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.
    

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
MAY 25, 2014
 
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET SS – WINNER
 
WELCOME BACK TO VICTORY LANE THE LONG NIGHTMARE IS OVER:
“There are more people fretting about things than myself.  I mean what 12 races?  Give me a break.  Obviously it’s great to win and we are very happy to win here especially in the backyard of Hendrick Motorsports, Lowe’s headquarters is just up the road as well.  A huge night, all the executives from Lowe’s are here.  I can’t wait to have a cold beverage with those guys.  Just stoked for the night.  Very good race car.  We raced up front all night long and that last restart let us bunch up to those guys on two (tires) and our four (tires) were able to prevail.”
 
WAS THERE A POINT YOU WERE CONCERNED YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CATCH (MATT) KENSETH?
“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen.  Chad (Knaus) made me think I could get to the No. 24, but the No. 99 was up there and that is who he was afraid on the radio I wouldn’t be able to run down.  Sure enough we were able to catch a caution and I think the No. 27 and No. 99 had to pit.  When the No. 20 got away I thought ‘man I’m not going to be able to run him down.’  I saw him missing the bottom tight in (Turns) 3 and 4 and I thought ‘okay I’ve got a little something for him.’ And was able to get by with a few laps to go.”
 
YOU NOW HAVE MORE CUP WINS AT CHARLOTTE THAN ANYBODY ELSE – 7 – HOW ABOUT THAT?
“That is amazing.  That is very cool.  This is no easy race track to get around and to beat the greats that were before me I’m very proud of that.”
 
ON HIS RACE:
“It’s great to win, but believe me – and I promise you – all the hype and all the concern and worry, that was elsewhere. That wasn’t in my head; there are plenty of voices in my head, I’m not going to lie! We’ve had great races and we’ve had opportunities there in front us and had stuff taken away. And we’ve had bad races; I have to be honest about that too. I’m so proud of this Hendrick Motorsports-prepared race car, Chad Knaus and the leadership of this race team, and the great, great support from Lowe’s and KOBALT Tools. And do this on Memorial Day… just thank you to all the men and women who served our country.”
 
WHAT WAS THE KEY TONIGHT?
“It was such a long race and so many things going on. The track went in a little bit different direction than I thought it would from a handling setup. Once we got on top of that, we were real competitive. I really think clean air on those restarts were key. I was happy to get by the No. 24 and then the No. 20. I wasn’t sure I was going to get by both of them, but I did and brought this baby home.”
 
WILL PEOPLE START TO FEAR THE NO. 48 AGAIN?
“Yeah, they know we’re awake. In winning, it doesn’t matter who you are. The No. 4 car has had that momentum this year. They’ve been able to go out and execute and show a lot of speed and win. Hopefully this 48 is heading that way and we can get those other people thinking about us.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
MAY 25, 2014
 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION MADE IN AMERICA CHEVROLET SS – Sidelined with engine issue on Lap 230. Completed a total of 906 laps in his effort to run the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
 
WE KNOW YOU DIDN’T WANT THIS DAY TO END LIKE THIS. WHAT HAPPENED?
“The motor blew. It acted like it swallowed three cylinders all at once, so it was real slow. It’s kind of a shame. It almost symbolizes how tough it’s been on the Haas Automation team. We give it our all, and the way we were clawing our way up there and got a lucky break with the caution one time… I thought we were making good gains on the car.  It was great to race in traffic and to feel the stock car right after driving an IndyCar was a day I’ll never forget. I can’t let the mood here with the car dampen what happened up in Indy today. That was very special and it takes a big team; it takes a team everywhere. Andretti Autosport gave me a top-five car to try to win the Indy 500 with and Stewart-Haas guys gave me a good car today and the motor just went. Sometimes that happens. All in all, I’m very satisfied. I gave it my all. I trained very hard. I had a lot of people helping out. Thanks to Gene Haas, Tony Stewart, Michael Andretti and this whole group. Everyone worked hard on both sides.”
 
TELL US ABOUT YOUR DAY AND WHAT WENT WRONG HERE.
“It was really a lot of fun. A lot of preparation, a lot of hard work and a lot of team involvement on the Andretti side and the Stewart-Haas side. It was a dream come true to run at Indy and post a really good finish there. I can’t let what happened down here dampen the mood. I’m still really in awe of how well we ran at Indy. Those Andretti guys gave me a good car to do it with. Tonight, we were clawing our way up. We got a lucky break with one of the yellows. It was nice to run in the packs and side-by-side and feel that NASCAR on the same day as an IndyCar. The motor just expired. It’s a tough break. It takes a team if you’re going to do 1,100 miles. It’s not just one individual. We came up just short. It really means a lot.”
 
