NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
GOODY’S HEADACHE RELIEF SHOT 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
OCTOBER 27, 2013
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – RACE WINNER
THIS IS YOUR EIGHTH WIN HERE AT MARTINSVILLE. AFTER BEING SO CLOSE SO MANY TIMES THIS SEASON, HOW GOOD DOES IT FEEL TO BE IN VICTORY LANE?
“It’s hard to top what it feels like to win; especially when you’ve been through all of what this Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet team has been through. I’m just so proud of them for never giving up. We’ve shown it all year long. We’ve been through a lot, but boy, this is making it all worth it. To be able to get a huge win here at Martinsville for points, for the Manufacturers’ Championship, for all the Hendrick family and for all those that were lost several years ago; seeing Rick (Hendrick) here means a lot to all of us.
 
“Man, what a great race car. I thought we’d given it away a couple of times there; and I’m just so proud of how we fought. We had great pit stops and just that never give up attitude. I thought I got too loose there at the end, running with Matt (Kenseth). Every time he slip the tires I just tired to let off a little bit.”
 
MATT KENSETH SAID HE FELT LIKE HIS INEXPERIENCE AND YOUR EXPERIENCE AT MARTINSVILLE MIGHT HAVE MADE THE DIFFERENCE. WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND AS YOU WERE STALKING HIM IN THE FINAL LAPS?
“What would Jimmie Johnson do? (laughs), or better yet, maybe what would Richard Petty do? The tires really went away on us there at the end. I knew this car was good on the short runs, but he was putting a really good run together and we had freed my car up, and at the end there, I think it was a little too free. But every time I saw him slip a wheel, I just tied to conserve my tires and drive the car real straight into the corner and off the corner; playing with brake bias and everything else. I finally saw where he started struggling on the exit. I dove in there a couple of times, but I couldn’t quite make it. He drove in deep to protect his line and did a heck of a job. Matt drove a really first-class caliber race today and I didn’t know if we were going to get him. But it was awesome and we finally did. I was just hoping that no cautions were going to come out and they didn’t.
 
“I’m just so happy for this team. That clock, there’s nothing better than getting a clock at Martinsville!”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 5TH: WITH THREE TO GO, YOU ARE TIED AT THE TOP OF THE LEADERBOARD. HOW DO YOU SEE THIS THING PLAYING OUT? “Just like it’s been. It’s been a great battle with the No. 20 car (Matt Kenseth) and the No. 24 (Jeff Gordon) is really showing that he wants to be a part of this deal, as well; and there are some other guys back there kind of close. So, it’s going to be a dogfight to the end. The way that I would want to go racing for a championship, and I know that’s exactly what the fans want to see. We’ll keep digging hard. We had a decent day today and see if we can’t get this Lowe’s Chevrolet to Victory Lane here soon.
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 RHEEM CHEVROLET SS, FINISHED 6TH: ON THE RACE: “It was interesting. We fought all day; got the nose banged up there and had a little leak in the radiator, so kind of nerve wracking there. They (Gil Martin, crew chief and pit crew) did a good job of adjusting the car to the little bang-up here. We came away for a solid day.”
 
TAKE US THROUGH THE PHYSICAL CONTACT TODAY. THE FRONT OF YOUR CAR IS PRETTY MUCH USED-UP
“Yeah, first thing I want to do is apologize to Ryan Newman. I tried to shoot in a gap there and just barely clipped the right rear of his car. It doesn’t make his day any better. But I’ve just got to thank all my guys on the Rheem Chevrolet. It’s all beat-up. And it’s leaking water so we didn’t have any water pressure there for about 150 laps, so it was a little bit nerve-wracking. Luckily it was a small hole. We battled all day and had a decent day and had a decent car. They adjusted for the damage and had the car really good there at the end and we lived to fight another day.”
 
ON THREE UPCOMING TRACKS FOR CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE: “Good tracks in three weeks. We just have to do what we have to do.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS, FINISHED 8TH: YOU GOT AN EIGHTH PLACE FINISH AND LOOKED LIKE IT WAS A TOUGH BATTLE OUT THERE TODAY:
“We worked really, really hard all day and just…….we had a decent car and didn’t do everything exactly like we needed to.  It was a pretty good car, maybe a fifth place car.  This tire was a struggle for us last year, and the last time we were here and we felt like we made a lot of good gains on it in practice and had some good speed.   I don’t know what we have to do to get that extra bit.  I think the race could play out a little bit differently and give us a little better track position.   We tore the right front off and I think that hurt the aerodynamics quite a bit.”
 
WAS IT TYPICAL MARTINSVILLE RACING OR WAS IT SINGLE FILE RACING LIKE LAST WEEK?
“Well, its hard to pass.  If you can’t drive under them, you can’t drive under them.  You saw everybody trying to get to the bottom on the restarts because the bottom is so much better than the middle.  Trust me, if guys could drive up under people they would.   Everybody has got the same race cars, everybody is running the same speed, and all these teams are so competitive.   If you get 35 cars out there running out there within a tenth (of a second) of each other, then you aren’t going to have side-by-side no matter where you are at.”
 
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE YOUR TEAMMATE JEFF GORDON WIN AT A PLACE LIKE THIS THAT HAS BEEN HOME TO HIM? “I don’t know. I would rather win the race, and I have missed a lot of opportunities to win here.   We finish alright, we run alright.   I am really happy for my teammates when they do well, but right now we are just worried about ourselves.   We have two or three races to go and we want to get as close as we can.”
 
