NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
FEDEX 400 BENEFITING AUTISM SPEAKS
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 30, 2014
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Dover International Speedway and discussed his thoughts on the races coming up in June, qualifying at Pocono and many other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND AND YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE RACE:
“Just looking to expand on a great performance last weekend.  We are coming to my favorite race track and by the stats probably our best track as well.  Excited to be here, look forward to getting on the race track and seeing how this new rules package works here.  Over the years we have been able to adapt to a variety of generations of car and hopefully we can adapt quickly to what is needed here and what the set-up needs to be to get around the ‘Monster’ once again.  Looking forward to the race on Sunday.”
 
HOW DO YOU VIEW THE NEXT STRETCH OF THE SCHEDULE WITH THE LACK OF 1.5-MILE TRACKS AS FAR AS DRIVERS THAT HAVEN’T WON YET THIS YEAR?  ESPECIALLY WITH THE WAY THE CHASE RULES ARE SET UP THIS YEAR.  IS THAT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DRIVERS THAT HAVEN’T WON WITH THE UNIQUE TRACKS COMING UP TO WIN THOSE RACES?
“I would say outside of the two road course races your favorites would still be your favorites.  I think the road course races open it up to a lot of drivers.  You naturally think of the road course specialist, but guys like myself and Kasey Kahne have won in Sonoma too.  Sonoma I think really opens the door for a lot of people.  Fuel strategy can play a role in there and really take it into somebody else’s hands that is willing to take a big risk.  But Michigan, Pocono, Indy, I just feel like your teams that are running well now will prevail at those tracks.  I think who runs well at Pocono will naturally run well at Indy.  I think Michigan, even though it’s a two-mile track, it still fits kind of a mile and a half style set-up.  Should be a familiar face there and I am kind of lost for the other tracks we are going to.  I guess New Hampshire is out there at some point which is an important race with it being in the Chase so right now with how tough it’s been to understand the new package I think whoever is strong now will continue to be strong.  We are deep enough into the season where people are kind of on their course and have the set-ups that they think is best under their car.  You won’t see a lot of change I don’t think.  Everybody is kind of locked in I guess with their speed.”
 
WAS IT IRRITATING TO YOU WHEN MATT KENSETH DROVE YOU LOW ON THE BACKSTRETCH AT THE END OF THE RACE AT CHARLOTTE LAST WEEK?  IS THERE ANY KIND OF UNWRITTEN RULE BETWEEN DRIVERS OF AT WHAT POINT IN THE RACE IT IS OKAY TO BLOCK OR NOT TO BLOCK?
“When it comes to the end of the race everything is out the window at that point.  I don’t expect somebody to be polite and courteous and give me all kinds of room.  I hadn’t been run down the straightaway low like that before, but once we got low enough where I kind of knew ‘this is about as far as I want to go’ Matt (Kenseth) kind of held his line at that point.  We were about off the track, but again its racing. It’s the end of the (Coca-Cola) 600, it’s the end of the race and you expect people to race you real hard.  If it’s right one your quarter panel or your door through the center of the turn whatever it may be.  I wasn’t totally shocked and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to go by the No. 20 car.  There was no way that was going to happen.  The unwritten rule is really fall into the line of contact and where somebody bumps you.  Going into the corners that opens up a can of worms and usually leads to some hurt feelings and pushing and shoving if not punches thrown, especially in the old days.  Contact through the center of the corner or off or even some bumping down the straightaway is fine, but the big unwritten rule is contact on corner entry.”
 
AS A PAST POLE WINNER AT POCONO HOW DO YOU THINK THE NEW QUALIFYING FORMAT WILL PLAY OUT THERE AND WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS 11 RACES IN ON THE NEW FORMAT?
“Qualifying there it’s such a long lap that you usually end up kind of out of grip by the third turn.  You leave pit road you’ve got a long way to get around, you get up to speed and then complete that long lap that we might see a fair amount of fall off in speed.  Just due to the tire getting more miles on it than what you would normally have.  That is kind of my first question that I have is how much fall off will there be.  But it’s the same for everyone and there is enough room on that race track you should be able to get a clean lap and not have to worry about traffic.  I think the format will work well.  If you are fortunate enough to time it and get a tow down the front straightaway when somebody is finishing their lap and you are getting up to speed that could be beneficial for you.  There are a couple of things there to think about and I think it’s such a big track it’s tough to see it all from a fan perspective.  But inside the car and the challenge that the crew chief face there is a lot going on around that race track. I know it’s Chad’s (Knaus) favorite race track to go to because all three corners are different, the loading is different, the banking is different, there are a bunch of tools and options to adjust the race car all the way around the track.  That is what Chad really enjoys about that place.”
 
WE HAVE HAD SOME MOISTURE HERE THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO CHECK OUT THE TRACK AND SEE IF THAT IS GOING TO BE A FACTOR AT ALL?
“With the Trucks being on track they will have it dusted off pretty good for us.  I feel bad for their first 10 or 15 minutes of practice.  The dirt that it has drug across the track makes this place pretty slick.  Those guys are putting up with it right now and it will be in good shape once we get out there.”
 
YOU’VE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS AT DOVER IN THE PAST WHAT DO YOU KEEP DOING TO ADJUST TO THE DIFFERENT AERO PACKAGES THAT NASCAR PRESENTS AT THESE TRACKS?
“Really at the end of the day there is a feel a sensation I look for to get around this race track.  We all have a feel and sensation we look for it’s just if it yields the speed and fits the track.  Everything has worked well for me, for Chad, for the team, our equipment; it’s just been a very strong track for us.  Over time as things change I just pay attention to the feeling I’m looking for and we are able to work through whatever challenges are thrown at us with different tires that are brought in and also generations of car.  This is still the Gen-6 cars, but a different rules package under it.  Regardless of change there are just some tracks that work well for you and you are able to still find that feeling you are looking for regardless of circumstances.”
 
WHAT IS THE MOOD OF THE TEAM WHEN COMING OFF A WIN?
“Coming off a race win, the Monday to Friday routine is very comfortable and nice. Everybody is smiling and has a spring in their step. But truthfully, when we get here and check in, last week seems so far away. And then here, in an hour or so when we get on the race track for practice and NASCAR’s timing and scoring goes hot again, it’s completely out of your mind and you’re focused on the present. There has been a lot of pressure and expectations put on us as a team and a lot of things written about us and the long winless streak, but that pressure that people might see and suspect that might be wearing on us is nothing compared to the pressure we put on ourselves as a race team. We expect a lot out of ourselves. We feel like wins have gotten away from us this year that
we weren’t happy about and we also feel that there are tracks that we went to where we just had poor performances. So, the win is great, but we kind of hold ourselves to that standard and we’re coming to one of our best tracks and the expectations are very high for this weekend.”
 
LAST SEPTEMBER YOU BECAME THE ALL-TIME WINNINGEST DRIVER HERE. LAST WEEK YOU BECAME THE ALL-TIME WINNINGEST POINTS RACE DRIVER AT CHARLOTTE. DO THOSE RECORDS MEAN ANYTHING SPECIAL TO YOU OR IS IT JUST ANTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE?
“No, no, they definitely have a ton of meaning. When I look at the people that I’m tying or have the opportunity to beat for those great titles, it’s the heroes of our sport and the guys that are put in the Hall of Fame. When you look at their stats and what they’ve done for our sport, household names, it is no small feat to tie or have the opportunity to beat these guys for races won at any track.”
 
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE PRESSURE YOU PUT ON YOURSELVES, CAN YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC AS FAR AS TEAM MEETINGS OR DO YOU GET SNIPPY WITH EACH OTHER OR WHAT IS THE KIND OF PRESSURE YOU GUYS PUT ON YOURSELVES?
“All the above. Depending on the day and the point of the day, it changes. But, to start the process, the amount of time that’s put into our race cars and the set-ups and the preparation that goes into it that starts the week; and then as the weekend unfolds, if you have speed and you’re okay, it’s easy to not be snippy and to maintain whatever mindset that works but still eye on the prize. If you’re not where you want to be, especially (crew chief) Chad (Knaus) and my group of guys who spend so much time to come to the race track and to be prepared, that in a way their feelings are hurt. It’s not fun to work so hard and then to be on the right side of the board in practice or qualifying; to not make it to the second round of qualifying. That stuff just eats us up because we work way too hard to be in that position. The sport isn’t easy. This garage area is so tough and strong that it happens. And when it does, you’ve just got to pull your boots up and get to work and work harder.
 
HOW MUCH DIFFERENT WAS IT THIS WEEK AFTER THE WIN IN CHARLOTTE?
“It’s been good. There’s certainly been a little spring in everyone’s step. And then really expanding on the sensations I had in the race car during the events and what I liked about the car and what I didn’t like about the car; going through practice and qualifying and practice and the race, and seeing what put speed in the car and what took speed out of the car. And really trying to help last weekend’s performance plow a road for us in where we need to go with this new rules package.”
 
WHEN YOU GO OUT FOR A RUN AT THE RACE TRACK, KIND OF LIKE YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME, IS IT DIFFICULT WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER RACE FANS AND THEY WANT YOU TO POSE FOR PICTURES OF GIVE THEM AN AUTOGRAPH? IS IT HARD TO COPE WITH THAT?
“It depends. Most of them have got to catch me first and they’re usually not sober enough or in shape enough to do that. Do, it just depends. I’ll get up early at sunrise, that’s usually the most fun. You run up and down Talladega Blvd. Texas is good for it. There’s a variety of tracks where an early morning run is more entertaining than it is a workout. You see people halfway in their tents and still passed out in lawn chairs and all kinds of good things. In the afternoons, I’ll run this afternoon, usually people see me coming, they think; and as they go by they’ll say, ‘Hey Jimmie, is that you?’ And I’ll wave and give them a thumbs-up or something and keep on digging. Guys on bikes and golf carts can run you down. But they’re usually pretty good about it.”
 
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS STRETCH ON THE SCHEDULE, CHARLOTTE, DOVER, & POCONO, YOU’VE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS AT THOSE TRACKS. IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR REASON SINCE THOSE TRACKS ARE ALL SO DIFFERENT?
“That’s a good question. They are totally different race tracks. I’d have to say they’re probably the most technical tracks we go to. Set-up is key. Communication between driver and crew chief is key. At Charlotte and Dover you have such loading characteristics, as you’re on the straightaway and kind of lunge off the corner, that you can draw some similarities between those two tracks. Pocono is so different. I don’t even know how to even draw a parallel other than it’s tough to get around. Dover isn’t easy. Charlotte isn’t easy. And neither is Pocono.”
 
WE’VE JOKED ABOUT YOUR LONG WINLESS STREAK. FOR YEARS IT WAS JIMMIE WINS TOO MUCH AND THEN IT BECAME WHY HASN’T JIMMIE WON THIS YEAR? AFTER CHARLOTTE, WHAT HAS BEEN THE FEEDBACK ON SOCIAL MEDIA FROM FANS AND COMPETITORS?
“I think a lot of joking about the long winless streak being over. That’s been the common theme among friends and social media and about. So, I’m just having fun with it and trying to remind myself that it’s a backhanded compliment, I guess, that we have done so well as a team and been fortunate to win a lot and win often, that we put ourselves in this corner. So, I’m glad I don’t have to answer those questions any longer and we’re looking forward to winning again soon and especially later in the year, winning often.”
 
