NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
QUICKEN LOANS 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 13, 2014
 
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Michigan International Speedway and discussed the speeds at Michigan, his expectations for Sonoma and many other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
WHAT IS THE SPEED LIKE HERE FOR YOU GUYS?
“I don’t know I like Michigan a lot.  It’s a 2-mile track.  I think I do well on the 1.5-mile to 2-mile race tracks.  I wish I would have gotten to race here before they repaved it.  We did well here in the Nationwide race last year and looking for some good things again this week.  It’s probably a lot of a pit strategy race and track position race, but I feel like our Target team is good at getting me track position.  I’m really excited about this weekend.”
 
ARE THE SPEEDS DIFFERENT HERE THAN AT OTHER FAST TRACKS LIKE ATLANTA?
“I have never ran a Cup car at either Atlanta or here so I don’t know how the sensation of speed feels.  This track is so smooth or at least in a Nationwide car last year you don’t really feel like you are going 200 plus miles per hour, but it’s always different in the Cup cars.  These cars are extremely fast.  I bet it will be a fast race track.  This track has got a lot of grip though too.  That makes it feel like it slows down some.”
 
HOW DO YOU FEEL HEADING INTO THE SUMMER MONTHS? WHAT IS THE OUTLOOK FOR YOUR SUMMER?  DO YOU THINK THERE IS A TRACK WITHIN THOSE RACES YOU COULD GET YOUR FIRST WIN AT?
“Yeah, I think Michigan is a good track for a first win.  It’s the size race track that I like.  We have been close a few times.  We have been pretty competitive every week so I think just keep knocking on the door and the wins will come.  Just have to stay consistent and put yourself in contention each week to try and sneak out a win.”
 
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR PROGRESS THUS FAR THIS SEASON?  YOU ARE TOP 10 IN POINTS, THINGS SEEM TO BE GOING WELL FOR YOU:
“Yeah, it’s all going really good so far.  Top 10 in points; we have been a top 10 car every week pretty much.  It really is fun I’m having a blast this year.  A lot of stuff going on, me and Katelyn (Sweet, girlfriend) just found out we are having a baby so it’s a really exciting time.  How good the racing has been going, a new house, all that and now that so it’s been a lot of fun.”
 
SONOMA NEXT WEEK HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TO GO ROAD RACING NEXT WEEK?
“I’m really excited I like road racing a lot.  I haven’t done much of it.  I did three Nationwide races last year and felt like I was pretty competitive at all three of those races.  Road America I ran third or fourth most of the race and got caught up in an accident in the last part of the race and was able to get back to seventh.  Mid-Ohio I came back from three laps down to be running third on the last lap and got moved out of the way which ended up in a bad finish there.  In Watkins Glen we were quick, but I missed a shift there and blew the engine up.  Really looking forward to going to Sonoma for my home town race.  I get to see a lot of friends, go to a sprint car race nearby to go watch on Saturday night.  It’s going to be a lot of fun going home.”
 
FOR YOU GOING TO SONOMA WHAT IS THE KEY FOR YOU GOING TO THAT RACE TRACK?
“I guess the key for every road course is to stay on track all day and you can get a top 10 finish.  There is a lot of chaos that goes on at road course races.  So just have to stay out of trouble and get a good finish.  We have worked really hard to get to where we are at in points right now so just can’t throw it away by doing something stupid.  Just stay out of trouble and hopefully get a good finish.”
 
WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART TO YOU ABOUT ROAD RACING?
“I haven’t done a whole lot of it so I don’t know it 100 percent yet.  I got to go do Bondurant this week and I feel like I learned a little bit that will help me a lot.  I’m excited to get to Sonoma just because of the stuff that I learned at Bondurant I hadn’t known really until now.  I think I will be even better when I get to Sonoma.”
 
WHEN IS THE BABY DUE?
“It was December 29th the first time she went then it was Christmas now it is kind of back to December 29th.  Christmas sounds cool so I will go with Christmas.”
 
 

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Second and Fourth in Qualifying for Corvette C7.Rs
Garcia leads qualifying efforts for the Le Mans debut for C7.Rs
 
LE MANS, France (June 13, 2014) – Corvette Racing will start second and fourth Saturday in the GTE Pro class for the 24 Hours of Le Mans following strong qualifying runs for its two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs. Antonio Garcia set a best time of 3:54.777 (129.867 mph) in the No. 73 Corvette C7.R and Oliver Gavin qualified the No. 74 Corvette C7.R fourth in class at 3:55.190 (129.618 mph) – encouraging starts for each of the two Corvette Racing entries.
 
“The Corvette Racing team had two solid evening sessions on track to qualify P2 and P4 in the GTE Pro class,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “It also was great to get the Corvette Racing drivers additional laps in the new Chevrolet Corvette C7.R at night. The whole team is fully focused on the race.”
 
Garcia – driving with Jan Magnussen and Jordan Taylor – posted his quickest in the middle portion of the night’s final session. He improved on his best effort in the first session – one that was faster than any other car in the opening two hours – by 0.261 seconds around the 8.3-mile circuit.
 
“I had a very good qualifying lap today,” Garcia said. “It’s always difficult to know exactly how much you can push, especially on Thursday when you more or less know that these laps in the last session are the last laps before race day. You don’t want to take too many risks and we have seen on quite a few occasions this year and in the past that if it goes wrong here, it goes wrong big time.”
 
Gavin, who is teaming with Tommy Milner and Richard Westbrook, also set his best lap in Thursday’s final session.
 
The times were improvements from Wednesday’s red-flag filled session in which Garcia set the best time in the No. 73 Corvette at 3:56.443 (128.935 mph). Milner’s best effort in the No. 74 Corvette C7.R was a 3:59.446 (127.319 mph).
 
Judging by qualifying times, the race should be extremely competitive. The gap from Garcia to the seventh-place Porsche was less than a second.
 