“Our Cup car was running okay. We clawed our way up there and caught a lucky break with one of the yellows. We worked on the car and I thought we were actually you know, right in the mix. Those top 15 guys seemed to separate themselves. We were going to start cracking on the top ten if we could get one more adjustment done to the car. And then we had a problem on pit road. A car came at me perpendicular on pit road and it broke the left rear shock. And so we were hanging on. We were going to muscle it out. And then it’s like the car just swallowed three cylinders all at once. So, the engine let go. Those things happen in motorsports.
 
“It was a good battle though. I was hoping to do 1100 miles today. I can’t let what happened here dampen the mood on what happened up in Indianapolis. But it’s not just one individual. It takes a team. Andretti Autosport guys put me in a good car. Stewart-Haas gives me a great car every week. We just had a monkey on our back down here in running NASCAR this year. That kind of motor failure symbolizes some of the struggles we’ve had.
 
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE TODAY?
“Today is a memory I’ll have forever. It was a challenge I put forth for myself. I enjoyed it. I soaked it all in up North. I loved racing up in Indy in front of all the Indiana natives and the Hoosiers. They love their speedway up there. That speedway loves them. That’s what I really saw out of that track today. There was a grand stage to stand on and represent NASCAR. We brought her home in sixth place. I didn’t think I had anything for those top five guys. They were racing hard. And those were the top five in that series. They’re strong. They’re tough.
 
“The mood down here we’re not going to let it dampen things. There is still wind in our sails and we’ll still sail on off into the sunset after today.”
 
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
“I’m feeling good, actually. They way that this race was coming to us, the cooler conditions tonight; you know, my hands are a little sore. My feet are a little sore just from working it. And overall, I can stand here with a smile knowing I gave it my all for six months trying to get to this point.”
 
WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN?
“I’d love to do it again. And at the same time, you’ve got to do it with quality teams. The teams really can make the big difference in all of this. And I have to thank Andretti and I have to thank Stewart-Haas.
 
 

Helio Castroneves Finishes in Second Place to Pace Chevrolet in the 98th Indianapolis 500
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 25, 2014) – In the second-closest finish in the history the Indianapolis 500, Helio Castroneves just missed becoming only the fourth four-time winner of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Castroneves finished in second place – by a mere 0.0600 seconds – to lead six Team Chevy drivers in the top 10 in the 98th Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske Chevrolet, led 38 of the 200 laps and was in the lead with just over a lap to go, but was passed by eventual race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay as the two approached the start-finish line to take the white flag for the final lap around the 2½-mile speedway.
“It’s a shame it was so close, but today is Ryan Hunter-Reay’s day,” said Castroneves, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 2001, ’02 and ’09. “I do not take for granted.  I’m extremely happy with the result.  The car worked really well during the race.  The team did a great job during the pit stops.  It was the first time having Roger on the radio.  It was kind of awesome.  We dodged, avoided a few issues out there, incidents, were able to put ourselves in a great position to win.  Unfortunately it wasn’t our day.”
“What a solid effort by Helio Castroneves and Team Penske to come up short by six-hundredths of a second in the Indy 500 today,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, Verizon IndyCar Series. “Congratulations to Ryan Hunter-Reay for a strong showing and his first Indy 500 win. Team Chevy put up a tremendous battle, but misfortune caught too many Chevy-powered cars. Our focus shifts to next weekend at Detroit where we have two opportunities to redeem ourselves.”
Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), returned to the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since winning the event in 2000 and overcame an early pit-road penalty to finish in fifth place. He also registered the fastest lap (225.191 mph on lap 182) of the race.
“Unfortunately, I made a mistake on one of the pit stops when I was resetting the fuel. I pressed the wrong button. We got a penalty for that but we came back,” Montoya said. “I was proud of the way we fought. I don’t think we had anything for the Hunter-Reay or Helio. But I was happy with the Verizon Chevy and it was good to be back in Indy. It was cool to watch them swap the lead back and forth of the final laps. I had a good seat for it; I just wish we were in the middle of it, but we just had too much understeer at the end.”
Sebastien Bourdais (No. 11 Hydroxycut/Mistic KVSH Racing Chevrolet, seventh), Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, eighth), Sage Karam (No. 22 Comfort Revolution/Brantley Gilbert Chevrolet, ninth) and JR Hildebrand (No. 21 Preferred Freezer Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, 10th) also finished in the top 10 for Team Chevy.
Other Chevrolet drivers to finish on the lead lap: Sebastian Saavedra (No. 17 KV AFS Racing Chevrolet), 15th; James Davison (KVRT Always Evolving Racing Chevrolet), 16th; and Ryan Briscoe (NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet), 18th.
 
