Summit Racing–Line Makes Two Good Runs on First Day in New England

Line Makes Two Good Runs on First Day in New England
 
Event:  Inaugural NHRA New England Nationals
Location: New England Dragway, Epping, N.H.
Day/Date: Friday, June 21, 2013
 
Pro Stock pilot Jason Line is already enjoying the first weekend of summer wheeling the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro at the Inaugural NHRA New England Nationals, and the Mooresville, N.C.-based driver is looking forward to another two blasts down a racetrack that is hosting NHRA national event-level competition for the first time.
 
The racing surface at New England Dragway was pleasingly receptive to the factory hot rods on the first day of the event, and in the highly anticipated opening session of the day, Line raced to a 6.576 at 212.49 mph to jump right into the No. 4 position. With his first lap ever in New England under his belt, Line and his Summit Racing team tuned on their racecar and came back with an improved 6.565, 212.36.
 
“The second run was actually much better,” said Line, who will launch into the second day of the race in the provisional No. 5 position in the qualifying order. “We’re already having a great time here, and I tell you, the people here are very nice. We love to see a big crowd, and there is sure one here at New England Dragway this weekend. Hopefully, we can continue to put on a good show for them. I’m pleasantly surprised by this facility and these fans, and I’m looking forward to coming back out to make a couple more runs before we race on Sunday.
 
“We made decent runs today and we’re certainly right on target with getting acclimated to this racetrack. There is room for improvement, but we go into Saturday feeling pretty good because we know we have a car we can race with. On top of that, this is a neat place, and we’ve got some great weather. What more can you ask for.”
 
 
Event:  Inaugural NHRA New England Nationals
Location: New England Dragway, Epping, N.H.
Day/Date: Friday, June 21, 2013
 
Pro Stock pilot Jason Line is already enjoying the first weekend of summer wheeling the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro at the Inaugural NHRA New England Nationals, and the Mooresville, N.C.-based driver is looking forward to another two blasts down a racetrack that is hosting NHRA national event-level competition for the first time.
 
The racing surface at New England Dragway was pleasingly receptive to the factory hot rods on the first day of the event, and in the highly anticipated opening session of the day, Line raced to a 6.576 at 212.49 mph to jump right into the No. 4 position. With his first lap ever in New England under his belt, Line and his Summit Racing team tuned on their racecar and came back with an improved 6.565, 212.36.
 
“The second run was actually much better,” said Line, who will launch into the second day of the race in the provisional No. 5 position in the qualifying order. “We’re already having a great time here, and I tell you, the people here are very nice. We love to see a big crowd, and there is sure one here at New England Dragway this weekend. Hopefully, we can continue to put on a good show for them. I’m pleasantly surprised by this facility and these fans, and I’m looking forward to coming back out to make a couple more runs before we race on Sunday.
 
“We made decent runs today and we’re certainly right on target with getting acclimated to this racetrack. There is room for improvement, but we go into Saturday feeling pretty good because we know we have a car we can race with. On top of that, this is a neat place, and we’ve got some great weather. What more can you ask for.”
 

John Force Racing–John Force Dominates in New England

JOHN FORCE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE AT EPPING

 

EPPING, NH – On the heels of his first win in 2013 John Force has pushed his Mike Neff tuned Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car to the top of the Friday qualifying field at the inaugural Uni-Select Auto Plus NHRA New England Nationals. Force posted the quickest elapsed time of 4.051 seconds outpacing points leader Matt Hagan’s 4.057 second run for top honors.

 

“I was here over 25 years ago and to come out here and run that kind of number is great. I couldn’t even get down the track the last time I was here in 1985. I see why the NHRA wanted to come here. The crowds come out of Canada, New York, all over New England. This is a big crowd for Friday night. They are going to need to get some more grandstands for tomorrow. This is pretty exciting.  If they don’t have seats they can stand up and watch from the fence. That is how we did it in the good old days,” said Force.

 

 If Force holds onto the top qualifying spot New England Dragway will become the 24th different track where he has been the No. 1 qualifier. A lucky fan will also win a front loading washer and dryer set from BrandSource as part of the “Win with Force” fan contest.

 

“We are learning here but what I think they did with the concrete out there to be able to come out here and run 4.05 this thing will run national records if we lean on it. So many fans are here from the old days. It is just exciting for me to be a part of it. There are kids that I met when they were little now they are here with their own kids. That is new energy and NHRA needed this. TV needs it.”

 

In the first session Force was the best JFR Mustang Funny Car running 4.153 seconds which was the fifth quickest time of the day. That run set up his second session run by putting him at the back of the pack. Force, an obvious fan favorite at New England Dragway did not disappoint.

 

“My old hound dog she is starting to talk. We got a win on Father’s Day in Bristol. You didn’t really know what was going to happen here. We have no data for this race track. They can tell us the concrete is good and the air is good. The first run Mike (Neff) put her down there and we got in the show. He said it is out there. We pushed her and we got past Hagan. All our Funny Cars are in and our dragster will get in tomorrow. Good to be back and this is a great market. We are going to give these fans what they bought the tickets for.”

 

Courtney Force finished out the first day of qualifying in the No. 3 spot. The 25-year-old, who celebrated her birthday on Thursday before this race weekend, went out in the first qualifying session and rattled the tires in the heat.

 

Force signed autographs and took photos with fans at the John Force Racing “Win with Force” midway display between rounds before coming out to take another shot at the new track on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series circuit.

 

The youngest daughter of John Force ran a 4.083 at 313.37 mph and went to the top spot before being bumped down two places by her father and fellow competitor Matt Hagan. She picked up one qualifying bonus point for being third-quickest of the session in her Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car.

 

“In the first round of qualifying it rattled a little bit down the run. We came back out know the conditions were better and we needed to take advantage of that. We needed to go for it. We have two more runs tomorrow, but this was prime time to get our best run in. It needed to be worth it with those good conditions,” said Force, the winner of the NHRA Winternationals.

 

“We went to the No. 1 spot before getting bumped by my dad and Matt Hagan. We made a great run. Running in the 4.0’s is good for our team. We’re excited for tomorrow and we’re going to see how well we can run in the heat.”

 

The AAA Northern New England Ford Mustang piloted by Robert Hight had some issues in the first session but bounced back as the sun set and qualified No. 5 at the end of Friday. In the opening round his Mustang was on a great pass before it slowed to 4.277 seconds and had him sitting No. 9.

 

“The first run wasn’t so good. It was going to make it down the track, but it wore the clutch completely out and never locked up so that was no good. It was slow and I lifted early because the motor was buzzing up there too high. We came back and made all the adjustments,” said Hight.

 

“When you don’t make it the first run, you got to make sure you make the next run, so we just made a conservative run and ended up fifth, so we did what we had to do. I’m proud of my guys. All in all, it was a great first day at New England Dragway.”

 

Hight like John Force was amazed by the fan turnout and the reception all the drivers and teams received from the New England fans.

 

“It’s crazy how many people are here and they’re all just so friendly. It’s a breath of fresh air to have them all talking about ‘Welcome to New England!’ and ‘We’ve been waiting years for this!’ They’re just so excited about it and a lot of energy, so we want to put on a good show for them. There are also a lot of people from AAA Northern New England, which is where I went and visited this week. We’re running their colors this weekend and we want to do a really good job for them.”

 

Heading into tomorrow last two qualifying session Hight knows there is a good opportunity to pick up valuable data and some qualifying bonus points.

 

“We just need to make sure this AAA Ford Mustang goes down the track twice. My goal is to gain some points with both runs tomorrow. If we do that, then we’ll be in a really good shape for Sunday,” concluded Hight.

 

Brittany Force came in to New England Dragway with as much information as any of the other Top Fuel drivers she has been competing against her rookie season. The driver of the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster made both runs today and will go into Saturday outside of the Top 12 but with only sixteen dragsters on the property racing into the 16-dragster field is a given.

 

“This is my first time here, so it’s all new. I think it’s a pretty narrow groove up there. Like my guys say, if it ever gets cold here, you could set national records. They did a really good job on the surface and I think so far everything about this race is going smooth for a new event. Kudos to all the management and good job,” said Force, one of the top contenders for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award.     

 

“Our two qualifying runs we had earlier today didn’t quite go exactly as we planned, but there are only 16 cars here this weekend so we have two more runs tomorrow and I’m hoping we’ll step this thing up and get our Castrol EDGE dragster in the top half of the field. I just need to keep doing my same routine. I’m going to practice on my tree more and make sure my reaction times are good, make sure I’m shallow when I’m staging and just get the car down the track.”

Casey Currie in Search of Victory as LOORS Pro Lite

Season Heads to Utah’s Miller Motorsports Park

CORONA, Calif. (June 21, 2013) – Currently sitting second in the Pro Lite point standings, Casey Currie is in search of victory this weekend in Utah as the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORS) hosts its seventh and eighth rounds of the 2013 season from picturesque Miller Motorsports Park on June 22nd and 23rd. The veteran driver and his Monster Energy/General Tire Pro Lite is looking to secure his first checkered flag of the 2013 season and also the chance to reclaim the points lead he held just a short time ago.

At the previous stop of the season from Lake Elsinore in May, Currie faced the hardships of racing as bad luck struck in both rounds of competition on Saturday and Sunday. After getting caught up in an incident in the early stages of the first race of the weekend, Currie drove his Monster Energy/General Tire truck to its limits to salvage and eighth-place result. On the second day of action Currie was once again entangled in an incident not of his doing, resulting in a broken front suspension. Currie soldiered on despite the damage, finishing 20th.
 
With a pair of tough races behind him, Currie is excited to bounce back from the adversity he faced and get back into the thick of the title fight in the Pro Lite division.
 
“You can’t sit there and worry about what happened at the last round,” said Currie. “In racing those kinds of things are going to happen, particularly in our sport which is so physical and full of contact. It was just one of those tough weekends that we all go through occasionally, but we’ve moved on, made some changes, and are excited to get back out there and show we’re one of the top teams in this class.”

Currie spent his downtime between races continuing to make improvements on his Monster Energy/General Tire machine. He also had a little fun by taking part in his first HOT ROD Magazine Power Tour. For the past week, Currie has spent his time in Utah to prepare for this weekend’s race. He did some training by riding his mountain bike on the trails in Park City in addition to getting some workouts in with the Rockwell Watches crew based in Salt Lake City.
 
Last weekend, Currie got some track time at a Lucas Oil Regional Off-Road Series event at Miller Motorsports Park. It was an ideal opportunity to put the Monster Energy/General Tire machine through its paces after the changes the team made in between rounds of LOORS and Currie was happy with how the truck performed.
 
“Things are feeling really good,” said Currie. “It was nice t
o get on the track a little early and get things dialed in for next weekend. We’ll surely need to step our game up against the big boys, but I have all the confidence in the world in our team, our truck, and myself. I know we have a win in us and I’m going to lay it all on the line to get on top of the box.”