YOU HAVE EIGHT MONSTER TROPHIES FROM DOVER. DO YOU HAVE THEM ALL IN ONE SPOT OR SPREAD OUT; CONSIDERING THEY ARE ONE OF THE LARGEST TROPHIES YOU CAN WIN?
“They’re all in one spot. I have a great man cave. It’s a big warehouse and I have a huge bar that I restored and it’s got a big top shelf on it. And I think five of them are up there. And then others are scattered about through this kind of pub area that I set-up inside my warehouse where I have some old cars and stuff that I collected. They stand out. They’re a big trophy and they certainly draw a lot of attention.”
 

 Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Teams Ready for Doubleheader Challenge on Home Turf at The Raceway at Belle Isle Park for the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit
 
      DETROIT (May 28, 2014) – The Chevrolet IndyCar V6 teams head ‘home’ to Detroit for the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit, races six and seven of the 18-race 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season and the first of three doubleheader events on this year’s schedule.
 
Returning to the backyard of the world headquarters of Chevrolet for the third consecutive year, the Chevy IndyCar V6 2.2 liter twin turbocharged direct injected powered teams and drivers face a unique challenge as they compete in a pair of races that both pay valuable championship points over the course of one weekend. The temporary street circuit named The Raceway at Belle Isle Park is an intricate 2.36-mile/13-turn temporary road course on the Detroit River Island. The teams and drivers will have to adapt to the changes and be prepared for the mental toughness it will take to focus on not one, but two races during the three-day event.
 
“This hometown event on Belle Isle in Detroit is always special for Team Chevy and our technical partners,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager for the Verizon IndyCar Series. “Racing in view of our corporate headquarters and in front of our families and friends adds a uniqueness to the events.  The double header format gives fans the chance to witness more street course action that the Verizon IndyCar Series is known to provide.  Numerous positive changes and learnings from prior year races on Belle Isle has Team Chevy ready to earn the top spot of the podium on Saturday and Sunday.”
 
In 2012 Chevrolet was an integral part of bringing IndyCar back to the Motor City for the first time since 2007.  While every race on the schedule is important and demands dedicated attention to every detail, for the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers racing in the shadows of Chevrolet’s Detroit headquarters in the Renaissance Center towers just to the west of the track adds the element of hometown pride, and determination to stand atop the Victory Lane podium.
 
For several current Team Chevy IndyCar drivers, returning to The Raceway at Belle Isle Park Street Circuit has special meaning. Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves won his career-first race on the challenging course in 2000 and backed it up with another victory in 2001. Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Tony Kanaan took the trip to Detroit Victory Lane in 2007. Kanaan’s teammate Scott Dixon was the winner in 2012 and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Mike Conway, the winner earlier this season at the Long Beach Grand Prix, won Dual No. 1 in 2013.
 
After its successful debut as the Indy 500 pace car, Chevrolet will again roll out the all-new 2014 Z/28 Camaro to take center stage as the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit pace car.  All of the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers in the field for Saturday and Sunday’s races will follow the 2014 model of the iconic nameplate to the green flags.
 

JORDAN AND RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CHEVROLET CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE WAYNE TAYLOR RACING DRIVERS WERE THE GUESTS ON THIS WEEK’S TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT: 
 
NATE SIEBENS:  Thank you to everybody for joining us on the call today as we head into this Saturday’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers, which will be at Detroit’s Raceway on Belle Isle.  This weekend’s 100‑minute race features the TUDOR Championships Prototype and GT Daytona classes, and it will take the green flag at 12:10 p.m. eastern time.  The race will be televised on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 1:30 p.m. eastern time.
 
Joining us on the call today are brothers Jordan and Ricky Taylor, who co‑drive the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP for their father’s Wayne Taylor Racing team.  Ricky has seven career professional sports car victories, his best result in Detroit so for was a fifth place run last year in the GRAND‑AM Rolex Sports Car Series race.  Jordan has won both of his previous visits to Detroit.  He won the Rolex Series GT class in 2012, and in Daytona Prototype last year alongside Max Angelelli on their way to the 2013 Rolex Series DP championship.
 
Immediately following Saturday’s race both Jordan and Ricky will be headed to Le Mans to participate in the mandatory test day on Sunday. Jordan will be part of the No. 73 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7R driver lineup alongside TUDOR Championship regulars Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia in the GTE Pro class.  Ricky will share the No. 50 Larbre Competition Morgan‑Judd in the LMP2 class.
 
Jordan, let’s start with an opening question for you.  Detroit has been very good to you so far.  What are you and Ricky going to do to continue that momentum this weekend?
 
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Well, looking back at the past few years, we didn’t necessarily have the fastest car both years, but Detroit is a street course, and it’s a difficult place to pass, and I feel both times that we’ve been there, both with Auto Haas in 2012 and then last year with Wayne Taylor Racing that we were good in the pits, and after the last pit stop they left in the lead, and I think that really set the tone for the races, being that track position and basically controlling the race from front.
 
Our team has been notoriously good this year and last year in the pits, so as long as we can keep that trend going and both Ricky and I can keep it up somewhere near the front, I think we’ll have another shot at another win.
 
NATE SIEBENS:  Thanks, Jordan.  Ricky, you and Jordan obviously off to a solid start this season, three second‑place results from the first four races.  How do you guys break into the win column this weekend, and also, how important is it to win again in Detroit with a Corvette DP?
 
RICKY TAYLOR:  I think it’s one of our most important races of the year, being that we’re in GM’s backyard and on a street course.  It’s in a very important part of the season, so we’re putting a lot of pressure on ourselves to perform well.  And then in terms of winning races, I think we’ve been right up there.  I think it’s just a little bit of track position here and there.  I think we just weren’t the strongest car at Laguna, so we settled for good points and second place and then Long Beach and Daytona we were right there.  I think it was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.  We’re just going to have to keep pushing, and if we keep running this strongly, I’m sure the wins will come.
Q.  Hi, guys.  Just a question about parity.  We’ve had long races and we’ve had short races this year, so far, and I was wondering what you guys thought about the parity between the DP and the P2 cars the way it is now.  How do you think they’ll do against each other in Detroit, and do you think the two cars are able to live happily racing against each other in the series?
RICKY TAYLOR:  I think the parity is actually really good.  I think it’s hard to kind of get over the hump of the first Daytona where everybody knew the DPs would be favored, and then we went to Sebring, and I thought it was very evening.  I think a P2 car ended up with the fastest lap of the race, but the way the races went, it favored the DP, and then Long Beach I thought was pretty close, maybe a little bit favored to the DP, and then Laguna was a P2 track.
 
I don’t think you can ask for everything.  You’re never going to match the two cars on the straights and you’re never going to match the two cars on the corners.  I think they’ve found a very good middle ground, and I think our team is very happy with the parity of the series in that we’re still having to fight really hard for wins.  We never thought it would be this close, to be honest.
 
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Yeah, I mean, I think since Sebring, it’s actually been quite good.  I remember battling with Simon Pagenaud in the Extreme Speed car and I was one of the first people, I didn’t really say it out loud, but I never really thought the cars could be close, a DP and a P2, and once I was around Pagenaud for around 45 minutes straight at Sebring, the cars were shockingly close, not just in the corners but also in the straights.  I think certain types of corners that lead into straights suit us, and certain types of corners suit them.  Different tracks can suit different cars, and just like Ricky said, you can’t ask for everything.  You can’t have cornering speeds and straight line speeds.  It’s got to be a balance of the two.  Different tracks, different people are going to be complaining, but we did as well as we could have done at Laguna finishing second to a P2 car, and they’ve been up front like Muscle Milk was up front at Daytona when that was a DP track. As long as teams are executing well, I think the balance of the performances have been quite good.
Q.  Somebody told me that I may not be able to tell that you’re brothers when I get there.  Have you always been the type that did your own thing, or what can I expect?
JORDAN TAYLOR:  What to expect between us?
Q.  Just the visual.  I haven’t been on the scene for a while.
JORDAN TAYLOR:  I’ve got a mullet, so that will be pretty easy to spot, I think.
Q.  So I won’t have to see a name tag or anything.  But I did want to ask you a more serious racing question.  Detroit is a track that sort of just has been going through a few years now, and it seems to be the racing there is good.  How about the competition between manufacturers there in this race?
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Well, thankfully the past two years Chevy has been winning it, and 2012, the first year there, the Camaro won in GT and a Corvette Daytona Prototype won in the Prototypes and then last year we won in the Prototypes again, and I think Stevenson won with their Camaro again in 2013.  Both years Chevrolet has been on top, and hopefully we can continue that trend this year.
 
RICKY TAYLOR:  Yeah, I mean, same with me.  I think GM puts a lot of pressure on us for this weekend, right in their backyard, and for us it’s our No. 2 race to the 24‑hour, and we’ve always been strong here.  For some coincidence the DPs ‑‑ the Corvette DPs have always been competitive here, so we’ll just see how we match up versus the P2 cars, but I think we’re used to the GTD/Prototype battle together on the track.  I think with that experience we should have a good opportunity here.
Q.  This question would be for both of you gentlemen.  What would be the most demanding portion of the actual race on the track?  Where on the track will you meet your most demand this weekend?
RICKY TAYLOR:  Yeah, I think for me it’s at the end of the back straight.  The track is very difficult bei
ng a street course with obviously walls everywhere, so there’s not room for error.  But off the end of the back straight you have to turn and brake and it’s really bumpy, but there’s a wall really close on the exit.  You’re trying to get past GT cars and it’s one of the only passing opportunities for interclass battles, so it’s very narrow and easy to make a mistake.  So that would be my pick for the most difficult one.
 
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Yeah, I’d say the biggest challenge for this weekend is traffic.  Last year we went there with sort of this class split with the Prototypes and GTD cars, but this year we’re a bit faster, and then there’s going to be a lot more GTD cars, as well.  I think just the mental strain and being a little bit more cautious but also aggressive at the same time because the sprint race is going to be the toughest part of the race trying to get through traffic clean and not make any mistakes because you’ll lose or gain so much time.
Q.  Jordan and Ricky, talk about shifting gears quickly from Detroit to Le Mans, if you can talk about what your plans are when the race is over, going over to Le Mans for the test day and maybe just a general comment looking ahead to the race itself, and same for you, Ricky.
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Yeah, that’ll be the third year now that I’ve done this crazy trip to get over to Le Mans for the test day.  Basically the race will finish and then we’ll basically try and get off the Belle Isle island as fast as possible to get to the Detroit airport for a flight at I think 6:30 p.m. that gets to Paris sometime Sunday morning, then we’re straight on a train down to Le Mans, then hopefully someone is there to pick us up to take us to the track, and then basically we’re straight in the race car for the afternoon session at Le Mans.
 
