Summit Racing–Anderson, No. 4, Eagerly Anticipating NHRA Four-Wide Eliminations

Anderson, No. 4, Eagerly Anticipating NHRA Four-Wide Eliminations

CONCORD, N.C., March 28, 2015 – Greg Anderson has a reputation at Concord’s zMAX Dragway as a fierce competitor undefeated in final rounds. At this weekend’s 6th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, the driver of the striking red Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro is already set up for success on Sunday with a strong starting position and riding a wave of momentum following a win at the most recent event on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour. Continue reading Summit Racing–Anderson, No. 4, Eagerly Anticipating NHRA Four-Wide Eliminations

Summit Racing–Line Resets Track Record for Speed, Takes over Points Lead in Qualifying at zMAX Dragway

Line Resets Track Record for Speed, Takes over Points Lead in Qualifying at zMAX Dragway

CONCORD, N.C., March 28, 2015 – Qualifying was shortened to just two sessions at the 6th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, but for Summit Racing Pro Stock driver, the situation didn’t pan out to be much of a challenge. Line, driving the brilliant blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro powered by KB Racing, flew to wicked-quick times that vaulted him to the front of the pack and ripped right into a new zMAX Dragway track record for speed. Continue reading Summit Racing–Line Resets Track Record for Speed, Takes over Points Lead in Qualifying at zMAX Dragway

Mopar Racing–Three Mopars at Four-Wide Nationals in Top-Five for Eliminations

Three Mopars at Four-Wide Nationals in Top-Five for Eliminations

· Mopar drivers set to take on unique NHRA Four-Wide eliminations at zMAX Dragway
· Don Schumacher Racing teammates Capps and Hagan qualify third and fourth for Funny Car Four-Wide eliminations
· Allen Johnson puts Magneti Marelli Dodge Dart fifth overall in Pro Stock qualifying
· Buddy Perkinson II qualifies Johnson’s 2012 championship-winning Dodge Avenger ninth for his first Four-Wide Pro Stock experience Continue reading Mopar Racing–Three Mopars at Four-Wide Nationals in Top-Five for Eliminations

World of Outlaws–Donny Schatz Wins Hard Fought Mini Gold Cup Victory

Donny Schatz Wins Hard Fought Mini Gold Cup Victory
It was the second win in a week for Schatz as he took over the points lead
CHICO, Calif. – March 28, 2015 – Donny Schatz scored his third win of the season Saturday night at Silver Dollar Speedway’s Mini Gold Cup, but his competition did not make it easy for him. Continue reading World of Outlaws–Donny Schatz Wins Hard Fought Mini Gold Cup Victory

John Force Racing–FORCES LEAD FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING AT FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS

FORCES LEAD FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING AT FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
CONCORD, NC – Saturday at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals proved to be a highlight of the 2015 Mello Yello season thus far for Courtney Force and the Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team. The 26-year-old driver and her team led by Ron Douglas and Dan Hood went straight to the top of the Funny Car field with a 4.011 ET at 312 mph in only the second qualifying pass after both of Friday’s sessions were canceled due to inclement weather conditions.
“I was a little surprised that you didn’t see some numbers in the threes, but then again I think a lot of people were trying to be a little bit safe because we only got two passes out of the four. You’re new to each lane and just trying to stay safe, get the car to the other end and get your race car in the field,” said Courtney Force. Continue reading John Force Racing–FORCES LEAD FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING AT FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR– Will Power Puts Chevrolet on Pole for Verizon IndyCar Series Season-Opening Race on Streets of St. Petersburg

Will Power Puts Chevrolet on Pole for Verizon IndyCar Series Season-Opening Race on Streets of St. Petersburg
Competitive Debut of Chevrolet Aero Kit Nets Eight of Top-10 Starting Positions

· Five Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers transfer to Firestone Fast Six in competition debut for Chevrolet Aero Kit
· Team Chevy drivers claimed top-four starting positions, five of the top-six and eight of top-10
· Will Power broke the 13-year-old track record with a lap of 1:00:6509 seconds to capture his 5th St. Petersburg pole and 37th career Verizon P1 Award
· All four Chevrolet IndyCar Series partner teams are represented in top-10 starters for Sunday’s season-opening race Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR– Will Power Puts Chevrolet on Pole for Verizon IndyCar Series Season-Opening Race on Streets of St. Petersburg

