. I don’t think a pole position does that in the garage area but you have to start somewhere. So if we can start here today and keep things moving forward from today, we’ll be good shape.”
 
YOU WEREN’T VERY GOOD IN THE ALL-STAR RACE. YOU DIDN’T APPEAR TO BE FAST IN PRACTICE. YOU DIDN’T DOMINATE THE RACE LIKE YOU HAD AFTER WINNING IT THE LAST TWO YEARS. DID YOU FIND SOMETHING DIFFERENT BETWEEN THEN AND NOW, OR WAS IT JUST ONE OF THOSE WEEKENDS WHERE IT DIDN’T HAPPEN? OR HAVE YOU HAD TO RETHINK SETUPS AND SO FORTH?
“We’ve definitely come back with a different setup and leaned on our teammates. The 5 car looked real strong in the race and was able to cut through traffic real well. A lot of credit to all our teammates and probably most of all to the No. 5 car in what they did. Our fast lap that we ran in qualifying (for the All-Star Race) gave us a great reference point for today. The balance and simulation – although the setup is different – gave us a nice target to shoot for and balance to build the car around. We did learn some things last weekend that led to speed today. Maybe we learned what not to run in the race last weekend and we will be in much better shape this weekend.”
 
WHY IS THE RACING BETTER THIS SEASON?
“It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been up front to see all that.  The one race I was leading at California I thought was a pretty exciting race.  You had a lot of tire issues going on.  It looks like we had it in the bag and blow a tire and the No. 18 emerges from a decent day and ends up a surprise winner of sorts.  I think some of that has been going on.  When I think of Richmond and how the No. 22 car was able to make stuff happen in the final few laps and get from deep in the field up to the lead and win.  There has been the drama late in the race and I don’t know what has created it personally and it’s hard to say and every year NASCAR works hard to tweak the rules and doing whatever they can to provide great side-by-side racing.  I don

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
MAY 22, 2014
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOT CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
TALK ABOUT YOUR LAP. YOU WERE ONE OF THE LAST ONES TO GO OUT
‘Yeah, it was a really strong lap. I’m very pleased with it. Happy to get this Lowe’s Chevrolet on pole for this big race coming up Sunday afternoon. We knew we had a great race car today so it was nice to get out there and work our way through the three segments here and get it done. On the first run we missed it a little bit but Chad (Knaus) knew exactly how to dial me in for the second one. We got a lot closer and for the third segment laid down a good lap.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 3RD:
WHERE WAS THE AREA YOU FELT YOU MISSED IN THAT RUN?
“I feel like I missed it in every round. Just getting into Turn 3. I wasn’t as sharp as I’d been in practice or last week. We’ve got to work a little bit on (Turn) 3 getting to the white line faster and that type of thing. We’ve got to push a little harder through there. I think that’s the spot. I felt pretty good in (Turns) 1 and 2 and pretty good in (Turn) 4. I tried backing it up and doing different things but it was just kind of set-up stuff that we need to work on Saturday.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 4TH 
ON HER QUALIFYING RUN:
“The car was really good.  I think the big difference that came for me was in the second round.  (Tony) Gibson (crew chief) made really good adjustments and anticipated the offset from run one to run two really well and the balance was really good.  I did that 20 whatever seven which was quickest in the second group.  We have a lot to be proud of.  I mean let’s face it this is the part of the weekend that I dreaded every time.  I had to train myself to not say I hate qualifying.  We were third in a round, we were first in a round and we were fourth in a round.  A lot to be proud of at Stewart-Haas and for the GoDaddy car and it’s going to give us a great starting spot for Sunday.”
 
DRIVERS ARE TALKING ABOUT THE CHALLENGING CONDITIONS TODAY WHAT WORKED FOR YOU GUYS HOW DID YOU AVOID THAT?
“I think one of the things that happens when your team gives you a really good race car is you don’t notice the track being off as much.  It never feels super low grip.  Even in the heat of the day today I told the guys ‘I really honestly don’t feel like the grip level is all that much different than when we were here last weekend for the All-Star weekend and it was far cooler.’  That is a product of good race cars and they have a lot to be proud of at the shop.”
 
WERE YOU ABLE TO LEARN ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN APPLY THIS WEEKEND FROM THE SHOWDOWN LAST WEEKEND?
“Anytime you can have track time at a track you are going to race at is good for learning.  It’s good for repetition, it’s good for learning about your car, so we would have loved to have been in the All-Star weekend, but it wasn’t meant to be.  We are doing okay here and we’ve got another practice before the race.”
 
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 26TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“We unloaded and were really loose.  We made quite a few runs on the first set of tires.  We put our next set of tires on and the car was really tight.  It’s really hard to adjust on that.  And then we were just way tight in qualifying.  I don’t know if the track has tightened up.  It seemed like it was a pretty big change from practice and then I felt like we took a huge swing at it again to free it up and it almost seemed worse.  I don’t know.  Just way off there we haven’t been that far off in qualifying all year long.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 27TH
WHAT DOES STARTING THIS DEEP IN THE FIELD DO FOR YOU GUYS?
“It just disappoints us.  We know our car is much better than this.  I think these are about as challenging conditions as you can have when you have a really hot day like this.  The sun goes down and it’s a total guessing game and we completely guessed wrong.  We just missed the set-up.  The car has plenty of speed in it.  I’m not concerned about the race.  I know that we can work our way through there and be really strong in the race, but we just have to get the balance right at the start of the race and make sure that we are there at the end.  It’s just more challenging to do that from where we are going to be starting.”
 
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 22, 2014
 
MICHAEL ANNETT, NO. 7 PILOT FLYING J CHEVROLET SS AND REED SORENSON, NO. 36 BEEF JERKY OUTLET CAROLINAS CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway and discussed Tommy Baldwin Racing’s involvement with the Salute the Troops program and the Armed Forces Foundation.  PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT:
 
REED SORENSON:
 
TALK ABOUT THE SALUTE THE TROOPS PROGRAM:
“The Salute the Troops program is a deal they put together to basically write letters to the troops to show support and thanks pretty much.  They can come from anywhere from what I understand.  The other day I actually went to a classroom with six different third grade classes and helped them write letter.  We will get them all collected and send them all off.  Just something they might enjoy. Chevrolet is sending off some calling cards to all the troops.  Carolina Jerky is sending some beef jerky for them to go through. Just a little token of appreciation a little different maybe than what they are used to.  I’m sure getting letters from third graders back here at home might mean a lot to them.  I’m sure they will keep it and mean a lot to them for a long time.”
 
CAN FANS STILL GO ONLINE AND DO IT? 
“It goes through July to the Daytona race which is July 5th I believe.  There are still plenty of weeks left to do it.  From what I understand go to the Tommy Baldwin Racing Facebook page or Twitter page to make sure you get your letter sent into the right place.  They will all be collected and sent out.”
 
OVER THE YEAR’S I’M SURE YOU HAVE HAD PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERACT WITH TROOPS ALL OVER THE WORLD.  ARE YOU FINDING THEY ARE A LOT OF BIG RACE FANS OUT THERE IN THE MILITARY?
“For sure, I was able to fortunately be sponsored by the Air Force at one point.  I got to hang out with those guys a few times.  A lot of race fans in there.  Not a big surprise I guess, but a lot of race fans.  They enjoy talking to all different people throughout the sport.  They know how much NASCAR supports them and I think that is why they enjoy hanging out with all of us and trading stories and things like that.”
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR TEAM AND THE GROWTH THIS YEAR:
“Yeah there are no start and parks anymore that is what a lot of people forget.  There used to be three or four cars that would pull off and now there are none.  It’s definitely changed a little bit.  I think the competitiveness has gone up a little.  It’s kind of forcing everybody to spend a little more time, spend more money and get better people.  We are moving along with that program as well.  All the guys are working hard to make our team better.”
 