Hopefully we get a good three or four hours of testing under our belt.  It’s not the most ideal situation, obviously, but we only get one day of testing at Le Mans, and that’s our one day.
 
I remember in 2012, I think, I won the race in Detroit, didn’t get to go to the podium, didn’t eat dinner that night, slept on the plane, didn’t eat breakfast the next day because I was on the train down to Le Mans and straight into the race car.  It’s definitely a unique experience.
 
RICKY TAYLOR:  I mean, I’m on the same schedule as Jordan in terms of getting out of Detroit and then into Le Mans.  After the test day, I think me, Richard and Jordan are all going to do the afternoon session, and then we all have to ‑‑ they’re going to fly home, and my team has a training camp scheduled for three days after the test, so we’ll go to Val de Vienne, their test track, and we won’t do any on‑track stuff but just some kind of team bonding and physical training stuff, and I’ll be hanging out in France until the race weekend, and Jordan will come back and meet me there for the race.
 
Like Jordan said, in addition to what Jordan said, the biggest challenge for me is the mental preparation for three race weekends, such different cars and such different events to give everything 100 percent of your focus and attention is very difficult.  I want to ‑‑ I want to be our best on every weekend, and it’s just hard sometimes to give everything to each weekend.
Q.  Ricky, what have you been doing to adapt, to prepare yourself for an LMP2 car?  Is there any advice you’ve gotten from anybody in particular or any preparation for that?
RICKY TAYLOR:  I haven’t been able to get too much information.  I think we tested a couple weeks ago in the DP, and it’s all a new era.  I learned my neck is not quite strong enough.  I’ve been doing a lot of neck training because I think the DP is going to have quite a bit more G‑forces, and then with three drivers there’s going to be a lot of seat time.  I’ve been doing a lot of training to get ready for that, especially in my neck, and a little bit of iRacing because they have a P2 car in there.
 
The one good thing is that Le Mans is the one track that the car is going to be completely trimmed out, so it’s not going to be such a crazy downforce machine that it’s going to be too alien to me.  I’m doing everything I can, watching On Board, did a little bit of simulator last week, but doing what I can at the moment.
Q.  And Jordan, tell us a little bit about your preparation here and what you’re going to be doing at Watkins Glen in a few weeks.
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Yeah, well, obviously I’ve been growing a mullet now for about a year and a half, and I’m getting kind of tired of it, so I got talking with a couple of charities Camp Boggy Creek and Camp Anokijig, and we’re basically giving money, doing a raffle, and whoever wins the raffle is going to get two tickets to the Watkins Glen Six‑Hour, a ride in the two‑seater Daytona Prototype from Continental Tire, and then the runner up in the raffle will be getting a set of Continental Tires.  So trying to raise as much money for the charities, and then whoever wins it is going to come to the event and cut off some of my hair and have a great weekend.  Hopefully we can raise a bunch of money for it.
Q.  Jordan and Ricky, yesterday I was talking to Courtney Force over in NHRA about getting the 100th female win in NHRA.  She obviously has a strong racing background like you guys do.  I asked her a question that I’ve really asked Mario Andretti a number of years ago about talented kids racing and growing up racing go‑karts, and I asked Mario if he could see talent in those kids, and he smiled and said, not all kids are created equal.  Maybe Mario could see it, but did you guys when you were growing up, obviously you grew up around racing.  Did you think in your past you felt you had that driving talent all along?
JORDAN TAYLOR:  I think initially in go‑karts we didn’t think it at all.  We didn’t have any success in go‑karting for about four or five years, and then I guess we only started really winning races when we moved to cars, when we got into Skip Barber doing the racing school there and then doing the racing series.  I think we were pretty late bloomers, and success took a while to find.
 
RICKY TAYLOR:  Yeah, I think Jordan is right on.  I think we didn’t see a lot of success early, but I think the main thing about having those genes is that he was around to teach us what he knew, and that’s been a part of a learning curve so much, more than just whatever genes we might have, I think it was the knowledge that he gave us, all those days at the racetrack where he could tell us what we’re doing wrong and how to go about racing professionally and what to expect at higher levels.  We weren’t just treating it like another sport, we were kind of treating it more as our living and as a profession.
Q.  As far as Courtney also kind of mentioned that she was so driven, everybody thought it was just a pipe dream for a female to do it, but when she got her driver’s license, one month later she was in drag racing school.  Did you guys have that kind of a passion that you couldn’t wait to get into it?
JORDAN TAYLOR:  I think we definitely wanted to ‑‑ I wouldn’t say immediately, but we were always around the track, so we were always around it.  But I think it took a little bit of go‑karting to really get the buzz for it and really want to do it for a living.  I think once we started taking go‑karting seriously, even with the lack of success that we had to begin with, we weren’t focusing on anything else.  It was pretty much racing was everything, and if that didn’t work out, I don’t think we knew what we were going to do after that.
 
RICKY TAYLOR:  Yeah, same here.  Once we got into it and got serious and stuff, it was all we could really see ourselves doing.
Q.  I’ve asked Jimmie Johnson, John Force.  Courtney said she didn’t really catch on right away.  J
immie Johnson, he couldn’t win in motorcycles, and look where everybody has gone.  What’s your comment on that?
JORDAN TAYLOR:  I don’t know, it’s an interesting question, I guess.  But I think everyone, their style suits different things, so if Jimmie Johnson didn’t suit a motorcycle, he’s obviously suited in NASCAR quite well.  Our driving styles must not have suited go‑karting or things like that.  I think a big thing for Ricky and I is we were really serious about the sport, we love learning about it and everything.  So growing up around my dad, always being around his teammates and his teams and his engineers, we had all of this information available to us to learn from, and not a lot of kids at our age when we were younger were getting that kind of information. To be getting it at such a young age and trying to absorb it definitely sped up that learning curve a lot.
 
RICKY TAYLOR:  Yeah, I think everybody learns differently and everybody adapts to some things differently, as well.  Like when we were racing in Skip Barber and kind of coming up through the ranks, a lot of the other drivers were coming up at the same time, and you’d see a lot of drivers not adapting to their cars really quickly.  Some drivers would get in and immediately go really fast, and other drivers would take a little while to get there and might overtake the other guys in terms of a learning curve.  But I think for us, or for me especially, I think we really struggled in go‑karts and maybe just didn’t suit our driving style.  Max will tell you the same thing.  Max was useless in go‑karts, as well. I think it’s just what suits you.  As we’ve both kind of come up, we’ve both found a good home in the Daytona Prototype, and it’s suited us both very well.
Q.  You’ve kind of sort of answered this already, and I apologize, but what was the key to this form of racing that drew all the talent from you and made you successful?
RICKY TAYLOR:  It’s hard to tell.  I think it goes back to that thing we said about growing up in a sports car racing family, and our dad has always taught us like little things about how to grow up in this sport and specifically sports car racing.  I remember one of the first things he taught me when I drove a car was to drive down the middle of the straight away at Road Atlanta, and normally he’d say take the shortest route, which it’s kind of a corner, and he said just because all the debris gets pushed to the outside.  That’s not something an IndyCar dad would tell you, that’s something a sports car dad would tell you.  So little things like that I think have helped us grow with this sport as opposed to oval racing, especially oval racing or open wheel racing or something like that, and I think it just kind of suits us how we’re both easy‑going mentalities, we’re both open to working with a teammate, which also kind of fits in well with how this style of racing works.
Q.  Do either one of you take the opportunity, though, to go and watch other forms of automobile racing and do you appreciate what those drivers are doing in those events?
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Yeah, obviously.  We’ve huge fans of the sport, not just sports car racing, so we’re watching V‑8 Super Cars, DTM, Formula 1, IndyCar.  If there’s a race on TV we’ll be watching it.  Everyone has different things to learn from, and they may be different animals, but at the end of the day a race car is a race car and you can learn a lot from different guys, even if it’s in a massively different car.
Q.  My question is about the event.  The city of Detroit has taken a lot of body shots the last few years, and it seems to have fought its way off the ropes anyway.  How important do you think having a first‑class event like this weekend is, and do you sense out there, is there a buzz about the event, and do you think ‑‑ I’m thinking along the right track that an event like yours can bolster people’s confidence and pride in the city?
RICKY TAYLOR:  It’s definitely good.  I think we go to a lot of races throughout the year, and we’ll go into town and mingle with some of the locals if there’s an opportunity.  But when we come to Detroit, everyone is always asking are you in town for the race or obviously they see the shirts and stuff. Are you in town for the race and they ask questions and they’re enthusiastic, and then at the track there’s a lot of volunteers.  There’s a good buzz, and I don’t think we see that, other than maybe the 24‑hour and Sebring, throughout the rest of the year.
 
I’m not a politician, but I think it’s nice to see the positive attitudes of all the local people and how much everybody seems to be behind it.
 
JORDAN TAYLOR:  I guess I can add just that if you look all around the world, sporting events always bring people together no matter what it is.  I think having a big event like we have with IMSA being there and IndyCar and I think World Challenge, as well, is great, and I think Roger Penske promotes the event.  When you’re at the track, it’s top‑notch.  The big thing for me is always bathrooms, and they’ve got the cleanest bathrooms of any racetrack that we go to.  From the highest level of things for the event to the lowest things as bathrooms, it’s a great event, and it overlooks the Detroit skyline.  It’s a really nice event.
 
NATE SIEBENS:  With that, let’s wrap up today’s teleconference.  Thanks again to Jordan and Ricky and all of you who called in for joining us again.
 

JORDAN AND RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CHEVROLET CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE WAYNE TAYLOR RACING DRIVERS WERE THE GUESTS ON THIS WEEK’S TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT: 
 
NATE SIEBENS:  Thank you to everybody for joining us on the call today as we head into this Saturday’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers, which will be at Detroit’s Raceway on Belle Isle.  This weekend’s 100‑minute race features the TUDOR Championships Prototype and GT Daytona classes, and it will take the green flag at 12:10 p.m. eastern time.  The race will be televised on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 1:30 p.m. eastern time.
 
Joining us on the call today are brothers Jordan and Ricky Taylor, who co‑drive the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP for their father’s Wayne Taylor Racing team.  Ricky has seven career professional sports car victories, his best result in Detroit so for was a fifth place run last year in the GRAND‑AM Rolex Sports Car Series race.  Jordan has won both of his previous visits to Detroit.  He won the Rolex Series GT class in 2012, and in Daytona Prototype last year alongside Max Angelelli on their way to the 2013 Rolex Series DP championship.
 
Immediately following Saturday’s race both Jordan and Ricky will be headed to Le Mans to participate in the mandatory test day on Sunday. Jordan will be part of the No. 73 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7R driver lineup alongside TUDOR Championship regulars Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia in the GTE Pro class.  Ricky will share the No. 50 Larbre Competition Morgan‑Judd in the LMP2 class.
 
Jordan, let’s start with an opening question for you.  Detroit has been very good to you so far.  What are you and Ricky going to do to continue that momentum this weekend?
 