Corvette Racing will go for its eighth class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001 at 3 p.m. CET/9 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 14 with live coverage throughout on FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, the FOX Sports Go mobile app and FOXsports.com – which will stream live Corvette Racing in-car camera feeds and a pit camera for the full race in the U.S.
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 73 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“I’m quite happy with the balance and how the car feels for the race, so it looks promising. We mustn’t forget that this is still the first Le Mans for the Corvette C7.R, so we still have some unknowns regarding certain aspects. But we did a good job in preparing the car over the past two days and the Test Day and I can say we have a real good car for the 24 Hours. We’ll still have to see where exactly our competitors are, because cars can be fast over a single lap while others can be a bit slower over a single lap but be very consistent once they’re on race pace.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It was certainly better this evening than yesterday. We managed to get some decent running in the car and develop it a little more. We feel like we have a better racecar now. I managed to stick in a time in there that put us fourth. It would have been great if Tommy could have had a really good run at it right there at the end with maybe some softer tires. We’ve made some steps and it seems like we are right there in the hunt with everyone else. It also seems that most everyone is complaining of low grip and edginess. The circuit, the surface and tires don’t seem to be bonding and working together so well at the moment. But that could come; the circuit could rubber up more and we could get a more consistent and quicker race car. We’re in a good spot. This should be a dogfight throughout.”
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“This is a solid start and represents a complete team effort. Our drivers, engineers and crew worked in sync to sort out a few handling issues with our Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs following multiple red-flag periods tonight and Wednesday. The time we did have on track was extremely beneficial as we were finally able to get back to a competitive aero package tonight. We don’t have much in the way of long-run performance testing, so that could still bite us. But the ultimate performance should at least let us compete. Now we just need to execute and have some luck for a clean race. We really appreciate our drivers for not putting a foot wrong in practice and helping us work through to good setups. From the time sheet, this looks like it could be a very exciting race!”
 

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Garcia Leads Corvette Attack on First Day
Spaniard fourth among GTE Pro runners in No. 73 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
 
LE MANS, France (June 12, 2014) – Corvette Racing’s two Chevrolet Corvette C7.R race cars sit fourth and ninth in the GTE Pro class after Wednesday’s first qualifying session at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. An additional pair of two-hour qualifying sessions are set for Thursday and will help determine the grid for this year’s twice-around-the-clock enduro.
 
Antonio Garcia was the fastest driver for Corvette Racing. The Spaniard set a best time of 3:56.443 (128.935 mph) in the No. 73 Corvette C7.R that he shares with Jan Magnussen and Jordan Taylor. It put Garcia 1.689 seconds behind the provisional pole-sitting Ferrari.
 
Tommy Milner set the best time in the No. 74 Corvette C7.R that he drives with Oliver Gavin and Richard Westbrook – a lap of 3:59.446 (127.319 mph).
 
The crew of the No. 74 car had to change the gearbox during Wednesday evening’s four-hour practice session after Milner lost drive late in a lap during the closing 45 minutes. By the time the car arrived back in the garage, the Corvette Racing crew had a spare transmission, hoist and tools laid out to complete the swap. The repairs took less than an hour.
The day featured a number of lengthy red flag periods due to heavy crashes and damage. Race organizers ended qualifying 30 minutes early.
 
The first of Thursday’s two qualifying sessions is set for 7 p.m. CET/1 p.m. ET. Corvette Racing will go for its eighth class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001 at 3 p.m. CET/9 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 14 with live coverage throughout on FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, the FOX Sports Go mobile app and FOXsports.com – which will stream live Corvette Racing in-car camera feeds and a pit camera for the full race in the U.S.
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 73 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It’s been an interesting day in that we’ve never had that many red flags on the first day of practice and qualifying at Le Mans. It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting. Normally we go through our entire to-do-list of changes and things to try, but now we only managed maybe 20 percent of that. We didn’t have much track time, but we will still have to analyze all the data – mainly from out- and in-laps. Still, the car feels very good and is very comfortable to drive. We’re definitely heading in the right direction. Hopefully we’ll have more track time tomorrow.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“The best way to put today is that I’m looking forward to tomorrow. There were lots of little things here and there. The car right at the end was pretty good after some setup changes and after we fixed the issue with the driveline. It felt a lot better but I could never get a lap because of traffic and cars going off. We tried to get Richard (Westbrook) some laps in the car but couldn’t make that happen. So we’re all looking forward to tomorrow now.”
 

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Bidding for Eighth Class Victory
Following successful Test Day, Corvette C7.R to make its Le Mans debut
 
LE MANS, France (June 9, 2014) – The biggest race on Corvette Racing’s calendar is here: the 24 Hours of Le Mans – one of racing’s marquee events. The twice-around-the-clock endurance classic will see the Le Mans competition debut of the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in its toughest test to date. The C7.R is the first completely new racing Corvette to compete at Le Mans since 2005 when the C6.R made its debut.
 
The goal is simple: an eighth class victory for Corvette Racing since 2001. The lineups in each of the two Corvettes are formidable. The No. 73 Corvette C7.R has Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen – winners of the last two races in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship – driving with Jordan Taylor. Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Richard Westbrook share the No. 74 Corvette. The driver pairings in each of the Corvettes are the same for the third straight year.
 
Gavin was fourth-fastest in the GTE Pro class during the annual Test Day on June 1, and Magnussen was sixth. Less than two seconds separated the top six cars around the 8.3-mile track that is a mix of purpose-built race track and public roads.
 
Corvette Racing will go for its first win at Le Mans since 2011 with a race car that has the latest in engineering technology. The C7.R, based on the 2015 Corvette Z06 production car, has a 40 percent stiffer aluminum chassis compared to the C6.R. It gives the driver a more stable and predictable car – a facet noted by the Corvette Racing roster on multiple occasions.
 
On the aerodynamic front, the team tested its low-downforce setups during the Test Day and earlier this month at Road America. The aggressive aero advancements help the C7.R go faster on the straightaways while still being consistent under braking and during cornering. Those areas traditionally were strengths in previous versions of the Corvette but are that much more enhanced in the C7.R.
 
The use of direct-injection technology within the Corvette’s 5.5-liter engine provides another advantage over recent years. It has been five years since Corvette Racing competed with a direct injection engine as part of the GT1 era. Corvette engineers believe the C7.R can see as much as a 3 percent gain in fuel economy, which could save Corvette Racing at least one regular pit stop over the course of the race.
 
The next time Corvette Racing takes to the circuit at Le Mans is 4 p.m. CET/10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, June 11 for free practice and qualifying. Corvette Racing will go for its eighth class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001 at 3 p.m. CET/9 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 14 with live coverage on SPEED.
 