MICHAEL ANNETT:
 
TELL US ABOUT THE SALUTE THE TROOPS PROGRAM:
“It’s a real easy way to give back.  Whenever we come to this weekend and this race each year you get to see a lot of the patriotism. It’s a really easy way, five minutes of your time, to let those guys overseas know that we are thinking about them all the time.  Unfortunately stuff like this only gets fired up on one weekend.  It’s something that people need to think about every day of the year.  Just using where we are at in the sport to be able to do something like this and give back.”
 
THIS PROGRAM GOES THROUGH JULY WITH YOUR TEAM?
“It’s really easy to go onto TBR’s Facebook page and Twitter and all the information is there.  You can get in touch with our people.  It’s something that needs to go a lot longer than one weekend.”
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR INTERACTION WITH TROOPS OVER THE YEARS:
“I think the coolest thing in our sport is in the Driver’s Meeting we acknowledge all the troops that come to the race track and the families of people that are lost family members overseas.  I think that by far always puts a smile on my face and makes me proud to be a part of this sport that appreciates it.”
 
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 22, 2014
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 BUDWEISER FOLDS OF HONOR CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway and discussed what it takes to win the Coca-Cola 600, his season thus far and many other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT THE 600 FOR YOU?
“I think it is just keeping up with the car.  As you go through the temperature changes it’s going to be a lot warmer than it was last week so you kind of have to take that with a grain of salt as to what we did at the All-Star race because of the much warmer temperatures. We may not even every get to the coolest temperature Sunday night is probably still going to be warmer than the warmest it was last week.  You just have to keep up with the car and always try and stay on the lead lap through the beginning part of the race knowing that your car is going to need to handle a lot different as you get to night.  It’s an interesting challenge.  It’s a long night you are never out of the race unless you are torn up.  You don’t want to get yourself torn up or make a dumb mistake early in the race because you can always make your car right by the end.”
 
WITH THIS RACE BEING SO LONG DOES YOUR MIND EVER WANDER OFF?
“That is a good question.  I think for me it’s just about making laps and trying to remember exactly what you did in that corner last time.  It never wanders off of racing for sure just for the fact that unless a cable falls out of the sky or something falls in front of your car then you have something else to think about.  All in all it’s just trying to relay that information back to the crew as much as you can to try to be as good a piece of information as you can to keep up with the track.”
 
WHAT IS THE KEY TO GETTING AROUND THIS PLACE?
“The key is just keeping up with the race track.  In the beginning just taking what the car will give you and trying to keep yourself in a good position to stay on the lead lap and make solid pit road entrances and exits and into your box.  Just try to keep making yourself as good as you can lap after lap.  In the end as you get towards the end there is just a lot that can happen throughout the day and night.  You just have to be patient to get yourself within at least 100 miles of the end so that you can still be in contention.”
 
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A BETTER TEAM?
“I don’t think so.  The bottom line is the organization from a whole has given us every resource that we have asked for.  You never talk about money, it’s just what do you need and how do we get it for you, how do we get better. They went out recruited Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and he went out and recruited every single person on this team.  They all came here for the same reasons.  They all want to win races.  They all want to win and race for championships and when you put that kind of people together with that determination everybody pushes everybody else.  So you just have to ride the wave and try to keep getting better.  Everybody is having fun and everybody likes to race.  It’s all about racing most of the time.”
 
WHAT ABOUT THIS RACE SUITS YOU?
“You just have to keep yourself in the race that is the first thing that you have to do.  For me I feel like we can always make our car better even if we are leading the race.  I feel like we can always find something to work on, but sometimes you can also send it the other way.  You just have to make good decisions through the night.  I feel like the communication from the driver’s seat to the crew chief and how they interpret that back to the engineers has always been a plus for me.  I feel like that is a large part of what happens in this race.”
 
WHAT IS KURT BUSCH’S CHALLENGE?
“I think the biggest challenge and we haven’t specifically talked about it from anything from a race car standpoint is just knowing what car you are in and remembering how to drive that particular car because they are so different.  I hope he has a good weekend he has done a great job in Indy.  I know he has the accident this week, but I think that is not a bad thing either.  I know it’s probably expensive from a team owner’s standpoint, but I think knowing where that edge is before you get into the race and not having to hopefully experience that during the race is probably good that he got it out of the way.  It’s been fun to watch and very fun from a NASCAR standpoint to see him go over there and have speed and be competitive. That is hard to do in late model racing, in go-kart racing to go into somebody else’s territory and be competitive no matter what level it is at.”
 
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WOULD BE THE BIGGEST TURNING POINT TO PUT YOU IN THE RIGHT PLACE TO WHERE YOU COULD WIN RACES?  WOULD YOU LOOK BACK AT ATLANTA OF 2001 MAYBE?
“I have won races in everything I have ever been in.  It’s just I like to race.  Winning is a lot more fun than losing I can promise you that.  It is way too much work to be a part of this whole deal and not win.  That is probably a little bit of my downfall is being frustrated when we lose and a little bit grumpy.”
 
INAUDIBLE:
“It has to bring some interest just from a standpoint that it’s a big challenge from both worlds.  Whether it’s coming over here and just racing this race or just going over there.  I mean they are huge races.  I think it’s good for both series that he is doing it bringing a lot of attention both ways.”
 
DO YOU LIKE RACING AT DOVER?
“I do.  Dover is one of those race tracks that you can be really aggressive at and get away with it.  Over driving the car is not such a bad thing there.  I’ve been fortunate to run well and I know (Tony) Stewart won the race there last year.  We are looking forward to going up there next week.  To me once you get past this race is really when you start that grind through the season and into the Chase.  This is an important stretch from now until Richmond.”
 
WHAT DO YOU THINK WE WILL SEE WHEN WE GO TO DOVER?
“I think the cars are going to be lightning fast in qualifying trim, race trim.  You hear some of the testing speeds and they were really fast.  It’s going to be much warmer hopefully as we go into these next few months.  Those speeds will back up a little bit, but the cars are going to be faster than what they were there before for sure.”
 
A COUPLE OF TIMES YOU HAVE BROKEN THIS YEAR DO THEY CONCERN YOU AT ALL OR ARE YOU STILL PRETTY CONFIDENT IN THE WAY YOU GUYS HAVE UNLOADED OFF THE TRUCK?
“We never really had any problems.  We had a couple of parts break, but speed has never been a problem. That is the thing that everybody in the garage searches for and probably one of the parts that keeps us sane.  Is our cars are fast every single week.  Even if they start practice slow, Rodney (Childers) and the engineers and everybody in this organization they can figure out whatever my problem is in the car they can figure out how to fix it.  If we start half a second off the pace by the end of practice we will be able to gain and by race day it will be even better.  I’ve just never been a part of something that they have been able to work on the car so much and make it better.  That is just a lot of fun.”
 