Chevy Racing–Sonoma–Jeff Gordon

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 21, 2013
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Sonoma Raceway, and discussed the new qualifying format, racing at Sonoma and other topics. Full transcript:
HOW DO YOU FEEL HEADING INTO THIS WEEKEND WITH THE NEW CAR?
“I feel pretty good.  The weather is obviously great, which is keeping it nice and consistent for us out there. I think we have a little different tire as well, but don’t hold me to that. Just trying to get in tune with what it’s going to take for Sunday as well as for this unique qualifying session that we’re going to experience tomorrow. I felt pretty good. Our Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, we were just working on race runs and trying to keep the rear grip in the car, which is something we struggled with here last year as well. Felt like we took off pretty good on runs and then really lost the rear grip and it’s something we’re dealing with again today and some of it is in the setup and some of it is just, that’s Sonoma.”
 
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW QUALIFYING FORMAT?
“I’m looking forward to it just because it’s nice to have in the back of your mind knowing that you’ve got a little room for error if you have to run another lap. I think from a time standpoint it makes sense for TV and for the fans that are here to know that it’s kind of a start and stop. I’ve said before, when we get into knock-out qualifying like F1 does, then you’ll see me get pretty excited about doing it this way.”
 
WHAT MAKES A TALENTED DRIVER STRUGGLE ON A ROAD COURSE?
“I’m trying to think of who we are talking about?  Oh, Matt Kenseth. I don’t know, when was the last time a Roush car, basing it off of him being at Roush, but the last time a Roush car won. I don’t know what those stats are. I think a lot of it has to do with your willingness to kind of explore and enjoy the adventure that it is. Then your team has to back that up with the right car, brakes, setup for you to be able to do what you need to do. Matt’s a great driver and I’m sure if the car is where it needs to be then he’ll be a threat for a win on a road course. I wouldn’t necessarily put it on Matt.”
 
HOW DID THE CHANGE IN QUALIFYING FORMAT CHANGE HOW YOU PRACTICED TODAY?  
“We didn’t change anything. I guess if we would have been really far back in our race runs with some of the quicker laps then we might have had to change our game plan and switch it over into qualifying trim to get a little bit higher up in the order. I think our philosophy in looking at it was that it’s not that we need to be in the last group that goes because I think it could be an advantage track condition wise to go out earlier, but you also don’t want to get in too early of a group where somebody is throwing debris out on the track or spinning off and you’re not allowed to get a clean lap in. I really like where we’re at, I believe we’ll be the lead car of the third group. I think that’s perfect, sorry, third from last group. I kind of like where we’re at and we didn’t do anything different. We just did race runs and that’s what we would have typically done. I guess if we just had one practice today and we were going to qualify then we would have run some qualifying runs at the end. I guess that would be the difference. We are going to do some qualifying runs on this next practice.”
 
HOW AWARE ARE YOU OF THE CHASE STANDINGS AND WILD CARD AND IS THIS RACE AN OPPORTUNITY?
“It is. I think we just look at this as an opportunity for us to run well and a chance to win. The bonuses are that it could contribute toward the wild card and help us in the points. Our focus is the same every weekend, we go trying to get the best finish that we can when we have confidence going into a track that we can qualify well, race well then that certainly helps us accomplish our goal. I’ll be honest, last weekend at Michigan I was not really looking forward to qualifying. I’ve struggled at that track qualifying since they repaved it and we struggled again. I was pretty happy with my car when we took off and it was unfortunate that we only made six laps. I feel more confident this weekend that we can qualify inside the top-10 and be a threat to go up there and battle these guys for the win. I think that we learned a lot last year and we were pretty good and we had a few things that we were missing so we’re taking those notes and then adding them to this car and hopefully we can improve over the weekend to be a real threat.”
 
WHAT IS THE ISSUE WITH QUALIFYING?
“I put a lot of it on myself. I think I’ve got to be able to give good information back to the team to help them make adjustments and you have to go out there and be aggressive and if the car just doesn’t feel right and you don’t really have that confidence in it then you’re not going to go out there and go fast. On those types of race tracks particularly like Michigan a repave, really rock hard tire, that’s what I’ve struggled with the last several years. Whether it’s old school, whether it’s me just getting old or we’re just missing something. I’m sure if Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) was here he would say the same thing and that is why we’re able to work through it and go week to week and not tear one another’s heads off because it’s my job to give him confidence that he is doing his job and give me confidence in what I’m doing. We also know it’s something we have to work on. The nice thing about this weekend is it’s more traditional. This is pretty typical tire, typical track. It’s a new car, but not a lot has changed here over the years. You hear me say that a lot, when not a lot has changed we seem to be able to be confident and consistent and competitive at those tracks.”
 
SOME HAVE SPECULATED IT IS THE HARD TIRE THAT IS HARD TO GET USED TO.  DO YOU THINK IT’S MAINLY THAT AND CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE FEEL OR WHY THAT HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR YOU?
“If you took a hard tire to Atlanta it wouldn’t bother me.  If you take a hard tire to a repave where the edge of the grip level is so fine, you are just on a razor’s edge.  That is just not the way that I have traditionally been successful.  There are guys like Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, I think of these guys they just put it out there and Jimmie’s (Johnson) is probably one of the best at running a pretty loose car.  When I think of guys really stepping over that edge I think of those guys.  You saw Kurt (Busch) qualify well there. I don’t know if (Greg) Biffle qualified good there, but I would think he would on something like that.  That is just not typically who I am.  I’ve got to figure that is why I put a lot on myself.  I’ve got to figure that out at those tracks because we are going to have to come back to some of those tracks.  Kansas, Michigan and others that have repaves.”
 
WITH YOU GROWING UP SO CLOSE TO HERE DO YOU BRING YOUR KIDS AROUND AT ALL? LIKE TO WHERE YOUR OLD NEIGHBORHOOD OR WHATEVER AND SAY ‘THIS IS WHERE I USED TO DO THIS OR THIS IS WHERE I USED TO BREAK DANCE ON THE CORNER?  DO YOU BRING THEM AROUND AND SHOW THEM YOUR OLD HAUNTS?  DO THEY HAVE ANY APPRECIATION FOR THAT?
“First of all I was never break dancing on the corner (laughs).  On a driveway maybe, with some linoleum laid down, a big beat box, no (laughs).  My kids aren’t even out here with me this time.  As my daughter gets older and her friends at home become more significant, especially around her birthday then we celebrate her birthday at home so they haven’t been traveling out here with us the last couple of years.  I think as they get a little older then I might want to do that with them.  Like what we would do with my wife in Belgium with her family and places she grew up.  I think they are still a little
bit too young to really kind of go through that process.  I think your upbringing, your family and memories that were great for you as a kid, I think they are definitely something that I want to share with them and Vallejo (California) has played a big, significant role in that for me.”
 
YOU RAN THE MOST LAPS IN PRACTICE. DO YOU LIKE RUNNING AS MUCH PRACTICE TIME AS YOU CAN OR IS THERE SOMETHING YOU ARE WORKING ON THE CAR?
“Again, it takes so long to switch the car over to get it into qualifying trim so when we ran a couple of good laps there early on I think that we felt like we were fairly close.  That we could just run longer runs and stay on one set of tires.  We ended up changing to new tires right at the very end, the very last run.  That is why.  We were making four and five and six lap runs.  Just really because I think we were really good in the race here the last time, but we just weren’t good long enough, so we really need to work on the rear-tire wear and grip.  We wanted to run a little bit more this time to get a better idea of what we are going to be dealing with.”
 
CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW DIFFERENT IT IS RACING THERE IN JULY VERSUS FEBRUARY?  
“Well, it used to be a lot more different, a lot crazier and slicker.  A lot different when we were in the daytime there, now that it’s nighttime even though it’s warm and humid the biggest significant change is the lights.  Just being under the lights.  I like it.  I love racing under the lights at Daytona.  I think it’s very cool and the conditions are fantastic.  I know what it was like racing there during the day when it was 105 (degrees) so really enjoy racing at night.”
 
OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS OR SO THE CHARACTER OF ROAD COURSE RACING AT LEAST FROM US WHO ARE OBSERVING IT I THINK FROM YOU GUYS WHO ARE DRIVING IT HAS CHANGED REMARKABLE IN TERMS OF GETTING MUCH MORE ROUGH AND TUMBLE.  JUST WANTED TO GET YOUR TAKE ON WHY THAT IS?  IS IT THE DOUBLE FILE RESTARTS?  IS IT THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SO MANY MORE COMPETITIVE CARS OUT THERE?
“You just answered your own question.  You are good (laughs).  No, that is all it is.  The double file restarts make a big change.  Pit strategy I think plays a role too where guys are taking more risks at not putting tires on and so you will get a mixture of guys who have more grip in their tires versus guys with less grip.  You are coming through there and guys are sliding around and other guys are going to use them up coming through there.  Then the double file restarts just compound them because it puts us closer together.  I think because the field is deeper with the competitiveness and a lot of that is the car.  The drivers have gotten better too, but the cars are so equal.  They are almost identical.  It’s hard to make a big difference with gapping cars and making significant advantages in your car.  It really is going to come down to the drivers.  I think that you are seeing guys be a little bit more aggressive because they know how hard it is to make their car better than the car in front of them.  So they have to be aggressive as a driver to get that slot and usually if you get that spot you can keep it.”
 
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT DANICA PATRICK’S IMPACT NOW?  IS IT PASSÉ FOR YOU GUYS EVERY TIME SHE COMES INTO A NEW RACE TRACK IT SEEMS LIKE THE LOCAL NEWS PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DANICA?  HOW IS SHE ACCEPTED?
“I’ve always been supportive of any individual or team or sponsor, personality that brings more attention to this sport that is a positive for the sport.  Whether that creates a story, whatever it is, she certainly does that.  I think people are very interested in what she is doing and she is a great race car driver.  I think it’s fantastic that people want to learn more about her and that it is a story.  For us, she is another driver and we go out there and we race together every weekend.  The more she is in the sport the more that you realize that is the case.”
 

Chevy Racing–Sonoma–Danica Patrick

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 21, 2013
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed road course racing at Sonoma, the new qualifying format, the upcoming event at Daytona, practice in her Cup car, past experience on road courses, and more. Full Transcript:
 
WITH ONE PRACTICE UNDER YOUR BELT SO FAR, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS WEEKEND AT SONOMA?
“Well, I had hoped that being here before would have made it a little bit better for me out there, but it didn’t. So, I don’t know. The car just doesn’t feel very good. It just feels like it’s all over the place. It’s loose, it’s tight, it’s loose, it’s tight; it just doesn’t feel very settled. I feel like we just have a lot of work to do. I think that it’s going to be kind of a different story when it comes to race time because the rear tires just lose so much grip. So between that, and fuel-saving, I think that it’s going to be a fair amount different than just turning a fast lap. So you’ve got to keep that in mind. But, we’re just struggling with trying to find a balance on the car that just feels comfortable to drive, to be honest.”
 
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW QUALIFYING FORMAT?
“Well, it’s not new to me. We ran it in the Nationwide Series and I don’t really know any different in NASCAR. It’s been the only way that I’ve qualified on road courses; so I suppose it’s more of the same for me. That’s a positive. It is nice to have more than one lap just because it’s when you’re pushing these cars, things are bound to bounce around and move. It’s nice to have a couple of laps as an option to get your fastest.”
 