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–St. Petersburg–Post Qualifying

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG (FLORIDA)
POST QUALIFYING QUOTES – BATCH ONE
MARCH 28,2015

WILL POWER, NO. 1 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – POLE WINNER
THAT WAS TIGHT, WASN’T IT? “It was. I thought we had an extra lap. We were trying to be the last car, so we left a little late and got the checkered flag. But full credit to the team and Verizon. I’m stoked to get pole, I really am.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–St. Petersburg–Post Qualifying

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–ST. PETERSBURG–TEAM PENSKE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIS CHEVROLET DRIVERS WILL POWER, HELIO CASTRONEVES, JUAN PABLO MONTOYA AND SIMON PAGENAUD

TEAM PENSKE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIS CHEVROLET DRIVERS WILL POWER, HELIO CASTRONEVES, JUAN PABLO MONTOYA AND SIMON PAGENAUD met with members of the media at the Streets of St. Petersburg and discussed:

WILL POWER, NO. 1 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET: ABOUT WANTING TO REPEAT AS CHAMPION: “I can’t help but want to win. Your own personal pressure comes with that. Nothing has changed; I feel the same as I did when I wasn’t a champion. I have to go out there and win races; it’s what I want to do.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–ST. PETERSBURG–TEAM PENSKE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIS CHEVROLET DRIVERS WILL POWER, HELIO CASTRONEVES, JUAN PABLO MONTOYA AND SIMON PAGENAUD

Monster Jam–Metal Mulisha Wins the 2015 Monster Jam World Finals Racing Championship, Giving Todd LeDuc Second World Championship

Metal Mulisha Wins the 2015 Monster Jam World Finals Racing Championship, Giving Todd LeDuc Second World Championship

LAS VEGAS (March 27, 2015) – The 2015 Monster Jam World Finals®, presented by NGK Spark Plugs crowned a first-time racing champion tonight in front of a packed Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. Metal Mulisha, driven by Todd LeDuc, managed to fend off 31 of the world’s most famous Monster Jam® trucks to cross the finish line first in the championship round against Son-uva Digger®, driven by Ryan Anderson. Continue reading Monster Jam–Metal Mulisha Wins the 2015 Monster Jam World Finals Racing Championship, Giving Todd LeDuc Second World Championship

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Paul Menard

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
STP 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 28, 2015

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 PITTSBURGH PAINTS/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Martinsville Speedway and discussed his solid start to the season, his outlook for this weekend at Martinsville Speedway and many other topics. Full Transcript:

YOU ARE OFF TO VERY GOOD START, NINTH IN POINTS RIGHT NOW. JUST TALK ABOUT YOUR GOOD START AND WHAT YOUR OUTLOOK IS FOR THIS WEEKEND HERE AT MARTINSVILLE:
“Sitting ninth in points it is a good spot, we are looking for more. RCR (Richard Childress Racing) cars overall have been running really fast. Our affiliate teams with the No. 47, No. 78 and No. 13 are also fast, so it’s very rewarding for the shop guys, engine guys to see. We had a good run last weekend. Two top five’s with the RCR cars in Fontana. It was a weekend where we had a lot of speed. I think I hear Aric (Almirola) saying that he didn’t have speed, but his car drove good. Our car had speed, but it didn’t drive good. We made a lot of changes Saturday night and got the car so it didn’t fall off as much on Sunday. Daytona, Atlanta, Vegas, Phoenix, we had solid races. We didn’t have great races by any stretch. Had a really good run going at Daytona the last lap and got caught up in a wreck. I think we finished like 12th, 13th and 14th or something in the next three races consistency and starting to get some fast cars. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Paul Menard

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Jeff Gordon

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
STP 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 27, 2015

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media and discussed what Martinsville Speedway means to him, his plans for the off week next week and many other topics. Full Transcript:

COMING BACK HERE TWO MORE TIMES HERE AND IN OCTOBER, TALK ABOUT MARTINSVILLE AND THE SUCCESS YOU’VE HAD AND KNOWING YOU HAVE TWO MORE CHANCES AT IT.
“I’m excited about those opportunities. This has been a fantastic racetrack for me throughout my career. Martinsville is probably the reason when we made the announcement in January why we left that little bit of window and door open. This is probably the first track that comes to mind for me that if I ran another race – not that I have plans to – that I’d do it at Martinsville… Truck, Cup, maybe Late Model. I just love this track. The least amount of things change at Martinsville that changes at any other track we go to. Aerodynamics don’t make as big of a difference. Tires don’t change much here. The speeds may gradually change here. When you look at every other track on the circuit and especially the bigger tracks when aerodynamics start to make a huge difference, that changes how you drive the car, how you set up the car, and the knowledge you have to have of all the data and technology that’s going on with the cars. This one, you don’t have to worry that near as much. This week, of course, with the lack of power it’s going to change things a good bit and how we’re going to drive this track. But those are the reasons why I love this track so much and I always loved coming back here. I’m looking forward to these final two here this season.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Jeff Gordon

Kasey Kahne Racing

Kasey Kahne Racing – Results Recap

West Coast swing underway

The teams are still in the midst of the early West Coast swing, and will be at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA this Saturday and Antioch Speedway in Antioch, CA on Sunday. The California swing runs through the weekend of April 18th, when they start making their way through Texas and back to the east coast.

Chevy Racing–CFH RACING DRIVERS JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND LUCA FILIPPI met with members of the media at Streets of St. Petersburg and discussed:

CFH RACING DRIVERS JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND LUCA FILIPPI met with members of the media at Streets of St. Petersburg and discussed:

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 67 HARTMAN OIL CFH RACING CHEVROLET: ABOUT THE SEASON-OPENING WEEKEND AT ST. PETERSBURG: “It’s great to be here always. First off, it’s the first round. I’m very excited to be back and racing again. It was a long offseason for all of us. We’ve done a lot of work, all the teams have. For us, we’re a new group with the merger of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing. There’s been a lot of work merging both teams. It’s nice having a teammate and having Luca (Filippi) this weekend. It’s been fun working with him and working both sides of the garage with having two cars. I’m having a good time. We just need to find more speed. We were good at the start of the session but didn’t finish well. We just need to find speed.”

ABOUT ADJUSTMENT TO HAVING TEAMMATES: “It’s a new challenge in itself. A lot of people look at our new group at CFH Racing and said, ‘Well that’s automatically be better.’ I think we have a lot of very good people and we had strengths and weaknesses on both sides. Hopefully we kept all of our strengths and reduced some of our weaknesses together as one group. It is still difficult. You have to figure out how to make two cars run well. Most of these teams that have multiple cars have had multiple cars for many years and they know the system they work with and it works well for them. For us, we’re still figuring that out and how to maximize having two cars during a weekend. We’re so used to working with just one car that it’s a little different when you have someone to look at and two data sets and two sets of engineers. It’s still positive but it’s difficult to get the most out of that. We’re trying to work the strengths of both sides. Luca is a little bit different than me, which is good, because we can learn from each other. He’ll do something better, and then I’ll do something better and we’ll improve from it. As a driver it’s nice to have during a weekend. To look at someone’s data and finding out how to improve.”

ABOUT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 2014 AND 2015 CARS: “I think practice speeds are already a second faster from last year’s first practice. There’s a noticeable speed increase and that’s from downforce without a lot of drag penalty. They’re very efficient packages and Chevrolet and Honda have spent millions of dollars into making the best aerodynamic pieces that they can. They are quite impressive. They do things better than before. They brake better. You can go deeper in corners and carry more speed through a corner. The rear end is a little more secure. Everything on the car is lot more refined and it’s just faster. That’s the big difference in plain terms. But trying to get the most out of it is what everyone is struggling with. Probably looks straight forward, but there’s a lot of work that everyone is doing to get the most out of the new aero kits. It all depends on the team and driver, but it has changed how you drive the cars. You have to use what the kit gives you. You did before, but it’s even more so now. There’s also an engine battle going on as well and there’s some differences on both sides. It’s not all about aerodynamics, it’s about making the engine work well with that.”