The race was caution-free for the first 149 laps – the longest uninterrupted run in the event since 1976 – but a series of incidents over the final 51 laps eliminated contending Chevrolet drivers, including pole-sitter Ed Carpenter (No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet) and former winner Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet). Carpenter was running in the top five when he got caught up in a wreck shortly after a re-start on lap 175. Dixon was running fifth when he spun into the wall on lap 166. Townsend Bell  (No. 6 Robert Graham KV Racing Technology) was also in fifth place when he wrecked with just 10 laps remaining.
The next race on the Verizon IndyCar Series circuit is the Dual in Detroit Chevrolet Belle Isle Detroit Grand Prix weekend on June 2 and 3.
CASTRONEVES POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
 
 
An interview with:
 
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 PENNZOIL ULTRA PLATINUM CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2ND:
 
 
THE MODERATOR:  We saw the shot of you in the car after the event.  I was reflecting that I saw you in the hotel in Texas after you’d been nipped for the championship a few years ago.  This one looked like one that really stung a great deal.  Tell us about it.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  First of all, I want to thank Shell-Pennzoil for a great way to start and launch a new product.  I appreciate that.  I want to thank again Roger and Team Penske with all the sponsors.
Great race.  Second place, it’s interesting when second place kind of sucks.  But certainly taking the positive out of this, it was a great race.  I think you guys had a good time.
Second thing, congrats to Andretti Autosports.  Ryan Hunter-Reay, great race.  He did everything he could.  I did everything I could obviously to try to stop.  Definitely unbelievable.
The reason that I was down there, I didn’t know you were watching, to be honest, I was just trying to collect my thoughts and make sure I say the right things (laughter).
I’m glad I did that because, as I said, it’s frustrating to be so close to something that only a few guys did.
But I do not take for granted.  I’m extremely happy with the result.  The car worked really well during the race.  The team did a great job during the pit stops.  It was the first time having Roger on the radio.  It was kind of awesome.
We dodged, avoided a few issues out there, incidents, were able to put ourselves in a great position to win.  Unfortunately, as I said, it wasn’t our day.  It was great to see an American driver winning.
 
THE MODERATOR:  You made a great move on the inside.  Ryan in some ways returned the favors.  Did you show him a move you wish you wouldn’t have shown him?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Now that you say it, I wouldn’t have done it, because the results didn’t show up.
Several battles I had out there.  I guess I show my cards.  I was able to keep them behind.  Ryan, maybe we didn’t have that kind of a battle, and maybe in the end we show it.
But no matter what, coming on the front straight he was able to have a very good run.  I was trying to do everything I could, like I said, guys.  The car, the way it’s designed, is very difficult to keep the guy behind.
I thought it was a very good race.  We did exactly what we needed to do to make it happen.
 
THE MODERATOR:  Questions for Helio Castroneves.
Q.        You said it was frustrating.  To come that close, are you replaying moves that you could have made?  What’s going through your brain?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  To be honest, this is the first time I kind of think through in terms of making the pass.  I didn’t think they going to go for the outside obviously.  That’s why I was really hugging the inside lane.  But, like I said, didn’t have much of a choice.
Like I said, it was a great race.  I tried man, trust me.  I really tried.  We tried to find answers, like I said.  You can’t question destiny.  Today I did everything, my team did everything we possibly could have done to win this race.  So close to win four.
But this is not going to knock us down.  The opposite, it’s going to make us move on to the championship.  This is a great day for championship points.
 
Q.        You said it was great to see an American win.  Is that diplomacy speaking or do you think there’s a benefit to having an American win here?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  No, why would I just say something I haven’t mean it?
It’s great because for several years the series was a f
oreigner up front.  It’s great to see American drivers succeed.  Third was Andretti.  You see the top two are American drivers.  IndyCar Series is showing it’s the right way to go, as well.  I say that in a positive way, and I mean it.
 