IS IT TOUGHER AT A ROAD COURSE THAN AN OVAL TO ADJUST YOUR MINDSET OR TEACH YOUR BRAIN NEW BRAKING POINTS OR WHATEVER YOU DO TO GET AROUND HERE?
“I think that’s a good observation. But I think it’s an observation overall for all tracks that I’ve been to in an IndyCar and then come to in a stock car. I think that just as much as it hurts to have different markers for open-wheel, it helps to just know where the track is going. So, yes; it’s probably more of a detriment to have different marks but it kind of balances out with at least knowing the track. I kept going through Turn 3 today and thinking to myself, ‘Is it because I’m doing it like I did in IndyCar that I am terrible through here and I can’t get the car to turn?’ I was thinking that to myself. Overall, it’s nice to just know where you’re going.”
 
HOW MUCH OF A BUMP DO YOU GET FROM LAST WEEK?
“You know, I have to say that I feel like over the last four or five or so weeks, really since Charlotte, I’ve felt like we have been in a position to get those kinds of finishes if things went our way, but they didn’t. So, I felt like overall, we were all thinking it was kind of overdue from where we had been speed-wise and the potential that we had in other races from the month before. It’s just nice, honestly, it’s a bit of a relief to get something of a result finally. I guess my words afterwards were I felt like we should have had a few of those by now. But it took a while.”
 
THE RESTARTS ARE SO CRAZY HERE. WHAT HAS TONY STEWART OR ANYBODY TOLD YOU WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE RESTARTS?
‘We haven’t talked about it. But, I supposed it’s going to be kind of like an even easier to bump scenario but just as chaotic as like Pocono, where you go into (Turn) 1 and it’s like everybody everywhere. But when you’re going slower it’s just a lot easier to find yourself into the back end of other cars. So, aerodynamics don’t really play much of a part, so you don’t have to worry about that. It’s going to pay off overall, probably, to be on the inside so that you don’t get pushed out or have somebody run into you. But on the other hand, the inside stops up, so sometimes you get a lot of cars if you go around the outside where they can carry the momentum and there’s somewhere to go, you know? But there’s the outside and then there’s the extra outside if you want to keep going, so on the inside you’re just stuck. I feel like I’m just going to get a feel for it over the first couple of starts and hope I’m in the right lane at the right time.”
 
YOU SAID YOU STRUGGLED TODAY IN PRACTICE. BUT COMING INTO A ROAD COURSE RACE, SO YOU FEEL A BIT MORE CONFIDANT BASED ON THE FACT THAT YOU RAN REALLY WELL ON THEM LAST YEAR AND YOU’VE HAD SUCCESS?
“Yep. That’s it. I feel more comfortable.”
 
HAVE YOU AND JACQUES VILLENEUVE PUT WHATEVER HAPPENED LAST YEAR BEHIND YOU YET?
“I don’t know. I saw him in the Rookie meeting and I was like, ‘Oh, hey’. And that was about it (laughter). You know, after the things that have happened, it’s hard to have a lot of respect for somebody like that. I respect what he’s done in his career; but the way that he treats other drivers on the track, I can’t. So, that’s all there is to say.”
 
WITH AS WELL AS YOU RAN AT THE ROAD COURSES LAST YEAR, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE OWED A GOOD FINISH TO SOME DEGREE? IT SEEMS LIKE ROAD COURSES HAVEN’T BEEN EASY IN GETTING THE FULL RESULT YOU DESERVE
“Yeah. That’s happened I feel like, on a lot of different tracks in just different categories of tracks. But I feel like it was just a little bit more obvious on the road courses because I was running that much better. And so many weird things happening; getting taken out, hitting a shoe….those are just not good things. And they were all running both times in the Top 5 when I was leading. It happens. I think that probably every driver can feel like they are owed something in different areas just based on their lack of luck. But you just have to keep plugging away. For every up, there’s a down. And it doesn’t mean that it’s going to come next. It just means that it will come eventually. Especially being in Cup for the first time, I feel like we just need to get to a place where the car is consistent and see what happens in the race. It think it’s just going to be a lot of tire and fuel conservation. We’ll see how it all plays.”
 
HOW DIFFERENT IS THIS IN A CUP CAR ON A ROAD COURSE COMPARED TO IN A NATIONWIDE SERIES CAR?
“The difference from an IndyCar to a Cup car on a road course is like night and day (laughter).  Oh, Nationwide to Cup? Honestly, it’s hard for me to tell because I never drove this track in a Nationwide car. But, one of the things that is relatively obvious is just how difficult it is to keep the rear tires underneath you. I never thought it would be so difficult, but it just seems to be such a huge issue power-down. And it’s going to play a part in the race, for sure. It’s going to play a part in who can find the most rear grip and who can make the least amount of mistakes when it goes.”
 
ON RACING AT DAYTONA SOON
“I think about Daytona. I never mind going to speedways. I find them fun. Obviously being the Coke Zero 400 and being a sponsor of mine, it’s an even bigger event. But I’m also thinking about the fact that Harry Scott (Turner Scott Motorsports) has invited people to his house in Hilton Head and I’m going to go there, too; and that sounds really good!  I feel like I’m actually going to be on vacation.  I’ll be working, but that will be a nice little break.”
 

Chevy Racing–Sonoma–Tony Stewart

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 21, 2013
 
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1/BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Sonoma Raceway, and discussed the challenges of racing at Sonoma and other topics. Full transcript:
HOW DID PRACTICE GO FOR YOU GUYS?
“No drama so far. Nice, smooth session. Need a little bit of speed, but this is better than we’ve taken off in practice in the past here so somewhat encouraged by it.”
 
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE AT THE ROAD COURSE WITH THE NEW CARS?
“I don’t think it’s been a big deal. I think you learn the things you learn on the oval that make the car happy, kind of figure out how to transfer all that information over to when we come to the road courses. Hasn’t been a big drama so far.”
 
HOW MUCH INFORMATION FROM LAST YEAR TRANSFERS TO THE NEW CAR?
“Steve Addington (crew chief) is the guy you need to ask that question. He’s the one that puts the setup on it. I honestly don’t know. I’m not a guy that knows what springs and shocks go in the car each week. I just concentrate on giving him the feedback of what the car is doing and what I’m feeling in the car.”
 
IS BREAKING THE TRACK RECORD IMPORTANT?
“Does it pay extra? Do we get any more points or do we get a bigger trophy or do we get more prize money? If no, it doesn’t then no, it doesn’t matter to me.”
 
DOES THE CHANGE IN TURN SEVEN TAKE SOME OF THE FUN AWAY?
“What did they do? It’s new to me. I’ve been here for 15 straight years and I didn’t notice any difference when I got down to seven. I didn’t see anything. I don’t think it’s done anything.”
 
HOW CHALLENGING AND ENJOYABLE DO YOU STILL FIND ROAD RACING?
“I’ve always liked it. I’ve liked it from day one. I liked it when I did it in go-kart racing. I think it’s really cool that our series gets to do this twice a year. It’s just nice to do something that is outside the box and outside the norm. It’s not something that people just show up to do it. Everybody and the teams take it serious, they do a lot of testing and the competition each year gets better and better. You hear less and less about the so-called ‘ringers,’ it’s the guys that are doing this every week are the guys that are fast in these cars.”
 
IS THERE ANY SIGNIFICANCE IN BREAKING INTO THE TOP-10 LAST WEEK?
“It’s definitely been gratifying for sure. The thing is that, ‘A,’ we have to stay there and ‘B,’ we got to be consistent. Getting there has been a lot of fun, it’s been very trying to get to this point, but it just shows how quickly you can get things turned around. There’s other teams that can make gains like that too. It’s a constant moving target. You have to constantly keep up with it and I’m proud of our group. The hard work that they’ve put to get us caught back up. The hard thing is you can’t stop and they can’t stop with that intensity. We all have to keep working hard and keep that intensity up to get through the rest of the year.”
 
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE ROAD COURSE WIN ON YOUR RESUME?
“I don’t think, to me it doesn’t really matter. To me, at the end of the day it shows up in our standings and it’s in the win column. It doesn’t say where it’s at, it just shows up at the end of the year in the win column. Doesn’t matter whether it’s here or whether it’s a dirt track, a road course or whatever. Just a win against this group is big. You don’t care where they’re at or how you get them, wins are important.”
 
WAS THERE ANYTHING UNUSUAL AT THE TRACK WHEN DRIVERS WENT OFF COURSE EARLY?
“No, they do that — maybe you should watch practice every year. They do that every year at the beginning of practice, guys drive off. It’s getting used to the track again and it’s not the easiest track. That’s what makes it fun because it is challenging. It’s not forgiving as far as making mistakes so it’s easy early in the session to get guys that go off course.”
 
IS THE CHALLENGE WITH TURN 11 NOT GETTING WRECKED BY SOMEONE ELSE?
“If you stay ahead of them far enough you don’t have to worry about it. It just depends on where you’re at in the pack and who you’re around. There’s guys that will run in there and don’t care. There’s guys that have had a bad day earlier in the day and they’re in that mode so it just depends on who you’re around. Hopefully, you’re around guys you respect and that respect you and you don’t have problems when you get there.”
 
DO YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT BLOCKING?
“They will block here. Just about everybody is going to block here. It’s inevitable. It’s not my favorite part about this by any means. The race track is fun enough, but there is going to be plenty of guys that block this weekend unfortunately.”
 
DO PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RESTARTS MORE AT SONOMA?
“You have to remember, if you’re 10th in line, by the time guys get to turn seven and turn 11, you can’t run in with the normal pace that you would normally run in there. Guys will take advantage of any available hold unfortunately and it puts guys in a bad position once they do that. That’s what guys are going to do. It’s what they’ve always done.”
 
IS THAT JUST A ROAD COURSE THING?
“Yeah, it’s just because you’re running so slow into some of these corners that when you have open track you run that corner a lot different. When you’re in traffic, you don’t have the luxury of driving in the corner or when you’re mid-pack of driving as far in as you want because there’s cars already in front of you slowed down. That’s what creates the traffic jam and then guys are going to take up every available space they can.”
 
ARE THE RESTARTS CRAZY FUN FOR YOU?
“Is it crazy fun? No. Go drive and then tell me what you think and then we’ll talk about whether it’s fun or not.”
 
DO YOU THINK A CHANGE IN THE SEATS OF SPRINT CARS WOULD BE BENEFICIAL IN THE FUTURE?
“I’m confident in the seat I have. I run Butler seats and a lot of the field does. I’m very comfortable and confident that what we have is the right thing. It’s no different than it is in this series, driver run what seat they are comfortable with and what they’re used to. It’s driver preference. I’m happy with the seats that I run in my cars. I feel like Butler has done a good job to make sure that we’ve got the best seats possible.”
 
WHAT CAN YOU ATTRIBUTE THE FIRST TIME WINNERS AT THIS TRACK TO?
“Everybody, it used to be when I started in this series 15 years ago it was a place that people kind of dreaded and there were a handful of guys that looked forward to it and were actually competitive. Five or six guys that had a shot to win the race. That was when road course specialists really meant something in the series and then the longer time has gone on, the specialist part of it kind of faded out of it because the teams take it more serious, the drivers take it more serious and it’s as important to win here as it was last week at Michigan and at Kentucky next week. It’s a different race, but the emphasis is still the same. Everybody works just as hard to win.”
 