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO FIGURE OUT HOW DEEP CAN YOU GO?: “Really about two laps. In winter testing you could feel that you could immediately brake deeper in Turn 1 (at NOLA). It was like 50-75 feet deeper. My neck was really sore after one day of testing. Usually I’m not and I get used to the downforce level of a car. The back of my neck from braking was not used to it. It took a day or two to get used to it. All of these guys are so good, if you give them four or five laps to figure it out.”

HOW WILL AERO KITS AFFECT RACING: “I don’t think we know yet. That’s the big hot debate and certainly I’m interested. I think after this first race gets over with, we’ll know if the racing is better or worse. I don’t think you could beat Indy car racing before. It was the most phenomenal racing on the planet. You could follow closely, the cars were incredible to drive in a race condition. You saw some many passing attempts. I don’t think that’s going to change. That’s what we’ll find out on Sunday.”

LUCA FILIPPI, NO. 20 FUZZY’S AWARD WINNING VODKA CHEVROLET: ON BEING AT ST. PETERSBURG:
“As usual, lap times are so close and within a few tenths. We were very close and I think we had an opportunity for one of us to be top-five. Hopefully tomorrow it will be sunny so we can have some more running in practice before getting into qualifying. It’s my first time here so I also need to learn the track. I like the circuit very much. It’s fun to drive and very challenging. Now that we have had this first session, we can get up to speed and try to get a good result.”

YOU SAID THIS WAS YOUR FIRST TIME DRIVING THE TRACK BUT IT’S NOT YOUR FIRST TIME HERE AS YOU’VE SEEN A VERIZON INDYCAR RACE HERE AT ST. PETERSBURG. HOW HAVE YOUR IMPRESSIONS CHANGED?
“I came here two years ago to watch the race and when I was looking to get an IndyCar seat. I was in the grandstands having fun and dreaming about racing IndyCar one day, so I’m happy to be here finally. I did some IndyCar races before but now I have a deal for the whole season, so now I can start working and learning from that. Learning tracks is going to be one of the keys this year for me. So far, this is a circuit that suits my driving, so I’m enjoying it. I’ve already learned more or less how to drive around here. I’m hoping tomorrow we can be on the front row.”

HOW HAS THE CAR BEEN SO FAR?
“Being one second a lap quicker (than last year) with the new aero kit and with actually less downforce under us means that the work that Chevy and Honda have done is amazing. It’s probably more than two seconds a lap better. This is why IndyCar had to reduce the downforce in order to stop us a little. They’ve done a very good job, and from our side we’re very happy with Chevrolet and what they have done so far.”

WITH THE CARS MORE DEPENDENT ON WINGS, AS A DRIVER WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T BREAK ONE? IS IT A BIGGER FACTOR NOW?
“On our side with Chevrolet, we have less parts in front of our front wing. So if you break a piece, it’s not such a big problem. Our kit is solid. I can say that the downforce that our team has is not coming from the pieces you see on top of it. This is not going to be a big issue for us.”

THIS IS THE FIRST SESSION YOU HAD. DID YOU GO OUT THERE WITH ALL THIS NEW STUFF TO LEARN AND TRY DIFFERENT THINGS? YOU WERE BOTH RIGHT THERE TOGETHER TIMEWISE IN THE PRACTICE SESSION?
“In looking at the telemetry, my engineer always keeps an eye on what Josef is doing. Between runs, they can just tell me how to change my driving style, brake deeper here and there, and I can adjust my driving style how I need it between every run. So it’s a big help because there is some of the circuit I hadn’t seen.”

HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT TAKES YOU TO LEARN A TRACK?
“If you’re talking about getting close to the limit, it’s around seven to eight laps. On the limit, I’d say on one set of tires. When you go to the next set, you can get up to speed and be very close to the limit. So that’s about 35 laps more or less. If it takes longer, then you just need to change jobs!”