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Well, looking back at the past few years, we didn’t necessarily have the fastest car both years, but Detroit is a street course, and it’s a difficult place to pass, and I feel both times that we’ve been there, both with Auto Haas in 2012 and then last year with Wayne Taylor Racing that we were good in the pits, and after the last pit stop they left in the lead, and I think that really set the tone for the races, being that track position and basically controlling the race from front.
 
Our team has been notoriously good this year and last year in the pits, so as long as we can keep that trend going and both Ricky and I can keep it up somewhere near the front, I think we’ll have another shot at another win.
 
NATE SIEBENS:  Thanks, Jordan.  Ricky, you and Jordan obviously off to a solid start this season, three second‑place results from the first four races.  How do you guys break into the win column this weekend, and also, how important is it to win again in Detroit with a Corvette DP?
 
RICKY TAYLOR:  I think it’s one of our most important races of the year, being that we’re in GM’s backyard and on a street course.  It’s in a very important part of the season, so we’re putting a lot of pressure on ourselves to perform well.  And then in terms of winning races, I think we’ve been right up there.  I think it’s just a little bit of track position here and there.  I think we just weren’t the strongest car at Laguna, so we settled for good points and second place and then Long Beach and Daytona we were right there.  I think it was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.  We’re just going to have to keep pushing, and if we keep running this strongly, I’m sure the wins will come.
Q.  Hi, guys.  Just a question about parity.  We’ve had long races and we’ve had short races this year, so far, and I was wondering what you guys thought about the parity between the DP and the P2 cars the way it is now.  How do you think they’ll do against each other in Detroit, and do you think the two cars are able to live happily racing against each other in the series?
RICKY TAYLOR:  I think the parity is actually really good.  I think it’s hard to kind of get over the hump of the first Daytona where everybody knew the DPs would be favored, and then we went to Sebring, and I thought it was very evening.  I think a P2 car ended up with the fastest lap of the race, but the way the races went, it favored the DP, and then Long Beach I thought was pretty close, maybe a little bit favored to the DP, and then Laguna was a P2 track.
 
I don’t think you can ask for everything.  You’re never going to match the two cars on the straights and you’re never going to match the two cars on the corners.  I think they’ve found a very good middle ground, and I think our team is very happy with the parity of the series in that we’re still having to fight really hard for wins.  We never thought it would be this close, to be honest.
 
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Yeah, I mean, I think since Sebring, it’s actually been quite good.  I remember battling with Simon Pagenaud in the Extreme Speed car and I was one of the first people, I didn’t really say it out loud, but I never really thought the cars could be close, a DP and a P2, and once I was around Pagenaud for around 45 minutes straight at Sebring, the cars were shockingly close, not just in the corners but also in the straights.  I think certain types of corners that lead into straights suit us, and certain types of corners suit them.  Different tracks can suit different cars, and just like Ricky said, you can’t ask for everything.  You can’t have cornering speeds and straight line speeds.  It’s got to be a balance of the two.  Different tracks, different people are going to be complaining, but we did as well as we could have done at Laguna finishing second to a P2 car, and they’ve been up front like Muscle Milk was up front at Daytona when that was a DP track. As long as teams are executing well, I think the balance of the performances have been quite good.
Q.  Somebody told me that I may not be able to tell that you’re brothers when I get there.  Have you always been the type that did your own thing, or what can I expect?
JORDAN TAYLOR:  What to expect between us?
Q.  Just the visual.  I haven’t been on the scene for a while.
JORDAN TAYLOR:  I’ve got a mullet, so that will be pretty easy to spot, I think.
Q.  So I won’t have to see a name tag or anything.  But I did want to ask you a more serious racing question.  Detroit is a track that sort of just has been going through a few years now, and it seems to be the racing there is good.  How about the competition between manufacturers there in this race?
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Well, thankfully the past two years Chevy has been winning it, and 2012, the first year there, the Camaro won in GT and a Corvette Daytona Prototype won in the Prototypes and then last year we won in the Prototypes again, and I think Stevenson won with their Camaro again in 2013.  Both years Chevrolet has been on top, and hopefully we can continue that trend this year.
 
RICKY TAYLOR:  Yeah, I mean, same with me.  I think GM puts a lot of pressure on us for this weekend, right in their backyard, and for us it’s our No. 2 race to the 24‑hour, and we’ve always been strong here.  For some coincidence the DPs ‑‑ the Corvette DPs have always been competitive here, so we’ll just see how we match up versus the P2 cars, but I think we’re used to the GTD/Prototype battle together on the track.  I think with that experience we should have a good opportunity here.
Q.  This question would be for both of you gentlemen.  What would be the most demanding portion of the actual race on the track?  Where on the track will you meet your most demand this weekend?
RICKY TAYLOR:  Yeah, I think for me it’s at the end of the back straight.  The track is very difficult bei
ng a street course with obviously walls everywhere, so there’s not room for error.  But off the end of the back straight you have to turn and brake and it’s really bumpy, but there’s a wall really close on the exit.  You’re trying to get past GT cars and it’s one of the only passing opportunities for interclass battles, so it’s very narrow and easy to make a mistake.  So that would be my pick for the most difficult one.
 
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Yeah, I’d say the biggest challenge for this weekend is traffic.  Last year we went there with sort of this class split with the Prototypes and GTD cars, but this year we’re a bit faster, and then there’s going to be a lot more GTD cars, as well.  I think just the mental strain and being a little bit more cautious but also aggressive at the same time because the sprint race is going to be the toughest part of the race trying to get through traffic clean and not make any mistakes because you’ll lose or gain so much time.
Q.  Jordan and Ricky, talk about shifting gears quickly from Detroit to Le Mans, if you can talk about what your plans are when the race is over, going over to Le Mans for the test day and maybe just a general comment looking ahead to the race itself, and same for you, Ricky.
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Yeah, that’ll be the third year now that I’ve done this crazy trip to get over to Le Mans for the test day.  Basically the race will finish and then we’ll basically try and get off the Belle Isle island as fast as possible to get to the Detroit airport for a flight at I think 6:30 p.m. that gets to Paris sometime Sunday morning, then we’re straight on a train down to Le Mans, then hopefully someone is there to pick us up to take us to the track, and then basically we’re straight in the race car for the afternoon session at Le Mans.
 
Hopefully we get a good three or four hours of testing under our belt.  It’s not the most ideal situation, obviously, but we only get one day of testing at Le Mans, and that’s our one day.
 
I remember in 2012, I think, I won the race in Detroit, didn’t get to go to the podium, didn’t eat dinner that night, slept on the plane, didn’t eat breakfast the next day because I was on the train down to Le Mans and straight into the race car.  It’s definitely a unique experience.
 
RICKY TAYLOR:  I mean, I’m on the same schedule as Jordan in terms of getting out of Detroit and then into Le Mans.  After the test day, I think me, Richard and Jordan are all going to do the afternoon session, and then we all have to ‑‑ they’re going to fly home, and my team has a training camp scheduled for three days after the test, so we’ll go to Val de Vienne, their test track, and we won’t do any on‑track stuff but just some kind of team bonding and physical training stuff, and I’ll be hanging out in France until the race weekend, and Jordan will come back and meet me there for the race.
 
Like Jordan said, in addition to what Jordan said, the biggest challenge for me is the mental preparation for three race weekends, such different cars and such different events to give everything 100 percent of your focus and attention is very difficult.  I want to ‑‑ I want to be our best on every weekend, and it’s just hard sometimes to give everything to each weekend.
Q.  Ricky, what have you been doing to adapt, to prepare yourself for an LMP2 car?  Is there any advice you’ve gotten from anybody in particular or any preparation for that?
RICKY TAYLOR:  I haven’t been able to get too much information.  I think we tested a couple weeks ago in the DP, and it’s all a new era.  I learned my neck is not quite strong enough.  I’ve been doing a lot of neck training because I think the DP is going to have quite a bit more G‑forces, and then with three drivers there’s going to be a lot of seat time.  I’ve been doing a lot of training to get ready for that, especially in my neck, and a little bit of iRacing because they have a P2 car in there.
 
The one good thing is that Le Mans is the one track that the car is going to be completely trimmed out, so it’s not going to be such a crazy downforce machine that it’s going to be too alien to me.  I’m doing everything I can, watching On Board, did a little bit of simulator last week, but doing what I can at the moment.
Q.  And Jordan, tell us a little bit about your preparation here and what you’re going to be doing at Watkins Glen in a few weeks.
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Yeah, well, obviously I’ve been growing a mullet now for about a year and a half, and I’m getting kind of tired of it, so I got talking with a couple of charities Camp Boggy Creek and Camp Anokijig, and we’re basically giving money, doing a raffle, and whoever wins the raffle is going to get two tickets to the Watkins Glen Six‑Hour, a ride in the two‑seater Daytona Prototype from Continental Tire, and then the runner up in the raffle will be getting a set of Continental Tires.  So trying to raise as much money for the charities, and then whoever wins it is going to come to the event and cut off some of my hair and have a great weekend.  Hopefully we can raise a bunch of money for it.
Q.  Jordan and Ricky, yesterday I was talking to Courtney Force over in NHRA about getting the 100th female win in NHRA.  She obviously has a strong racing background like you guys do.  I asked her a question that I’ve really asked Mario Andretti a number of years ago about talented kids racing and growing up racing go‑karts, and I asked Mario if he could see talent in those kids, and he smiled and said, not all kids are created equal.  Maybe Mario could see it, but did you guys when you were growing up, obviously you grew up around racing.  Did you think in your past you felt you had that driving talent all along?
JORDAN TAYLOR:  I think initially in go‑karts we didn’t think it at all.  We didn’t have any success in go‑karting for about four or five years, and then I guess we only started really winning races when we moved to cars, when we got into Skip Barber doing the racing school there and then doing the racing series.  I think we were pretty late bloomers, and success took a while to find.
 
RICKY TAYLOR:  Yeah, I think Jordan is right on.  I think we didn’t see a lot of success early, but I think the main thing about having those genes is that he was around to teach us what he knew, and that’s been a part of a learning curve so much, more than just whatever genes we might have, I think it was the knowledge that he gave us, all those days at the racetrack where he could tell us what we’re doing wrong and how to go about racing professionally and what to expect at higher levels.  We weren’t just treating it like another sport, we were kind of treating it more as our living and as a profession.
Q.  As far as Courtney also kind of mentioned that she was so driven, everybody thought it was just a pipe dream for a female to do it, but when she got her driver’s license, one month later she was in drag racing school.  Did you guys have that kind of a passion that you couldn’t wait to get into it?
JORDAN TAYLOR:  I think we definitely wanted to ‑‑ I wouldn’t say immediately, but we were always around the track, so we were always around it.  But I think it took a little bit of go‑karting to really get the buzz for it and really want to do it for a living.  I think once we started taking go‑karting seriously, even with the lack of success that we had to begin with, we weren’t focusing on anything else.  It was pretty much racing was everything, and if that didn’t work out, I don’t think we knew what we were going to do after that.
 