HOW AWARE DO YOU HAVE TO BE OF THE GUYS ONLY RACING THIS RACE?
“The etiquette that we have in this series is different than the series they come from so it creates some of those problems that Claire (B. Lang, Sirius/XM Satellite radio) eluded to earlier, just makes it a little more difficult. You do have to be aware of who they are and that they are liable to do things just a little different way than what we are used to week in and week out.”
 
IS THERE AN EASIER WAY FOR DRIVERS TO GET INSURANCE?
“I’m not worried about that right now, I’m worried about driving race cars right now. I’m not going to get involved in the topic of the week this week. I’m worried a
bout making my race cars go fast and doing what I do every week.”
 
IS IT HARDER BEING AN OWNER OR BEING A DRIVER?
“Depends on what day it is. Sunday it’s definitely harder being the driver than it is the owner, but Monday it’s a lot harder being the owner.”

Chevy Racing–Sonoma–Jimmie Johnson

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 21, 2013
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Sonoma Raceway and discussed his participation in a music video, the nuances of road course racing and other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE STUFF YOU WERE DOING WITH SAMMY HAGAR?  
“Yeah, I’ve lost my race car in a poker match to Sammy and shooting a music video, it’s hard to believe with those two small cameras that it’s going to be a legitimate video.  Technology is pretty amazing.  I’ve known Sammy for a long time. I love his tequila, big fan of Cabo Wabo.  I’ve been down to his cantina in the past, was there for one of his birthday bashes one year and introduced him as he came out on stage with the band.  He’s just a good dude and he loves cars and loves music.  That is right up my alley.”
 
DID YOU GET A KICK OUT OF HIM TRYING TO GET IN AND OUT OF YOUR CAR?
“Yeah, I think he is going to be a little bruised up.  There wasn’t a lot of room for him.  I knew it would be a tight squeeze getting him in there.  The car is built for me and all.  The guy loves cars so much. Whenever I see him it’s all we talk about is what hot rods he has, what fast cars he has.  I knew he wanted to sit in one.  We crammed him in there.  I was afraid we would need a cherry picker, an engine hoist, to get him out, but he found a way out.”
 
DO YOU LIKE BEING IN A MUSIC VIDEO IS THAT JUST A KICK FOR YOU?
“That will be a first.  Hopefully, I make the final cut, it will be fun.”
 
HOW DID YOU TURN THE CORNER OF KIND OF NOT BEING SO GOOD ON A ROAD COURSE TO BEING REALLY GOOD?
“It really took experience.  We have tested every year for it.  In the Nationwide Series I took to it pretty quick and seemed to find my way around Watkins Glen pretty well.  This track is just so different.  There are three or four really good opportunities to destroy the rear tires.  Where at ‘The Glen’ you can’t hurt the rear tires and you’ve got to manage brakes.  That took me awhile to make that transition.  The last few years I have been much better at that.  One year really good at it.  Hopefully, I get a chance at more of that this year.”
 
ANYTHING THAT THE NEW CARS BRINGS THAT YOU CAN THINK OF THAT YOU DON’T KNOW OR YOU ARE LOOKING TO FIND OUT ON THE ROAD COURSE?
“Yeah, I think our splitter gaps and splitter contact in general or bump stop gaps and splitter contact are going to be key.  The structure of the front-end of this car is what is different than the old car.  Heavy on the brakes the splitter can touch the ground and affect your braking ability.  Also, going over the curves that structure is so much different now it can maybe upset the car a little bit more potentially hurt something in front.  Those will be the two areas I’m going to focus on when we are on the race track.”
 
WHAT DID IT MEAN FOR YOU TO WIN A ROAD COURSE RACE?
“It was a huge one to check, a box to check, for me.  I was so bad at it and couldn’t understand why, especially with my background.  Once my brain grasped it and I got in the right spot mentally I was able to make it work.  That was a big day for me.”
 
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEW QUALIFYING SEQUENCE THEY’RE PUTTING IN PLACE FOR THE CUP SERIES?
“It’s exciting. I’m not sure it’ll change things a ton. I’m familiar with it through my Nationwide days. It’s a little more normal for a qualifying effort on a road course. I’m not against it. In the end it might help some guys get a lap. In road course racing there’s such a rhythm and with one lap to get it done here in the past if you made a small mistake you really paid for it. Some drivers had a hard time completing their lap. It might change things a little bit but I don’t think it will too much.”
 
INAUDIBLE:
“Once we have a chance to get spread out, all the drivers are good and the cars are pretty equal and it’s hard to pass. That theory of cautions breeding cautions, if there’s a race track that will provide that it’s here. I’m surprised that the second caution didn’t create about four or five more. Once we hit three or four laps running and the guys get spread out I could see a lot of green flag running going on at that point.”
 
WITH GUYS LIKE (JACQUES) VILLENEUVE IN THE RACE THIS YEAR DOES THAT ADD A WILD CARD FACTOR?
“I didn’t know that but yeah, cautions might go up a little bit based on his Nationwide experience from what I’ve seen.”
 
ARE YOU GUYS CHALKING MICHIGAN UP TO A FREAK AMOUNT OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT HAPPENED TO ALL FOUR HENDRICK CARS?
“My tire issues seemed to be a little different than Kasey’s (Kahne). Kasey’s blew out. Mine, I think I ran something over the way it went down. It just got soft and then went flat. The other two guys, Junior broke a motor. Nobody else did. And then Jeff got wrecked. It was just one of those days. We couldn’t get out of Michigan fast enough.”
 
HAVE YOU BEEN IN OTHER MUSIC VIDEOS?
“No, I have not been in another music video. Sammy (Hagar) will be my first.”
 
SO THIS WILL BE YOUR DEBUT?
“It will if I make the cut. So hopefully I did a nice job for him.”
 
JEFF BURTON SAID HE WAS KIND OF FRUSTRATED WHEN YOU COME TO SONOMA AND ON THE RESTARTS PEOPLE ABUSE THEM. YOU MIGHT BE IN THE TOP-10 AND SOMEONE WIPES YOU OUT BECAUSE THEY DO THINGS HERE THEY WOULDN’T DO OTHER PLACES. DO YOU FEEL THE RESTARTS HERE ARE DIFFERENT AND PEOPLE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ‘OH, THAT’S JUST SONOMA’?
“Yeah, being from fifth back here, it’s brutal. That’s why qualifying is so important. So you can start up front and hopefully maintain your track position. But if you’re 10th -15th anywhere in there, every breaking zone they’re three or four wide ramming each other, turning guys around. Some of it could be intentional. Other stuff, you have a guy that’s slowed his car down making his turn and someone two or three rows back just bombed it in and isn’t going to make the turn and just wipes out everybody. So track position is really important here. I really work hard to try and stay up front.
 
DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ‘OH, IT’S JUST SONOMA’ ATTITUDE?
“Some do. I don’t. I feel like if you wrong somebody here, they’ll usually come back on the race track and get you back. I can remember (Brian) Vickers and (Tony) Stewart having an issue. Tony ended up on top of the tires. And then if you don’t have a chance to thank someone here you can always carry it to a short track down the road. I’m always aware of that. Maybe some drivers are less aware of that. I’m not saying that you won’t accidently make a mistake but the intentional stuff, we know when it happens to guys remember.”
 

Summit Racing–Anderson Embraces New England Nationals as New Opportunity

Anderson Embraces New England Nationals as New Opportunity
 
MOORESVILLE, N.C., June 19, 2013 – Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro pilot Greg Anderson has already enjoyed a long and successful career as an NHRA Pro Stock driver with one of the best win-records in the history of the sport. This weekend, at the Inaugural NHRA New England Nationals, Anderson will have the opportunity to complement his already stunning scorecard with a victory at the newest racetrack on the Mello Yello Series tour, New England Dragway.
 
The facility opened its doors in 1966 and is currently the only 1/4-mile dragstrip in New England, and this year it was sanctioned to host its first NHRA national event. Because of its sea-level elevation, the racetrack has the potential to host prime conditions for the factory hot rod class in which Anderson and his Summit Racing teammate, Jason Line, compete.
 
“We love sea level racetracks, there is no doubt about it,” said Anderson. “And because this is a new track and we’re all going there for the first time, it’s a level playing field. Nobody has home-court advantage or more laps there than anyone else. We’re all in the same boat, and hopefully that will work in our favor. The Summit Racing crew is a great team, and we’ve been doing this a long time. Hopefully, our experience will help us master whatever that track has to offer.”
 
Mooresville, N.C.-based Anderson is currently positioned as the eighth winningest driver in any class in the history of NHRA. The 74-time national event winner has claimed victory at each of the facilities on the tour (and two that are no longer in rotation), and would certainly appreciate keeping a shiny record.
 
“Every time they put a new race on the schedule, it’s a new challenge for me, and one that I look forward to,” said Anderson. “I’ve been very fortunate to win at every venue we have on the circuit, and it’s important to me to find a way to conquer this new one so that I can still say that I’ve won at every track we have. Team Summit always likes a challenge, that’s for sure, and we say, ‘May the best man win.’ “
 
Anderson debuted a brand new white Summit Racing Chevy Camaro at the event just last week in Bristol, Tenn., and enjoyed an outing that exceeded recent performances.
 
“This is obviously a good racecar, we just have to rub on it a little more and continue to learn and grow,” said Anderson. “We’re on track to have a couple of very happy hot rods.
 
“We look forward to this first race in New Hampshire, and hopefully, we’ll go there and run fast with our Summit Racing Chevy Camaros. We’ve heard a lot about this place, and they’re expecting big, big crowds. There are some real serious Pro Stock fans all up and down the East Coast, and there should be a great group there. It’s going to be interesting, and it’s going to be fun. To be honest, none of us can wait to get there.”
 