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 73 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Expectations) “The main thing about having a new car is that we don’t know how the car will behave during the race. We proved at all the TUDOR Championship races – including Daytona – that we have the speed although we had some issues in the first couple of races. We are confident in how fast the car is, so I think we will have the baseline to compete with the rest of our competition. But we have to be careful and not to make any mistakes. We will see if that’s enough to win the race. If everything runs according to plan, I think we have a good shot.”
(About Le Mans) “The event is huge and very important, and it’s very good to be a part of it. At Le Mans you always need to wait and see on things. There can be surprises that come up. It helps that now I’m on the best team to approach the race. If something wrong does appear, I’m on the best team to work through it.”
 
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 73 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Test Day recap) “We made some good changes to the car and found a good balance. Our Corvette C7.R feels comfortable and not on edge like (the C6.R) last year. At Le Mans it’s very important to have a comfortable car because often you’re out in a situation where you’re not on the ideal racing line – either overtaking slower cars or being passed by the prototypes – and that’s a lot easier when you have a comfortable car. It’s still new and you can’t guarantee a good result at any 24-hour race because it is so hard on the equipment. We go there well-prepared but also with the aim to win.”
(About Le Mans) “I wasn’t a big fan of Le Mans when I first started coming there. That all changed when I joined Corvette Racing, and we’ve had a chance to win every time out since. That makes a huge difference. You can really enjoy it, and it really motivates you when you know you have a team behind you and the car to do it. Year after year and since I’ve joined Corvette, Le Mans has grown on me and it definitely is the highlight of my racing season. I look forward to going there to compete and be part of the world’s biggest sports car race.”
 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 73 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(About Le Mans) “The past two years, I’ve left Le Mans thinking, ‘Wow that was a whirlwind of emotions during the whole week.’ It’s hard to remember what happened the whole time. The first year was very hectic, and my head definitely wasn’t in the right place. But going back for the second time, I knew what to expect and had a lot more focus on the driving side of it rather than just experiencing Le Mans.”
(Driving in last year’s race) “Last year with all the condition changes throughout the race, it felt like we got a year’s worth of experience in that one day. Oliver Gavin said it was the toughest race he’s ever done… and he’s done this for 14 or 15 years. For him to say that – and for us to make it to the finish and not making any mistakes – I was really happy. It makes me a lot more comfortable knowing that no matter the conditions, we’ve already been through it once. We can focus on going forward.”
 
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Test Day recap) “The C7.R has very nice and stable characteristics around this track and feels very strong through Porsche Curves. It’s still difficult to know where we are compared to the competition, but all in all, with the weather being nice and sunny, it was almost perfect conditions on the Test Day.”
(Preparation) “New gearboxes have been saved for this event. Lots and lots of bodywork, spares and new bits all get set aside for this. We haven’t been able to run all the newest, brightest and shiniest bits of equipment through the first few races of the season so we can run them at Le Mans. It’s our biggest race and our biggest event. Le Mans carries that cache because it’s that event in the sports car world that you want to win. You’re going to show up with your crew, team and car as finely tuned as possible with the newest parts so you can compete against the strongest competition in the world.”
 
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Long-distance racing) “It doesn’t hurt that we’ve done a 24-hour race and a 12-hour race. Does it help? Maybe a little bit. We were able to run the car in long-distance endurance races to prove some parts and find some weaknesses; unfortunately we found a couple of those at Daytona and Sebring while we were leading. The good thing is that we were able to correct them as best we can. In the first year of a car, getting miles and races under its belt means more than with another team or manufacturer who has had a couple of years. All the teams we race against are professionals and they’ve all done long races like Le Mans many times.”
(About Le Mans) “In some ways, Le Mans is just another race. As a driver, you don’t want to hype the race up too much and get yourself too excited about it. Inevitably, you realize how big of a race Le Mans is and how important it is on many levels. So it’s not just another race but you try to go about things as you would at any other. Certainly it’s a race that you have to see what it gives you. You sta
rt clicking off laps and try not to make any mistakes. That’s the name of the game – having a clean race. It doesn’t have to be perfect but keeping it out of the pits is a key.”
 
RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
(Expectations) “We’ve made massive strides in developing a more advanced racing car and a faster racing car. I feel a lot more confident after the test than I did before. It’s definitely something that suits me when I step into it. All we can do as drivers is get in the maximum out of the car. I feel like we will be able to do that. I have every faith in Corvette Racing that it will be giving us a car that is capable of fighting at the front because usually that’s where we are.”
(About Le Mans) “You always try and treat Le Mans like it is another race but you can’t. When you get there, you just can’t ignore the atmosphere, history and importance to every manufacturer in the GTLM field. You can get carried away with that. With the nature of the circuit, the development in tire technology and the cars, every lap is flat-out. You’re qualifying every lap. It’s the most intense racing I’ve ever been involved in and you can’t treat it as routine. Everyone has to be at the top of their games and you have to give it 100 percent for every single minute.”
 
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“The Test Day proved to be a very rewarding experience for all our guys. Both cars ran flawlessly, responded well to the planned testing protocol and looked to be very competitive. The drivers were particularly pleased with both the handling and braking of the new C7.R. The initial look at the new BOP standards was promising with the entire field closely bunched. So now on to qualifying and see what that brings. The challenges of Le Mans are many and diverse. But we have the experience, the product and the personnel to bring home victory number eight and that remains our primary objective.”

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
FIRESTONE 600
POST RACE
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
 
Ed Carpenter Gives Chevrolet Fifth Win of Season in Verizon IndyCar Series
 
FT. WORTH (JUNE 7, 2014) – Ed Carpenter led a Chevrolet IndyCar V6 podium sweep of the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. Carpenter scored his first victory of the 2014 season over fellow Team Chevy drivers Will Power and Juan Pablo Montoya.
 
Carpenter, who started fifth behind the wheel of his own No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet, led a total of 90 laps on the way to his third career Verizon IndyCar Series victory. It is the second 2014 victory for Ed Carpenter Racing.  The team visited Victory Lane earlier this season as Mike Conway captured the win on the Streets of Long Beach.
 
Pole winner Power spent the most time at the front of the field in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet leading a race-high 145 laps on the way to a second-place finish, his fifth podium finish of the season including two wins in eight starts. 
 