YOU’VE HAD WINS SLIP AWAY THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS DOES THAT ADD ANY MORE DESIRE TO WIN?
“We want to win every race.  It is such a different mentality than what I have been used to in the past.  As far as we have had the speed to run for the win in every race.  But you are going to lose some.  Everything has gone so well that I think me included we
have kind of lost sight that we are in our 11th race.  Which is kind of scary that from race one we have been in contention and have had the speed to win every race we have been in.  As we sat down and analyzed things this week of everything that happened on pit road last week that was their 11th race.  Sometimes I think our problems are sticking out a little bit more than they would in a normal situation just for the fact you are racing for a win you are not racing for 10th.  It’s probably not a bad thing and hopefully we can have all our issues gone through by the time we get to Homestead.”
 
DID THE SEASON ALMOST START LAST YEAR WITH THE TEST HERE AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN DECEMBER?
“For sure we were fortunate that Rodney was able to come over early and all he worked on once he got to SHR was what we were going to do this year with the new rules.  I feel like we have been a little bit ahead of the game since that test.  But when we had that test here last year the first lap on the race track everybody’s confidence went to about as high as you could put it just for the fact of how well things went.”
 
INAUDIBLE:
“The first minute that I was in that car I haven’t quit smiling since.  It’s been so refreshing and so much fun to be a part of it that every day you just kind of leave the race track shaking your head going ‘well we won that one or we could have won that one.’  We raced and led and did all the things that you want to do as a race car driver as a team.  I don’t know how you could ask for it to go much better.”
 
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 22, 2014
 
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/SUPERMAN CHEVROLET SS met with members of the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway today to discuss a new paint scheme for his car, his goal of winning a point’s race at Charlotte and his ‘Wrecked Car Graveyard’, among other topics. Full transcript:
 
TALK TO US ABOUT THE PAINT SCHEME FOR THIS SPECIAL WEEK AT CHARLOTTE:
“It’s a pretty neat deal. HMS (Hendrick Motorsports) has teamed up with DC Comics to do a three-year program. This particular weekend, Superman and the National Guard are getting together. Basically what DC Comics wants to promote on this particular weekend is their Superman Hall of Heroes, which is an online gift-giving portal where you can go and induct someone that you think deserves that title. It’s a pretty neat deal. There are some things that I know but can’t talk about that we will be revealing later. It’s a good-looking race car. I hope it is fast. I’m hoping we can go out there and run good. We’ve worked with DC Comics in the past and had some pretty good success when we’ve done that. We had a Superman car in ’99 at Phoenix in the Nationwide Series where we wrapped up the championship there. We had Batman on the car in 2012 when we won at Michigan. We’ve had some pretty good history. Hopefully we can have a good run. I’d love to win here. We haven’t won here in a points-paying race. This is a track where that I always got to come to ever since I was old enough to get to the race track, so we haven’t missed many races here. I sure would love to win one here. It’s been very difficult to do. The 600 would be in the top-five of my favorite wins if I can get that this weekend.”
 
WHAT CHALLENGES WILL CHASE ELLIOTT FACE AS THE SON OF A NASCAR LEGEND?
“I don’t think he’ll face a lot of challenges early because when you’re young, you’re a bit naïve to all that and all the things going on around you. You just really worry and care about driving the car, enjoying what you’re doing, working with the team and hanging out with your friends. You don’t understand and you don’t recognize and notice a lot of the storm around you. It takes a couple of years before you start to understand how big a thing this really is. So I think that for the first couple years being naïve is a bit of a blessing. He seems to be just focusing on only the particulars – driving the car, enjoying himself. He’s very soft-spoken and quiet. I think that will serve him pretty well the first several years. After about 12 or 24 months in the Cup series, you start to realize exactly how big this thing is and how powerful this sport is. That’s when you start to have trouble keeping your foot off your mouth and keeping your head on straight.”
 
OTHER THAN A CHAMPIONSHIP, IS THE NO. 1 RACE ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?
“This is definitely a race I’d love to win. I want to win a point’s race here so bad because we live just right down the road. I’ve been coming here since I’ve been a kid. I remember sitting up in the press box watching qualifying for the ’83 race, and that was probably one of my first real memories of going to a Cup event. Once they built those condos over there in One and Two, we never missed a race and we watched a lot of them over there in the mid-80s and early-80s.
 
“We watched a lot of races over on the last corner of the road course up on the hill with most of our family and all the Eury’s and everybody. We just always came here, and it’s frustrating that I haven’t won a race here other than the All-Star event. We’ve had some good cars but not anywhere near good enough. There are a lot of other race tracks where I think, ‘Man we were really close’ or the car was fast enough. But I’ve never really had a car here that I thought we had it, we were walking away and we gave it away. We always seem to get outrun here but hopefully this weekend we can change that.”
 
WHAT IS KURT BUSCH DOING “THE DOUBLE” DO TO ELEVATE RESPECT AMONG THE DRIVERS? DO YOU LOOK AT HIM IN A LITTLE DIFFERENT WAY FOR GOING OUT AND DOING THIS?
“I really like the work he is doing with The Armed Forces and it says a lot about what’s important to him more than anything he is doing on the race track. He’s doing some amazing work and making an impact. That’s doing a lot for him – like it matters – in my eyes. I respect him a lot more because of that. The racing thing… hell, we all like to race so I can understand his enjoyment of doing the Indy deal. I can’t wait to watch and pull for him. He’s representing the entire sport. Whether he knows it or not, he’s got a lot of people, drivers, crew and just about everyone on the infield pulling for him to do well because he is representing all of us. He’s definitely put in a strong effort to make a different impression. I have to hand it to him. He’s done a lot of work.”
 
GOING TO DOVER, ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A LITTLE REDEMPTION AFTER FINISHING SECOND, AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THAT RACE?
“I just learned that Jimmie is really hard to beat at Dover. We came so close. I ran those last 20 or 30 laps over and over after that trying to think about where I might have given up a little bit or not seized an opportunity. But it was nice that we had a good car, and I hope we can be as competitive when we go back obviously. But I like racing there and we definitely ran well. We will just have to be really aggressive. We were aggressive on restarts and that paid off. We fought for positions in the middle part of the race that seemed meaningless. By the end of the race, those instances I could add up and say that’s how we got that track position and get to where we were in a position to race Jimmie. So I learned a lot in that particular event.”
 
STICKING ON THE SUPERMAN THEME, IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SPECIAL POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
“Super-human strength would be the best one to have, I think. Being able to pick stuff up and throw it across the yard would be fun. You can impress your friends and show off for the ladies. You could sit down and think about it; they all have their positives. Super-human strength would be pretty cool.”
 
WHAT WOULD YOU THROW?
“Oh I don’t know. Maybe my friends and I would go to a junkyard and toss some cars around. That would be pretty harmless, right?”
 