Chevy Racing–Corvette Racing–Le Mans

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Meet the Team
Ahead of difficult test in world’s most famous endurance race
 
LE MANS, France (June 19, 2013) – Members of Corvette Racing met with media at the Circuit des 24 Heures on Wednesday ahead of the first practice and qualifying session for the 90th anniversary running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race begins at 3 p.m. CET/9 p.m. ET on Saturday.
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 73 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
With such a deep field in GTE Pro, how many hours into the race do you think you will know exactly where you stand?
“It’s hard to say. You’ll find during the race your strength and weaknesses, along with those for the competition. The way it looks like the race will go with the weather, you will have to be faultless and run to plan. You cannot be distracted by what other teams are doing, especially if they are faster than you. It’s important to say dedicated to what the plan is and stick to that 100 percent. That will be very, very hard even in a dry race because of the competition. But if the weather keeps doing what it is doing, it will be a huge accomplishment to come out with a victory.”
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 73 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
How big a boost is it to come to Le Mans after winning in the ALMS at Laguna Seca?
“It was definitely a good thing to have that victory. Since I joined Corvette Racing, we had won the big races like Sebring and Le Mans. But the win at Laguna gave the team (in the No. 73 car) a big push ahead of Le Mans. We are very confident for the race. It will be a very big battle with all the manufacturers that are here. For sure they are all very well prepared but I think we have shown them before what it takes to win the race. We need to believe and trust in Corvette Racing to do it again.”
 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 73 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
Is it a big difference coming to Le Mans in your second year instead of as a rookie?
“Last year was a big experience with a lot to learn. It’s such a unique event. I didn’t really know what to expect coming in. You get here on Monday and are here throughout the week with appearances, media events and autograph sessions… it is a roller coaster of emotions but you are here to drive a race car. Now this year I know what to expect and have such a great team and crew behind me. I’m very much looking forward to it.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 74 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
This is 12 years at Le Mans with Corvette Racing. How has the event and preparation changed?
“Certainly, year on year the competition has grown stiffer and stiffer. Again this year is another high watermark in our class with five big manufacturers slugging it out in our category. Corvette Racing has raised their game year after year, which is an impressive thing – whether it is in preparation and leading up to the event, preparing the car, laying out pits, practicing pit stops, the routines and schedule… the way the team studies itself and improve year on year is spectacular. It’s hugely impressive and something that gives the drivers a lot of confidence to see that they are on the top of their game. The C6.R is at the end of its life and is at the top of its development curve. We plan to get out there and take on whoever is the best. If it turns out to be us, then great. But we will be fighting to get a victory. Certainly you will have to earn it, without a doubt. There is just so much strength and depth.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 74 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
You were part of the winning trio in 2011 for Corvette Racing. What will it take to get back there this year?
“Every year, the biggest challenge is not making mistakes and staying out of the pits. Ultimately when you look back, the winning team has been the one that hasn’t made mistakes and hasn’t pitted except for driver changes, tires and fuel. This weekend it looks like the weather will play a role, which it typically does at Le Mans. We saw that at the Test Day and got in some wet-weather running. And the GTE Pro class is super, super deep with five strong manufacturers that can all win the race. This whole week has been about preparing in every way possible with little details that will help make any kind of repairs quicker. Our guys have looked at every little aspect that may cause issues for the race, and we’re prepared for anything that comes at us.”
 
RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 74 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
The last time you were in the car was a win at the Sebring 12 Hours. What did that do for the mindset of the team?
“To be honest, we needed that win at Sebring. Olly and Tommy had won the ALMS championship but we had had a poor run in the endurance events. It was important to turn that around. You don’t want to come to a race like Le Mans lacking in confidence. So Sebring did us a world of good. It is great to run with these two (Gavin and Milner). I know what they want from the car, and they know what I want from the car. We want to win this race in the last Le Mans for the C6.R.
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
What does this race mean to Chevrolet and Corvette Racing?
“First of all, bonjour! We are very pleased to be back. Those of you who have followed us here at the 24 Hours of Le Mans know that this program is representative of the cornerstone of everything we do in racing. Our objective throughout our year is all designed and focused on this event. We realize it is the single most important road race in the world. This is our 14th consecutive year with Corvette and we have been very fortunate to have seven victories – all of which we are most proud. This is a remarkable year because we have three anniversaries that we can celebrate. First and foremost is the 90th anniversary of this great race, and we’re happy to participate. The second is that this is the 60th anniversary of the production of Corvette, and currently we are approaching 2 million Corvettes that are registered and on the roads today. That’s an amazing number. And this will be our 100th race with one of our strategic partners – Michelin. Those three are of extreme importance to us, and we’re proud and pleased to be part of all those significant events.”
 

HPD Ready for Le Mans Manufacturer Fielding ARX-Hondas in LMP1, LMP2

Honda Performance Development, along with partner teams Strakka Racing and Level 5 Motorsports, returns to the Circuit de la Sarthe this week as the racing division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., seeks to extend its run of class victories and podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Since first appearing at Le Mans in 2010, HPD and its Honda-powered ARX prototypes have won the LMP2 category twice – in 2010 and again in 2012 – and finished on the class podium in all three years. 

In this year’s race, reigning American Le Mans Series LMP2 champion Level 5 Motorsports will defend HPD’s LMP2 crown at Le Mans. A strong driver lineup including Ryan Briscoe, Marino Franchitti and Scott Tucker will share driving duties aboard Level 5’s HPD ARX-03b, powered by the production-based HR28TT twin-turbo V6 engine found in the 2013 Acura RLX and MDX.

In LMP1, Strakka Racing will continue its battle for privateer honors with drivers Jonny Kane, Nick Leventis and Danny Watts against the two-car effort from Rebellion Racing, in addition to full-factory efforts from Audi and Toyota.  British-based Strakka, which moved up to LMP1 in the World Endurance Championship in 2012, led HPD to victory in LMP2 at Le Mans in 2010, and this year will field an HPD ARX-03c, updated for 2013 and again powered by the race-proven Honda LM-V8 naturally aspirated engine. 

In HPD’s first attempt at Le Mans, Strakka won the category and finished fifth overall, the highest-ever finishing position for an LMP2 entry.  Strakka finished six laps ahead of its nearest competitor, and set a new record for laps and miles completed by an LMP2 entry, joining the elite “5,000-kilometer club” in the process.

“Returning to Le Mans, with both LMP1 and LMP2 programs, is an enormous challenge for our engineers and associates,” said Steve Eriksen, vice president and COO of HPD. “We understand the challenge for us in LMP1: Supplying a very strong, but private team in Strakka Racing with our improved ARX-03c, against the might of full factory efforts from Audi and Toyota.  But Honda and HPD have never been afraid to take on strong competition.  As Mr. Honda said, ‘the best place to learn is at the highest level’.  In endurance racing, there is no higher level than LMP1.

“In LMP2, we expect that the proven design of the ARX-03b chassis and HR28TT turbocharged V6 engine – plus the development and engineering expertise of HPD and its technical partners– will provide Level 5 Motorsports with the tools it needs to successfully defend our 2012 class victory.  It will be an exciting race.”

Summit Racing–Line Looks Forward to Fresh View at New England Dragway

Line Looks Forward to Fresh View at New England Dragway
 
MOORESVILLE, N.C., June 19, 2013 – Jason Line and the Summit Racing Pro Stock team are extremely focused at all times on a very specific set of goals that revolve around one thing: having the best hot rods on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour. For Line, a championship-caliber driver and expert dyno operator who packs one half of the KB Racing one-two punch alongside teammate Greg Anderson, this weekend’s Inaugural NHRA New England Nationals will be a new setting and an exciting new challenge.
 
“We’ve never had the chance to race at New England Dragway before,” said Line. “And the Summit Racing team is definitely looking forward to it. It’s always fun to go someplace new, and we’ve heard that they’re expecting a pretty big crowd to come out and watch the race. It’ll be neat for us to get there and put on a good show for all those fans. They’ve been waiting for this a long time, so it’s going to be exciting for all of us.”
 
Line, who began his drag racing career in Minnesota and now resides in North Carolina, has won 30 national events in the extremely competitive Pro Stock category and has claimed victory at 16 different racetracks on the tour. Scoring at the facility in Epping is, of course, high on the to-do list for the motivated driver.
 
So far this season, Line has a win on his scorecard – he was the last man standing in Houston this spring – and has qualified in the top half at each of the 10 events. To date, he has been fifth or better during qualifying in his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro six times, including just last week at Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tenn., when he drove his way to the semifinals for the second consecutive event.
 
“Team Summit has worked very hard this year, just like always, to make our Camaros faster, and we are going to keep working,” said Line. “New England Dragway is a racetrack that is close to sea level, and that sets up some pretty good conditions for these Pro Stock cars. Hopefully, our hard work will show there this weekend. It’s always fun to go someplace new, and we’d sure like to make a good first impression there with our Summit Racing hot rods.”
 

Chevy Racing–Corvette Racing–Le Mans

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Focusing on Race Setup
Compuware Corvettes make progress in first qualifying session
 
LE MANS, France (June 19, 2013) – With an eye toward its eighth class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001, Corvette Racing continued to work toward the ideal race setups for the two Compuware Corvette C6.Rs on Wednesday. Both cars ran through a predetermined program on the opening day of track activity for the world’s greatest endurance event.
 
Antonio Garcia set the team’s fastest time in the No. 73 Compuware Corvette at 3:59.526, good enough for eighth on the provisional grid in GTE Pro. Oliver Gavin was next in the No. 74 Corvette at 3:59.860. But just as during the official Test Day on June 9, much of the focus remained on fine-tuning both cars for the race that begins Saturday.
 
The strength of the GTE Pro class was evident Wednesday with the top seven cars within 0.915 seconds with provisional pole position at 3:55.658. So there is room for improvement for Thursday’s two final qualifying sessions.
 
“I don’t think anyone is completely happy with the performance today,” said Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing Program Manager. “The good news is that we turned a significant number of laps compared to our competitors. But on the flip side, our competitors enjoyed an advantage on lap times and speeds. Fortunately we know what it takes to win Le Mans, and that is perseverance and endurance. That is the advantage of having won this race seven times before. Our guys will use that experience and feedback to improve the car for tomorrow’s final qualifying session.”
 
The Compuware Corvettes return to the track Thursday for a pair of two-hour sessions beginning at 7 p.m. CET/1 p.m. ET.
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 73 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“We’ve been trying to get into our testing program, and we’re still a little bit away from the handling and the setup we thought we were going to have at this point. We made some setup changes from the test till now but they didn’t work the way we thought they would. So right now we’re trying to find a good baseline and the work from that. It seems we’re giving a lot of lap time away in Sector 2, which is the Mulsanne straight, maybe upwards of 1.5 to two seconds. So we still have a little bit of work to do. We also ran a little bit in the wet early on, but the conditions were changing rapidly all the time. I’d have an out-lap where there was spray and then the next lap it dried, so I didn’t get a real good feel for the wet lines.”
 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 73 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“It was my first time being the first one on track here in Le Mans. I had stories about going down the Mulsanne and you get all the dust and dirt from the road cars which have used the road right until a few hours before, so that was a cool experience getting those special feelings everyone has probably gotten for the past 90 years. For me it was also about getting used to the car again, coming straight from America where I had driven the Corvette Daytona Prototype (at Mid-Ohio the weekend prior), readjusting myself to the Corvette C6.R. I did a few longer runs, which meant I had to adapt to the constantly changing track conditions, wet-dry, wet-dry. We’re getting closer to the setup as we go on as I think the car wasn’t ideal for all three drivers to begin with, so we’re dialing it in right now and hope to have a good start to the week.”
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 73 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“It looks like we’ll have some homework to do between now and tomorrow’s qualifying. The car feels good, but just isn’t fast enough at the moment. I’m confident that by tomorrow night the engineers will have come up with an answer.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 74 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“When you look at the outright lap time, we’re 3.5 to four seconds off and no one wants that. But we have won at this event when we’ve been off our fastest competitors. We have the best team in the pitlane to do this. We have the most reliable car. We have a great setup. And of course we have won this race many, many times. I have great faith in how we are going to go out and run the race. We have to keep a logical approach, keep our heads about us and work the problem to go through all the variables. We will come up with a solution and a plan for tomorrow.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 74 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“Certainly, we know we have work to do. It’s not where we want to be. We’re off in every aspect. The car that we had at the test felt good – better than what we have now. We need to figure out how to get it to what we had there. What we had at the test was competitive, but our competitors have gone significantly faster and we’ve stayed the same. We have to explore every single detail about our cars and see if we are missing something. The race is Saturday, not tomorrow. So we still have time to work on it and our guys will do that.”
 
RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 74 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“It seems like we’ve got a lot on our plate this year. The competition is extremely tough, and the times we are seeing now are quite unbelievable. We seem to be in a division below the other competitors at the moment and we need to get to the bottom of it, quickly. But we’ve got the right guys in the team to do that and pull all the stops out to bring that gap down. The good news is it’s a 24-hour race and normally the fastest car never wins. That said, all is not lost but we’ve definitely got some work to do.”
 

Follow A Dream Lebanon Valley Report

Marstons Mills, MA -June 18, 2013-At the Lucas Oil Series race at Lebanon Valley Dragway, Jay Blake’s Permatex/ Follow A Dream team turned in its most dominant performance in seven years, running the table by qualifying No. 1, setting low e.t. and top speed of every round of eliminations, and winning the race. Driver Todd Veney paced the field in qualifying with a 5.63 at 254 mph and ran 5.63, 5.65, and 5.63 – all at 253 mph – for the team’s first victory since one in Bowling Green, Ky., last August locked up the 2012 East Region championship.

“Every win is a team win, but the crew won this one for us,” Veney said. “The car was meticulously prepared when it got to the track, every guy on the team did a perfect job between rounds, and tuner Tom Howell had it running on rails all weekend.”

“This one is for my dad,” said Howell, whose father, Thomas Howell, passed away on July 6, 2012 at the age of 83.

“It was a total team effort,” said Blake, whose team scored at the upstate New York facility for the second time in four years. “Low e.t., top speed, win the race – what more could you ask for?”

Veney defeated John Headley in the first round with a 5.638 at 253.89 mph to the Pennsylvania driver’s 6.82 at 118.44. In the semifinals, he got around Eric Louie in a rematch of the 2010 Lebanon Valley final, 5.650, 253.84 to 5.790, 247.72. In the final, a consistent 5.637, overall low e.t. of the event, wiped out John Anderika, who finished second to the Permatex/Follow A Dream team in the East Region standings last year.

After a weekend off, the team returns to the track at Route 66 Raceway in Chicago, where Veney will represent the East Region in the prestigious Jegs Allstars event on Saturday and compete for the Route 66 Nationals title on Sunday.

Chevy Racing–IndyCar–Iowa Speedway

Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Teams and Drivers Ready for Unique Weekend of Racing at Iowa Speedway
 
DETROIT (June 19, 2013) – The oval tracks on the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule have produced great racing, as well as success for the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 teams and drivers.  Three of Chevrolet’s six 2013 victories have come on the first three oval tracks on this year’s schedule beginning with Tony Kanaan’s Indianapolis 500 win. Helio Castroneves followed with the victory at Texas Motor Speedway, and defending Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay captured the win last weekend at the Milwaukee Mile.
 
As a result of this success, Chevrolet heads to Iowa Speedway leading the Manufacturers’ Championship points, and Team Chevy drivers holding the top-three positions in the driver standings led by Castroneves with Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti second and third respectively.
 
But as the half-way point of the season approaches, the popular .875-mile banked oval located just east of Des Moines, Iowa, will present a new format and the corresponding challenges as the battle for the championship continues.
 
The field for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 will be set through three 50-lap heat races on Saturday. The heat race fields will be determined by single-car, single-lap qualifying. The top two finishers of each heat will transfer to heat race three, and start in positions seven through 10. Race three will consist of positions one through six from single-car qualifying plus the first- and second-place finishers from heat races one and two to determine the Verizon P1 Award and the first five rows of the starting grid. The format will reward 12 starters with points – from nine points for the pole winner and descending by one point each position to one point for 11th and 12th.
 
“Team Chevy returns to the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway tri-oval next weekend on a two-win streak with the hope of repeating the win at the high banked short oval from 2012,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager IZOD IndyCar Series. “This year, the heat race qualifying process involves driver points through the 12th starting position.  This is an important opportunity that many drivers will try to take advantage of on their journey to the driver’s points championship.   The Chevrolet IndyCar twin turbo V6 is up to the task, but physical and mental fatigue of the teams and drivers could be a factor since this race will be the 8th consecutive weekend at the track for the IZOD IndyCar Series contingent.  Reliability and durability apply to more than just the physical hardware in this sport!” 
 
Before heading to their seats for all of the on-track action, fans can stop at the Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Iowa Speedway.  In addition to registering for a free Chevy IndyCar t-shirt, posing for a photo in the display, interactive games for fans of all ages; fans can see several of the great vehicles from the Chevrolet line-up including Silverado Crew, Silverado Extended, Silverado 3/4 Ton Crew, Silverado 1/2 Ton Crew All Star, Traverse, Equinox, Camaro SS, 2013 Malibu, Cruze LT, Tahoe, Cruze LTZ, Corvette GS, 2014 Impala, Volt and Sonic.
 
The Premier Chevy Dealers will be serving breakfast sandwiches to the first 1500 fans that stop by the Chevy Racing display on Sunday morning starting at 9:00 a.m.  Stop by to pick-up breakfast and check out the Chevy Display – breakfast will be served on a first come, first served bases.
In addition, fans can see live on-stage several Team Chevy IndyCar drivers including Helio Castroneves and Will Power on Saturday at 1:30 PM followed by Oriol Servia at 1:45 PM and on Sunday Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay will be in the display at 11:35 AM.
          
Streaming video of the three 50-lap heat races to determine the starting lineup for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by DEKALB will be broadcast on www.indycar.com and the INDYCAR 13 app at 6:45 p.m. (ET) June 22. Video will be augmented by the IMS Radio Network broadcast and real-time Timing & Scoring. Practice (11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. ET) and qualifying also are featured on indycar.com and INDYCAR 13 with Timing & Scoring and the IMS Radio Network call.
 
The 250 laps/218.75 miles is scheduled for Sunday, June 23 at Iowa Speedway. The race will be televised live at 2:30 p.m. (ET) ABC and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211, www.indycar.com and the INDYCAR 13 App for most smartphones and tablets.
 
CHEVROLET IN THE IZOD INDYCAR SERIES – FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, POINTS LEADER (ONE 2013 WIN): “I’m excited to race at Iowa this weekend in the Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. The fans are always great there and I really like the Iowa Speedway track. With the IndyCars racing on the short, banked oval, it always means lots of action and there’ll be even more of it this weekend with not only qualifying but the heat races on Saturday night. That should be fun. We’ve been doing a great job as a team and we need to keep this run going if we want to stay in front in the championship. The No. 3 car guys have given me great setups every weekend and we’ve been really consistent on race day so we’ll look to build on that in the Hitachi Chevy at Iowa.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO 1 DHL ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, 2nd IN STANDINGS (TWO 2013 WINS): “The Iowa Speedway oval is one of a kind, a very unique track that makes for some of the closest racing of the year. Last year’s race came down to the wire and I expect the same this year. The strategy is certainly different this time around with the heat races paying points, so we need to focus on not only being fast at the end of the race, but coming right out of the box strong.  Iowa last year was the second win in our three race streak, so we need to operate at our full potential to gain maximum points for DHL and Chevy in the title fight.”
 
MARCO ANDRETTI, NO. 25 RC COLA ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, 3rd IN STANDINGS: “Both on the No. 25 side and as a team we’ve traditionally been strong in Iowa, and we need to continue that this year. Milwaukee didn’t go as planned for the RC (Cola) Chevy so we really need to make up some points and get the lead back – this as good of place as any to do that. We’re coming for a win but definitely would like to at least keep the consistency going. With the heat races paying extra points… well… we’re aiming for total domination and maximum points.”

TONY KANAAN, NO. 11 SUNOCO “TURBO” KV RACING TECHNOLOGY – SH RACING CHEVROLET, 6th IN STANDINGS (ONE 2013 WIN): “I am really looking forward to racing at Iowa Speedway this weekend.  This is a track I’ve had success at in the past with a win there in 2010, a second in 2011 and a third place finish last year. We’ll be racing in the Sunoco “Turbo” car for the second time this season.  We got off to a good start two weeks ago in Texas where we finished third in the car and I’d sure like to be on the podium with them again, but this time up on the top spot – P1!   Iowa Speedway is the shortest track we race at all year and is very demanding and precise for the drivers and teams.  The fans have been great each year we’ve raced there and they are very knowledgeable.  I feel confident that we’ll put on a good show for them and hopefully have the Sunoco “Turbo” up at the front of the field at the end of 250 laps.”
 
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE, NO. 27 GODADDY ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, 9th IN STANDINGS (TWO 2013 WINS): “Looking forward to going back to Iowa. Obviously the team had a great result there last year, and we should have been a part of that… we were running well up until our accident. I really like short-track racing in this series; the cars are fun on that track which leads to some really good
racing. I wish it was a night race again – I really enjoyed that format, but we’ll see how it goes in the day. It’s a big race for GoDaddy as they have an office in the area, so I hope to bring home a good result.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 11th IN STANDINGS: “It should be an interesting weekend at Iowa Speedway. The Verizon team is coming off two good oval results at Texas and Milwaukee and we’re looking to continue to build our momentum at Iowa. The track is pretty unique and very fast, especially for a short oval. I think it will be good racing for the fans to enjoy and hopefully we’ll have the Verizon Chevrolet running up front. With the heat races on Saturday, it should add some more excitement and it will be a good challenge for the teams with championship points on the line.”

E.J. VISO, NO. 5 TEAM VENEZUELA PDVSA CITGO ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT HVM CHEVROLET, 12th IN STANDINGS:  “I’m very excited we’re heading to Iowa. I had my best result in IndyCar there in 2010 (third). I believe with the momentum that we keep building race after race, finishing in the top five last week at Milwaukee, we just have a lot of energy.  I have a lot of faith in what we are able to do as a crew… Iowa is a place we’ve done well in the past.”

ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S VODKA/ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 16th IN STANDINGS: “We should have won that race last year.  We were fast enough to win it. We started off the weekend not very good. We didn’t qualify well. The car wasn’t very good in the heat race. We got it figured out by the time the race came around, but we lost a lap due to bad track position at the start of the race. In the end we just ran out of race.(Carpenter finished eighth.)  There’s still that fine balance on the setups.  We saw that at Texas. If you are a little too light, as we were in the heat races at Iowa last year, it gets strung out and was very hard to pass. When the sun went down we got more grip and we put on a good show, so hopefully the show doesn’t suffer from running in the daytime. As long as we keep it in balance.  I am looking forward to going back to Iowa this week.”

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO, NO. 78 NUCLEAR ENTERGY AREVA KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET, 18th IN STANDINGS: “I’m looking forward to the short-oval at Iowa. We had a pretty good race there last year. I think it was one of my best finishes all season. It’s been a tough couple of weeks for the Nuclear Clean Air Energy car, but I’m pretty confident that we can turn things around this weekend in Iowa.”

ORIOL SERVIA, NO. 4 NATIONAL GUARD PANTHER RACING CHEVROLET, 20th IN STANDINGS:  “I’m definitely excited about getting back in the National Guard car, and for us this is another great opportunity to go win the race.Since I’m out of the championship it puts us in an interesting position where we can just go out and focus on winning. I’m with a great team at Panther, and we’ve both been good at Iowa in the past, so we’re excited to get after it. The way we’re doing these races one at a time, I never know when I’m going to be back in the car, but it’s great to be back with the forces at the National Guard, and we’re going to go out there and do the best we can.”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 7 MCAFEE DRAGON RACING CHEVROLET, 21st IN STANDINGS: “I have never been to Iowa, so it will be a new challenge for me and the McAfee/TrueCar number 7 powered by Chevrolet. After a great start in Milwaukee, moving from 14th to 9th, we looked pretty good to finish in the top 10 so I really hope we can repeat that kind of performance, and get a result in the end.”