RICKY TAYLOR:  Yeah, same here.  Once we got into it and got serious and stuff, it was all we could really see ourselves doing.
Q.  I’ve asked Jimmie Johnson, John Force.  Courtney said she didn’t really catch on right away.  J
immie Johnson, he couldn’t win in motorcycles, and look where everybody has gone.  What’s your comment on that?
JORDAN TAYLOR:  I don’t know, it’s an interesting question, I guess.  But I think everyone, their style suits different things, so if Jimmie Johnson didn’t suit a motorcycle, he’s obviously suited in NASCAR quite well.  Our driving styles must not have suited go‑karting or things like that.  I think a big thing for Ricky and I is we were really serious about the sport, we love learning about it and everything.  So growing up around my dad, always being around his teammates and his teams and his engineers, we had all of this information available to us to learn from, and not a lot of kids at our age when we were younger were getting that kind of information. To be getting it at such a young age and trying to absorb it definitely sped up that learning curve a lot.
 
RICKY TAYLOR:  Yeah, I think everybody learns differently and everybody adapts to some things differently, as well.  Like when we were racing in Skip Barber and kind of coming up through the ranks, a lot of the other drivers were coming up at the same time, and you’d see a lot of drivers not adapting to their cars really quickly.  Some drivers would get in and immediately go really fast, and other drivers would take a little while to get there and might overtake the other guys in terms of a learning curve.  But I think for us, or for me especially, I think we really struggled in go‑karts and maybe just didn’t suit our driving style.  Max will tell you the same thing.  Max was useless in go‑karts, as well. I think it’s just what suits you.  As we’ve both kind of come up, we’ve both found a good home in the Daytona Prototype, and it’s suited us both very well.
Q.  You’ve kind of sort of answered this already, and I apologize, but what was the key to this form of racing that drew all the talent from you and made you successful?
RICKY TAYLOR:  It’s hard to tell.  I think it goes back to that thing we said about growing up in a sports car racing family, and our dad has always taught us like little things about how to grow up in this sport and specifically sports car racing.  I remember one of the first things he taught me when I drove a car was to drive down the middle of the straight away at Road Atlanta, and normally he’d say take the shortest route, which it’s kind of a corner, and he said just because all the debris gets pushed to the outside.  That’s not something an IndyCar dad would tell you, that’s something a sports car dad would tell you.  So little things like that I think have helped us grow with this sport as opposed to oval racing, especially oval racing or open wheel racing or something like that, and I think it just kind of suits us how we’re both easy‑going mentalities, we’re both open to working with a teammate, which also kind of fits in well with how this style of racing works.
Q.  Do either one of you take the opportunity, though, to go and watch other forms of automobile racing and do you appreciate what those drivers are doing in those events?
JORDAN TAYLOR:  Yeah, obviously.  We’ve huge fans of the sport, not just sports car racing, so we’re watching V‑8 Super Cars, DTM, Formula 1, IndyCar.  If there’s a race on TV we’ll be watching it.  Everyone has different things to learn from, and they may be different animals, but at the end of the day a race car is a race car and you can learn a lot from different guys, even if it’s in a massively different car.
Q.  My question is about the event.  The city of Detroit has taken a lot of body shots the last few years, and it seems to have fought its way off the ropes anyway.  How important do you think having a first‑class event like this weekend is, and do you sense out there, is there a buzz about the event, and do you think ‑‑ I’m thinking along the right track that an event like yours can bolster people’s confidence and pride in the city?
RICKY TAYLOR:  It’s definitely good.  I think we go to a lot of races throughout the year, and we’ll go into town and mingle with some of the locals if there’s an opportunity.  But when we come to Detroit, everyone is always asking are you in town for the race or obviously they see the shirts and stuff. Are you in town for the race and they ask questions and they’re enthusiastic, and then at the track there’s a lot of volunteers.  There’s a good buzz, and I don’t think we see that, other than maybe the 24‑hour and Sebring, throughout the rest of the year.
 
I’m not a politician, but I think it’s nice to see the positive attitudes of all the local people and how much everybody seems to be behind it.
 
JORDAN TAYLOR:  I guess I can add just that if you look all around the world, sporting events always bring people together no matter what it is.  I think having a big event like we have with IMSA being there and IndyCar and I think World Challenge, as well, is great, and I think Roger Penske promotes the event.  When you’re at the track, it’s top‑notch.  The big thing for me is always bathrooms, and they’ve got the cleanest bathrooms of any racetrack that we go to.  From the highest level of things for the event to the lowest things as bathrooms, it’s a great event, and it overlooks the Detroit skyline.  It’s a really nice event.
 
NATE SIEBENS:  With that, let’s wrap up today’s teleconference.  Thanks again to Jordan and Ricky and all of you who called in for joining us again.
 

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: First Steps Toward Eighth Class Victory
Annual Test Day serves as dress rehearsal for Corvette C7.R’s Le Mans debut
 
DETROIT (May 28, 2014) – The biggest challenge yet for the new Chevrolet Corvette C7.R beckons across the Atlantic. Sunday is the annual Test Day ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and eight hours of track time for the C7.R and Corvette Racing’s six drivers. It’s the only time cars can run on the 8.3-mile circuit ahead of official practice and qualifying for the world’s most grueling auto race June 14-15.
 
Le Mans is the biggest event on Corvette Racing’s schedule, and for good reason. It tests man and machine like no other in some of the most extreme conditions imaginable. And it’s one where Corvette Racing has a strong history – seven class victories since 2001. Once again, the team will compete in the GTE Pro class.
 
The driver lineups are the same in each Corvette for the third straight year. Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Jordan Taylor will drive the No. 73 Corvette C7.R. Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Richard Westbrook will share the No. 74 Corvette. The group has a combined 12 victories at Le Mans – four each for Gavin and Magnussen, three for Garcia and one for Milner.
 
All six drivers tested the Corvette C7.R in a low-downforce aero package during a two-day test earlier this month at Road America. It marked a significant change in feel and handling from the high-downforce setup the two Corvettes use in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The team hopes the success in North America transfers to Le Mans. Garcia and Magnussen are on a two-race winning streak and stand second in the GT Le Mans championship. Gavin and Milner are tied for third.
 
The Corvette C7.R debuts at Le Mans nine years after its predecessor – the C6.R – made its first start in 2005. Much has changed with new design and engineering efforts that will aid Corvette Racing and its drivers at the 24 Hours. Even with limited downforce, the C7.R is much more stable and predictable than the previous generation Corvette, drivers say. That will make the Corvettes that much stronger in the medium- and high-speed corners that dot the Le Mans layout.
 
This also is the first race at Le Mans for a Corvette with a direct-injection engine since the final GT1 race for the C6.R in 2009. Corvette Racing engineers expect a 3 percent gain in fuel economy over the C6.R which could mean one less pit stop over the course of 24 Hours – a potentially huge advantage.
 
Sunday’s test sessions at Le Mans run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m. Central European Time or 3 to 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. to noon ET.
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 73 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Benefits of Road America test) “Every single lap we do is important. We did all we can to get to Le Mans with the maximum amount of knowledge about the car and maximum amount of development. It took me a few laps to get used to the car in a low-trim setup. Even Road America isn’t a low-downforce track. You have to adjust your style to the aero more than the track. What I remembered about Road America was completely different because we ran a completely different aero configuration. You have to focus on driving the car and forget about where you are. We know we could have adjusted the car to go faster around there, but the focus was our Le Mans program and gain as much data as possible.”
(Test Day outlook) “When we left Road America, we were happy with how things progressed and how the car behaved on the track. Now we have to wait to see how this new C7.R is around Le Mans and where we are compared to our competition. The test will be important considering the weather. It has been difficult the last three years. If we have a week like we had last year – with almost no dry running – it will be difficult for us. We hope to have a good, clean run Sunday with nice weather that is good enough to confirm that all we have is good enough for the race and what we expect.”
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 73 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Road America test) “As usual at Le Mans, everyone is looking for top speed and stability. I think we got through a good number of things at the test that will help us at Le Mans. But we won’t know how we stack up against the competition probably until the race at Le Mans. Even at the Test Day, people are testing stuff and not exactly going for a lap time. But we will get a good idea of where we are on the Test Day. Unfortunately if we are not near the top, there is not a lot we can do between the test and the race other than some fine-tuning. But I do think we are much better prepared this year than we were last year.”
(Outook): “We are in a much better position this year. Last year we were a huge amount of time off the fastest cars. This year I don’t think the gap will be that big. But if you are a half-second or a second off, that’s still a problem. We’ve done everything we can to be as well-prepared as possible.”
 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 73 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Being back with Corvette Racing) “It’s been a long time since I drove the C6.R – since last year’s Petit Le Mans. It was nice to finally get laps in the C7.R. It’s a way different car –everything from the cockpit to the way it drives and the seating position. I sat in it at Daytona and Laguna Seca to get a feel for it, and to get to drive it at Road America was really fun. Getting up to speed in a car like that in such a competitive class is always difficult. It’s great having guys in the car with you like Antonio and Jan, who are obviously on it in the class and won the last two races. So I have the perfect guys to compare my data to and really figure out the car.”
(First C7.R impressions) “The biggest thing for me is how much more comfortable to drive and how much more predictable it is. The C6.R was always on edge; when it started to slide, it would slide quickly and it was hard to catch. Finding the limit of the car was always a little intimidating because there wasn’t much time to react when the car started to break loose. But once I got in the C7.R, I could instantly feel the grip and a much better sensation of where the car is in the corner. You know what’s about to happen and you can react much quicker. For our type of racing, it’s huge to have that predictability just for consistency over a run.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Road America test) “It’s always good to go to Road America and test. I felt pretty confident in the car. You know from many years of going to Le Mans what the car needs to be fast at Le Mans. Did we tick all those boxes? I’d say we ticked some of them but you never know if you ticked all of them until you get to Le Mans and you see what your pace is like and what your straight-line speed is like. Le Mans is so unique and it’s so hard to replicate that and reproduce it anywhere in the world.”
(High-downforce vs. low-downforce setups): “Fundamentally the balance of the car is very similar. Just the level of grip in medium- and high-speed corners go down when you have a light-downforce package. So you know you have to be a little more delicate with the wheel, the brakes and slow with your hands and feet so as to not upset the car under braking – the sort of mindset that you need for when you go back to Le Mans. And that was another great thing about having that test at Road America. After running the cars with the highest levels of downforce possible for first part of the year, it was a bit of a culture shock to how the car needs to be set up and how it needs to be in order to go fast around 8.3 miles at Le Mans. You have to make those adjustments so not only is it good for us to go to Road America to test the car and see what it’s like in those configurations, it’s good for the drivers to get that experience and feel.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Driving with low-downforce settings) “It was a big
difference in general from what I’m used to. But you have to reset your brain a little bit on what the car feels like in high-speed corners and under braking. Certainly for a first stab at it, the car wasn’t too bad. But over the two days (at Road America), we worked really hard on making it more comfortable to drive. We definitely achieved that – as comfortable as it can be with very little downforce. At a place like Road America, if you can be pretty comfortable in the Carousel with little downforce, then that usually bodes well for Le Mans.”
(Team preparations) “The atmosphere within the team doesn’t change much. But everyone on the team is a little more anxious to see how the car feels, how fast it can be and what we say about it over the radio because in some ways it is our first taste of what to expect for Le Mans. The biggest difference is just those first impressions and they make a bigger impact on the mood of the team a little bit early on. The car was obviously not very fun to drive to start with (at Road America) but nobody panicked. We put our heads down and started working on the car. We definitely left the test feeling pretty optimistic about going to Le Mans with a car that should be quick and one that is fairly nice to drive. But having said that, I’d trade a comfortable car to drive for a fast car at Le Mans any day. That’s part of Le Mans – trying to find that elusive balance.”
 
RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Back with Corvette Racing) “It’s great to be back in the Corvette Racing family. It feels like it has been too long. I had to sit out Daytona and Sebring because of my duties with the Corvette Daytona Prototype, so I was really excited to get back with the team and I was keen to try out the Corvette C7.R. I certainly wasn’t disappointed. It’s an amazing piece of machinery and engineering. Everyone at Pratt & Miller and Chevrolet did a fantastic job in improving on the successful C6.R in every department. It was a very encouraging test.”
(First impressions) “The thing that struck me was the lower center of gravity in the car. You can feel that right away. You can feel the added stability especially at high speed. The thing that was a big, big step is the lateral grip. The advancements in the center of gravity are just incredible. It was a real joy to drive and I have to say it was a little easier to drive and step into than what I was used to before. It feels much more like a racing car – something you can grab hold of and drive. When you have quick sections like the Porsche Curves, it’s all about confidence and this car really introduces a lot of confidence into its driver.”
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“I know all our fans are anxious to see the new Chevrolet Corvette C7.R turn its first laps at the upcoming test day at Le Mans. Experience tells us that any track time there proves to be extremely valuable and fundamental to success. While our recent two-day test at Road America was beneficial to get our first taste of running the car in a Le Mans-style, low-downforce setting, you simply can’t simulate actual Le Mans conditions at any other track in the world. That’s what makes the challenge and allure of Le Mans special and why it is the cornerstone of our racing program year in and year out.”

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: First Steps Toward Eighth Class Victory
Annual Test Day serves as dress rehearsal for Corvette C7.R’s Le Mans debut
 
DETROIT (May 28, 2014) – The biggest challenge yet for the new Chevrolet Corvette C7.R beckons across the Atlantic. Sunday is the annual Test Day ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and eight hours of track time for the C7.R and Corvette Racing’s six drivers. It’s the only time cars can run on the 8.3-mile circuit ahead of official practice and qualifying for the world’s most grueling auto race June 14-15.
 
Le Mans is the biggest event on Corvette Racing’s schedule, and for good reason. It tests man and machine like no other in some of the most extreme conditions imaginable. And it’s one where Corvette Racing has a strong history – seven class victories since 2001. Once again, the team will compete in the GTE Pro class.
 
The driver lineups are the same in each Corvette for the third straight year. Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Jordan Taylor will drive the No. 73 Corvette C7.R. Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Richard Westbrook will share the No. 74 Corvette. The group has a combined 12 victories at Le Mans – four each for Gavin and Magnussen, three for Garcia and one for Milner.
 
All six drivers tested the Corvette C7.R in a low-downforce aero package during a two-day test earlier this month at Road America. It marked a significant change in feel and handling from the high-downforce setup the two Corvettes use in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The team hopes the success in North America transfers to Le Mans. Garcia and Magnussen are on a two-race winning streak and stand second in the GT Le Mans championship. Gavin and Milner are tied for third.
 
The Corvette C7.R debuts at Le Mans nine years after its predecessor – the C6.R – made its first start in 2005. Much has changed with new design and engineering efforts that will aid Corvette Racing and its drivers at the 24 Hours. Even with limited downforce, the C7.R is much more stable and predictable than the previous generation Corvette, drivers say. That will make the Corvettes that much stronger in the medium- and high-speed corners that dot the Le Mans layout.
 
This also is the first race at Le Mans for a Corvette with a direct-injection engine since the final GT1 race for the C6.R in 2009. Corvette Racing engineers expect a 3 percent gain in fuel economy over the C6.R which could mean one less pit stop over the course of 24 Hours – a potentially huge advantage.
 
Sunday’s test sessions at Le Mans run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m. Central European Time or 3 to 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. to noon ET.
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 73 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Benefits of Road America test) “Every single lap we do is important. We did all we can to get to Le Mans with the maximum amount of knowledge about the car and maximum amount of development. It took me a few laps to get used to the car in a low-trim setup. Even Road America isn’t a low-downforce track. You have to adjust your style to the aero more than the track. What I remembered about Road America was completely different because we ran a completely different aero configuration. You have to focus on driving the car and forget about where you are. We know we could have adjusted the car to go faster around there, but the focus was our Le Mans program and gain as much data as possible.”
(Test Day outlook) “When we left Road America, we were happy with how things progressed and how the car behaved on the track. Now we have to wait to see how this new C7.R is around Le Mans and where we are compared to our competition. The test will be important considering the weather. It has been difficult the last three years. If we have a week like we had last year – with almost no dry running – it will be difficult for us. We hope to have a good, clean run Sunday with nice weather that is good enough to confirm that all we have is good enough for the race and what we expect.”
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 73 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Road America test) “As usual at Le Mans, everyone is looking for top speed and stability. I think we got through a good number of things at the test that will help us at Le Mans. But we won’t know how we stack up against the competition probably until the race at Le Mans. Even at the Test Day, people are testing stuff and not exactly going for a lap time. But we will get a good idea of where we are on the Test Day. Unfortunately if we are not near the top, there is not a lot we can do between the test and the race other than some fine-tuning. But I do think we are much better prepared this year than we were last year.”
(Outook): “We are in a much better position this year. Last year we were a huge amount of time off the fastest cars. This year I don’t think the gap will be that big. But if you are a half-second or a second off, that’s still a problem. We’ve done everything we can to be as well-prepared as possible.”
 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 73 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Being back with Corvette Racing) “It’s been a long time since I drove the C6.R – since last year’s Petit Le Mans. It was nice to finally get laps in the C7.R. It’s a way different car –everything from the cockpit to the way it drives and the seating position. I sat in it at Daytona and Laguna Seca to get a feel for it, and to get to drive it at Road America was really fun. Getting up to speed in a car like that in such a competitive class is always difficult. It’s great having guys in the car with you like Antonio and Jan, who are obviously on it in the class and won the last two races. So I have the perfect guys to compare my data to and really figure out the car.”
(First C7.R impressions) “The biggest thing for me is how much more comfortable to drive and how much more predictable it is. The C6.R was always on edge; when it started to slide, it would slide quickly and it was hard to catch. Finding the limit of the car was always a little intimidating because there wasn’t much time to react when the car started to break loose. But once I got in the C7.R, I could instantly feel the grip and a much better sensation of where the car is in the corner. You know what’s about to happen and you can react much quicker. For our type of racing, it’s huge to have that predictability just for consistency over a run.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Road America test) “It’s always good to go to Road America and test. I felt pretty confident in the car. You know from many years of going to Le Mans what the car needs to be fast at Le Mans. Did we tick all those boxes? I’d say we ticked some of them but you never know if you ticked all of them until you get to Le Mans and you see what your pace is like and what your straight-line speed is like. Le Mans is so unique and it’s so hard to replicate that and reproduce it anywhere in the world.”
(High-downforce vs. low-downforce setups): “Fundamentally the balance of the car is very similar. Just the level of grip in medium- and high-speed corners go down when you have a light-downforce package. So you know you have to be a little more delicate with the wheel, the brakes and slow with your hands and feet so as to not upset the car under braking – the sort of mindset that you need for when you go back to Le Mans. And that was another great thing about having that test at Road America. After running the cars with the highest levels of downforce possible for first part of the year, it was a bit of a culture shock to how the car needs to be set up and how it needs to be in order to go fast around 8.3 miles at Le Mans. You have to make those adjustments so not only is it good for us to go to Road America to test the car and see what it’s like in those configurations, it’s good for the drivers to get that experience and feel.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Driving with low-downforce settings) “It was a big
difference in general from what I’m used to. But you have to reset your brain a little bit on what the car feels like in high-speed corners and under braking. Certainly for a first stab at it, the car wasn’t too bad. But over the two days (at Road America), we worked really hard on making it more comfortable to drive. We definitely achieved that – as comfortable as it can be with very little downforce. At a place like Road America, if you can be pretty comfortable in the Carousel with little downforce, then that usually bodes well for Le Mans.”
(Team preparations) “The atmosphere within the team doesn’t change much. But everyone on the team is a little more anxious to see how the car feels, how fast it can be and what we say about it over the radio because in some ways it is our first taste of what to expect for Le Mans. The biggest difference is just those first impressions and they make a bigger impact on the mood of the team a little bit early on. The car was obviously not very fun to drive to start with (at Road America) but nobody panicked. We put our heads down and started working on the car. We definitely left the test feeling pretty optimistic about going to Le Mans with a car that should be quick and one that is fairly nice to drive. But having said that, I’d trade a comfortable car to drive for a fast car at Le Mans any day. That’s part of Le Mans – trying to find that elusive balance.”
 
RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Back with Corvette Racing) “It’s great to be back in the Corvette Racing family. It feels like it has been too long. I had to sit out Daytona and Sebring because of my duties with the Corvette Daytona Prototype, so I was really excited to get back with the team and I was keen to try out the Corvette C7.R. I certainly wasn’t disappointed. It’s an amazing piece of machinery and engineering. Everyone at Pratt & Miller and Chevrolet did a fantastic job in improving on the successful C6.R in every department. It was a very encouraging test.”
(First impressions) “The thing that struck me was the lower center of gravity in the car. You can feel that right away. You can feel the added stability especially at high speed. The thing that was a big, big step is the lateral grip. The advancements in the center of gravity are just incredible. It was a real joy to drive and I have to say it was a little easier to drive and step into than what I was used to before. It feels much more like a racing car – something you can grab hold of and drive. When you have quick sections like the Porsche Curves, it’s all about confidence and this car really introduces a lot of confidence into its driver.”
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“I know all our fans are anxious to see the new Chevrolet Corvette C7.R turn its first laps at the upcoming test day at Le Mans. Experience tells us that any track time there proves to be extremely valuable and fundamental to success. While our recent two-day test at Road America was beneficial to get our first taste of running the car in a Le Mans-style, low-downforce setting, you simply can’t simulate actual Le Mans conditions at any other track in the world. That’s what makes the challenge and allure of Le Mans special and why it is the cornerstone of our racing program year in and year out.”