ARE YOU EVER FASCINATED AT THE CURIOSITY OVER YOUR WRECKED CAR GRAVEYARD? ARE YOU ADDING CARS AT A MORE RAPID CLIP THESE DAYS OR DOES IT SEEM THAT WAY BECAUSE YOU’RE ABLE TO POST PHOTOS ON TWITTER?
“I think it’s the Twitter thing. I think people are learning about me on Twitter over the last little bit. We’ve collected cars there for a long time. It’s not like I go looking for every wreck that we have or anyone has. A lot of times they’re offered up or I’ll call up a buddy that’s a crew chief or something. I called (Steve) Addington and asked Steve about the 51 car. I know Harry Scott pretty well so I figured if they were going to throw it away I could at least have it. I don’t know why I want them or even why we go get them. When JR Motorsports first started with Pro Cup and Late Model, we’d put so much money into building those cars. When we’d tear them up, I couldn’t see throwing them away or scrapping them so we’d stick them in the woods. So if we have 80 cars now, the first 30 or 40 are JR Motorsports or Late Models or something related to me or my company and we just kept plugging them in there. Then Brad Keselowski… y’all remember when Brad’s daddy owned a Nationwide car that wrecked at Talladega in (Turn) 4 and it flipped up into the wall? I forget who was driving but he used to be track champion at Hickory… Dennis Setzer was driving it. Brad gave me that car and it started with getting cars like that. Brad lives right next to me and said, ‘Hey man, we’re going to throw this awa
y. Do you want this car?’ We put that in there and that got me thinking that I’ll get other people’s cars and not just me. I called Chip about the Jet Dryer car. He said I could put it out there as long we didn’t take any pictures of it. He just didn’t want a lot of publicity with it being out there. Then I got the C-post car from Chad Knaus because I think they wrecked it the first lap of the race. The hard part is that if people want to know if there are tours and can they come look at it. I feel kind of bad because it’s on my property. It’s like that western town that I build. It will be there way after I’m gone and someone will walk back there and say, ‘What the hell is this doing here? And who put it here?’ Then my name will come up and they will remember me.”
 
INAUDIBLE:
“I don’t know. I may need to go count. There are sides and noses and hoods hanging up in the trees. There’s all kind of quirky stuff back there. My property manager has a weird sense of humor. He’ll stick those things in some odd places. He got a truck from Brad Keselowski that he nosed into the side of the creek. It’s half-buried in the creek and funny-looking sticking out that like that. It’s fun. We go back there riding through there in the golf carts and my mom goes walking back there… you see something new every time.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 22, 2014
 
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed his experience of voting in the Hall of Fame, challenges with the new rules package, IndyCar racing, and more. Full Transcript:
 
YESTERDAY YOU GOT TO CAST YOUR BALLOT FOR THE 2015 NASCAR HALL OF FAME CLASS. HOW DID YOU LIKE THAT?
“That was a huge honor and an amazing day to be a part of. To sit in a room with so many people that care for our sport and know about our sport and then discuss what took place in eras of time when I certainly wasn’t around.  Others, I was on the west coast. But it was a very awesome and unique experience and something I think that is a huge honor and in years to come, it’s only going to help drivers in the garage area understand the history of our sport and grow closer and more attached to the people that built this sport. And in a big way, I wish that the garage area could sit in on that discussion and see the respect that the peers and the people on the voting panel have for our industry and for the people involved. It wasn’t an easy process to work down to five. All 20 on that list were very deserving to be in the Hall of Fame.
 
“So, to see the process and to see the care of our peers and our industry, it was a very good experience. And again, I think of myself as still kind of young in this sport, and it was huge for me; I think of Kyle Larson and other drivers coming along, how good it would be for them to see and witness all of that. So it was an awesome day. The champion gets that honor and it is a huge honor. I know that the champions behind me will have as great an experience as I did.”
 
HOW IS THIS RACE DIFFERENT FOR YOU IN THE FACT THAT IT’S THE LONGEST RACE OF THE SEASON? WHAT IS THE PREPARATION LIKE? HOW IS SUNDAY DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT’S THE LONGEST RACE OF THE YEAR?
“It’s not tremendously different any more. The big thing you need to stay aware of is the track changing. That’s the biggest issue that we’ll deal with starting in the day and finishing late at night. I think maybe toward the start of my career we were a little bit worried about equipment and managing equipment. But those all seem to be distant memories now and you can really run every lap like it’s the last. Drivers’ fitness and hydration is kind of a player in there as well and you might see a little bit of fatigue at the end.  I feel like I’ve got that base covered if it does come down to that. You’ve got a lot of opportunities to work on your car and that’s what I’ll tell myself all night long. If things don’t go our way, if we’re caught in the pits when a caution comes out, or something doesn’t work in our favor, you’ve got 100 more miles to sort things out. A 500-mile race is already long. And now you’ve got 100 more to work on it. You’ve just got to keep your head in the game and focus on being in the game longer.”
 
THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LOT OF CURIOSITY IN THE GARAGE AREA ABOUT THE INDY 500. IF THIS EXPERIENCE FOR KURT BUSCH GOES WELL ON SUNDAY, DO YOU THINK MORE NASCAR DRIVERS MIGHT BE INCLINED TO GIVE IT A LOOK?
‘I think so. I feel like there’s been an open door there. At least I know there has been for myself in discussions with many teams on the IndyCar side. Timing was an issue at one point in time and the engine manufacturer situation that I was dealing with when I had the green light from my wife to go do it. So, there are always some challenges but it might. And I hope that it does. I think it’s great for motorsports to see this happen.
 
“And maybe I’m not answering your question directly, but the thing that I look at in all this and watching intently for is to see how a driver does from a low downforce vehicle into a high downforce vehicle. Sunday we’ll know a lot more how that transitions, but it seems to be an easier transition to go from low downforce to high downdorce versus open-wheel guys leaving their high downforce cars and coming to our low downforce cars. So, I’m proud of Kurt (Busch). He’s doing an awesome job. He’s put up a lot of speed and fast laps over there and has even found a limit. That’s something you need to do. It’s better to tear them up in practice than on race day. I’m looking forward to the 500 and hopefully he has a great showing.”
 
SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE STILL INTERESTED IN IT
“My desire to compete in the Indianapolis 500 has not diminished one bit. But I made a deal with my wife. So, a deal’s a deal.”
 
ON THAT NOTE AND AS SOMEONE WHO TRAINS, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU APPRECIATE MOST ABOUT WHAT KURT BUSCH IS TRYING TO DO ON SUNDAY?
“As a racer, there are just events that you dream of competing in before you ever make a decision that’s you’re going to race on short tracks and end up in stock cars or go-karts that lead to open wheel racing. You just watch events on television; you know the procedures that follow them and you just desire to race in those events. Indy is that for anybody who has had a love for auto racing. So, I’ve had that. I feel like stock car drivers are fortunate now that we get to go there for our Brickyard 400 and it’s a very important race. We’re able to satisfy a large part of that. For west coasters like the Busch brothers and myself; Jeff Gordon and other guys like Kasey Kahne, open wheel was our path. Especially in my era of growing up, a lot of guys were leaving the different off-road and dirt ranks and working their way into Trans-Am and up to indy Lights and then to IndyCar.
 
“My focus was solely on IndyCar. I knew a little bit about NASCAR, but if it wasn’t for Chevrolet being very honest with me and they wanted me to be a part of their driver line-up in years to come. But they said look, we’re pulling out of open wheel. If you want a career in motorsports and you want Chevrolet’s support, you need to consider stock car racing. And it wasn’t long after that I had a one-way ticket to North Carolina and was on Ron Hornaday’s couch. So, my path led me a different way. With Kurt, I would imagine Indy was very prominent in his mind as a kid growing up.”
 
LOOKING AHEAD TO DOVER THIS WEEK, YOUR RECORD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. DO YOU EXPECT ANY OF THAT TO CHANGE WITH THE RULES CHANGES AND NEW SET-UPS?
“Yeah, it’s all different, no doubt. We had a set-up that worked well with a variety of generations of cars and it will be a little different going back. But there’s a rhythm and a style of driving that race track that I think sticks with the driver regardless of car. So, I’m very optimistic about our performance over there.”
 