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO.  6 TRUECAR DRAGON RACING CHEVROLET, 23rd IN STANDINGS: “Heading to Iowa, I  think we’re building great momentum these past races.  We’ve actually shown great competition from the side of Dragon Racing and that gives a lot of motivation for the team.  We need to keep up the good work.  There are plenty of races to go and there are lots of things we still want to prove out there.  Iowa is going to be interesting with the introduction of the heat races.  I personally think it should be very fun.  It is trying things differently for the fans to watch.  Of course it is more events during our weekend that will bring more interest for people to watch.  I think, for us drivers, it will also be quite challenging knowing the little track time that we are going to have to set up the cars and make them race fit.  I’m looking forward to a good show and another good finish.  I feel like we are getting there and I’m very excited to show what we can do.”

Chevy Racing–Corvette Racing at Le Mans

 
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Stay up to SPEED
Live streams from Le Mans enhance coverage of 24 Hours
 
LE MANS, France (June 18, 2013) – Do you want to get inside the action with Corvette Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans? You can thanks to Chevrolet and SPEED for the 90th anniversary of the world’s greatest auto race.
 
Starting with the green flag at 9 a.m. ET/3 p.m. CET on Saturday, fans around the world can watch the race online through the eyes of Corvette Racing at SPEED.com. In-car cameras will run for the full length of the race in both the Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars that will compete in the GTE Pro class. Additionally, SPEED.com will stream a garage cam for the entire 24 hours.
 
Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Jordan Taylor drive the No. 73 Compuware Corvette at Le Mans. Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Richard Westbrook pilot the No. 74 Corvette. With seven class victories at Le Mans since 2001, Corvette Racing and Chevrolet rank among the most successful teams and manufacturers to compete at Le Mans in the modern era.
 
“The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most historic and challenging endurance sports car races in the world,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President Performance Vehicle and Motorsports. “It’s truly a test. We are proud the Corvette will be competing in the GTE Pro class against the Aston Martin Vantage V8, Ferrari 458 Italia, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and Viper GTS-R on the 8.47-mile Circuit de la Sarthe. Chevrolet and SPEED are providing a unique opportunity for race fans to ride along in the cockpit of the No. 73 and No. 74 Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars. We’re pleased to give our supporters the ultimate insiders’ look at Corvette Racing’s action at Le Mans.”
 
The next time Corvette Racing takes to the circuit at Le Mans is 4 p.m. CET/10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, June 19 for free practice and qualifying. Corvette Racing will go for its eighth class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001 at 3 p.m. CET/9 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 22 with live coverage on SPEED.
 
Le Mans 24 Hours (all times CET)
• Practice/qualifying: 4-8 p.m., 10 p.m.-midnight, Wednesday
• Qualifying: 7-9 p.m., 10 p.m.-midnight, Thursday
• Warm-up: 9-9:45 a.m., Saturday
• Race: 3 p.m. Saturday-3 p.m., Sunday
 
Le Mans: Watch It!
Saturday, June 22-Sunday, June 23 (all times EDT)
• SPEED: 8:30 a.m-2 p.m., Saturday; 4-7 p.m., Saturday; 7:30 p.m., Saturday-9:30 a.m., Sunday
• SPEED.com: 2-4 p.m., Saturday; 7-7:30 p.m., Saturday
• Corvette 24-Hour Live Stream: 9 a.m. Saturday-9 a.m. Sunday

Mopar Racing–Despite Difficult Day at Bristol Mopar Still on Top

Despite Difficult Day at Bristol Mopar Still on Top
 
·         Mopar contingency falls short without representation past the second round of eliminations in both Pro Stock and Funny Car at Bristol Dragway
·         Gorlier presents Johnsons with Mopar President’s Award for outstanding contributions as brand ambassadors in front of hometown fans on Father’s Day
·         Hagan remains in the Funny Car championship points lead; all four DSR entries ranked in the top-five
·         Mopar Pro Stock drivers Johnson and Coughlin tied for second in points

 

Bristol, Tenn. (Sunday, June 16, 2013) –  Eliminations on Father’s Day at the 13th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals did not quite go as planned for the Mopar contingency, but while none of the Dodge entries in either class were able to advance past the second round at Bristol Dragway, a few positives remained. Despite the shortened race day, Matt Hagan and the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Don Schumacher Racing machine remain atop the leaderboard in the Funny Car points race, while Allen Johnson and Mopar teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. are tied for the second spot in the Pro Stock standings.

 

Another top highlight  took place prior to first round action, as driver of the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger, Johnson along with his father and engine builder Roy Johnson, were presented with the “Mopar President’s Award” by Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand.  They were recognized in front of their hometown fans and family for their contributions as brand ambassadors, their five decades of loyalty, dedication and service to Mopar, and for bringing home a long sought after 2012 NHRA Pro Stock World Championship. Father and son are the first recipients of this special award.

 

On track the day started off well enough for the Greeneville, Tenn.-natives after qualifying the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger in second spot on the eliminations ladder. Johnson won his first match-up against Lewis Worden but was defeated on a holeshot by Greg Anderson in the next round. Teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. met the same fate with his own holeshot loss in round two against Erica-Enders Stevens.

 

The elder Johnson, who tunes the HEMI® engines for both Mopar team entries still felt that there are some positive to come away despite the losses.

 

“We had low e.t. of both rounds, so at least we didn’t get out run,” said Johnson. “We didn’t execute as well as we would have liked with the driving, but we still showed we have the power. You’ve got to remain positive in this class.”

 

The good news for the championship battle is that the points leader Mike Edwards also saw his day cut short after being upset in the second round by the eventual title winner Rodger Brogden, who in only his second NHRA final round appearance beat Erica Enders-Stevens by just 0.002 seconds to score his very first career Pro Stock victory.

 

The HEMI-powered entries of Vincent Nobile and V. Gaines both faltered in the first round and are now seventh and tenth in the rankings.

 

In Funny Car, after Don Schumacher Racing’s Jack Beckman qualified his Mopar second, setting a track-record speed in the interim, and teammate Hagan was seeded third in his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” entry, the elimination rounds held a few surprises. Beckman, along with Ron Capps and Johnny Gray all saw their Dodge Charger R/T eliminated in the first round of action with mechanical issues, while Hagan fell in the second. It was the first time in 31 events that a Mopar Funny Car entry did not reach the semifinals.

 

The good news is that despite the setbacks, the Funny Car points battle remains close and all four Mopars remain in the top-five.

 

Mopar teams now get set to take on the concrete challenge that awaits them at the inaugural Auto-Plus NHRA New England Nationals next weekend in Epping, New Hampshire, just north of Boston, on June 20-23.

Richard Childress Racing–Michigan Post Race

Michigan 400     
Michigan International Speedway  
 
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Michigan International Speedway      
June 16, 2013  
 
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished second (Kevin Harvick), 10th (Jeff Burton), 11th (Austin Dillon) and 14th (Paul Menard).
Following the event at Michigan International Speedway, Harvick is now fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Jimmie Johnson by 62 markers, while Menard ranks 11th, 123 points back, and Burton sits 17th, 27 points out of the top 10.
The No. 29 team ranks fourth in the Sprint Cup Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 27 team 11th and the No. 31 team 18th.
According to NASCAR’s Post-Race Loop Data Statistics, Harvick earned the fifth-best Driver Rating (104.30) and ranked eighth for Laps In The Top 15 (163).
Harvick’s Average Running Position (9.77) ranked him seventh overall in the 43-car field.
Menard completed 59 Green Flag Passes and ranked third in the Closers category, gaining five positions in the final 20 laps of the 200-lap event.
Burton posted his fourth consecutive top-15 finish of the season.
Burton made 57 Green Flag Passes, 25 of which came while running in the top 15 (Quality Passes).
Dillon ranked third in the Closers category, advancing five positions in the final 10 percent of the race and was the sixth-Fastest Driver Late in a Run (187.392 mph).
Greg Biffle earned his first victory of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season and was followed to the finish line by Harvick, Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, June 23. The 16th race on the 2013 schedule is slated to be televised live on TNT beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio.
 
Menard Earns 14th-Place Finish at Michigan International Speedway
 
After his best qualifying effort of the season, Paul Menard started the No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet from the fourth position and captured a hard-fought 14th – place finish at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. The early laps of the race looked promising as Menard quickly made his way to the second position on the first lap. The Eau Claire, Wis., native remained inside the top 10 until a lap-42 pit stop for right-side tires, fuel and a track bar and packer adjustment. Multiple cars elected not to take tires, or not pit at all, and Menard was forced to restart in the 22nd position. Starting mid-pack, Menard fought a loose-handling condition in traffic and the crew made a variety of chassis adjustments during the ensuing pit stops to help remedy the issue. The driver of the No. 27 Chevrolet steadily worked his way back toward the front and was running in 12th on lap 165 when crew chief “Slugger” Labbe called him onto pit road for a routine green-flag pit stop. Three laps after pitting, the caution flag flew for the final time causing Menard to fall a lap down to the leader, who had not yet come to pit road. Taking the “wave around” under caution, the 32-year-old driver was able to return to the lead lap restarting in 26th. On a mission to get back inside the top 15, Menard gained 12 spots in the remaining 27 laps to finish 14th. Menard now sits in the 11th spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings heading to Sonoma Raceway next weekend.
 
 
Start – 4th                       Finish – 14th                     Laps Led – 0            Points – 11th
 
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We had a fast CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet at the start of the race and began to battle handling issues as the laps wore on. We got caught behind later when the caution came out after we had just pitted under green-flag conditions and had to restart at the tail end of the lead pack. I have to give my guys credit, they never gave up and we were able to fight back and come home with a top-15 finish.”
 
 
     
Kevin Harvick Hangs Tough to Finish Second at Michigan International Speedway
 
When the 200-lap, 400-mile race at Michigan International Speedway began on Sunday afternoon, Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team lined up 21st for the initial green flag. The first pit stop on lap 22, for a pre-determined competition caution, allowed the team to make multiple adjustments to help the car’s loose-handling condition. Throughout the race, crew chief Gil Martin called for pit stops taking on two and four tires at various times. This allowed the team to manage their tires during the race and avoid flats like other teams endured. For the last caution restart with 27 laps remaining, Harvick came off pit road in third with four tires, chassis adjustments and was topped off with enough fuel to go the remaining distance. During the final green-flag run, Harvick radioed in that he was feeling another vibration and didn’t want to push the car and lose valuable track position. He jumped to second place, then lost the position and regained it to earn the runner-up finish. This was his fifth consecutive top-10 finish and moved the team up  to fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings.
 
Start – 21st         Finish – 2nd           Laps Led – 0          Points – 4th
 
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“We had a few vibrations during the race and you just have to ride them out and stay in the race. Gil (Martin, crew chief) and the Budweiser Chevrolet team did a great job on pit road managing stops during the race. They just kept making good adjustments, with the biggest ones coming on the first pit stop. It was a good day for us, we fought through the vibrations to stay out there and came up with a good finish.”
 