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS, FINISHED 10TH: ON HIS RACE: “An up and down day for our team.  We chased the balance on the car both loose and tight throughout the race.  We raced near the front and the back at different times through the race.  Our guys worked hard to make adjustments and put us in contention for a top-10 finish, all-in-all a good day for our McDonald’s team, on such a tough track.”
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS, FINISHED 13TH: ON HIS RACE:  “The Target Chevy started out strong and then we fell behind and struggled keeping up with the changing track conditions. The guys kept working on it and we were able to get back on the lead lap and run up in the top-15 for the end of the race. I’m proud of these guys. They never gave up and we had a decent finish today.”
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY BREAST CANCER AWARENESS CHEVROLET SS, FINISHED 17TH: ON HER RACE: “I’m really proud of what our GoDaddy team accomplished today. For pulling out the backup car on Friday and having to start so far back in the field, it was a really good run. We started in the back and made our way through, and we didn’t have quite the car that we had here in the spring but we got a similar result and that’s something I’m proud of. The guys did a great job in the pits. They were on their game each stop. Our adjustments were good all day. It was just a really solid day for our team, and that’s what we want to do these next few races and end our season on a strong note. Today was the last race for our pink car. I’m really proud that we were able to give GoDaddy and .ORG a good run because I’m very proud of what they do to help promote breast cancer awareness and I’ve been honored to hel
p them with that through the month of October.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW/DENVER MATTRESS CHEVROLET SS, FINISHED 18TH: ON HIS RACE: “We didn’t qualify well, didn’t practice well and obviously didn’t race well today,” said Busch. “I don’t know what it is but there’s something about this track that doesn’t suit me. A very disappointing performance today. For a Chase team we should have been much better. Our Furniture Row Chevrolet got banged up early when it took a big hit to the right side. But no excuses, we just didn’t have it.”
 
KYLE LARSON, NO. 51 TARGET CHEVROLET SS, SIDELINE WITH MECHANICAL ISSUE ON LAP 165:  “I started out too tight. I don’t know, we just can’t seem to catch a break in these two Cup starts that I’ve had. We blew up in Charlotte and not sure we had a rear end blow up here or what. I just want to thank Target for the opportunity to get some experience this season…Chip Ganassi, Felix (Sabates) and everybody that put me out here and let me get a little bit of laps. I would like to finish one of these races that I have run. Who knows, might gt a couple of more races this season, so hopefully we can have those go a little better. I learned that I have to get my car a little bit better in the center of the corner during practice the next time I come back. You see the leaders and how much better their cars work in the center of the corners which helps them off the corner and all the way down the straightaway. I just need to get a better feel for these things and help my career out a little bit.”

JOHN FORCE; COURTNEY FORCE 1-2 IN LAS VEGAS

LAS VEGAS (October 26, 2013) – The Funny Car father daughter duo of John Force and Courtney Force dominated at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during qualifying. The youngest Force was the provisional No. 1 qualifier on Friday and held that distinction until her 15-time Funny Car champion father set the track record for elapsed time during the final qualifying session at the Toyota NHRA Nationals. The eldest Force posted a 4.011 second time at 317.79 mph moving around Courtney Force whose 4.052 second time was pushed back one spot. The reigning rookie of the year does hold onto the track speed record of 318.24 mph however.

John Force made the quickest pass of the first qualifying session and the quickest pass of the final session to pick up six qualifying bonus points to extend his points lead to 72 points over second place Matt Hagan.

“It smoked the hot dogs a couple of times today I leave that to the crew chiefs. I don’t think about it. (Crew chief) Jimmy Prock and our brain-trust they just go after it. It has had a little magic and it would just get away with anything. Jimmy said we had to pull it back. It still was in trouble. They found the problem and zip right down the race track. It was just like a rocket ship. It was pretty awesome,” said the 145-time No. 1 qualifier.

Force will face veteran driver Gary Densham in the first round. Force and Densham’s careers first crossed paths over three decades ago when Force was just getting started.

“I have Densham. I love the guy. He taught me how to race. He is a good guy.  We will race the race track. The points will be what they will be,” said Force.

Over the course of their careers Force is 37-10 versus Densham but at the spring race here Densham defeated Force in the first round. For the winningest driver in NHRA history his success has not given him any sense of over-confidence going into race day for the 634th time.

“I have people ask me if I am nervous. I am nervous but I have the same gut aches that everybody has. I am 64 year old truck driver. I have four beautiful girls and I am a fifteen time champ. What else can a guy ask for? I just do what I do and I love NHRA. I love the crowd they are unbelievable. They were screaming over here and I finally went over and saw them,” said Force an obvious fan favorite

“Anybody can whip anybody else out here. He is a drag racer and he buys parts from me. He is a good racer and I love the guy. We will go up there and have a race. If he spanks me; he spanks me. I am just going to have some fun tomorrow. I am going to go home tonight and have my little bowl of tomato soup and split a tuna sandwich with my wife,” said Force.

After two additional qualifying passes today, Courtney Force, driver of the Traxxas Ford Mustang, wound up the day as the No. 2 qualifier and will go into race day with Tony Pedregon in the opposing lane.

“We didn’t make a good pass to start the day today. I was a little bit to the left of the groove and it started spinning so I had to get out of it a little early. I have a great team behind me and they give me a great race car so I hate to lose out on a run like that,” said Force.

The 2012 Rookie of the Year raced her black and turquoise Traxxas Ford Mustang specialty car to a 4.061 in the last qualifying session today, but had some problems at the finish.

“In the last qualifying attempt we went down there and I was able to keep it in the groove a lot better. Making a stellar pass even though it broke the barrel valve, we still made a decent run at a 4.061. We were going after a good one. Obviously we were trying to get that top spot that my dad stole from us earlier in the session. It slowed us down through the lights, but it still made a good pass,” said Force.

The last time Force raced at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the spring, she also qualified in the No. 2 spot and ended the weekend by going all the way to the final round before falling victim to Cruz Pedregon.

“We’re excited going into tomorrow. We’ll be matched up against Tony Pedregon and we’re going to do the best we can, but I think we’ve got a pretty good hotrod and we’re just going to have to push it hard and gather up those points so we can move up the line,” said Force.