REGARDING NOT HAVING WON YET THIS SEASON, CHAD KNAUS SAID ON THE RADIO THIS WEEK THAT YOU STRUGGLED A BIT WITH THE NEW RULES PACKAGE BECAUSE IT FAVORS A TIGHTER CAR AND YOU LIKE TO DRIVE A LOOSER CAR AND THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO ADAPT IT FOR YOU. DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? ARE YOU CATCHING-UP WITH WHERE YOU WANT TO BE?
“Yeah, that’s definitely what we’ve been dealing with. We develop a balance of a car in practice by ourselves in single car runs; and then in traffic situations, find that balance is just too uncomfortable to drive. So, we’re trying to trade off single car speed versus how the car handles in traffic has been kind of our goal. I do like a loose race car and as we get in traffic, the car typically gets looser. So, if you start with a loose car and you end up deep in traffic, you’re not really going anywhere; you’re kind of stuck. And yes, I’m not the best driver of a tight race car.
 
“A lot of tools have been taken away from us to help the car turn. So, it’s something that I’m trying to adapt to and sort out. There are always different challenges in this sport and I know that we’ll get it. I also feel that eve though we haven’t won a race this year, there are 16 drivers that make it into the Chase, where last year t
here were 12 and two of those were wild cards.
 
“So, the window is a lot bigger to get into the Chase for the first segment and I feel very confident that we’ll be in there. And I really don’t think there’s going to be 16 different winners. So, as long as we work to make our cars faster, of course we want to win, but as long as we keep a smart mind on points and have good finishes and keep ourselves up in points, we’ll keep our post-season hopes alive. And in the post-season, we have amazing race tracks for us. And I know by then we’ll have things where we need to have them.

HAVING BEEN FRIENDS AND TEAMMATES WITH JEFF GORDON, WHAT DISCUSSION HAVE YOU HAD WITH HIM ABOUT THAT FIRST WIN OF HIS CAREER HERE AT CHARLOTTE? WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT SEEING IT ON THE WEST COAST?
“Oddly enough, maybe we talked about it years ago, but I don’t have any vivid memories or thoughts of our discussions about it. I remember watching it and seeing how he couldn’t even talk. He just broke down and emotion poured through. Being a driver on the west coast and he grew up out there (also) and he raced in a different form of cars giving me a lot of hope. And I think a lot of dirt-related drivers had a lot of hope that they would get a shot at NASCAR. And so, I just remember watching. I was a fan. I owned a die cast car and he was my guy so I was stoked that he won a race. And to look back on that it was obviously a big day for him and just the start of all the great things that came.”
 
HOW HAS THE NEW QUALIFYING FORMAT CHANGED RACING?
“I feel like you get another opportunity on most tracks if you don’t get your first lap right. Here, we should have a chance for two to go out on a second run on tires and not lose too much speed. So, if you don’t get the greatest first lap, you can maybe improve your starting position. So I feel like this format offers you a few chances to get your best starting position. Most importantly, I think it’s good for the fans. I think having a race of sorts and some type of competition out there is good for them.”
 
I MEANT THE QUALIFYING FORMAT FOR THE PLAYOFF. DOES THAT CHANGE THE WAY YOU GUYS RACE?
“Oh, I haven’t seen anything totally different yet. I think once we get towards the end of the year, you’ll definitely see some aggression. It really makes a difference between first and second with wins being a priority. There could very well be some heated racing up front, but for third and forth, you’re not going to go in there and dump the guy for third and then have him mad at you the rest of the year. It’s different if you’re racing for the win. But I think it’s built a lot of excitement. I’ve had not necessarily non-NASCAR fans, but more casual fans that I know have been tuning in a lot more and interested in following the winners and the progress of the season. So, I feel like it’s been a good change for our sport.”
 
ON VOTING FOR THE HALL OF FAME, HOW MUCH PREPARATION DID YOU DO TO CAST YOUR VOTE? DID YOUR CAR OWNER GIVE YOU A LITTLE RIBBING THAT YOU COULDN’T GET HIM IN YESTERDAY?
“No, I spoke to him on the drive up today, just catching up with him; and I’m not sure he feels he should be in there yet. He’s a competitor out there and he appreciates the phone calls he received yesterday and the concern from others, but I don’t think he feels like it’s time to be in there yet, although I voted for him. I just am so impressed with his stats and what he has done, but I still think there are many more to come.”
 
HOW MUCH DID YOU PREPARE?
“For me it was a lot. I actually read the book. And those that know me know how much I despise reading. And I read the book twice. So, I studied up and enjoyed the entire process.”
 
WHEN YOU VOTED, DID YOU HAVE A SHORT LIST OF PEOPLE THAT YOU THOUGHT MIGHT GET IN? AND AS DISCUSSIONS PROGRESSED THROUGH THE DAY, DID THAT LIST CHANGE AT ALL?
“Yeah, it really did. There was so much good discussion. I probably had seven going in. And I thought the discussion would help me whittle it down to five. But after the conversations took place, I think my number grew to nine. And then we had lunch and things moved kind of quickly after that and the ballot was in front of me, in front of all of us. And it was time to check some boxes.
 
“So, I felt like I could have been there another couple of hours with the open microphone format and learning more about the individuals. It was not an easy decision. Just following social media and seeing people reply and being upset that someone they are a fan of or related to even, didn’t make it in. I feel for everybody. And I kind of sensed that some took the voting process lightly based on just 140 characters that come through a tweet. I wish others, especially the people on the outside of our sport looking in, could understand how much thought went into that. I was really impressed yesterday; and the whole prepping process and what went into it and how much consideration goes into each and every name on the ballot. So, those in there know, it’s not an easy process to pick those five.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 22, 2014

KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION MADE IN AMERICA CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway and discussed attempting to do the double this weekend competing in the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600.  Full Transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT HOW EVERYTHING IS GOING:
“It’s good to be at the NASCAR track today and to jump into Sprint Cup practice and just to give credit and acknowledgement and the time back to the 600 portion of all of this.  Indy is obviously exciting and new and different and it starts earlier in the month of course as far as preparations.  I was on the plane ride back and I’m like you know I’m going to be in my Cup car and be back in the comfort zone and go out for practice on Thursday.  That is going to feel fun.  I’m really excited about getting in the car today and shaking down the car, making laps, then try to tailor the set-up around finding the right comfort zone that we will need for a full 600 miles.”
 
DESCRIBE THE CHALLENGE NOW THAT YOU HAVE THAT CONTEXT OF HOW THAT THING PERFORMS AND OF COURSE YOU HAVE THE LOGISTICS INVOLVED AS WELL:
“I hope that there is still more to learn and more to experience and there will be on Sunday.  It’s still difficult to describe the differences between the two.  I’ve had to keep them very separate.  I hope if I have the chance to come and see you guys on Friday in Dover after Memorial Day weekend I will have a better explanation.  Just like walking through the garage today it takes 20 minutes for me to go sign in and it’s not because of fans and autographs, even though they are there as well.  It’s the other crew chiefs and the other drivers asking about it, wanting to know the differences and to live some of the experience with me.  Like Todd Berrier stopped me and then a guy Max Papis he was very curious on the world that he has been in and come from.  It’s just so exciting to talk about it.  It’s just still hard to put it all into words.  The Indy car demands a lot of respect and you are on that razor blade edge when you are out there driving.  Everything is very precise.  It’s almost like being a surgeon.  When you are out there by yourself trying to qualify at 230 mph it’s different than what it is in the draft in the dirty air.  They call it a tow.  When you are in the tow up there and following other guys around in the groove for race pace it’s not just wide open all the way around like some people would think.
 