Summit Racing–First day of NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Qualifying cancelled due to weather

First day of NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Qualifying cancelled due to weather

CONCORD, N.C. (March 27, 2015) – The first day of qualifying at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals was cancelled when persistent rain throughout the day followed by cold temperatures and a rising dew point plagued the zMAX Dragway facility. Qualifying was halted before any of the action even began, and neither of the Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros, driven respectively by Greg Anderson and Jason Line, were allowed a pass before Mother Nature had her say. Qualifying will continue with two sessions on Saturday: one at 1:15 p.m. and the final session at 4:15 p.m., before the fields are set for final

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Driver Press Conference

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
STP 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 27, 2015

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 QUICKEN LOANS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 2ND
RIGHT NOW, THIS TEAM IS JUST KNOCKING DOWN TOP FIVE FINISHES
“Yeah, it was a good run for our Quicken Loans Chevrolet today. I wish we could have been just a tick quicker and gotten that pole, but nevertheless it this is the best starting spot we’ve had and it’s obviously a great place to have a good starting spot. Pit selection is important and close. I’m just proud of the guys and we’ll see what we can do with it on Sunday.”

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO GET THAT GOOD PIT SELECTION?
“Oh, because it’s even tighter than the race track is, and you see how much we get into each other on the race track. It’s a place where you can gain or lose spots, and you want to have every advantage you possibly can.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Driver Press Conference

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Ryan Newman

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
STP 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 27, 2015

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 QUICKEN LOANS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 2ND
RIGHT NOW, THIS TEAM IS JUST KNOCKING DOWN TOP FIVE FINISHES
“Yeah, it was a good run for our Quicken Loans Chevrolet today. I wish we could have been just a tick quicker and gotten that pole, but nevertheless it this is the best starting spot we’ve had and it’s obviously a great place to have a good starting spot. Pit selection is important and close. I’m just proud of the guys and we’ll see what we can do with it on Sunday.”

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO GET THAT GOOD PIT SELECTION?
“Oh, because it’s even tighter than the race track is, and you see how much we get into each other on the race track. It’s a place where you can gain or lose spots, and you want to have every advantage you possibly can.”

MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW/VISSER PRECISION CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 3RD
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT AND STARTING UP FRONT:
“Yeah, it feels good. Earlier today we were laughing thinking ‘eh it’s going to rain out we will start third’. We went through a Chinese fire drill of changing the car to qualifying trim. With that rain and all that stuff was happening and only getting two runs in practice and going through all that and we are still third. So, all-in-all it was a lot more work that way, but another good day. The guys did a good job. The car felt good off the trailer. We got off a little bit in that second round there in qualifying and had to make some adjustments. They did just what they needed to do.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 4TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“I am pretty pleased starting fourth. This is a tough place. You are just out there pushing as hard as you can to carry speed in the corner and the car is sliding around on you. When you have three rounds of that it definitely makes things challenging. That is the best I think we have qualified here in a while. I’m pleased to be starting that far forward.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 5TH
YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE A GOOD CAR FOR THIS WEEKEND
“Yeah, we’re excited about our race car. It’s been real fast. It’s no shock. I’m not the best qualifier that’s out there. I do much better in a race situation. So, to have the car here starting in the Top 5 with this much speed on Friday is awesome. We get a good pit stall pick with that, and we’ll go racing on Sunday in this Lowe’s Chevy and be just fine.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 CODE 3 ASSOCIATES/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 6TH
ON GAINING GROUND AND HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“I definitely think so. We’ve got Code 3 and Associates on the hood this week, Bass Pro and Rush Truck Center, Mobil 1 they have all been behind us. I think last week was big progress. I think Phoenix was too, I just couldn’t finish it off at the end. I think we made gains at Phoenix. We made bigger gains at California. We got a great start to the weekend here. I mean this place is so tough. Qualifying is half the battle here if you can just get a good pit spot and get a decent starting spot to where you do not have to beat the thing to death trying to get to the front, that is half the battle.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 7TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“Yeah that is something new for me (starting up front) here at Martinsville. I was really happy with how that went. Probably more so shows how good of a Target Chevy they brought here because I’m not good here. I’m happy with how that went.”