While Courtney and John Force were dominating the performance boundaries for the past two days the Auto Club Ford Mustang piloted by Robert Hight and tuned by Mike Neff was making steady progress on a race day tune up. Hight is sitting in 4th place in the Mello Yello Funny Car points standings and he is focused on reeling in the three drivers in front of him including the Mello Yello points leader and teammate John Force.

“We are still in this. The good news is we don’t have to race a teammate in the first round. Mike Neff has given me a great car and we are going to try and go some rounds tomorrow. We are in great shape and I am confident going into the race tomorrow against Cruz (Pedregon),” said Hight. “I have had some great success here and I want to keep that good feeling. The best part of this deal is all these John Force Racing Funny Cars are making good laps. John and Courtney are one and two and I am not worried about being a little further back. We will race the conditions tomorrow and give it our best. There are two races left and our goal is to race as hard as possible every round.”

Hight’s best run of the weekend 4.086 seconds came in the final qualifying session under race conditions similar to the first round tomorrow. The 2009 NHRA Funny Car champion knows there is more out there and will be ready to battle the two-time Funny Car champion Pedregon.

Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster improved their performance today and will go into race day as the No. 10 qualifier. The Auto Club Road to the Future Award contender will face Spencer Massey for the fifth time this season and second time in the Countdown.

“So far I’m happy about qualifying this weekend. Today we went out and ran a 3.85 and we were happy with that even though it put us in the bottom half of the field, we were still in the show,” said Force.

“The second pass we actually improved and to be able to improve with a 3.82 was great for our Castrol EDGE team. To go from a 4.85 to a 4.82 makes us a pretty consistent car running in the 4.80s. To come out on the last qualifying run and make our best pass of the weekend is really exciting for our team. It pumps us up, motivates us and gets our head in the right place.”

“We’re looking forward to tomorrow, we have Spencer Massey and he’s whooped us on the track, but I’m hoping we can turn that around and go some rounds tomorrow.”

While Force is focusing on track improvements she is also hoping to draw some attention to Breast Cancer Awareness. She is running a pink color scheme for the second race in a row as part of a promotional initiative with die-cast manufacturer Lionel.

“This is a beautiful car designed to show support for breast cancer research. We ran it for the first time in Reading, Pa. and I’m glad to be out here in Vegas with it for the month of October. We’re trying to bring a little more awareness to the cause. The car looks beautiful and there are other teams out here also supporting the same organization. It’s so great to be a part of it and I’m hoping to paint the track pink tomorrow and go some rounds,” said Force.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
GOODY’S HEADACHE RELIEF SHOT 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 25, 2013
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Martinsville Speedway following his qualifying run.  He discussed the announcement that National Guard will once again sponsor the No. 88 Chevrolet SS in 2014, NASCAR’s mandate of baseline testing for concussions and other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR EXTENSION WITH NATIONAL GUARD:
“Yeah, just real excited to get a deal done.  It seems like that the guard has been really thrilled with the way things have gone over the last several years.  I have enjoyed the relationship tremendously and we got a great new paint scheme for next year and we are just really enjoying the relationship.  Glad to be able to look forward to another season with the guard.”
 
NASCAR ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK THERE WILL BE A MANDATORY BASELINE TEST GOING INTO 2014 WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THEM MOVING FORWARD ON THIS?
“We were told last year that this would probably be mandatory in ’14 it was no real surprise.  I think it’s a great move by NASCAR to have another tool in the tool box to sort of help diagnosis, but as equally as important help treat the concussion.  It’s a great tool not only to help diagnosis but really to understand the type of injury and the style of injury that you have and how to treat that particular injury with the information that you get from the baseline test.  As much as the baseline test really is just good to do regardless it can really help you in the long run when you are needing that kind of treatment.  It’s just valuable information.  If you care about your wellbeing and your health and quality of life it’s a smart move to embrace.”
 
WERE YOU GIVEN ANY INDICATION THAT YOUR SITUATION LAST FALL HAD BEARING ON THEM MAKING THAT DECISION TO IMPLEMENT THAT TESTING?
“I don’t know if it did.  I don’t know if what I went through had any effect on the choices they are making today, but I know that I learned a tremendous amount about how important all this is.  I know that I did not take it that seriously.  I didn’t take the impact test that seriously because I didn’t know much about it.  I went to Pittsburgh and met the people up there and they explained to me how useful it is for them and to be able to help treat not only your own concussion.  Concussions are like snowflakes they are all different in the way you are injured and how your symptoms are different from every person.  Everybody reacts differently to it.  This information that they are getting from a baseline test and then the retest of an individual like myself it helps further down the line treat other individuals.  I think everybody is still learning about the way to treat a concussion and the best way to treat it obviously.  All the information that they can get from these impact tests are valuable way on down the line.  It’s important to look further ahead.  It’s important to look on around the race track instead of driving right out the windshield just off the nose.  It’s a pretty big deal. I think it’s a great move and I’m sure that NASCAR is going to be better off for it.”
 
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS GROUP QUALIFYING POSSIBILITY FOR NEXT YEAR?
“I’m excited.  We’ve had a lot of changes in this sport in the last several years.  It seems like every year we make a tremendous amount of changes.  I think that these new ideas and the things that they proposed are going to be pretty exciting.  I think driver may not like it.  I might not like it particularly as a driver, but I think for the sport it’s better to be more exciting and to sort of give the fans what they want.  I think we will all end up enjoying it though as far as drivers go.  I think we will work the kinks out.  Nothing is ever going to be perfect the first go around.  We will adjust on it just like we always have.  NASCAR will make adjustments and try to improve it for everybody and we will all end up enjoying it for sure.”
 