“When I made the mistake on Monday it was because I just started to tell myself ‘settle in, get into this 500 mile rhythm and know that you have 600 miles later on.’ It was the set-up that I had from the previous Thursday where I was the most comfortable in drafting practice.  I made some adjustments inside the car, didn’t stay on top of Turns 1 and 2.  The south end of the track is different than the north end of the track there.  The wind angle was at the most different, awkward angle that I’ve had during the whole month of May.  Turn 2 bit me.  I’m glad that I experienced it.  I might sound stupid, by staying that I’m glad I wrecked at 220 mph, but if I didn’t put myself in that position I would have done that on Sunday possibly 50 laps into the race.  That is how you have to advance through life is to learn from your mistakes.  It was a mistake that I whole heartedly put myself in.  It’s because I just started to feel comfortable.  I just let my guard down a little bit and that Indy car jumped up and bit me.
 
“When I came here and ran the All-Star race on Saturday night I jumped in there cold turkey for qualifying.  Coming down pit road at 150 mph that is a blast there will never be another day that I came into so many things unprepared.  When I got through with the qualifying lap here I’m like ‘man I’m a fish out of water.’  I’m making way too many wheel movements, throttle inputs, steering inputs, I’m just all over the place.  I’ve got to let the stock car do its normal flow.’  You have to let the car move before you react to it.  In IndyCar you can react to it right away.  It’s very precise with the Indy car, the stock car you have to let it flow.”
 
CAN YOU GET INTO SPECIFICS ON HOW YOU HAVE HAD TO TRAIN AND WHAT THE DEMANDS ARE OF AN INDYCAR VERSUS A STOCK CAR REQUIRE YOU TO TRAIN DIFFERENTLY?
“Well it’s not an Indy car versus stock car it’s just being prepared for 1100 miles.  Upper body strength is important in both.  Core strength is what I have worked on these last six months.  It’s to be able to use your core to not over exert your arms or to have your legs cramp up.  It’s to be as prepared as you can be for the marathon portion of this.  The demands from driving both cars are the same on the body it’s just I have to be ready to do 1100 miles.  Running to the gym, keeping my heart rate elevated while I’m there, doing martial arts type of activity in a boot camp style formula to where as it keeps your heart rate up for that full hour and then run back home from the gym.  This week it’s been great to add in the full nutrition portion of the program to come in on the first part of the week with low carbs maintaining the protein.  It will start tomorrow night with loading up on carbs and almost being at the big fighter weight that you would expect to see a guy with the extra weight just so that I know that I am going to burn all that off on Sunday.”
 
IF IT GOES WELL ON SUNDAY DO YOU THINK OTHER DRIVERS WILL BE TEMPTED TO GIVE IT A SHOT ONE DAY?
“I’m a race.  Tony Stewart is a racer, Robby Gordon is a racer and John Andretti is a racer.  This is a true test of what your commitment level is on being a racer. There are so many practices back and forth, the travel, the logistics’; the fun meter is pegged right now.  I’m having a blast doing it; you just have to know it comes with a lot of hard work.  I encourage others to try it out.  At the end of the day though motorsports to me is my family, it’s my home. On the NASCAR side I’ve been here 15 years.  I always open the USA Today or click on different websites for Memorial Day weekend and it’s about our military and the red, white and blue all the time.  But Memorial Day weekend is a time for motorsports to shine.  It starts with Monaco it goes through Indy and it ends here in Charlotte.  I’m doing this for a lot of different reasons, but at the end of the day I think motorsports can use the shot in the arm to go you know what this is a guy that has never been in an Indy car we want to watch that race then we want to follow him to Charlotte to see what he can do down there running that full 600 miles.”
 
IS THIS UNDERTAKING BIGGER THAN YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE?  OR IS IT ABOUT AS BIG AS YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE?
“It’s a different discipline of motorsport.  It’s a tough car to drive just like a Sprint Cup car is tough to drive.  It hasn’t been overwhelming, but at the same time each day in the Indy car I’m a student and I’m learning.  How many times have we all told ourselves if I would have known now what I could have known then?  The way to approach this is to have fun.  I have zero IndyCar experience and I’m trying to elevate my game over there to be competitive.  Yes, it’s difficult.  Those guys are good at what they do.  I had a shot at the Fast Nine, but that is when you have a fast car to do that with.  Andretti Autosport guys have prepared a beautiful car for me to drive up there.  My rookie orientation car was different than the one that I qualified and now I will have a different one in the race.  It shows t
he level of craftsmanship that the IndyCar guys can put into their cars and then the level of ability of their drivers.  I’m sitting on the fourth row and that fourth row ended up with a ton of credentials because we were all the guys that didn’t make the final nine.  It’s (Juan Pablo) Montoya, Scott Dixon and myself.  That is all the way to 12th place.  The names can go on and on up there on who is in the field.  I’m just one guy out of 33 racing up there.  I’m one guy down here racing against 43.  It’s been a blast to be able to do this in my career and to say at 35 years old I’m at the peak.  I’m feeling great about the Cup car.  We’ve got a solid Stewart-Haas team.  I’ll be back next week and it will be back to normal of running Dover, Pocono, Michigan, Sonoma and on with the rest of them.”
 
HAS THE FUN AND SUCCESS YOU HAVE HAD AT INDY TAKEN YOUR MIND OFF THE STRUGGLES A LITTLE BIT OF THE CUP CAR?
“No I’ve been there right along with the Cup guys.  I actually surprised them when we had a rain out up in Indy and came to the shop on a Wednesday last week.  I could see in everybody’s eyes they were startled that I was there and at the same time they were relieved because they know that we have some work to do.  I just wanted to show them my commitment.  My commitment is here on the NASCAR side and I’m excited about getting in the car today to make laps and to work on getting this No. 41 Haas Automation Chevy stronger and faster.”
 
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE SENSATION OF SPEED BETWEEN INDYCAR AND NASCAR?  WHICH FEELS FASTEST TO YOU?
“That is a very detailed question because there are so many ways to explain it and so many different people will experience things that think that are faster in one aspect versus another.  Ask Jimmie Johnson, I talked to him and I told him Bristol is one of my favorite tracks.  That track it’s like it’s in slow motion when I’m out there.  He goes ‘really, that place it feels like I’m going 200 mph’.  I said ‘well that is what it feels like for me at Charlotte’ and you think and he told me it is slow for him.  There are different drivers that have their comfort level at certain tracks and in certain forms of motorsport.
 
“It would be like you and your buddies riding a roller coaster.  One guy is going to think it’s extremely fast and the other guy is going to go ‘nah it wasn’t so bad I’m ready for more.’ The speed it obviously shows up when you are doing something wrong.  When I wrecked the other day in the Indy car that extra 20 mph and not a lot of material to crush is definitely a harder hit than what it is in a Cup car.  But I was fortunate enough to hit a safer barrier and to have all the extra safety equipment on that IndyCar has put in place and that NASCAR has evolved to.  I feel like drivers now are able to withstand bigger wrecks than what our pioneers and the legends of our sport have done before.  Our group can challenge what those guys have done in the past, but they deserve bigger credit.  The legends such as AJ Foyt or Mario Andretti, the Gurney’s those big names back in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s.
 