Q.        Ryan Hunter-Reay got you on the backstretch.  Seemed like his car went into the grass.  What went through your mind?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  I tried to not leave any room, but he was able to find some room there.  Once you put the nose inside, nothing you can do in terms of blocking, trust me.
I use every inch.  I think both of us used every inch of the track to make sure that both of us — I mean, at the end of the day there is stupid and then there’s bravery.  I think we’re right there on the edge, both of us, really trying.
I’m glad we both come out in a good way.  I’m sad it did not come out the way I wanted.
 
Q.        The decision by IndyCar to red flag the race to ensure a green flag finish, did that catch you by surprise?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  It did.  I believe the amount of debris that was out there, it would probably be a green and white and checkered flag.  I believe it was the right decision, to be honest.  It break the rhythm, but it give everybody a good, clean race.  I think that was definitely the right choice to do.
 
Q.        (No microphone.)
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  That spot, yes (laughter).  I’m back there, no.
Q.        In all your races in the past, have you ever had a race that came down to five or six laps of one guy passing the other back and forth like that?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Oh, man, I did.  I won’t say I didn’t.  I did have some races like that.  Pikes Peak with Gil de Ferran.  I think I had the same thing in Milwaukee.  I did have some races, but nothing for the Indy 500, such an important race.
I think, like I said, it hurts a little bit more than the others because it’s such a big race and you want to win as bad as anybody.
 
In the end of the day, like I said, I’m very happy with the performance of the team.
Q.        Ryan Hunter-Reay said at the end of the race you were using lines you hadn’t used all month.  Can you embellish that a little bit?  You said you left him a little room when you thought you didn’t.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  I thought I didn’t leave any room, but he found it.  You said it.  We trying to do stuff that normally over 220 miles an hour you don’t do it.  It was a great testament that the car was able to hold on in those type of circumstances.
When you have two experienced drivers battling that, it was a great show.  I thought it was awesome.  I had a great time.  Like I said, I did everything I could to stop Hunter-Reay.
Great job.  Some of the lines out there we never used, and now we know.
 
Q.        Both your teammates at one point were penalized for pit speed violations.  Were you alerted there might be a concern for you on that?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Yeah, they did tell me that.  Like I said, this race is about making less mistakes.  That’s what we did.  Even though you lose a little bit of the time, I was always trying to make sure that I don’t cut that close.
They were able to go back in the top 10 and show that all three cars are looking really strong.
 
Q.        Rick Mears got into a duel with Gordon Johncock in the day, but lost.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Rick was very happy for me on the radio, and that is worth a lot.  Everyone was excited for a great result.  They saw it.  We were fighting really hard as a group, as a team, the entire race.  We were driving smart, trying to make sure we put ourselves in that position.
It’s amazing, when Rick comes and says something like that, it makes you feel really good.
Now we move on for the next one.
 
Q.        You were so young when you won the first two times.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  What you talking about, man (laughter)?
 
Q.        Younger than you are today.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Okay.
 
Q.        The third win was emotional and special for a different set of reasons.  When you come as close as you did today, do you feel maybe you appreciate those wins a little bit more, the fact you were able to win three times?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  I always appreciate those wins.  I never took it for granted.  Like I said, they happened at the right time, at the right moment.
Rick already had those kind of battles as well.  He could have won five, but he won four.
Right now, at this point, I feel that the team, myself, the entire group is eager to make it happen and win another as soon as possible.  That’s just a testament to the series the way it is, because the cars are so close, giving an opportunity for everyone.
At this point it just give me more fuel, literally Shell fuel, to come back here and make it happen.
 
Q.        It seemed like you were having to react a lot to Marco’s advances on you.  Did that play in the back of your mind and prevent you from making a move on Ryan?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Well, the thing is, Marco was doing an extremely good job, especially in the lead.  Sometimes I was trying to send a message like, Take it easy.  But he didn’t want to do it.  I’m like, Okay, man, if you’re not going to do it, not going to play with you anymore – but in a good way, obviously.
You push the button of someone until the guy is desperate.  I thought he was going that way.  But in the end of the race, he knew my line was similar to his.  Hunter-Reay was able to run a different lane.  That’s why we were able to back and forth, back and forth.
That was the only time actually Hunter-Reay and myself were battling for a lead because before I was trying to save a little bit of fuel because I know that saving fuel was more important than anything else.
 
Q.        Was there ever a point on the last lap where you thought you might have him?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Yeah.  I said, I’m going to get him on turn four and this is going to be great.  But suddenly my car wasn’t pulling enough.  Especially because I noticed the wind, I was going against it.  I’m like, Go, go, go.  As soon as I passed the pit entrance, I’m like, This is going to be close.  It was close (laughter).
 