DID YOU UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS SOME DRIVERS HAVE ABOUT THE BASELINE TESTING?  SOME DRIVERS ARE WORRIED ABOUT IN ESSENCE DOCTORS SAYING YOU CAN’T DRIVE WHEN MAYBE THEY FEEL LIKE THEY CAN?  DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?
“No, I don’t understand any concerns like that. Going through what I went through I don’t understand that.  I think that you have to know how the test is taken and how the test is scored and how you are evaluated in the retest. It’s not two plus two equals four and ‘oh well you chose three you are out’.  There is no right or wrong answers.  It’s a test that really gives you an image of how someone thinks, how quickly they make decisions and how they make decisions, how they rationale.  It’s not really a test of what’s the capital of North Carolina.  There is not a grade.  You are not graded to it. Steve Letarte (crew chief) and I took the test together.  He did well on some things.  I did well on some things, but when I was concussed my grade was dramatically lower, not just a few points.  It’s not a guess for a doctor when they see an individual that is concussed on the test results.  There is no gray area.”
 
IT WAS EASY IN YOUR CASE BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T FEEL GOOD.  IF YOU FEEL GOOD…
“I don’t know that you would feel good if you were concussed. I mean I understand that drivers are going to be concerned that things could go wrong for them and they could get incorrectly diagnosed. I will be honest with you in my situation see I didn’t have a baseline to really go off of.  I hadn’t taken the baseline first and I took the test after I was concussed and they had to grade me against the norm, the average of all the individuals that they had tested before.  That was my mistake because I got graded against some other individual.  They had to make an educated guess on whether I needed to be in the car or not.
 
“To prevent that from happening I think it’s smart to go get the test.  I mean it’s going to be mandatory, so I think a lot of drivers went and took it anyway this year.  I think it’s a really good move and it’s really smart.  I think once people understand.  I encourage you to go take the test.  It takes 30 minutes and you will know what the test means, how it’s scored, how your graded, if you will.  It’s a really loose term.  Then you will see a bit more of the doctors point of view and you will understand there is not a big need for concern on the driver’s point of view.  Like I feel just as comfortable knowing everything I know now as I did before I didn’t know anything.  I don’t feel more worried about getting a concussion and being held out than I did before going through the whole process and understand how the test works and how they verify the test and all that.  It is kind of frustrating, but I think we get about a year down the road and everybody understands how the test works especially when all the drivers are forced to take it. It is no sweat and I don’t think they are going to be too worried about it.” 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
GOODY’S HEADACHE RELIEF SHOT 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
OCTOBER 25, 2013
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED THIRD
THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAP 1 AND LAP 2. WHAT WAS THAT DIFFERENCE?
“I guess just getting the right rhythm and matching the grip level that’s out there. There’s some grip but it’s just a fine line (laughs). And it always is here, for sure. But these cooler temperatures kind of make it a little more difficult to get tire temps. It was a good rebound and a nice qualifying effort. Hopefully we can stay in the top 5 and have a good race on Sunday.”
 
YOU SPENT A LOT OF TIME EARLIER TODAY TALKING ABOUT HOW ADVANTAGEOUS THAT FIRST PIT STALL IS.  WHAT IS THE NEXT BEST ONE YOU ARE SECOND ON THE BOARD RIGHT NOW?
“There are so other good ones, but for sure that first pit stall is the place to be.  We won’t get that opportunity, but hopefully we can stay in the top-five here as this winds down and have a nice opportunity on pit road and good track position to start the race.”
 
THE GUY YOU ARE NECK AND NECK WITH IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE TRACK RIGHT NOW I UNDERSTAND YOU GUYS HAD A LITTLE FUN THIS WEEK TEXTING WITH EACH OTHER?
“Yeah we have had a lot of fun over the last couple of weeks.  Kind of harassing one another but he is doing a good job and he’s on a decent lap here right now, right behind me.  So it will be interesting come Sunday.
 
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED SEVENTH
ON HIS LAP:
‘I felt like I had a good first lap, but I was a little bit greedy with the McDonald’s Chevy in Turn 3. I slid up the track, not a lot, but a little bit. I was shocked that it seems like the track has actually lost grip from practice. We’re so used to it when it comes time to qualify, it actually picking up. I was really thankful that I was just able to run a little bit quicker because from inside the car, it felt like a slower lap than I ran in practice. So, hopefully it will be a top 10 or top 12 starting position. I don’t think it has any chance for the pole, but it would be a good spot for the McDonald’s Chevy.”
 
A QUICK LAP OUT THERE YOU WERE 17TH IN PRACTICE THOUGH YOU FOUND SOME EXTRA SPEED IN YOUR QUALIFYING LAP HUH?
“Yeah, it was an okay lap.  It was a little quicker than I ran in practice.  I actually thought the track had a little bit less grip than what it did in practice which this track doesn’t change a lot, but I expected to go quicker.  I thought the track had a little less grip.  Overall it was a good day for our McDonald’s Chevy.  We have had a really good week with winning at Talladega.  It’s been a pretty good weekend for us so far.”
 
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 MENARDS/TURTLE WAX CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 23RD
YOU GUYS SPENT SOME TIME UP HERE A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO TESTING.  IT LOOKED LIKE IT HELPED YOU ARE THIRD ON THE BOARD RIGHT NOW WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THAT?
“Well we didn’t do any qualifying runs so we weren’t really sure what to expect there.  The car had good speed in practice.  We didn’t do a whole lot to qualify here.  The tires never really came in we didn’t change a whole lot.  The tires never felt like they gripped.  In practice you do runs and everything gets heat soaked.  It felt a lot better in practice I guess.”
 
WHAT ABOUT FOR THE RACE TOMORROW WHAT CAN WE EXPECT?
“We will switch over the race trim and do a lot of long runs and see how the tires hold up.  I felt like the test was really good as far as the drivability and the cooler temperatures now we will see how that applies to tomorrow.”
 
JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 SLEEP INNOVATIONS/DOW CHEVROLET SS, QUALIFIED 22ND:
HOW WAS YOUR LAP OUT THERE?  “We kind of struggled all day and just never quite had a grip on it.  We came here and tested and the track is a ton different than the way it tested.  That wasn’t great by any means but I don’t think it was horrible.  Looks like we slowed down a little less than the other guys did and right now, that is a good thing.”
 