CORVETTE DPs AT DETROIT: Seeking More Hometown Heroics
Chevrolet hopes to continue Motor City dominance just blocks from RenCen
 
·         Corvette Daytona Prototype going for three-peat on Belle Isle

·         Consecutive 1-2 finishes and pole positions on Chevrolet-sponsored weekend

·         Chevrolet comes home with lead in Prototype Engine Manufacturer Championship

 
DETROIT (May 27, 2014) – The sound of Chevrolet Corvette power will thunder throughout Detroit again this weekend as the contingent of Corvette Daytona Prototypes returns to Belle Isle for the next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. It’s a home race for the Corvette DPs, which will run in view of the GM Renaissance Center just minutes away from the circuit.
 
Saturday’s 100-minute Chevrolet Sports Car Challenge features the series’ Prototype – of which the Corvette DPs are part – and GT Daytona. It takes place on a 2.35-mile, 13-turn temporary street circuit on the island in middle of the Detroit River.
 
The home-track advantage has suited the Corvette DPs well the last two years with a near clean sweep of race honors. There’s nothing to suggest that expectations for this year’s race should be any different. Chevrolet comes to Detroit holding a one-point lead in the Prototype Engine Manufacturer championship. The Corvette DP is the only car to finish on the podium at each TUDOR Championship event this year including a sweep of the top four spots in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the opening round of the season.
 
Given the last two years on Belle Isle, another good points haul may very well be in the offing. Action Express Racing won two years ago in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series – actually a 1-2 team finish with the fastest race lap for Joao Barbosa. Wayne Taylor Racing took victory last season behind Jordan Taylor’s pole position. Action Express backed up its victory with a runner-up finish for Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi.
 
Coincidentally, it’s that pairing that leads the driver’s championship after four rounds with Taylor and brother Ricky tied for second.
 
The Belle Isle circuit is the second street race for the TUDOR Championship, the first being Long Beach in early April. Jordan and Ricky Taylor were second with Barbosa and Fittipaldi third.
 
The track characteristics are varied with a number of short chutes into 90-degree corners but also a fair mix of long straightaways. Opportunities for passing within a class are likely to be at a premium.
 
“Naturally this is an important race for everyone involved in the Corvette DP program,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet’s program manager for Corvette Daytona Prototypes. “We have experienced great success the last two seasons on Belle Isle, which is always fantastic for Chevrolet employees and fans in attendance. From a competition standpoint, this is the second year we will race on a revamped layout that has a longer straight-line section from just past the pit exit. However the additional downforce and power the Corvette DPs have for the TUDOR Championship means there will be a few adjustments to make in each of the practice sessions. Patience and precision are keys here, as with any street circuit race. We will need a good result to maintain our advantage in the Prototype Engine Manufacturer standings.”
 

CHEVROLET’S JIMMIE JOHNSON CRUISES TO FIRST WIN OF ’14 SEASON AT COCA-COLA 600
 
HARVICK GIVES CHEVROLET SS 1-2 FINISH
 
CONCORD, NC – May 25, 2014 – With just eight laps remaining in the Coca-Cola 600, six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson moved to the front of the field for the final time in the 400-lap race at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS).  Johnson captured his first victory of the 2014 season in his No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevrolet SS snapping a 12-race winless streak. Throughout the lengthy endurance race, Johnson led 10 times for a total of 164 laps.
 
The win marked Johnson’s 67th NASCAR Sprint Cup career victory; his seventh win at Charlotte and fourth Coca-Cola 600 trophy. Also of note this is the third time Johnson has won from the pole at the 1.5-mile track. This win also broke the tie with NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip and Johnson is now the all-time series points-paying win leader at CMS. The 38-year old Cup Series veteran took team owner Rick Hendrick to Victory Lane in the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 for the 11th time.
 
Kevin Harvick, who has collected wins at Phoenix and Darlington thus far this season, brought his No. 4 Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet SS home in second place, giving Chevrolet a one-two finish.
 
Last week’s million-dollar Sprint All-Star race winner, Jamie McMurray, also had a strong No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS and finished in fifth-place.  Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon overcame back spasm challenges running a strong race in his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS and was able to finish seventh overall.
 
Gordon continues to lead the current standings and holds an 11-point advantage over second place. Paul Menard finished eighth in the No. 27 Serta/Menards Chevy SS, his sixth top-10 finish of 2014, to put five Chevrolet SSs in the top 10 finishing order.
 
Matt Kenseth (Toyota) was third and Carl Edwards (Ford) was fourth to round out the top five finishing order.
 
The Sprint Cup Series travels to Dover International Speedway in Dover, DE to compete on June 1.
 
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET SS – RACE WINNER
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT WITH JOHNSON, CHAD KNAUS, AND TEAM OWNER RICK HENDRICK:
KERRY THARP:  Let’s hear now from your race winner, Jimmie Johnson.
            Jimmie, certainly your fourth win here at the Coca‑Cola 600, your seventh points win here at Charlotte.  That’s the most ever in the history of the sport.
            Jimmie, talk about winning this race, such a big race on our schedule, in our sport, and it culminates a big day for motorsports.  You were the last one standing.  Talk about how this race unfolded for you.
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, I mean, it means a lot.  Through the years a lot of references to this race as one of our majors.  I certainly agree with that.  600 miles around here is no easy task.
            To deal with all the things that are thrown at a race team through the evening with the track changing, the mechanical obstacles that you have to overcome, keeping an engine alive, tires alive, all of it.  It’s a serious team effort to finish 600 miles.  And then win here, especially as hard as we had to run throughout the night, the pace we had to keep up, certainly proud of that.
            This weekend, so much great racing today.  Obviously the big celebration.  I shouldn’t say celebration, but to be able to honor the men and women that have served our country and given the ultimate sacrifice.  Certainly tomorrow is Memorial Day.
            To have patriotic paint scheme on our racecar, to say thank you to the families that have lost loved ones, then to the men and women out there serving, to see us out there on the racetrack, I know it means something to them.  Proud to be a part of that.
            KERRY THARP:  Chad, certainly a great effort by the 48 team throughout the whole weekend.  Sat on the pole Thursday night.  Very impressive.  Talk about the whole experience, what it means.
            CHAD KNAUS:  Obviously this is a very special place in my heart.  My first victory in the Sprint Cup Series came here with Jeff Gordon back in 1994.  To be able to win this race again with Jimmie, couple times we won it, it’s pretty special.  It’s really neat.
            I have to definitely say thank you to Kenny Francis and Kasey Kahne.  We definitely robbed the bank on those guys.  They came over here last week and had a very fast racecar.  We pillaged their notes a little bit and came back with some of the ingredients they had in their racecar and put that in the Lowe’s 48 car.  Jimmie definitely responded well to that.  Thank you to those guys.
            It was a good weekend.  To be able to go out there and unload quickly, second in qualifying practice, to be able to qualify on the pole, fantastic.  Something we’ve struggled with here as of late.
            Then to be very fast in both practice sessions on Saturday during the day.  We worked hard with Jimmie and the engineers, tried to understand what the track was going to do with the temperature changes.
            It was pretty good.  We had to make some pretty big swings at it, but all in all it was a great weekend.
            KERRY THARP:  Rick, certainly Jimmie shows again the No. 48 team, the strength of this team.  Now you have three of your four drivers bound for the Chase.  Talk about this victory and how big it is for your entire team.
            RICK HENDRICK:  I think, number one, Charlotte is kind of home.  Won my first NASCAR race here with Sr. in ’83 in the Nationwide or Busch Series.  It’s a special place, all the families here.
            Winning a race, Jimmie and Chad have been so close this year, and several situations got away.  To get this one behind us is great.
            This is a tough race to win with the adjustments you have to make, just the endurance of this race itself.  We’re just glad to get another 600 victory.  Glad to see these guys get the win so we can go to Dover and relax.
            KERRY THARP:  We’ll take questions.
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I kind of have a question.  What the hell are you all going to write about now?  We won.  Anybody (smiling)?
 
            Q.  Chad, you mentioned that you pilfered from notes from your teammates.  How often does that happen?  Did it help you tonight?
            CHAD KNAUS:  Yeah, it helped a hell of a lot.  I do it as often as we need it.  That’s the beauty of what we’ve got at Hendrick Motorsports.  If we need help, we’re not getting the result that we need, we’ve
got three other teams we can definitely bounce ideas off of and get direction from.
            This year has been a bit of a struggle for the 48 from an understanding of what the new rules are, what the car wants, even from Jimmie understanding what he feels he needs.  We’re all still trying to understand that.
            I don’t think we’re where we need to be 100% yet.  We’re definitely going in the right direction.  I think Dover and Pocono are going to be a good telltale of where the 48 is.
            We use whoever we can.  I don’t care who comes up with it.  If it’s fast, I’ll steal it.  That’s how we work.
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  They’ve stolen plenty from you (smiling).
 
            Q.  Did you remember how to get to Victory Lane since it’s been so long since you’ve been there?
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  12 long races (smiling).  I guess we’ve created this environment for ourselves.  I honestly wasn’t stressing.  The fact that 12 races created that much buzz just means we’ve done a lot of great things over the years, so I’ll turn it into a compliment.
 
            Q.  You dominated at Charlotte/Lowe’s before they did the repaving.  We heard that the character’s coming back.  Is that an indication this is playing into your hands?  Chad, the other two guys, Danica and Kurt, had engine problems.  Did that cause you any trepidation?
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  We’re getting closer to the old track.  I still think we’re probably three to five years away from it really getting there.
            But the track’s rough.  They’ve started to put tar strips down and we have the seams developing.  There’s other patchwork done on the track.  It’s coming around.
            Whatever this asphalt mixture is, it’s pretty rock solid.  It’s taken a long time to get there.  We’re getting into a sweet spot with the track, I believe.
            CHAD KNAUS:  ‘Trepidation’ is a great word.  I was surprised to hear it out of this gallery (laughter).
            KERRY THARP:  This marks the 14th time in the last 26 Coca‑Cola 600s that a first‑time season winner has won the race.  That’s a big deal this year with the new Chase format.
 
            Q.  Was there any point in the beginning of the season up until now that you started to panic because you hadn’t had a win?  Was there any extra added pressure coming into tonight?
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  No.  I mean, the first goal is to make the Chase.  You want to win races at the end of the season.  You have to win races at the end of the season to be the champions.
            Of course, we want to win early and often.  But we were holding steady in the championship points.  In my opinion, I don’t believe there will be 16 different winners.  I felt like a strong championship points position would get us into the first phase of the Chase.
            Granted, tonight simplifies things.  We’ll take it, move on.  We really want to heat up and win races later in the season, especially before the Chase starts.
            More than anything, I just got tired of answering the question.  There wasn’t a lot of frustration due to pressure of winning.  There was frustration in not having fast racecars, but that’s a different situation.
            We hold ourselves to a high standard.  I think we’re onto some good things and have a good direction to go with our racecars.
 
            Q.  Jimmie, you said after you won the pole that you wanted folks in the garage to fear the 48 team again.  You thought a couple wins would be necessary for that to happen.  Do you feel like that may be starting to happen or do you need to win at Dover as well?
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  We’re off to a good start.  Multiple wins do that.  If we can take advantage of the next few tracks that are great tracks for us, it would be great momentum.
            Ideally you’d love to do it before the Chase gets started and carry that right into the start of the Chase.  But you never know when you’re going to peak and when everything’s going to be just right.
            We’ll hopefully peak at the right time.
 