Q.        Does it make the race any more difficult when it starts with so many green flag laps, 115 laps?  Does it make it any more difficult?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Yeah, I mean, especially when we just finished the pits I think.  Yeah, I think we just had the pits.
No, actually, I’m sorry.  It was perfect because we have only a few gallons on the car, so we were able to pit and come back again.  It didn’t affect us.
The one that actually affect a little bit was 170 to go which we still had kind of like half tank in the car.  That was the one that I was kind of upset, start creating some type of mess, because that’s when people get anxious and really trying as hard as they can.
For us it was good.
 
Q.        During the break before the last eight laps, what were you thinking about sitting in the car?  Was it a hard time?  Did it disrupt what you had planned?
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  That’s a very good question.  I wa
s thinking, What am I going to do?  Where I’m going to pass?  How am I going to push?
Again, it wasn’t pulling.  That was my biggest advantage comparing to them.  I did everything I could to have a good start.  Marco came on the outside.  Instead of looking at the guy in the front, I’m trying to deal with Marco, and he was very aggressive.
As soon as I was able to take care of him, now the next target was Hunter-Reay.  I’m like, Okay, man, I’m coming.
THE MODERATOR:  Helio, thank you very much for coming in.
HELIO CASTRONEVES:  Thank you, everyone.  This is a treat.  For us, we’ll move onto the next.
 

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
POST RACE DRIVER QUOTES
NOTES AND QUOTES
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
 
INDIANAPOLIS (May 25, 2014)
 
 
DRIVER QUOTES – TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS POST RACE QUOTES:
 
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 PENNZOIL ULTRA PLATINUM TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET,  FINISHED 2ND:  TELL US ABOUT THE END THERE : “With all the emotions flowing, I want to say something, but say the right thing.  Finishing second doesn’t take away from the performance that we had.  I wanted to give this to Roger so bad and I was pushing extremely hard and it was a great fight.  I tell you guys what, it was great for TV and I was having a great time, and unfortunately second is good, but it sucks.”
 
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO GO BACK AND FORTH AND NOT GET IT? “So close but so far.  The boys did a great job.  Shell-Pennzoil, AAA, Verizon – just everybody.   We had outstanding pit stops and everything was working well, just the good news is that second sucks but its good points.  So hopefully it wasn’t that bad of a deal.  I think I feel like Marco in 2006.  He lost in the last straightaway and I lost in the last lap.  Congrats to Ryan Hunter-Reay and Andretti Autosport.  They did a great job and I am so upset that I didn’t get the 16th win for Roger.”
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 5TH:  “Unfortunately I made a mistake on one of the pit stops when I was resetting the fuel. I pressed the wrong button. We got a penalty for that but we came back. I was proud of the way we fought. I don’t think we had anything for the (Ryan) Hunter-Reay or Helio (Castroneves). But I was happy with the Verizon Chevy and it was good to be back in Indy. It was cool to watch them swap the lead back and forth of the final laps. I had a good seat for it. I just wish we were in the middle of it, but we just had too much understeer at the end.”
 
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 11 HYDROXYCUT/MISTIC E-CIGS – KVSH RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 7TH: “Not a great day, but a good day. I am really happy for the Hydroxycut/Mistic E-Cigs crew. We struggled a bit with the car the whole month, but we stuck with it and got the best out of it today. We didn’t start in the front so it was a challenge to get there.  Overall it was a strong performance, a good result and we got double points. Now we move on to Detroit.”
 
SAGE KARAM, NO. 22 COMFORT REVOLUTION/BRANTLEY GILBERT  DREYER & REINBOLD KINGDOM RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 9TH: Hats off to my team. They did an awesome job. The Dreyer & Reinbold Kingdom boys gave me an awesome car. It was stable all day and I was able to come from the back and get a top 10 – I will take it! 150 laps straight of green-flag racing takes a toll on you. My foot even hurts from the vibrations of keeping it flat for so long. Now I know why they say this is the hardest race to win in the world.  We were looking good, we were running in eighth when a yellow flag came out right when I pitted. We ended up going a lap down and had to get the wave around and go to the back of the filed. It messed up our strategy, if we were out for another lap or so I belie we could have been in the top five. They team did awesome. I had so much fun out there. I am so grateful and blessed to have just run in the Indy 500.”
 