EARLIER THIS WEEK NASCAR ANNOUNCED THERE WOULD BE MANDATORY BASELINE TESTING.  WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT MOVING FORWARD? “I am a fan of that.  I think the reason I am a fan of it is that they didn’t rush into this and they are taking their time at it and understanding exactly what it means rather than just jumping at it.  The big concern for everybody is that someone else is going to be making the decision whether you can race and that concerns everybody.   On the other hand, they are experts.  Its not like a bunch of people doing it as a hobby and there is nothing wrong with somebody looking out for your best interest.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
GOODY’S HEADACHE RELIEF SHOT 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 25, 2013
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Martinsville Speedway and discussed racing at Martinsville Speedway, wheel hop and other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT THIS RACE TRACK OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE FOUR RACES TO GO AND THIS IS A PLACE I WOULD THINK YOU WOULD THINK THAT YOU COULD COME OUT OF WITH A WIN:
“Absolutely, we come in here feeling really good about this race track and our race team. We have had a lot of positive things that have happened to us over the last six weeks.  Then to come with a good feeling about where we are at as a race team and our race cars and come into one of my favorite race tracks, a track that we have had good results at, not only in the past, but this year it definitely is something that we come into very excited about.  We focused on qualifying today; feel like getting that number one pit stall is so worth it here so we are fighting hard for that.  Looking forward to that opportunity today and hopefully we can achieve that and if not hopefully we can just still put a good qualifying run together.  Then really looking forward to focusing on the race tomorrow and get ourselves prepared for Sunday.”
 
YOU WON AT PHOENIX IN 2007 AND 2011 CAN YOU JUST TALK ABOUT THOSE WINS BRIEFLY AND WHAT KIND OF TRACK IT IS FOR YOU?
“Back in 2011 it was a great track for us.  I wish it would have stayed the same.  They repaved it and that changed our entire world at Phoenix.  Phoenix has always been kind of a hit or miss track for me in general.  When Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) came on board as a crew chief or really I went on board with their team I was pretty excited about Phoenix.  It showed when we went there and we won that race.  Ever since they repaved it, it is completely different.  Between that and Kansas those are the two tracks that we put on our calendars as tracks that we have to improve.  That we have to really focus and execute and we could struggle there if we are not careful.  Kansas went pretty well for us and I’m optimistic that Phoenix can as well.  Each time we go there it ages and it feels like it gets more and more back to a feel that I like and a track that we can be competitive at.  Right now just the way things are going in general I look forward to going to every track.  I just think as a race team we are in synch.  Our race cars are driving well, my confidence is up and I feel like that is going to bode well for us at Phoenix as well.”
 
YOUR PEPSI AD HAS BEEN GETTING A LOT OF PLAY DURING THE WORLD SERIES HAVE YOU GOTTEN MANY RESPONSES FROM THAT?
“Well I mean after it got 40 million hits on You Tube I think it’s kind of hard to top that.  It’s just been an amazing year when you look at how we started with the Harlem Shake and then that video.  We did all of that before the season started and had a lot of fun doing it.  You never know how people are going to react to it and what’s going to happen with it overall.  Obviously it’s been a great marketing strategy for Pepsi Max and they have certainly enjoyed it, so have I.  Every time it airs on something I still laugh and people react.  It’s not going to be as big of a reaction as what we got when it first came onto You Tube though.”
 
DID YOU ATTEND THE NASCAR MEETING ON THURSDAY?
“I had a Pepsi production day that day, so, no.  I would like to know about meetings like that more than two weeks in advance because I would like to attend them.  We just need to plan a little bit better to try to get those types of meetings together.  Not that I could have changed anything because we had that Pepsi shoot scheduled pretty far in advance.  I was really looking at it more from the concussion standpoint.  Dr. Petty is a good friend of mine. He’s somebody I have spent a lot of time speaking to.  I see him on a weekly basis because I got to their facility for my back.  It’s just a standard kind of workout that I do every week.  So we are always in touch.  I feel pretty confident from that standpoint.  I probably didn’t understand that there was going to be a lot more than that discussed at that meeting.  I have done a baseline test so I feel good about that and the direction that they are going and I agree with it.”
 
ONE OF THE THINGS THEY BROUGHT UP IN THAT MEETING WAS THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT DRIVERS HAVE ON TWITTER AS FAR AS WHAT THEY TWEET.  DO YOU THINK THAT DRIVERS SHOULD HAVE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF MATURITY AND KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG BEFORE THEY GET HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
“Well I think every person should have good common sense.  I think that is what it really comes down to.  I think with social media we all recognize that the fun it can be.  We recognize the benefits it can have for marketing for our sponsors and so many other benefits.  But also you have to be careful you can’t just go on a wild spree.  You can’t always just speak your mind because it’s there.  I think we have all been there where we probably stepped over the line.  Every time I put a tweet together I read it two and three times going ‘is this what I want to put out there?  Do I want people to read this?’  Sometimes my emotions get the best of me and I push send and I probably maybe shouldn’t have, but I do try to use the best common sense that I can in everything that I send out there before it goes.  Plus, I’m a spell freak.  I like to spell things right. It’s hard to do on Twitter.”
 
DURING THE FIRST PRACTICE, PEOPLE WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT WHEEL HOP. WE HEAR IT A LOT, BUT NOBODY HAS EVER EXPLAINED IT. CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH IT AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT IN TERMS OF SET-UP OR DRIVING STYLE?
“We mainly hear about it on the road courses because you are braking so aggressively into the corners at the road courses. It happens here as well, on occasions. It’s definitely something that I’ve had to work on over the years.
 
“But basically, as you drive into the corner, and these cars, even as much as they’ve advanced in braking and weight transfer and downforce and everything over the years, when you try to slow that car down as abruptly as we’re trying to on these tracks, and the wheel speed starts to try to slow down faster than what the engine and rear gear speed and driveshaft and all those components that are connected are slowing down, then the rear tires start to lose grip and they basically go into a ‘hopping’ mode where you can’t control it. You just have to hang on tight and straighten the wheel out and hope that there’s some room for error out there, which there’s not a lot of room for error here.
 