       
Jeff Burton Collects Third Top-10 Finish of 2013 Season at Michigan International Speedway
 
Jeff Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team collected their third top-10 finish of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, finishing 10th in the 400-mile event at Michigan International Speedway. After starting the 200-lap affair from the 18th position, the South Boston, Va., native maintained a top-20 running position while battling with a loose-handling condition on his black and yellow machine. Burton was able to find speed in the latter stages of long green-flag runs, but the loose-handling condition plagued the Richard Childress Racing driver from passing other competitors on the track. Crew chief Luke Lambert directed the Caterpillar pit crew to make chassis and air pressure adjustments under multiple two and four-tire pit stops through the course of the event. As the race progressed, Burton began to showcase speed by posting top-five lap times. With just under 50 laps remaining, the 21-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner worked his way into the top 15 and caught a break on lap 168 when the caution flag was displayed after many competitors had already made green-flag pit stops. Burton capitalized on the next restart and benefited from other competitors running out of fuel in the waning laps before crossing the finish line 10th for his fourth-consecutive top-15 result of the season. With the solid finish, Burton gained four positions and now sits 17th in the Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings.
 
Start – 18th         Finish – 10th         Laps Led – 0  &n
bsp;        Points – 17th
 
JEFF BURTON QUOTE:
“The No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team fought hard all day to bring home another solid finish. It turned out that tires made a huge difference and Luke (Lambert, crew chief) made all the right calls with adjustments as the track conditions changed. We continue to make progress with our 1.5-mile and two-mile track programs. Overall, it was a good points day for us.”
 
    
Austin Dillon Earns Career-Best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Finish at Michigan International Speedway
 
Austin Dillon drove the No. 33 American Ethanol Chevrolet SS to an 11th-place finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway, posting his career-best finish in his seventh series start. The Richard Childress Racing driver started the 200-lap race from the seventh position, his best starting position in NASCAR’s top tier division. The Welcome, N.C. driver spent the beginning of the race battling a loose-handling condition on his black and green Chevrolet. Working with crew chief Dr. Eric Warren, Dillon & Co. followed a pit strategy off-cycle from the race leader during the beginning and middle stages of the race. The team opted not to pit when the race leader and several front runners visited pit road under caution on lap 42, positioning Dillon in the second spot for a lap-45 restart. The rookie Sprint Cup Series driver was fast at the front of the field, maintaining pace within the top five for the next 30 circuits until he was pinned one lap down when the caution flag was displayed while pitting under green-flag conditions on lap 72. Dillon opted to take the “wave around” to gain his lap back and restarted 26th on lap 80. Although his car handled loose during the next run, Dillon continued to post fast lap times and move forward in the running order. He was scored in the 13th position when the caution flag was displayed on lap 168, prompting Dr. Warren to direct him down pit road for the final pit stop of the day. When entering his pit box, Dillon overshot his pit stall and had to be pushed back into his box, costing valuable seconds on pit road before the RCR team changed four tires and added Sunoco Green E15 fuel. Dillon was relegated to the 22nd position for the lap-173 restart, but assured his crew he planned to drive as aggressively as possible during the remaining laps of the event. Not to disappoint, Dillon gained 11 spots to finish a career-best 11th in the No. 33 American Ethanol Chevrolet.
 
Start – 7th          Finish – 11th                Laps Led – 0           Points – N/A
                                   
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:  “I’m very proud of the No. 33 American Ethanol team. The guys on the team did a great job all day. I’m looking forward to our next race together.”
 

Summit Racing–Anderson Debuts New Camaro with Positive Results in Bristol

Anderson Debuts New Camaro with Positive Results in Bristol
 
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 16, 2013) – Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson was eager to debut his brand new Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro at the 13th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, and an improved qualifying performance and semifinals finish boosted the Mooresville, N.C.-based driver’s spirits on what was already bound to be a very special weekend.
 
Anderson came to Bristol Dragway, the place of his first win in 2001, intent on celebrating. On the agenda was a return to the winner’s circle at the scenic facility where he also won in 2004, but it was also a weekend to honor his father, Rod Anderson, on his 80th birthday (Saturday, June 15th) and then again on Sunday – Father’s Day.
 
Surrounded by family, Anderson wheeled the white Summit Racing Camaro to a strong 6.698 in the first session of qualifying and improved to a qualifying-best 6.671 at 206.57 mph in the second session. On day two of qualifying, Team Summit experimented with the set-up and established both ends of the spectrum with one conservative and one aggressive pass. Anderson qualified in the No. 7 position and landed a first-round meeting with Greg Stanfield, a driver notoriously quick off the starting line.
 
Naturally, 74-time national event winner Anderson knew exactly what it would take to leave his opponent empty handed at the end of the racetrack and clocked a stellar .005-second reaction to preface his 6.705 at 206.67 mph. Stanfield, however, all but handed Anderson the victory when he fouled out by leaving the starting line .023-second too soon.
 
In the second round, Anderson was again very much on his game and launched ahead of last season’s Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson. The .022 to .037 starting line advantage was the decider, and Anderson won the round on a 6.723 to 6.715 holeshot.
 
“That round with A.J. was, quite honestly, probably the biggest round win I’ve had this year,” said Anderson, who is currently 8th in the Mello Yello Series Pro Stock standings. “I felt good today. This was definitely a positive.”
 
Although his day came to a close in the semifinals when he was again first to leave but unable to maintain the advantage over Erica Enders-Stevens (she won the round by .022-second with a 6.706 to 6.739), Anderson was rejuvenated by the progress found over the course of the weekend.
 
“Some days you wake up on the right side of the bed, and I felt good this morning and like I could do a decent job driving,” said Anderson. “We won a couple of big rounds, and I would have liked to have gone all the way, but we’re getting closer to where we need to be. For a new car, this was a good weekend.
 
“I’d also like to extend my congratulations to [event winner] Rodger Brogdon. He did a fantastic job, and I’m very happy for him. There is nothing like that first win, and he got that today. I had my very first one here, so I know what that feels like. I’m sure he’s going to love Bristol just as much as I do.
 
“This weekend gave the Summit Racing team a little bit more hope,” Anderson continued. “We’ll go home to the KB Racing shop and work for the next three days as hard as we can to figure out what we need to do to improve the performance of our Camaros. The next race is a new one on the schedule, so it’s new for everybody. Nobody will have a home-track advantage or more laps than anyone else. It will be a challenge for everybody, and if there is one thing that this Summit Racing team likes, it’s a challenge.”
 

Wood Brothers Racing–Wood Brothers Among Those Celebrating Ford’s 1,000th NASCAR Victory

Wood Brothers Among Those Celebrating Ford’s 1,000th NASCAR Victory
June 16, 2013

The Wood Brothers and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew didn’t get to drive their No. 21 Ford Fusion to Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, but they did feel like a big celebration was in order.

While Trevor Bayne scored a 15th-place finish, fellow Ford driver Greg Biffle captured the win in his No 16 Ford Fusion, giving Ford Motor Company its 1,000th NASCAR victory.

Over the years, the Wood Brothers have played a large role in Ford’s NASCAR success, winning 98 races in both Fords and Mercurys, including some of the sport’s marquee events. Among the Woods’ victories are five in the Daytona 500 and 11 at Michigan International Speedway, where their win total is second only to Sunday’s winning team, Roush Fenway Racing, which now has 13 at the home track of the U.S. auto makers.

“We’re proud to be a part of Ford’s celebration of 1,000 NASCAR victories,” said Eddie Wood, co-owner of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion. “We want to congratulate Ford Motor Company, Jack Roush and Greg Biffle for getting this milestone win and for getting it here at Michigan. It caps off a great week here.”

Wood, his brother Len and their driver Trevor Bayne took time this past week to visit their Ford friends in Dearborn and on Sunday, Edsel B. Ford II, the great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford, and his son Albert watched the Quicken Loans 400 from atop the Wood Brothers’ pit box.

“That’s truly an honor for us,” Eddie Wood said, adding that Mr. Ford is a huge supporter of racing.

On the track, Bayne was involved in a minor dust-up on the start, but quickly moved inside the top 15 from his 25th starting spot. A later incident caused some aerodynamic damage to the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion, but quick pit work by the Motorcraft crew and good race strategy by crew chief Donnie Wingo helped Bayne bring the No. 21 Ford Fusion home for a top-15 finish.

“Considering the damage to the car, we were fortunate to wind up 15th,” Eddie Wood said.

Bayne and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew return to the Sprint Cup Series next month for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 6.

Summit Racing–A Good Day in Bristol for Line and the One Year Old Blue Summit Racing Camaro

A Good Day in Bristol for Line and the One Year Old Blue Summit Racing Camaro
                                                                                                                  
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 16, 2013) – Pro Stock driver Jason Line came to Bristol Dragway to mark the one-year anniversary of the debut of the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro, and he hoped to celebrate with a win. Although a trophy wasn’t ultimately in the cards for Line at the 13th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, he saw another respectable outing with a top half qualifying effort and a trip to the semifinals on Father’s Day.
 
Line raced alongside the quickest cars in the category during the second round of qualifying at the event when his 6.661-second blast was third quickest of the session and good for a bonus qualifying point. His performance on the first day held his place in the qualifying order, and Line started fifth on raceday on the opposite side of the ladder from Summit Racing teammate Greg Anderson, who was debuting a brand new Camaro of his own.
 
In the first round, Mooresville, N.C.-based Line won an impressively close and thrilling match with Vincent Nobile. Former Sportsman standout Line took a .001-second advantage at the starting line and then crossed the finish line first, 6.710 to 6.711, for a slim yet rewarding .002-second margin of victory.
 
Line was on task in the second round to knock out Shane Gray, the driver he beat in the Houston final round earlier this season. Line clocked a .027 reaction and moved ahead to win with a 6.719 that was unchallenged; Gray was too quick at the hit and left the starting line .006-second early with the red light glowing.
 
The day was heating up and teammate Anderson was working his way up on the other side of the ladder. Twice before the Summit Racing teammates had met in the final round, and both were eager for another all-Summit final at the beautiful facility nestled in the tree-lined mountains (Line won in 2006 and Anderson got the nod in 2004). It was not to be, however; Line’s Summit Racing Camaro shook hard off the starting line and veered fiercely to the centerline and he had no choice but to lift and give up on the run.
 
“It’s very aggravating,” admitted Line, who leaves Bristol holding onto the No. 5 position in the Mello Yello Series standings. “But Rodger Brogdon was the guy in the other lane, and he went on to win the race. It was his first win, and he’s a good guy. I have to say that it’s nice to see him win. You want to see everybody have a chance. I don’t ever want him to beat me again, but I’m happy for Rodger today.
 
“We had some luck today with my Summit Racing Camaro, and you absolutely need to have luck, so that was a good thing. We’ve certainly had worse days at the racetrack, and we can definitely see that we are gradually making the progress that we want to see. Greg and I both won a couple of rounds, and that was good for all of us. It was a nice Father’s Day, and my family was here so I got to spend it with them – all in all, it was a good day for the Summit Racing team.”
 

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