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 9TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“Qualifying went pretty good for me. The last couple of times I don’t feel like I’ve qualified that well here. It was nice to be in the top 10 in each session, ended up ninth. I would have liked to have been a little better, but the car feels really balanced. It is just about running a really nice lap.”

WITH THE CHANGE IN HORSEPOWER AND THIS PACKAGE DO YOU HAVE TO NURSE YOUR BRAKES A LITTLE BIT MORE?
“I think you are probably going to have to. The biggest thing to me is usually when you lift here you feel the engine slowing you down as you go into the corner. Today, you don’t really feel like anything is slowing you down except the amount of pressure you are given putting on the brake pedal. That to me is going to be much different in the race.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 BUSH’S BEANS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 10TH:
THIS IS A GOOD REBOUND AFTER A TOUGH WEEKEND IN FONTANA
“Yeah, I’m proud of the guys. There’s nothing we could have done last week. It’s just one of those things. We had a fast car last week, so I was proud of that. But overall, the Bush’s Beans Chevy has been fast since we unloaded it. We’ll see, really, once we begin tomorrow. I think first practice it will be like 22 degrees. But the platform of the race car feels really good. The guys have worked hard to keep improving. We’re not quite there yet, but every weekend we keep getting better and hope we have 500 solid laps on Sunday.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 14TH
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“We improved a little bit from last year. Still not good enough, but we definitely made a little gain on it. We weren’t that good in practice and they made a lot of changes. And got us to where we were at least semi-competitive there. Still need to gain quite a bit to get to run the lap times of my teammates. On the second, third, fourth run the car just didn’t have the rear grip to be able to get in the throttle and use all the throttle. We made some small gains.”

DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 TAXACT CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 16th
ON THE RADIO YOU SAID THE CAR WAS A BIT ‘DARTY’ UNDER HEAVY THROTTLE, IS THAT WHAT YOU’LL BE WORKING ON TOMORROW?
“I think a lot of the things are sometimes just qualifying stuff. So, you do whatever you can to get it to turn and roll through the corners as fast as possible. It was a little bit loose in and a little bit ‘darty’ in the center and on throttle, so I think we were just trying to get it to rotate maybe too much. But it was good to have a solid run for the TaxAct car. It’s the first time we’d had it on the car as a full sponsor. It will give us a decent starting spot. I don’t like the outside. I thought I was 15th. I’d rather be 15th instead of 16th, or first instead of second. We’ll move forward and everything has been pretty easy-breezy so far.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 BUDWEISER/JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 17TH
“Qualifying has never really been my strong suit at Martinsville. We’re okay in race trim and our Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet will be ready to go on Sunday.”

CASEY MEARS, NO.13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 24TH
WHAT HAPPENED?
“I think it was the transmission. All the axles are in it and the driveshaft is sitting there so I think something in the transmission might have broken. But it broke every gear, so it’s something major. We had a really fast race car. It’s unfortunate because we had a really good car. We’ve got speed at every track this year. Unfortunately we’ll be starting in the back and this is a tough place to rebound.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 26TH
“The Haas Automation Chevrolet was tight on corner exit. It was like the rear end was planted too well. We made some adjustments and went back out for a second attempt, but we weren’t able to improve and advance. We’ve got two practice sessions tomorrow to get it ready for the race on Sunday.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 25 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 27TH
DO YOU FEEL RELIEVED?
“Oh, definitely. That was goal number 1 to get in. So it’s definitely a big relief for us. We’re excited. It’s weird being excited about qualifying, wherever we qualified, 27th, but we’re in the show, our first Sprint Cup Series race with NAPA on board. We’re excited for Sunday.”