“So really, to me, there’s not much you can do about the set-up, in my opinion; I mean a little bit with truck arm angle can help, but other than that, it really comes down to how abruptly you let out of the gas and apply the brake. And this is one place where I think how you apply the brakes is the most crucial part of success at this track; which is why I think some people really struggle here.”
 
TODAY WE TALKED ABOUT THE TWO CONTENDERS FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP, MATT KENSETH AND JIMMIE JOHNSON.  MATT HAS MADE A MOVE THIS YEAR AND JIMMIE HAS LONGEVITY WITH HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS. WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE ADVANTAGES A PERSON WOULD HAVE WITH A SPONSOR AND A RACE TEAM AND HOW IS THAT BENEFICIAL?
“Well, obviously being comfortable and going through so many different scenario situations, stressful situations, positive situations, wins and championships, there is certainly a lot to be said about that continuity of that race team. I think it’s equally as challenging though, to try to stay on top of your game an
d continue to push yourself and every individual on the team and trying to constantly get better. I think that if a team that’s really good, like the No. 48, can stay together and have very little turnover but continue to push those limits, that’s the ultimate.
 
“I think all the time, back to when Ray (Evernham, crew chief) and I were together, and if we could have just made it through 1999. Now I don’t know if it would have changed his offer to go do the Dodge team, but that was a tough year for us. And I was growing and things were changing and we went through a time where I felt like I could do it without him and he felt like well, maybe he can do it without me but I’ve got another opportunity. And we’ve been able to stay close friends through it all, but we always talk about that time. And I really think that if you make it through those tough times it only makes you stronger. I think if we had done that, we could have really gone on to even win more championships together.
 
“So, I credit Jimmie and (crew chief) Chad (Knaus) and all that they’ve been through because not all of it has been great. It certainly looks that way. But they’ve gone through their ups and downs as well and I really give them a lot of credit for sticking together. They’re a great team and they’re going to win a lot if they can stay together, and they’ve proven that.
 
“With Matt, he’s a great driver and he goes over to Gibbs and they’ve got a great program. And I think that it just shows the quality of both, the quality of what Matt brings and the quality of what Gibbs has. By blending those two together, they’ve had a great combination. Sometimes you hit that right away and other times it takes years to find it. They obviously hit on some things right away and other than the penalty that they had earlier in the year, they’ve been able to just keep building on that throughout the year. I think everybody knew they were going to be a real threat for the championship when the Chase came around.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
GOODY’S HEADACHE RELIEF SHOT 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 25, 2013
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Martinsville Speedway and discussed racing at Martinsville, which driver and team he is focused on at this point in the Chase, the No. 48 Chevrolet SS team as closers and other topics. Full Transcript:
 
FOUR RACES TO GO THIS RACE TRACK HAS BEEN VERY GOOD FOR YOU TALK ABOUT AND JUST TALK ABOUT YOUR OUTLOOK NOW YOU HAVE A FOUR POINT LEAD WITH FOUR RACES TO GO:
“Without a doubt it’s been a good race track for the No. 48 team.  It doesn’t guarantee anything for this weekend’s race and we have to go out and get everything we can in this first practice session and then try to get our best two laps possible for qualifying.  We all know how important that first pit stall is and it can make life so much easier come Sunday afternoon.  Very happy to be here, the week was a comfortable week, one from having a decent finish at Talladega and taking the point’s lead. Then two rolling into a track that is historically really good for the No. 48. It’s been a good week, but again that doesn’t guarantee anything for the weekend.  We have to go out here and get the job done and work hard.”
 
DOES IT SURPRISE YOU THAT MATT KENSETH SAID THAT THEY MIGHT AS WELL JUST PENCIL YOUR NAME IN ON THE TROPHY FOR SUNDAY?
“Yeah, I mean it’s flattering, I appreciate it, but there are four or five guys that really stand a chance each time we come here.  I think the No. 24, No. 29 and the No. 18 has been knocking on the door.  Matt (Kenseth) ran in the top-five, even led laps here in the spring.  We have had a good run over the years.  I understand where that comes from based on past history, but again it doesn’t guarantee anything for this weekend.  At most it’s flattering, but we’ve got to go out there and get to work.”
 
HOW IS RACING MATT (KENSETH) NOW AT THIS POINT IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO 2006 WHEN YOU GUYS WENT HEAD TO HEAD? HOW IS HE DIFFERENT?  OR IS THIS THE SAME MATT KENSETH AS 2006?  HE SAID HE TEXTED YOU THIS WEEK ASKING NOT TO ASK HIM FOR ADVICE THIS WEEK WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THAT?
“(Laughs) we have had a good banter texting back and forth.  For a guy that can come across dry at times, as we all know in here, he is awfully funny.  He asked me to not pester him and ask him for too many tips this weekend and a bunch of different things.  Certainly having fun with Matt he’s a great guy and one awesome race car driver.  We have all grown and changed a lot over the years.  I think that especially racing Matt with the experience that he has he understands the big picture, how to race, when to race, what to do.  I think his departure from Roush and then joining up at (Joe) Gibbs it’s filled in some weak spots that you would normally think that Matt would have.  This track is a perfect example.  I think his run in the spring was pretty darn strong. I think the relationship that he has with his team and his crew and his crew chief they are vibing pretty good.  I’m not going to put my guard down here even though it is one of our better tracks.  I look forward to a battle all the way to the last lap at Homestead with him.  If we slip at all the No. 29 and the No. 24 and the No. 18 have shown they are not going away.  We need to certainly worry about the No. 20, but also there are four or five cars we have to really pay attention to here.  If Matt and I slip those guys are right back in it.”
 