“I mean this whole adventure here this month of May I will finish with this, I’m talking to Mario Andretti and he is telling me a story about how in 1967 his car was overheating.  They continued to fight overheating problems.  They put on this panel on the back of the car to extract air from the radiator.  He said ‘after we put that panel on the front tires kept lifting up. So then I made these little wickers and I put them on the front of the car to balance the front back out.’  That was the discovery on downforce.  That was putting wings on cars.  All he was trying to do was extract air from the radiator so that the car could run more efficiently and that is how cars have evolved into downforce.  Now that changed the game to go from whatever mph range they were in to the next mph range.  Those guys were all going into foreign territory.  For me I’ve had great teammates at Andretti Autosport to look at their notes.  To have a team that has solid information to help me graduate as a driver through the different levels it’s been an amazing experience.  It’s been a lot of fun and I can’t wait to get in the Cup car today and to finish this journey on Sunday with a strong 1100 miles.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 22, 2014
 
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media today at Charlotte Motor Speedway to talk about his win in the Sprint All-Star Race, his thoughts on the Coca-Cola 600 and his position in the Chase among other topics. Full transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR WIN IN THE ALL-STAR EVENT AND NOW GETTING READY FOR THE 600 THIS WEEKEND.
“The week has been really busy. I got to spend Sunday with my family. Then Monday was kind of all-day at the race shop with a team lunch and doing a lot of media obligations. Then we left at 4:30 in the morning to go to Kentucky for a Goodyear tire test all day Tuesday and all day Wednesday. We got back somewhat early yesterday; we land and I’m driving home and (Matt) Kenseth called and said they we’re having a family get together at his house so I was over there until about eight o’clock last night. So it’s been really busy for me.”
 
WHAT’S THE WACKIEST PHONE CALL, RESPONSE, TEXT OR ANYTHING AFTER WINNING SATURDAY NIGHT? AND CAN YOU ESTIMATE WHAT TIME YOU LOST THE BUZZ THAT NIGHT?
“Did I have a buzz? That’s weird… I don’t remember that. I didn’t really get any wacky texts. My wife went to a birthday party at Casey Mears’ house Tuesday night, and she told me last night, ‘Jamie, I think people are really happy you won.’ Jeff (Gordon) and Jimmie (Johnson) and everyone over there came up and were kind of harassing here and asking what she was going to buy. But at the same time she was saying, ‘I really felt like they were really happy that you won.’ And I thought that was cool. Ultimately for me, I only care what that group of people thinks – the other drivers in the garage, the crew chiefs and the owners – I value their opinion more than anyone else’s. To see they were really happy for me was really cool.
“I got a lot of text messages – maybe 150 over the course of 12 hours after the race. But almost everything was really nice and really good stuff. I loved going to the shop on Monday and I can’t tell you how many of the guys who work in our shop were slapping their wife in bed saying, ‘Wake up…he’s going to win.’ I think that’s great because that’s exactly what I would have done if I had been lying in bed with Christy, so that was pretty cool.
 
“The buzz wore off… I don’t know what time. I went to bed about 4 and got up at like 8. I jumped up and was like, ‘I’ve got to get in the shower so I can get home and go see my family.’”
 
EVEN THOUGH WE’RE GOING FROM A 10-LAP SHOOTOUT TO THE LONGEST RACE, WILL IT COME DOWN TO THE FINAL RESTART AS TO WHO WINS THE 600?
“Well yes. But I think is going to depend on if the final restart comes with 25 laps to go, it will be different. It seemed like the other night that in the 20-lap segments, when we got lap 15 or 18, you could tell the handling was going away on some of the guys’ cars.  If we get a longer run… you could see the 4 or the 5 car getting passed last week. I think you’ll see some guys who can advance but if it comes down to a 10- or 15-lap shootout, the guy who gets out front will be hard to beat, for sure.”
 
DOES KURT (BUSCH) DOING THE DOUBLE HAVE ANY IMPACT ON NASCAR? WILL IT BRING MORE ATTENTION TO THE 600 BECAUSE SOMEONE IS DOING BOTH RACES?
“I think so. My take on what Kurt is doing as a race fan is that it’s awesome. I can’t wait to get up Sunday morning, turn the Indy 500 on and watch Kurt’s day. We can all remember Tony (Stewart) and Robby Gordon did it and watching those guys to see how their races goes, them getting on the helicopter – Kurt is actually flying on the plane that I fly on every weekend back down here – and then to show up and race here. I’m excited about it, and I hope other fans – whether you’re and IndyCar fan or a NASCAR fan – are excited to watch his whole day as well. I think it’s really cool what he’s doing.”
 
YOU’VE HAD A COUPLE OF MONTHS TO GET USED TO THIS SYSTEM FOR QUALIFYING FOR THE CHASE. HOW HAS IT CHANGED THE CUP SERIES? HAS IT CHANGED STRATEGY? HAS IT CHANGED QUALIFYING AND TESTING? WHAT’S DIFFERENT NOW THIS YEAR?
“I don’t see a lot different from our take. For me, the difference will be – and we haven’t had this race yet – is if we get a race… in order to take a chance, it has to be on fuel mileage or tires. We haven’t been in a position so far this year. Here we can go 50 laps on fuel. If we get a caution with 52 laps to go, that’s taking a chance and I think that’s where you will see guys take more risks in the pit strategy. We just haven’t been put in that position yet this year.”
 
WITH THE 600-MILER, NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE DRIVE 600 MILES IN A DAY MUCH LET ALONE DOING IT WITH 42 OTHER GUYS WHO ARE CHASING THE SAME THING. WHAT DO YOU DO MENTALLY TO PREPARE YOURSELF FOR SUCH A LONG DAY?
“When I look at the 600, I think back to when I was running the Busch Series and the first time I ran a Cup race. You go from running 200 miles or 300 miles to a 500-mile race. I remember running my first Cup race and thinking to myself that it wasn’t as long as I was prepared for. You mentally prepare for it all week long leading up to it. I’ve had this race circled, somewhat dreading it. I love the 400-mile races. I think that’s the perfect length for a NASCAR race. But I also think it’s cool that we have this marathon of an event. The only thing other than mentally preparing is getting enough food in your system. When I think back to this event, it’s always about trying to get enough food in your system that you’re not hungry or feel weak toward the end of the race.”
 
THIS MIGHT SOUND RIDICULOUS, BUT WAS THERE EVER A MOMENT SINCE WINNING AND KNOWING IT WAS THE ALL-STAR RACE AND DOESN’T HELP YOUR CHASE POSITION AT ALL?
“Looking back at the way the Chase format has been structured, I assume next year the winner of the All-Star race will be included into the Chase based on my history. It seems like every year, I’m a year behind on what actually the next year is going to be. But I’m not concerned with that. I was so excited to win the All-Star Race. When I got home and I was looking at the trophy and thinking of all the races I’ve won, it was so cool to be put in that category. As much as I would have liked to win a points race and be guaranteed to get into the Chase, that was huge last weekend for me, for Keith (Rodden, crew chief) and our entire team. So honestly I don’t think about that.”
 