JR HILDEBRAND, NO. 21 PREFERRED FREEZER ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 10TH: “Any day that you are not sitting in victory lane and drinking the milk, it’s a disappointment.  For us, the Preferred Freezer Service Chevy team, it’s frustrating because we had a really good car.  We had an issue with a tire that got us out of the pit sequence.  The car got bad with the tire issue.  I had to pit or I was going to crash. But the car was fast.  We passed a ton of guys today including in the end.  It was nice earlier when we jumped from ninth to third and I was running with Ed. I’m happy for Ryan (Hunter-Reay) and it’s a bummer for Ed.  We had really good cars today.  It was fun to drive the ECR car.  In those first few stints, the car was just a pleasure to drive.  I’m happy the car is in one piece and I think we showed we had some speed today.  We had the pace of the leaders and I ran with all of the those guys at one time today.  As the track got hotter, the other guys were sliding around so much.  So I felt without that early pit stop, we would have been right there too.  We got caught out a little by the late yellow flag.  I had to come back and pass a lot of cars.  To run up front, you need a great equipment and level head on your shoulders.  Frankly, I’m disappointed with tenth.  We had a stronger car.  It was fun to race with the ECR guys.  I would love to get into a full-time deal with this team.  This team is very good.”     
 
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO. 17 AFS KV-AFS RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 15TH:
“15th place is very welcomed after a very long day out there. I am very proud of my KV AFS Racing boys because they never gave up. We didn’t have the best car, but we kept fighting and even with a broken wing at the end we still never gave up.  We were able to pick up some great points today, which will help us towards the championship. We will come back stronger next year but from where we started in 32nd, survive and finish 15th was a huge accomplishment.”
 
TOWNSEND BELL, NO. 6 ROBERT GRAHAM – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET, FINISHED 25TH – CONTACT: “I got hit in that three-wide on the restart in the left rear and earlier in the race with (Tony) Kanaan when I was inside of him and he was squeezing me, I clipped the wall with the left rear. It just knocked it too much out of toe. It was loose all race and then in the end, I was just trying to go for it to see if we could get to the front. You don’t get those chances very often, but unfortunately the left rear just took too much pounding during the day to make it work and it got away from me. I hate to end that way. That was a pretty good hit. I’ll be pretty sore.”
 
ON THE THREE-WIDE RESTART WITH CARPENTER AND HINCHCLIFFE THAT DAMAGED HIS CAR “I thought I was side-by-side with just Ed (Carpenter) in turn one. I didn’t realize someone else, I think it was Hinch maybe, had forced three-wide, which is pretty optimistic. I haven’t seen a replay but I would guess Ed didn’t have anywhere to go. I was giving him room for one car, I didn’t know there was a third one that had ducked in. Nonetheless, I thought we would just hang on there in the top five. We didn’t really have anything to charge to the front, given the way the toe was knocked out.”
 
WHAT’S IT LIKE WATCHING THE END OF THE RACE FROM THE MEDICAL CENTER?
“It just sucks. Should be out there racing with those guys.”
 
TONY KANAAN, NO. 10 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 26TH:
“It’s tough really. Our day was pretty much over before it started with the issues we had on pit lane.  When you go that many laps down you simply cannot recover.  I always say this place chooses the winner and unfortunately today she didn’t chose us.”
 
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 27TH – CONTACT: “Hinch (James Hinchcliffe) tried to make three wide in turn one with 25 laps to go.  Not a smart move.  It wrecked both of our races.  I told him if he didn’t have a concussion last week that I would have punched in the face.  It wasn’t a green-white-checkered situation.  Of all of the guys out there, I wouldn’t have thought it would be Hinch.  I am pretty good friends with him and those guys at Andretti.  I think he just didn’t use his head right then.
 
SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 29TH – CONTACT:&nb
sp; “I just lost it. All of a sudden the car just started sliding and that was it.  I’m just bummed for Chip and all the of the people that work so hard at Team Target. It just wasn’t our day today.”
 
BUDDY LAZIER, NO. 91 WYNN INSTITUTE FOR VISION RESEARCH CHEVROLET, FINISHED 32ND – MECHANICAL:  “The Wynn Vision Research car was really good. We had to make some adjustments like everybody. It seemed like at the end of a run, when tires got worn out, the car came back to us. I was really strong at the end of runs. We were making just slight adjustments that were making the car very happy.  On our first stop, I couldn’t engage the clutch, which also made it tough coming through the gears coming in to the pit. It would stick in each gear. It was eventually the clutch line that put us out. What was really impressive though, back up to speed, the car was strong. We were really able to suck up to the pack ahead of us. So, it hurts that much more when you know the car had potential, and the Wynn Vision Research car had potential.”