Montoya, in his best run to-date in his first season returning full-time to IndyCar Series competition, led a total of 13 laps in his Team Penske No. 2 Verizon Chevrolet to take the third-place step on the all-Chevrolet podium.
 
“What a well-executed night in Ft. Worth, Texas for Ed Carpenter and his whole Ed Carpenter Racing Team!” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, Verizon IndyCar Series. “Congratulations to the team on their second win of the season.  Keeping the tires in good shape seemed to be the name of the game to run up front tonight.  Team Chevy also showed its depth of talent tonight by sweeping the podium and taking 7 of the top 8 finishing positions.  The testing window will be open for the next couple of weeks and Team Chevy will be busy preparing for the second double header of the year, the Grand Prix of Houston, at the end of the month.”
 
Scott Dixon, No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finished fifth to give Chevrolet four of the top-five finishers in the 248-lap/372-mile/600-kilometer race.
 
Simon Pagenaud (Honda) finished fourth to complete the top-five finishers.
 
Tony Kanaan, No. 10 Suave for Men Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet finished sixth with teammates Ryan Briscoe, No. 8 NTT Data Chevrolet, and Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chevrolet finishing seventh and eighth respectively. Chevrolet IndyCar V6 2.2 liter direct injected twin turbocharged powered drivers and teams collected seven of the top-eight finishing positions.
 
Next stop for Team Chevy in the Verizon IndyCar Series is The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston, the second doubleheader of the 2014 season, on June 27-29, 2014.
 
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
 
An Interview With:
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER
TONY GEORGE, ED CARPENTER RACING TEAM CO-OWNER
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, SECOND PLACE FINISHER
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, THIRD PLACE FINISHER
THE MODERATOR:  We’ll start our post‑race press conference coverage.  We’re joined by tonight’s winner of the Firestone 600, Ed Carpenter, driver of the Fuzzy’s Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Chevy.  Your third career victory here in the Verizon IndyCar Series, first at Texas Motor Speedway, second win of the season for Ed Carpenter Racing.  You led 90 laps tonight.  Coming off a disappointment at Indy, talk about this run and what it means for you and the organization.
            ED CARPENTER:  It’s just good to bounce back.  Nothing really totally makes up for a missed opportunity at the speedway, but at the same time it always feels good to win, especially at a place like this.  I’ve enjoyed coming to this racetrack for a long time and appreciate the job that Eddie does here for our series and the drivers.  This is a big win for us.
            THE MODERATOR:  What is it about oval racing that brings the best out of you, a win here at Texas?  You had success here last year, too.
            ED CARPENTER:  Yeah, we’ve been pretty fast here the past couple years.  I’ve always liked this place and ran okay, just haven’t had good luck here to be honest, so it was nice to finally break through tonight.  The team gave me a great car.  They’ve been giving us great cars all year for myself and Mike, so it’s nice to be able to deliver, just really proud of the whole team and the effort and proud to be able to represent Fuzzy’s and do a good job for them with how much they’ve supported us the past two‑and‑a‑half years.  It’s good for everyone involved.
 
            Q.  Tony George, talk about the win tonight, what it means for your organization, two wins already on the win.
            TONY GEORGE:  Well, I’m very proud of Ed, obviously, and this whole team led by Tim Broyles and Bret Schmitt and Matt Barnes.  They’re a great group of people, and our plan this year was to be competitive every week we showed up at the racetrack.  This is a great win for Ed in 2014, and we think we can win more with Mike and Ed, and our intent was to show up this year prepared to contend every weekend and try to win the championship.
 
            Q.  When that last caution came out, what was going through your mind?
            ED CARPENTER:  On one hand I was nervous, just because I wasn’t sure what the right decision was for us to make.  It’s hard to pit, but we were pretty far into our tires, and you know new tires are going to be strong.  I figured we’d stay out with that few a laps left.  I wasn’t sure how many guys would pit.  I knew some would, but just fortunate there were three laps left, and we were able to get a good enough restart.  Montoya stays out on old tires, I think Dixon was behind him maybe, opened up enough of a gap that the rest of the guys couldn’t get close to me that had newer tires.  I’m guessing probably many more laps left than what we were going to have, we probably would have had to have pit.  It was a handful the last couple laps, but you get in that position I’ve got to make sure I bring it home for the guys because they did such a great job all night with the changes on the car during the race, the pit stops, I felt like it was our race to win.
 
            Q.  A lot of drivers have had frustrations from Indy and were able to race them out last weekend at Detroit.  You were up there on top of the pit box watching Mike Conway racing.  How comforting was it to get back at it and get beyond the frustrations you felt at Indy?
            ED CARPENTER:  It felt good.  There’s no denying the fact that I was really mad after Indy.  It’s not that I’m still mad at Hinch, but I’m still mad at the situation and that we lost an opportunity.  I want to try to win every session, every race that we go to, whether I’m driving or Mike is driving.  We’re just going to try to keep the intensity up and try to keep fighting for wins.  The team is certainly capable and they give us cars.  Just got to put it all together week in and week out.
 
            Q.  Juan Montoya was a little miffed about the restart.  Can you talk us through it, how it was
for you?
            ED CARPENTER:  I figured he’d be miffed.  I was kind of sick of him.  He was lagging back, trying to lay back, so yeah, I was slowing down because he was lagging back.  I didn’t want him to get a jump on me.  I’m the leader of the race.  You’re not supposed to lag back.  We talked about that in the drivers’ meeting.  If he wants to talk to me about it, I’ll be happy to.  He ended up finishing third anyway, right, so it doesn’t matter.
 
            Q.  Will said before he thought it was perfect tonight.  What was your take?
            ED CARPENTER:  Yeah, I thought it was really good, especially by the end of the race when it had finally cooled off, I thought the track was very racy and the tires were degrading but not as much as we’d seen in the past.  We had one tough stint early, but I liked it.  It’s still really challenging, yet we were able to go out and use multiple grooves pretty much the whole race, especially towards the end.  I thought IndyCar did a good job.  I think Firestone did a great job with the tire.  So yeah, they always do.
 
            Q.  With as good as Power was early, what did you do to keep your focus that you could really need at some point?
            ED CARPENTER:  Well, most of the race he had the benefit of clean air.  It seemed like throughout the race he would kind of get a bit of a lead and then when he would get into lap traffic the group would close in on him, so I felt like maybe he was struggling a little bit in dirty air, and that’s when I was finally able to get by him was in lap traffic.  He got caught out by some guys and we were able to time it right and get by him and then kind of open up a little bit of a gap.  You know, his car may have been a little bit quicker than ours, but I don’t think it was as good as ours all around through a whole stint in clean air, dirty air.  Really happy for the guys.
 