WHEN YOU WERE THIRD IN POINTS YOU SAID YOU ONLY REALLY FOCUSED ON THE GUYS IN FRONT OF YOU.  NOW YOU ARE FIRST WHAT IS YOUR FOCUS ON NOW?
“Really this weekend especially doing the best job that I can, in general that is really what I have done, Chad (Knaus, crew chief) has done and what we preach to our guys.  If we put our blinders on and focus on the No. 48 and do our jobs we will be alright.  That mentality definitely is there, but the first car I worry about right now is the No. 20.  Then it kind of goes back from there with the points.  I feel like (Jeff) Gordon and (Kevin) Harvick are going to be awfully tough this weekend.  It’s a good track for them.  I think the No. 29 was here and tested so that’s going to be helpful for those guys.  It is going to be a good race.  I think you are going to see the Chaser’s racing for the win.”
 
WHEN IT COMES TO FEAST OF FAMINE THIS PLACE SEEMS TO BE PRETTY EXTREME.  IT SEEMS THAT GUYS EITHER DOMINATE OR STRUGGLE.  WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS HERE?
“It’s a track that we don’t run on anything like this.  It’s the only paperclip out there for us to run on.  I don’t know why the switch was flipped for me.  I know how. I’ve said it a million times I was following Tony Stewart here as he came to lap me I think my sophomore season and something clicked.  We came up and tested my rookie year a couple of times.  Looked at data that Jeff (Gordon) was driving around the track and I couldn’t piece it together.  There was something that finally clicked.  I think once it clicks here for a driver it’s a place they always have.  If it doesn’t it gets under your skin and aggravates you and continues to fester and create the flip side.  You are happy and enjoy the place, you run well then the flip side is if you don’t and it festers you just have a tough time here and don’t like this place.”
 
IN THE PAST YOU HAVE TALKED SOME ABOUT RACING THE FIRST SEVEN RACES OF THE CHASE AND THEN REALLY WORRYING ABOUT WHOM YOU ARE RACING.  IT SEEMS THAT YOU HAVE REALLY FOCUSED A LITTLE BIT ON (MATT) KENSETH A LOT THE LAST FEW WEEKS.  ARE YOU MORE FOCUSED ON HIM THAN OTHER COMPETITORS IN THE PAST?  IF (KEVIN) HARVICK WAS SECOND COULD YOU HAVE RAN 29 MILES YESTERDAY?
“I might have to slide a few miles in on the bike if it was (Kevin) Harvick (laughs).  I don’t know I made 20 pretty well, but 29 that’s a whole other game.  I am focused mostly on the No. 20.  He’s been ahead of me, you know Talladega has been looming out there as we’ve all known.  I didn’t want to put too much stock in just chasing the No. 20 until we got out of Talladega.  But without a doubt that has been my focus.  I was pretty frustrated after Charlotte.  I was in front of him all day long and then when it finished up he was right there in front of me at the end of the race.  My focus is on the No. 20 first and foremost, but again if we slip.  I’m not sure at 25 back if Harvick heated up real good if there is enough time to really be concerned or (Jeff) Gordon or Kyle (Busch) is even a little further back yet.”
 
IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU’VE DONE IN THE PAST?
“No, I mean I guess maybe social media and other things allow people to see more of what goes on during the week, but I’ve always been focused on a particular guy when we get to the end of the year.  One year it was Carl (Edwards), one year it was Denny (Hamlin) you certainly do draw focus.  The later you go you focus in on one or two cars and drivers much more at that point.  Yeah, especially as you wind down I will be much more focused on individuals.”
 
WE GO TO TEXAS NEXT WEEK.  2007 YOU AND MATT KENSETH PUT ON WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE GREATEST RACE OF THE LAST 10 YEARS.  WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THAT AND DO YOU GUYS EVER TALK ABOUT THAT? 
“I think about it.  I don’t necessarily talk to Matt (Kenseth) about it.  I’m not sure he’s thrilled with the results of how it turned out.  We put on a heck of a show.  I was just there testing and remembering that battle.  I was inside of him for many laps.  Both of us are sideway
s and just driving the wheels off the cars.  From my standpoint I think it was an amazing race.  I’m sure Matt would agree on most levels, but the results I think he would want differently.  I just remember knowing that second would be okay, but that is just not in my DNA.  We had an opportunity to win and I also had confidence in Matt that we would race.  It wouldn’t cross that line and was able to push and put on a great show.”
 
HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO THE OTHER DRIVER’S ABOUT THE KIND OF ANTICLIMACTIC FINISH OF LAST WEEKEND’S RACE?  SECONDLY DO YOU KIND OF EXPECT THAT SAME KIND OF CAUTIOUS RACING HERE OR DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU GUYS GET OUT THERE BOUNCING OFF EACH OTHER THAT WILL ALL GO OUT THE WINDOW?
“Any team member or driver I’ve seen this week they all ask the same question.  Why wasn’t everybody racing?  I don’t know.  We had more side-by-side action on lap one, lap 100, on through than we did in the last few laps.  I think everybody especially in the first five to 10 positions they were waiting for their opportunity.  Waiting for someone to pull out and in anticipation no one made a move.  I can’t quite explain it.  I’m a little puzzled by it as well.  It falls within that strategy mindset.  Guys were trying to get their best finish.  At Daytona you might make a run down the backstretch.  At Talladega the finish line is out at the tri-oval a lot further away so if we made it to turn three, turn four, there would have been a lot going on at that point.  But we crashed down the back and didn’t get that chance.  For my sake I wish that we would have started racing earlier.  I tried a couple of times tried to get the bottom line going and nobody wanted to.  Then this weekend it’s a short track so all the cautious driving is going to go out the window.  It’s a short track.”
 