            Q.  Rick, do you have any idea what the diagnosis is on the two engines that failed?
            RICK HENDRICK:  I think they were probably valve related.  Probably a spring broke first, then we swallowed a valve.  That’s the weakest part of the valve train.
            I know I talked to the engine guys a little while ago.  They’re going to diagnose it and see what they can find.  But usually that’s what happens, it’s a valve spring.
 
            Q.  Was there any concern when Junior had his issues, that you might be looking at three engines?  Did the 48, the 5 or 24 have any concerns either?
            RICK HENDRICK:  I definitely had a lot of concerns after the first one went.  Junior didn’t have an engine problem, that was probably a brake problem.  Vibration, thought it was something else.
            Anytime you break one, I guess that’s the part of the racing that I fear the most, is a part failure.  When you break one, it’s bad.  When you break two, it’s really bad.  They’re all just alike, so…
            A lot of uneasy feelings for me till it was over.
 
            Q.  Since you’ve accomplished what you’ve been able to, will certainly leave a huge mark in the history of motorsports, touch on what Kurt Busch was able to accomplish today at Indy.
            RICK HENDRICK:  I think it was an amazing job.  I think it speaks highly of the talent that’s in this garage, in this sport, to be able to go up there, never having been in the car before.  To finish sixth, he showed a lot of talent.
            I think it’s nice to see the fans recognize him for what he had done.  I think it was outstanding.
            Jimmie, you and Chad can voice your opinions.  But that was an amazing job, I thought.
   
         JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, I completely agree.  He did an awesome job.  Made us all really proud in the garage area watching.  Hats off to him.
            CHAD KNAUS:  Yeah, I agree 100%.  It’s pretty spectacular.  I think Juan Pablo had a lot of motivation to try to finish ahead of him today.
            Kurt did a great job.  The thing that really amazes me, is we all talk about communication.  To be able to go and put himself in that world, begin to try to communicate with those guys that have a completely different vocabulary than what we do on the Cup side, it’s spectacular to go through that.  Showed a lot of maturity on his part, a lot of desire.  I thought that was pretty awesome.
 
            Q.  You’ve been fairly open in the weeks leading up to this about how you were still looking for the handle on the car, the feel for this new rules package.  Chad, you said tonight that you feel like you still have work to do.  I’m wondering how that is.  Looks like you went out there and waxed everybody in one of the biggest races of the year.  What else do you need to prove?  How far do you think you’re still off?
            CHAD KNAUS:  I think we’re off a lot.  I think we’re more than capable of going out there and winning a race if everything goes right.  I think tonight we had a really good racecar and I think Jimmie did a fantastic job.
            But I think if things didn’t go our way, we wouldn’t have.  Quite honestly, I think we need to get back to the form of the 48 car to where we make it go our way.  That’s my goal.  I think we’re a little bit away from that.
            But once we get there, it will be the 48 of old and we’ll be able to go out there and win races like we’re supposed to.
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I agree.  I think the 4 car can make stuff happen to Chad’s point.  We had a great night, took advantage of the opportunity.  There’s still some room to go, for sure.  Luckily we have time on our side.
            Q.  Chad, does the win give you an opportunity to take some chances?  Jimmie talked about putting wins together.  What risks can you take going forward now that you’re secure?
            CHAD KNAUS:  That’s a great point.  We hadn’t been in that position yet to really explore that.
            The thing that’s on our side is that we’ve got, like Jimmie said, a little bit of time to really get an understanding of what’s going on.
            The other thing we’ve got on our side is we’re going to Dover, Delaware, which is by far one of Jimmie’s favorite racetracks.  Then we’re going to Pocono, which is one of my favorite racetracks.  Doesn’t hurt.  So I think over the next couple of weeks we’re going to be in pretty good shape.
            Q.  Rick, typically when Jimmie wins a championship, sometimes they come out a little bit slow because many teams had been working on the next year.  Did you see this as the typical post‑championship start for this team?
            RICK HENDRICK:  You know, I’m probably not the guy to answer that question.
            But, you know, I think the new rule package, like they said, fell into maybe Jeff’s driving style and Junior’s more than it did Jimmie and Kasey.  I think the 5 and the 48 have a little bit more work to do than the 88 and the 24.  That’s just a matter of getting Jimmie what he wants and Chad understanding the car.
            There have been races that we have been so fast, like California.  Jeff had a good long‑run car, he’s had it all year.  One thing I’ve learned watching these guys, what works in the 24 doesn’t necessarily work in the 48.  Jimmie maybe doesn’t like it or it doesn’t work for him.
            So we have the information to look at, but that gives you a baseline, but it doesn’t guarantee that he can go out and win with it.
            Q.  Jeff Gordon, talking about his back, he said, Me staying in the car going through what we went through is only going to earn me more respect with this team.  What world does Jeff Gordon live in that he feels like he needs to earn any more respect with his team?
            RICK HENDRICK:  I think he probably said that without really thinking of maybe what he said because that team respects him so much.
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  He’s just a humble guy.
            RICK HENDRICK:  I know he was in a lot of pain.  I was worried he would get in the car.  Allen and I’ve talked and the team’s talked about it.  It looks like the Jeff Gordon of 20 years ago.  He’s fired up.  He’s up there every week.
            I think that was just something he said because that team respects him.  I think he’s got the entire garage talking about the kind of year he’s having right now.
            Q.  Chad, Jeff’s comments were respect with regards to toughness.  He said, Maybe they don’t understand the toughness.  You’ve been with him through the years.  Do those guys understand the toughness of him?  What does it mean, since you’ve been a crew guy, to see a driver do something like that when you’re a crew guy working 120 hours a week, go through something like that for you?
            CHAD KNAUS:  I was listening to that question before.  I completely understand because as a crew guy sometimes you think that the drivers, they have it pretty easy.  They fly around in big, fancy jets, they show up at 3:00, race, go home, show up again on Friday, do it Saturday, Sunday.
            I think what Jeff was trying to say is he understands what his team does, what they go through to build the racecars, how this pit crew is there at 7:00every morning to practice pit stops, start working out, what they go through setting up the pits when it’s 120 degrees outside and waiting five hours to start.  He gets that.
            I think that’s what he was trying to say.  He was trying to prove to his guys that he was going to do his just work every day.
            Q.  Does a crew guy need to see that from time to time?
            CHAD KNAUS:  Yes, absolutely.  Yeah, for sure.  They have the utmost respect, just like we have the utmost respect for Jimmie.  When a crew guy sees something like that, it knocks you up to the next level.  I’ve seen what Jeff has done over the years.  I’ve se
en what Jimmie has done over the years.
            When you’re ingrained with them, you see the pain, the desire, what it is they put into it, man, you get it.  You really get it.
            I think what he said is actually true.  I think his guys will now ‑ not that they didn’t respect him before ‑ but they have a new appreciation for what it is that he does.
            KERRY THARP:  This is Rick Hendrick’s 11th Coca‑Cola 600 win.
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  That’s awesome.
            Q.  Jimmie, I remember you talking last year about your first start ever at Charlotte in the Sprint Cup Series, how it was a humbling experience for you.  Now you have more wins than anybody else here.  What does that mean to you now?  Rick, what does it mean to you to have Jimmie with that record?
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  I’ll never forget that first start here.  That week was a tough week.  I lost one of my closest friends on the front straightaway, Blaise Alexander.  Looked at his skid marks every lap I went through with Cup and Nationwide practice, something tough to overcome.
            We qualified well, made the show.  The other Lowe’s car didn’t.  That was a huge feather in our cap.  Then I remember spinning.  As I’m sliding into the wall, I see Jeff coming for my door getting ready to run into the side of me.  He’s running for the championship.  I’m thinking, Please don’t let him hit me.  I’ll have my first and last race all at once.
            To have things fast forward to where it is today, to be able to be the winningest driver here, says a ton.  I mean, this track means so much to the racing community.  There’s some tracks that have a bigger awareness to fans and media and others outside of racing.  But this track, when you come here and run well, there’s just something about it with it being in the backyard of all the race teams.  There’s a lot of proud out of running well here.
            I have that pride.  Having the most wins here takes it to the next level, for sure.
            RICK HENDRICK:  For me, Charlotte is home, too.  Been friends with Bruton for a long time.  We kid him all the time about taking his money.  The fact that it’s here and the shop is only a mile away, my first NASCAR win was with Robert in ’83 in the Busch Series.
            So this is a special place for me.  I mean, it ranks up there with Daytona and Indianapolis.  To win in Charlotte is really special.  It’s home.
            Anytime we can accomplish something that someone else hasn’t, it’s rewarding to the organization.
            Q.  Rick, you’ve watched these two for a long time.  Tonight Jimmie added a few more numbers.  All‑time points leader here.  Is there any time that you sit back and look at these two and are amazed at what they’ve accomplished?
            RICK HENDRICK:  All the time.  I think about Jimmie riding with me, with my son to the Nationwide races, waiting for him, buying him a burger.  But these two, what they’ve accomplished…
            When you put them together, you have no idea it’s going to be anything like this.  It’s like Ray and Jeff.  You just never know.
            What they’ve been able to accomplish together, it’s been amazing.  I always say I’m just glad I don’t have to race against them.  I’ve been amazed for years at what they’ve been able to accomplish.
            The thing that amazes me the most is they are always digging to be better.  No matter how good they are, how many races they win, they strive to take it up another notch.
            KERRY THARP:  Congratulations to the No. 48 team.  Big win here this weekend.  Enjoy it.  We’ll see you at Dover.
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 BUDWEISER FOLDS OF HONOR CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 2ND
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
 
KERRY THARP:  Let’s roll into our post race for tonight’s 55th annual Coca‑Cola 600, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.  Our race runner‑up is Kevin Harvick.
Kevin certainly had a strong car throughout the weekend.  Just came up a little short trying to defend that championship.
 
KEVIN HARVICK:  Yeah.  We had a fast car all night.  Just kind of fumbled again on pit road.  Got behind, got a lap down.  We needed a 700‑mile race to get back to where we needed to be.
All in all, they’re doing a great job of putting cars up on the track. We just have to clean up on pit road.
 
KERRY THARP:  Questions for Kevin Harvick.
 
Q.  I suppose y’all figured Jimmie (Johnson) was going to get one (win) sooner or later.  Do you look at that team and say, they’re back?
 
KEVIN HARVICK:  I look at it as we let them slip one in front of us by shooting ourselves in the foot.
You knew that was going to come.  They’ve won championships and done a great job through the years.  They were solid all weekend, didn’t make any mistakes, kept themselves up front all night and won the race.
 
In the end you’re going to have to beat them in all ways, shapes or forms, just not on speed.
 
Q.  Can you elaborate as far as shooting yourself in the foot.  You also said if this was a 700‑mile race, talk about that.
 
KEVIN HARVICK:  We needed longer to pass the car in front of us, and we had a loose wheel.
 
KERRY THARP:  Kevin, thank you and good luck next weekend at Dover.