            Q.  With one more lap do you think Power would have gotten by you?
            ED CARPENTER:  I don’t know, I don’t know how big the gap was.  When I crossed the line I was just trying to get every bit of speed out of my car as I could the last couple laps.  I felt okay about it after the first lap because I got a big enough gap on Montoya on the restart.  Yeah, it’s hard to say how many laps it would have taken for Will.  Certainly new tires are a pretty big advantage when we were about 30 some laps into mine.  They definitely drop off quite a bit right around the halfway point.  Certainly wouldn’t have been able to hold him off much longer, but there were only four laps to go, three to go when we took the start, so the guys made the right call.
 
            Q.  Tony, with what Texas Motor Speedway has meant to this series from ’97 there’s only been two tracks on the schedule to post a race every year, Indianapolis and Texas.  How big a moment is this for you to get a victory at Texas for what it’s really meant to the current series?
            TONY GEORGE:  Well, and until this year, Texas was the only one who had hosted two races in a year.  But I always enjoy coming here for the same reasons Ed has mentioned.  Eddie does a great job.  He is very much a part of the IndyCar Series, the Indy Racing League from its very beginning, and the track is very challenging, so it’s a big kudos to this team for being able to be the best car this evening.
            You know, over the time the track has changed.  It’s got more difficult to come here and be good over the course of however many laps the race happens to be, and tonight was our longest, and this team did a great job, Ed did a great job actually.  A lot of credit goes to him for managing the whole race.  I wasn’t sure the strategy kind of kept changing and weren’t sure where we were going to go, but we did have to pit early once but that kind of caused some other dominos to fall, and it was a big win for us here at Texas.  I’m glad Ed finally was able to post a win here.
 
            Q.  You and Eddie Gossage, looked like you had a pretty good time in victory lane.  What was going on?
            TONY GEORGE:  Well, I haven’t seen Eddie very often when I come to the race.  I’ve been to every race, but in the last five years I’ve only run across him a couple of times, and I’m glad to see he’s doing well.  I love Big Hoss, and we were just kind of sharing some ideas.  He was giving me a hard time.  I think Ed told him about an encounter I had with Fort Worth’s finest this afternoon just trying to get back to the hotel.  But it was nothing, we were just kind of joking having a good time.
 
            Q.  Ed, you’re in contention at Indy, you come here, you win.  How do you stay so sharp at ovals with such big gaps in between?  What’s the secret?
            ED CARPENTER:  I don’t think there is one.  I work hard all year‑round.  I train in my office and in the shop every day.  I mean, what I said before Indy, no one had run an oval since Fontana, and we’d tested as much as anyone.  I’ll be testing twice this week.  So just because you’re not in a car doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared.  I’m engaged with the team every day.  I don’t feel I’m missing anything.  I mean, I’d like to run more races always, but I’m happy to run the ones I am and want to make the most of it, and like I said earlier, every time we get in the car I feel like Mike and I both have a chance to win right now with the job the team is doing for us.
 
            Q.  Ed, I just wondered about Fuzzy’s.  You guys made the decision to bring in Mike Conway.  I’m just wondering what that does for a sponsor that’s stood behind you?
            ED CARPENTER:  I hope they’re happy.  You can never speak for anyone else, but Stewart, one of our partners and partner in Fuzzy’s is here somewhere, he hasn’t been able to make it down; he was up in a condo in Turn 2, so I’m sure they’re having a good time tonight.  Hopefully this is just one of many more to come.
 
            Q.  Mr. Carpenter, your oval prowess over several years, no matter the cars, no matter the aero package has shined despite never having driven for Andretti or Ganassi or Penske.  Do you attribute any of that success to your experience in the U.S. Auto Club, and if so, what would you do to encourage more of those young men and women in those ranks to pursue a career in American automobile racing?
            ED CARPENTER:  I certainly think it did.  I learned a lot, driven in all three divisions.  I ran there when they did Midget, Sprint Cars, Silver Crown.  It has changed a lot from when I ran there.  There was a lot of pavement races, a lot of dirt races in all three divisions, and there’s no pavement Sprint car races anymore, w
hich I think is a travesty.  I think they need to have some pavement races back on, too.  The Silver Crown races were great for learning how to manage tires.  You’re running one set of tires, one tank of fuel for 100 miles, I think I learned more about patience and managing a car and dealing with something that’s not perfect all the time in the Silver Crown races, and those have kind of all gone away as far as pavement racing goes.
            I’d like to see them get into more of a schedule like when I was there and Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart and those guys were there, it’s just their schedule has changed and it’s going to make it harder for those guys to go anywhere.
 
            Q.  Ed and Tony, everyone talks about the big three with Penske, Ganassi and Andretti, so I’m curious now that both you and your teammate have won a race this season, where do you see you guys ranking against those three, and is there a timetable in place to maybe find another driver or a primary driver who can go chase a driver’s championship?
            ED CARPENTER:  I mean, we’d love to go to a team when we have the opportunity, but at the same time, we want to be able to grow at our own pace and do it in a way that’s going to allow us to continue to do things the way we’re doing them now, which we feel like is working.  You know, I wouldn’t trade any one person on our team for any other person up and down pit lane.  We’ve got a good group of people, and I think we’re able to show that on track right now.  Like I keep saying, really proud of the whole team, the whole effort, the whole group.  It’s a great team to be a part of.  We have a lot of fun, and it’s even more fun when you’re winning.
THE MODERATOR:  We’ll continue with our post‑race press conference.  We’re joined by tonight’s second‑place finisher of the Firestone 600, Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.  Third career top‑five finish here at Texas Motor Speedway.  Bright side of things you’re still the points leader, 43 over Helio Castroneves, you led 145 laps, unfortunately had a pass‑through penalty.  Talk about your evening and fighting back to get that second‑place finish at the end.
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, it was a lot of fun, awesome.  We changed the car a lot from last night because we struggled in practice, but man, what a great run, enjoyed it a lot.  Really disappointed I did that again.  That’s four drive throughs in five races.  Got to stop doing that.  It’s ruining our chances of winning.  But an awesome call at the end by the team to call for new tires and obviously got back to at least where we were, one more lap and we probably would have had it.
            But yeah, very good day.  Great day, really enjoyed it.
 