WHAT DID YOU TEXT BACK TO MATT KENSETH WHEN HE ASKED YOU NOT TO ASK FOR ANY TIPS THIS WEEKEND?
“Let me pull out my phone.  I will try to remember the exact dialogue.  He just texted me again and said ‘be ready for the media center.’ He basically said ‘we are friends and all but he would appreciate me from refraining of asking too much advice or pointers about this weekend at Martinsville.’  He hopes that ‘I would understand and I’m not offended.’  I told him ‘I completely understand and wish I could offer him some help one of these days.’  Then it just went back and forth.  Then he gave me the heads up what was going to happen in here (laughs).”
 
WHEN YOU WENT OUT ON YOUR RUN YESTERDAY DID YOU JUST HAPPEN TO RUN 20 MILES OR DID YOU HAVE THAT NUMBER IN MIND?
“No, for the last couple of weeks I’ve been building up.  Last week I ran 17, the week before it was 15.  20 was the number my coach and I talked about it last week when we got to 17.  As I got near the end of it I think my coach said 20 for the 20.  That kind of planted the seed in my mind and helped me run strong at the end.”
 
INAUDIBLE:
“No, I have just been training hard and working hard on things.  Running those longer distances and paying attention to your heart rate, I ran a conservative heart rate for the first 17 and then at the end started building my heart rate up.  I had some left in the tank.  I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but ran home real strong.  I was happy about that.”
 
WHEN IT COMES TO MATT KENSETH HOW MUCH DOES MAYBE KENTUCKY OR INSTANCES WHERE YOU KNOW IT’S NOT GOING TO BE OVER UNTIL THE END ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP THAT MORE IN MIND PERHAPS OVER THE NEXT FOUR RACES THAT HE IS NOT GOING TO GO AWAY EASILY?
“Yeah, for sure I don’t know how I can defend against it, but it is on my mind.  Charlotte was another good example of it.  I think he ran around the top-five, fifth, sixth, seventh somewhere throughout the night in that position.  We were up there dominating the race and I started to think that we might pick up a couple of points on him.  Then when the checkered fell he was one spot ahead of me.  He is a great driver, great team, and there is no quit in those guys.  It just means we need to be buttoned up until the end.  It’s no secret that we have missed some opportunity throughout the year.  The final laps of a race, restart situations, there have been a handful that have gotten away.  At this point I can’t let that happen anymore.”
 
I DON’T THINK WHEN YOU WON YOUR FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP YOU WERE RUNNING 20 MILES.  THE PHYSICAL FITNESS ASPECT OF THIS HAS THE PRESSURE OF GETTING OLDER RESULTED IN YOU LOOKING TO BE MORE PHYSICALLY FIT OR HAVE YOU JUST REALIZED THAT THE DEMANDS OF THIS JOB REQUIRE YOU TO BE IN BETTER PHYSICAL SHAPE?
“I have been in and out of different training routines and I would say really the last five years I have been focused and determined and on the right path with it all.  This fascination with the endurance stuff it’s just build over the course of the last year as I got strong been able to compete in a few different events and put up good times.  That kind of fueled the fire as well.  Then for me mentally as I dedicated more time to it and found a way to manage racing life, personal life and the training side it’s been a very good thing for me mentally oddly enough.  Sure there are physical benefits, but there is something in my mind where I feel accomplished, I feel I did all that I could that day to do my job and to be an athlete.  I sleep well.  I don’t sit up wondering about different things because I’m exhausted.  It just generally feels good to get this work done and to have that behind me in the course of the day.  There is a strong mental aspect to it that I have enjoyed.  Also in the moment suffering on the bike or swimming or running or whatever it’s a similar mindset to driving the race car late in the race or an ill-handling race car, where it’s not fun, but you have to figure out how to get to the end as fast as you can. That mindset has been fun to kind of live during the week days and not only on the weekends.”
 
THIS WEEK CARL EDWARDS SAID THE NO. 48 GUYS ARE GREAT CLOSER IF THEY ARE AT THE TOP OF THE STANDINGS OR AT THE LEAD IN A RACE THEY ARE GOING TO FINISH IT.  EVEN AT THE LAST TWO YEARS, THE LAST COUPLE OF RACES LAST YEAR YOU SURPRISED YOU STILL HAVE THAT REPUTATION IN THE GARAGE?
“Yeah, I mean last year didn’t buy us any stock in that.  There have been some races this year late in the event where things have slipped way, but I think people know what our team is capable of.  And through most opportunities we show that and we are able to get the job done.  We are human and we do make mistakes.  I make mistakes, the team does, stuff happens.  I’m glad that at least Carl (Edwards) thinks that and hopefully we can live up to that and get the job done and continue to enforce that message.”
 
 

Charlie Kimball led the Honda field Friday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, qualifying fifth for Saturday night’s season-ending MAVTV American Real 500.  Kimball’s two-lap average of 217.986 mph will place him on the second row of the three-wide starting grid being used for the 500-mile IZOD IndyCar Series event. 

James Jakes and IndyCar championship points leader Scott Dixon posted identical qualifying speeds of 217.979 mph, but Jakes was placed ahead of Dixon on the provisional starting grid based on the tie-breaker of posting his speed first.  Honda-powered Dixon comes to Auto Club Speedway with a 25-point lead over rival Helio Castroneves in the drivers’ championship standings, and can secure his third Indy car championship with a finish of fifth or better, regardless of where Castroneves finishes. 

Josef Newgarden continued his streak of strong oval qualifying performances in 2013 and will start 10thfor Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing.  Newgarden also posted top-10 qualifying runs on the Texas and Milwaukee ovals earlier this season. 

Saturday night’s 250-lap race, the 19thand final round in the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series to decide both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships, starts at 8:30 p.m. EDT, with live television coverage on the NBC Sports Network. 

Scott Dixon(#9 Target Chip Ganassi RacingHonda Dallara) championship points leader, qualified 7th:  “I didn’t know we did the exact same time [as James Jakes].  A three-wide start should be pretty interesting around here, but it’s fun to come back to Fontana for the championship finale.  It’s fun to be in this position and fight for the championship.”