CAN YOU LOOK BACK TO 2002 WHEN YOU WON HERE FILLING IN FOR STERLING MARLIN AND HOW THAT WAS A TURNING POINT FOR YOUR CAREER AND HOW THAT WORKED OUT FOR YOU?
“I honestly can’t look back to 2002. Things have changed so much in the sport and in my life since then. I remember those days mainly from pictures and some video; typically for the October race they will play that highlight and if I happen to be watching TV I’ll see that and it will spark a memory. But honestly, I don’t remember much about 2002.”
 
BUT IT WAS A HUGE TURNING POINT FOR YOU, RIGHT?
“It was huge. I hadn’t won a Truck race or a Busch race at that point, and I won in Sterling’s Cup car filling in for him. So yeah absolutely that was huge for me.”
 
IF YOU CAN’T REMEMBER 2002, THEN 1994 MIGHT BE A PROBLEM. I’M WONDERING WHAT YOU REMEMBER ABOUT JEFF GORDON’S FIRST CAREER VICTORY AS A FAN BACK THEN.
“I don’t remember that. I remember seeing all the video footage – I think Jeff won his first race and Kenseth as well (in 2000) so it’s a really big event for rookies. That’s what I was telling Kyle (Larson), ‘That this could be a big weekend for you.’ This is a weekend where rookies win races. So I think that’s really cool for Kyle. I graduated high school in 1994, so I don’t remember a lot about that.”
 
TALKING ABOUT THE CHASE AND AS WE COME TO THE HA
LFWAY POINT, IS THERE ANY ANXIOUSNESS OVER NOT HAVING A POINTS WIN YET?
“There is still a lot of racing left to go. We’ve had really good cars all year and certainly are not sitting very good in the points. But if you’re in the position that our team is in, it’s about getting a win and getting locked in. Then the points reset themselves. Coming in here after winning the All-Star Race, I feel probably better than I have all year long because you’re coming back to a track that you feel you have a good setup at and it’s a good track for me. The becoming anxious will come with four to five races to go – not necessarily at this point. It’s a long way to Richmond. There is going to be a lot to happen.”
 
WHAT IS THE OLDEST THING YOU DO REMEMBER?
“It’s weird. I remember my first go-kart race. I remember that day as clear as can be – everything about it. (The previous question) just put me on the spot. I just can’t remember it right now!”
 
DO YOU PAY ATTENTION AND NOTICE IF ANOTHER TEAM IS RUNNING GOOD OR STRUGGLING, OR DO YOU FOCUS ON YOUR TEAM? AND IF YOU DO NOTICE SOME OF THOSE THINGS, WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE FIRST 10 OR 12 RACES OF THE SEASON?
“I think everyone has paid attention to the 4 car this year. From the time we came here and tested in December and January for spoiler testing and pan testing, the 4 car has been the fastest off the truck. They’ve been really for the most part the best car all year long. I think everyone in the garage is paying attention to Kevin and Rodney (Childers). You’re looking at pictures and looking at their car. Everyone is eyeballing that team and trying figure out where the speed is. But that goes week to week as well. If someone runs well, everyone is on that bandwagon to find out what that team is doing this week for the next. But that’s no different than any other.”
 
WHAT DID IT MEAN TO GIVE KEITH RODDEN HIS FIRST WIN AS A CUP CREW CHIEF?
“It was really cool to get Keith his first win. I remember my days at Roush and Jack at the Christmas party would get a trophy made for the crew chief for their first win and give it to them at the Christmas party. So I’ve been thinking in my head and talking to my wife about what I could do for Keith – something he would cherish and would like. I haven’t come up with that yet but I’m trying to figure it out. It’s special because Keith has won a lot of races and been part of some really good teams. It’s really gratifying for him to do it at the top level and for me to be part of that is really special.”
 
YOU TALKED ABOUT KYLE (LARSON) EARLIER. HOW HAVE YOU SEEN HIS PROGRESSION TO THIS POINT IN THE SEASON? WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE HE IS READY TO WIN AT THIS LEVEL?
“Kyle has done a great job this year of staying out of trouble. I think one of the hardest parts for rookies is how you race people and how they race you. He’s done a good job of gaining the respect of a lot of the guys who have been around. It looked like he and Greg (Biffle) had a moment; I saw a highlight of he and Biffle at Kansas kind of going at it. That’s part of being a rookie. But he’s done a really good job with most of the guys and I think he’s gained their respect. He’s done a great job there and he’s had really good cars all year long. He’s done a good job if the car gets away from him in the middle part of the race, they as a team have done a really good job of getting the car back and if they don’t get a great finish out of it, they get a good finish out of it. I think me winning last week will help him confidence-wise, knowing that our cars are capable of winning. When you know that another guy has won in the car and you feel like you’re capable of winning, I feel like that’s good for our whole organization and I know that’s going to be good for him.”

CAMARO Z.28/R AT LIME ROCK: Short Track, Big Challenge at Lime Rock
New Camaro looking for second Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge victory
 
·         Four Camaro Z.28/R race cars entered for standalone GS race

·         Curran, Aschenbach crack top-five in GS points for CKS after Monterey runner-up

·         Chevrolet up to second in GS manufacturer championship

 
DETROIT (May 21, 2014) – It may be the shortest track on the schedule, but Lime Rock Park is set to provide a big challenge to the new Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R race car and the rest of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Lime Rock plays host to the fourth round of this year’s championship, which sees a standalone race for the Grand Sport (GS) class.
 
Four of the new Camaro Z/28.Rs are entered for Saturday’s two-and-a-half hour race. Lime Rock – at 1.53 miles and seven turns – is the smallest track on which the Camaros will compete this year. But it’s a venue that has been extremely good for the Chevrolet muscle car the last three years with three top-five finishes and a runner-up spot in last year’s race.
 
Heading into this year’s event, Chevrolet is second in the GS manufacturer championship, trailing by just seven points.
 
CKS Autosport’s Eric Curran and Lawson Aschenbach stand fifth in the GS championship following their second-place showing in the most recent round at Laguna Seca. The weekend also saw Curran place second in qualifying. CKS also will field a Camaro Z/28.R for Ashley McCalmont and Bob Michaelian.
 
Stevenson Motorsports’ two Camaro Z/28.Rs will race at Lime Rock as well, including the No. 6 entry of Sebring winners Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis. Andy Lally and Matt Bell will be in the No. 9 Camaro. Bell placed second in last year’s race driving a Camaro GS.R and led the most laps. He has finished in the top-five each of the last three years.
 
This version of the Camaro is very different than previous generations. The 7.0-liter V8 motor matches its production counterpart, as do many of the aerodynamic elements including the splitter, rear spoiler, hood extract vent, rockers and belly pan. Those features provide the closest link between production Camaro and racing version Chevrolet has produced.
 
“This race presents a unique challenge for our Camaro Z/28.R,” said Lisa Talarico, Chevrolet’s Program Manager for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. “Lime Rock is a stern test with a short lap and close-quarters racing. Patience and performance are keys. The length of the track also means that avoiding both contact and long pit stops are critical. With just one left-hand turn, the layout can create interesting strategies for setup and tire management. Fortunately, our Chevrolet Camaro teams have executed well at Lime Rock in the past, as evidenced by our strong showings in recent years. Another one would help us accumulate more valuable points in the GS manufacturer’s championship.”