            Q.  With the penalties you just talked about four in five races, is there something you can change in the car to cut down on that?
            WILL POWER:  I’m just going too hard, obviously the pit thing and obviously last week with the contact early in the race.  Like I said, I just go for race wins.  I’m not looking at points, I just want to ‑‑ I just enjoy racing, and you do it for fun and try to get the most out of it, but those mistakes are just not good enough at this level.  I’ve got to stop it.  I’ve got to just take it a bit easier.
 
            Q.  Juan sounded unhappy about that last restart.
            WILL POWER:  I don’t know, I was just going for it.  I don’t think you need to see the car to know it’s fair.  Restart, he went, and there was no games, I think.  I don’t know.
 
            Q.  Can you talk a little bit about the high line that developed throughout the race if there was one, because I noticed that it was being used up a lot more than what we saw in practice.
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, the high line was ‑‑ definitely at the end of a tires stint, yeah, very good.  Definitely good for me.  I had a really strong car at the end of a stint, I’d run up high and early on it probably wasn’t that fast.  He’d be flat on the bottom.  But as you got in the traffic you had to decide just work out where to run and the quickest way around that traffic.
            THE MODERATOR:  We’re now joined by tonight’s third‑place finisher Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevy.  You led 13 laps tonight, best finish of the year, best finish here at Texas Motor Speedway, including your 14 starts here in the Sprint Cup Series.  Talk about your evening.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  It was good.  I was recovering from a flat tire at the beginning of the race.  We recovered and we did a good job there, and just a little mad at the end.  I don’t know, I want to go talk to IndyCar and clarify why the cones are there for the restart if you don’t have to use them.  I don’t know.  I understand if you wanted to go a little early or a little late, it’s okay, but like 200, 300 yards before we get to the cones and he was already going, I was kind of disappointed with that, that he got away with that.  But that’s what it is.  But overall for the Verizon team it was really good.  It was fun.  What a handful.  Oh, my God.  To be good here it’s got to be a handful.  We crank wing and crank wing and the more we cranked the better we got.  It was fun.
 
            Q.  Given what happened at Indianapolis with them red flagging the race with seven, eight to go, with the position that you guys were in, were you kind of deep down inside hoping that they’d throw the red flag out, and have you two been told this is when we will throw it and this is when we won’t throw it?
            WILL POWER:  I think they’ll only do the red flag thing at Indy.  To throw a red flag every time there’s a yellow during a race is kind of ‑‑
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I think it would be cool if they got to a green‑white‑checkered.
            WILL POWER:  No, not in IndyCar.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  Why not?  It sucks if you’re winning but it’s better here for the fans.  I don’t think any fan here wants to see a race finish under caution.  Honestly as a driver it sucks ‑‑
            WILL POWER:  600 kilometers, I think I’d rather red flag.  Similar, I guess.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  So if you have a red flag and wait, then that’s okay.
            WILL POWER:  No, I don’t like that, either.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I agree with you, that red flag at Indy was kind of weird.  It made the race bett
er and everything, it put a better show for the fans that we need, but I don’t know.
 
            Q.  When there is only two or three laps left to go, kind of describe to me a little bit how frantic are these, and if we had a green‑white‑checkered how scary would that be for drivers?
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  That was a green‑white‑checkered right there, wasn’t it?
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, pretty much.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  That was it, you know what I mean?  I don’t know.
            WILL POWER:  Yeah.  Depends on the track.  You know, if it’s like two pack racing, green‑white‑checkered would be pretty bad.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  Yeah, if you had fair restarts, it would be fun.  (Laughter.)
            WILL POWER:  In IndyCar, you’ve got to be ready, man.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  You’ve got to be ready to cheat?
            WILL POWER:  Last week he started way ‑‑ he was starting in the last corner.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  If he was doing that, then somebody should have said something.  For me, especially coming from NASCAR, you have the lines and you’ve got to restart ‑‑ if you want to jump it a little bit you can jump it a car length or two, but 200, 300 yards, are you kidding me?
            WILL POWER:  Well, I never even saw ‑‑ when there was a restart I never knew where they were.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  We were still on the bottom before you go into pit entrance out of 4, I mean, he was already gone.
            WILL POWER:  I actually went then, too, because I couldn’t see the cones.  I didn’t know where they were when I started and restarted.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  There’s a sign, big Verizon sign and cones and they’re 10 feet off the ground.
            WILL POWER:  I never looked at the wall, man.  I never looked at the wall.  I guess you’re right.  Rules are rules, right?
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  Honest, if you’re going to make the rules ‑‑ like, we always complained, we didn’t want a zone, just let us restart and they say, no, we want to let you have the restart in a zone, then ‑‑
            WILL POWER:  I think they should take the win off Ed and award it to the next car, yeah?
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  If that’s the case, I don’t care, if it’s you or whatever it is, but if you jump the start the rules are rules, right?  I think there’s got to be a clear‑cut penalty that if you go before the cones, you’ve got to get a penalty and the penalty is a drive through and at the end of the race you’re going to get a time penalty on your result, and it’s that simple.  If the guy knows he’s going to get a five‑second penalty for jumping the start at the end of the race, he wouldn’t jump it.  But he jumped it because he knew they were never going to wave it off because if you wave it off the race is over.  Fun times.
 
            Q.  Tire degradation, was it better or worse than expected?
            WILL POWER:  It was actually better, wasn’t it?
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I don’t know, I don’t know what to compare it to, but it was freaking awesome.
            WILL POWER:  It was the perfect amount of downforce right there.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  The downforce was good.  I felt that one of the cooler things about it was if you looked up to the tires, you had a massive benefit at the end of the run.  You could really control the race and the pace and the benefit of it, and you could run high, you could run low.  It was fun.  I mean, I had huge slides a couple times.  I didn’t know you couldn’t get on the brakes hard on these cars when somebody wrecks.  That scared the hell out of me.  I went, whoop, and I went through the apron and everything.
            WILL POWER:  I did that at Fontana.  AJ Allmendinger crashed ‑‑
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  Yeah, I’m like, ahh, I’m crashing.  I’m trying to get away from the cars and I’m actually crashing.  Great.
 