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Ryan Newman on Outside Pole

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
STP 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 27, 2015

CHEVROLET’S RYAN NEWMAN TO START ON THE OUTSIDE POLE IN MARTINSVILLE
Chevrolet SS drivers earn eight of top 10 starting positions

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – (March 27, 2015) – Ryan Newman placed his No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS on the outside pole position for Sunday’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway, round six of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. A fast lap of 19.258 seconds (98.328 mph) earned Newman his fifth top 10 start of 2015 and 17th in 27 races at the paper clipped-shaped track. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Ryan Newman on Outside Pole

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Jeff Gordon

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
STP 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 27, 2015

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media and discussed what Martinsville Speedway means to him, his plans for the off week next week and many other topics. Full Transcript:

COMING BACK HERE TWO MORE TIMES HERE AND IN OCTOBER, TALK ABOUT MARTINSVILLE AND THE SUCCESS YOU’VE HAD AND KNOWING YOU HAVE TWO MORE CHANCES AT IT.
“I’m excited about those opportunities. This has been a fantastic racetrack for me throughout my career. Martinsville is probably the reason when we made the announcement in January why we left that little bit of window and door open. This is probably the first track that comes to mind for me that if I ran another race – not that I have plans to – that I’d do it at Martinsville… Truck, Cup, maybe Late Model. I just love this track. The least amount of things change at Martinsville that changes at any other track we go to. Aerodynamics don’t make as big of a difference. Tires don’t change much here. The speeds may gradually change here. When you look at every other track on the circuit and especially the bigger tracks when aerodynamics start to make a huge difference, that changes how you drive the car, how you set up the car, and the knowledge you have to have of all the data and technology that’s going on with the cars. This one, you don’t have to worry that near as much. This week, of course, with the lack of power it’s going to change things a good bit and how we’re going to drive this track. But those are the reasons why I love this track so much and I always loved coming back here. I’m looking forward to these final two here this season.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Jeff Gordon

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Jeff Gordon

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
STP 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 27, 2015

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media and discussed what Martinsville Speedway means to him, his plans for the off week next week and many other topics. Full Transcript:

COMING BACK HERE TWO MORE TIMES HERE AND IN OCTOBER, TALK ABOUT MARTINSVILLE AND THE SUCCESS YOU’VE HAD AND KNOWING YOU HAVE TWO MORE CHANCES AT IT.
“I’m excited about those opportunities. This has been a fantastic racetrack for me throughout my career. Martinsville is probably the reason when we made the announcement in January why we left that little bit of window and door open. This is probably the first track that comes to mind for me that if I ran another race – not that I have plans to – that I’d do it at Martinsville… Truck, Cup, maybe Late Model. I just love this track. The least amount of things change at Martinsville that changes at any other track we go to. Aerodynamics don’t make as big of a difference. Tires don’t change much here. The speeds may gradually change here. When you look at every other track on the circuit and especially the bigger tracks when aerodynamics start to make a huge difference, that changes how you drive the car, how you set up the car, and the knowledge you have to have of all the data and technology that’s going on with the cars. This one, you don’t have to worry that near as much. This week, of course, with the lack of power it’s going to change things a good bit and how we’re going to drive this track. But those are the reasons why I love this track so much and I always loved coming back here. I’m looking forward to these final two here this season.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Jeff Gordon

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
STP 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 27, 2015

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 DIET MOUNTAIN DEW CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed what he’s learned about Martinsville over the years, safety barriers, the West Coast Swing, Kevin Harvick’s success, and more. FULL TRANSCRIPT:

YOU WON YOUR FIRST RACE HERE IN THE FALL. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS TRACK THAT WORKS WITH YOUR DRIVING STYLE?
“I do enjoy racing the short tracks. I think that in general, I’ve done better on the short tracks than any other tracks. The first time I came here, I hit everything, even the pace car. It looked like, at that time, after my first race here, that it was going to be quite a challenge to sort it out and understand what I needed to do. And then, me and Tony Jr. and Tony (Eury) Sr., came up here and tested in 2001 or 2003 or sometime around there. And we hit on some stuff and was really good for a long time. We just ran a lot of good races and finished in the Top 5 quite a few times. It’s been one of my favorite tracks ever since. I love the action and I love the short track mentality. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Martinsville–Dale Earnhardt Jr.

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