            Q.  Will, the decision to pit, you may have already talked about that, but in the end that might be a championship‑saving move right there, and also, when you were out ahead with that big of a lead, did you almost think this is just going too easy?
            WILL POWER:  No, it was just focus.  It’s not like it used to be when you were just wide open.  You had to work the grooves and work the traffic.  It was just fun all the time.  You never stopped focusing.  But the old style of racing where you’re just wide open, it was wait until the pit, the in lap, and that’s where you maybe make some time on somebody, but this way you drove it just great, great style of racing.
 
            Q.  And in the picture how that pit stop may have received your championship.
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, looking at it, great call by the team.  Just raced again tonight just get a race to win.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  How many cars were on the lead lap?
            WILL POWER:  Six.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  That was a no‑brainer.
            WILL POWER:  That was a great call, right?
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  But he told me to pit, and then said do whatever the leader does, and I did what the leader did, stayed out.
            WILL POWER:  Ed wasn’t going to pit because he wouldn’t have got to him, unless everyone went new tires, he would have been screwed.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  Yeah, but if he would have pitted he would have been okay because he would have had eight cars gaps so he could have a bad pits and been okay.
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, one more lap and the guy with the tires was going to win.
     &
nbsp;      JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  Yeah, I don’t know.
            WILL POWER:  Next time, Juan.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I’m getting better.  I had a hell of a race.  I’m happy.
            WILL POWER:  Right there you had weird things happen, but ‑‑
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I had a freaking flat tire in lap 2.  I was kind of lucky that the caution came out.
 
            Q.  Juan, you’ve been able to drive here in NASCAR and IndyCar now, complete your first full IndyCar race now here at TMS.  Can you talk about the difficulties in comparison between tonight and driving a NASCAR race?
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  It’s completely different.  NASCAR is back off the entry, back off the entry.  This you’ve got to drive it, you’ve really got to drive it.  It’s hard because you’ve got to drive it so hard and they’re so ‑‑ honestly you’re 40 cars behind somebody and you already start feeling the effect of the car in front, so you’ve really got to find ways to pass them.  It was fun.  I mean, it’s kind of fun because if you need to pass somebody then you go in the other groove and you just drive it in wide open, wide open, wide open and get there and lift, and even if you have a bad exit you got there.  I’ll tell you the truth, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time, even though somebody jumped the start.  (Laughter.)
            WILL POWER:  How much fun was it, like the whole race?  Crazy good.  Man.
 
            Q.  Juan, do you feel like you’re back at home in the open wheel series, and do you wish maybe that you might have done it a little bit earlier?
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  No, I had a great time in NASCAR.  I really enjoyed myself.  I learned a lot.  I wish ‑‑ we had too many ups and downs with those cars.  When we had good cars I had a blast there, I mean, I really enjoyed myself.  I mean, but having the opportunity to run for Team Penske here in IndyCar is a dream come true for anybody and have Will Power as a teammate.
            WILL POWER:  Having Juan Montoya, my hero, is not a kid, but as a Formula 3 driver, he can say, is also a dream come true.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  Oh, my God, we’re going to hug.  We do have a good time together.
 
            Q.  Juan, everybody else in the series supposedly has next weekend off, but you don’t, you’re going to Michigan.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I’m going to Michigan, yeah.
 
            Q.  Talk a little bit about that.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  I don’t know what to expect.  It’s going to feel weird.  I mean, it’s going to be fun to have the opportunity again with Team Penske cars, you look at Brad how he ‑‑ they qualify in the top 10 every week, so there’s a little bit of pressure.  It’s going to be interesting.  I had only one day of testing in Nashville, so since Homestead I have driven the car once, but felt within five laps, I felt at home.  They’re a great bunch of guys.  We’re taking actually a really good car there.  Talking to them they’re really excited about the car.  Get it in the race and go for it.
            I got a lot of advice.  It’s hard to keep up.  I’m being honest.
 
            Q.  Have you thought about maybe doing a morning talk show?
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, we are, actually.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  The biggest problem is if you bring Helio, as well, these two start singing everywhere.  I’m telling you, everywhere, every appearance.
            WILL POWER:  (Singing) same song, too.  I don’t know another song.
            JUAN PABLO MONTOYA:  The problem is I’ve got kids so I learn ABCs and Barney songs and stuff.
            WILL POWER:  Yeah, but seriously we are going to have a talk show, so listen and watch.
            THE MODERATOR:  Gentlemen, thank you very much.

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
FIRESTONE 600
POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
 
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S VODKA/ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – WINNER
YOU HAD A GOOD FEELING ABOUT TONIGHT:
“Yeah, I mean I knew we had a good car.  We had a good test here back a couple of weeks ago or a couple of months ago whenever it was.  I just felt like we left some on the table in qualifying, but it made me extra motivated for tonight.  The first two stints weren’t great.  Had one bad stint, but the guys just made great adjustments all night.  The Fuzzy’s car was hooked up by the end.  I think we were for sure the car to beat at the end.  I was a little worried about that last yellow.  I knew guys were going to come in.  We talked about what we would do in that situation and we were kind of undecided.  But Tim and the boys made the right call.  Awesome night.  I have loved this race track for a long time and had a lot of bad luck here.  I have really always wanted to win here, so super excited.”
 
IS WINNING HERE SOME WHAT OF REDEMPTION FROM INDY?
“Yeah for sure.  We had the car to win Indy.  I’m not saying we would have beat Ryan (Hunter-Reay) but I think we were the best shot to have a shot at Ryan.  It’s nice to come back here and get a win. I’m really proud of the team two wins already this year.  It’s a good year.  All the credit goes to these guys.  Awesome pit stops they give Mike Conway and I both great cars and obviously to Fuzzy’s Vodka for making this all happen.”
 
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2ND
IN REGARDS TO LAP TRAFFIC LATE IN THE RACE:
“Yeah, I don’t know what they were doing.  What an awesome call by my team to get tires.  I thought I just screwed it up for them again and got another drive through.  That is four drive throughs in five races it is not good enough. Anyone who says I don’t get drive throughs or penalties are crazy man.  I get them every race.”
 
YOU HAD LOST THE LEAD TO ED CARPENTER THERE LATE THAT WAS ALSO BECAUSE OF TRAFFIC WITHOUT THE PENALTY WOULD YOU HAVE WON THIS RACE?
“I don’t know.  It’s hard to say Ed (Carpenter) was awful strong.  He is an awesome driver and it would have been a good battle there at the end.  My car was good at the end of stints.  But real happy for the Verizon car to come in second and just a lot of fun.”
 
THE CALL WAS THERE ANY HESITATION TO COME DOWN AND TAKE TIRES?
“Tim Cindric and Dave, my engineer they always put me in great positions.  I was just happy to get back to second.  It was just an awesome last lap.”
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – FINISHED 3RD
IT SOUNDED LIKE YOUR TEAM CALLED YOU IN TO PIT THERE UNDER THAT LAST CAUTION, YOU STAYED OUT WHAT WAS THE RIGHT CALL?
“Well the right call was they said ‘pit’ and then they said ‘do whatever the leader does’.  So I did what the leader did.  It was one of those cautions.  The thing that is disappointing is they have some cones for the restart and he went probably two or three hundred yards before.  How does it work?  I mean what is the rule?  If you are going to let them restart anywhere then don’t put the cones.  But if you put the cones it’s like NASCAR you have the two lines and you have to respect them.  Hopefully they really look at it because I think it was a bit of a joke.”
 
THERE WAS ALSO A CLOSE CALL WITH YOU AND CARLOS HUERTAS AND IT LOOKED LIKE YOU MAYBE EXCHANGED SOME WORDS?
“We talked about in the drivers meeting about closing up and staying close.  If we were going to pit I wanted to be as close to (Ed) Carpenter as possible.  The response was staying back and then turning down and hitting my front wing and everything.  That is just not paying attention.  Overall I think our Verizon car was amazing today.  Everybody on Team Penske did an amazing job.  We had a flat tire right at the beginning and drove through the whole field so that was fun.”
 
DO YOU FEEL GOOD LIKE THE JUAN PABLO MONTOYA OF OLD?
“Yeah every week we are getting better, we are getting there.  I don’t know I was kind of pissed off at that restart because you know what I mean you are expecting for them to go in a zone and that is why they have the zone.  For them to not respect it is kind of unfair.”
 
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 5TH
“It’s good to get some points here in the Target car at Texas.  We hadn’t been strong the last two races here so it was a relief to finish I guess.  Not the result we wanted but we’ll take it and go on to the next race in Houston.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE FINISHING THIS RACE IN THE TOP FIVE TONIGHT YOU EARNED IT?
“Yeah, I think the racing was fantastic and I hope we put on a good show for the fans.  It was good to see a strong crowd out here tonight, thank them big time.  I’m just actually glad I got to the end.  The car was so loose the whole race I hardly had to turn left.  It was an interesting night really. We had some strong stints and then some stints where we fell off really big so big thanks to everybody on Team Target.  We had some close calls in the pits there with (Ryan) Hunter-Reay and Ed (Carpenter) on some of those cross overs when people were out of sequence.  Not a bad night we got some decent points it’s nice to finish here I haven’t finished here for a couple of years.”
 
TONY KANAAN, NO. 10 SUAVE FOR MEN TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 6TH
“We had a good car I think and were able to challenge for the lead early on.  The Suave For Men team did a great job tonight.  We ran strong but that’s not enough for this team.  We had to change the steering wheel near the end but made that time back up on track.  The racing was exciting tonight and we are definitely improving.”

THAT LAST STOP YOU STAYED OUT IF YOU WOULD HAVE HAD FRESH TIRES COULD YOU HAVE GIVEN IT A BIT MORE?
“For sure the tires made a lot of difference, but it was a risk that we decided not to take.  I got to thank the Target Chip Ganassi boys they did a great job for me in the pits.  It was a fun race.  Obviously, I think the tire degradation played a big role in the end of the race.  It was one of those things either you pitted and it was not going to work out or it was going to work out.  We decided not to and unfortunately it got us.  We got some pretty good points we move up in the championship so turn the page and head to the next one.”
 
DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS PROGRAM IS SORT OF PROGRESSING?
“It has to.  We are a team that is capable of winning championships so we have got to get better.   I think we are getting better.  We are not all the way up there yet.  I don’t think we had a car to win the race today so we need to work on it.  That is what we are going to do that is why we have good people.  We are going to go test this week and we will see what happens.”
 
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 7TH
“It was another hard-fought race for NTT DATA Racing and the No. 8 NTT DATA Chevrolet.  We started in 13th, so it feels good to end in the top 10 in seventh.  We’re still not where we want to be at the checkered flag, but we’re getting closer.  We have a couple of weeks off until Houston and we’ll be able to get some good testing time in next week at Iowa and Milwaukee.  I’m looking forward to the double-header.”

CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 83 NOVO NORDISK GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 8TH
“Overall it was a pretty good night for the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet.  The
Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew did a great job in the pits and it’s great to see all four Chip Ganassi Racing cars in the top eight.  This is honestly probably one of the hardest mental races that I’ve ever competed in.  The car slides around so much at the end of a stint and you go from driving at 213 mph laps to 190 mph laps. We’ll take another top 10 finish and stick with our streak of every time we see a checkered flag; we end in the top 10.”

HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 AAA INSURANCE TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – FINISHED 10TH
 
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO. 17 KV AFS RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 14TH
“It was quite a long race out there, but I’m so proud of the whole Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc – KV AFS Racing guys. It’s been a long weekend for us as we never had a strong car but we never gave up the fight. We should of had a top-10 finish, but I made a mistake hitting the outside rear tire in Will Power’s pit box and received a drive through penalty very late in the race, which cost me some places. Overall it wasn’t the position we wanted but hopefully we will learn from here and apply it to Houston in a couple of weeks’ time.”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 11 HYDROXYCUT KVSH RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 20TH
“I haven’t seen the replay, but in talking with Justin (Wilson) he had a run and I thought I had blocked the inside. Apparently I left just enough room that he put his nose in there and when I heard ‘looking inside’ (from the spotter) I moved to the right but it was too late. I guess he hit the apron and just caught me as he was pulling out. I won’t say it was my fault or his fault. It was just a racing incident. If it is my fault I apologize. It is a shame because the Hydroxycut – KVSH Racing team struggled this weekend, but we keep working and were having a decent race.”