Follow A Dream Racing

Follow A Dream 5th!

Marstons Mills, MA -September 23, 2013-Jay Blake’s Permatex/Follow A Dream team climbed to eighth place in the Top Alcohol Funny Car national standings with a quarterfinal finish at the second-to-last race of the season, the Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway in Charlotte, N.C.

Driver Todd Veney qualified fifth in the field with a 5.66 and ran a 5.59 – the team’s best performance since May – in a first-round win over Fred Tigges. The car was on an even better run against eventual runner-up Mickey Ferro in the quarterfinals, a 5.57 or 5.58, when the blower belt snapped just past half-track, silencing the engine and bringing the weekend to a halt.

“It happened right as I was going into high gear,” Veney said. “It was on its way to the best run we’ve made in a while – over 206 mph at half-track – when it happened. I’m not sure we would have won, but I must have been right beside him because I never saw him until it quit.”

Over the weekend, the team played host to a large group of foster kids, who got a tour of the car, the rig, and the entire pit and spent time with Blake, who delivered an emotional inspirational speech in the team hospitality area. “Being with kids like that, and with the veterans and their families who also joined us in Charlotte this weekend, is what Follow A Dream is all about,” Blake said.

The team’s next event, the Auto Plus Nationals, is the final race of the season, two weeks from now at historic Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing–Sylvania 300

SYLVANIA 300
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
New Hampshire Motor Speedway    
September 22, 2013
 
Race Highlights: 
 
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished eighth (Jeff Burton), 20th (Kevin Harvick) and 22nd (Paul Menard) in the SYLVANIA 300.
Following the event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Harvick is sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, 39 markers behind the leader, while Menard is 16th and Burton moved up three positions to 19th.
The No. 29 Chevrolet SS team ranks sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 27 team 18th in the standings and the No. 31 team 21st.
According to NASCAR’s Post-Race Loop Data Statistics, Burton ranked 10th for Laps Run in the Top-15 with 217 circuits in that position.
Burton completed 66 Green-Flag Passes, while Menard made 62 and Harvick had 61 during the 300-lap race.
Matt Kenseth earned his seventh victory of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season and was followed to the finish line by Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 29. The 29th race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
 
 
 
Menard Finishes 22nd at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
 
Starting from the seventh position, Paul Menard and the No. 27 SYLVANIA/Menards team faced handling issues throughout the 300-lap event, earning a 22nd-place finish when the checkered flag flew at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. After slipping back several positions in the early laps of the race, Menard was scored in 13th on lap 25 when he communicated to crew chief “Slugger” Labbe that the No. 27 machine was tight on entry and loose exiting the corners. The pit crew made a variety of adjustments during pit stops on laps 32 and 109 in hopes of remedying the issue. The Eau Claire, Wis., native maintained a position within the top-20 and at lap 156 he was scored in 19th, running lap times as fast as the leader. A two-tire pit stop on lap 202 allowed Menard to gain valuable track position, lining him up 15th for the ensuing restart. The Richard Childress Racing driver methodically worked his way up to 11th before coming to pit road one final time on lap 246 for left-side tires, fuel and wedge and air pressure adjustments. Restarting in 11th, Menard was caught in the middle going three-wide into the corner and shuffled back to 19th at lap 263. Struggling with a tight condition for the remaining 37 laps of the event, Menard ultimately finished 22nd at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Menard maintained his position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings and sits in 16th heading to Dover International Speedway.
 
Start – 7                      Finish – 22                     Laps Led – 0            Points – 16th
 
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“It was a rough day for the No. 27 SYLVANIA/Menards crew. We struggled with handling issues for the majority of the day, especially there at the end. That last set of tires made us really tight and we just couldn’t gain any track position. My guys never gave up and made a variety of adjustments all day to try and get the car to handle better. We’ll keep our heads up heading into Dover (International Speedway) next week.”
 
 
 

 
Harvick Finishes 20th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
 
Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team finished 20th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon after battling handling issues during in the SYLVANIA 300. The California native started the 300-lap affair from the eighth position and slipped back to 11th in the early laps when a tight condition through the center of the corners and loose-handling condition on exit developed on the red and white Chevrolet. Though he was struggling with handling issues, Harvick continued to hold a position inside the top-15 for the first half of the 300 mile event. The Budweiser crew made a variety of adjustments during multiple two and four-tire pits stops throughout the race, but the handling issues persisted and Harvick slipped back to 20th at Lap 213. Crew chief Gil Martin called his driver to pit road one final time, with 53 laps remaining, for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. The Richard Childress Racing driver restarted in 23rd and fell back as far as 25th, before working his way back inside the top 20 at lap 269. Harvick maintained his position for the remaining 30 laps to finish 20th at “The Magic Mile.” Following the event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Harvick sits in sixth position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings.
 
Start – 8         Finish – 20         Laps Led – 0        Points Position – 6th
 
 
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:

“We struggled with handling issues all day and never could get it figured out. Even though we didn’t get the finish we were looking for today, we’re not going to let it get us down. Next week is another race and we’ll look for better results heading into Dover.”

 

 

 

 
Burton Finishes Eighth in the No. 31 Cheerios Chevrolet at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Jeff Burton started the SYLVANIA 300 in 25th at the one-mile oval of New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Once the initial green-flag waved over the Granite State-facility, Burton encountered a condition of loose in the entry and middle of the turns on the No. 31 Cheerios Chevrolet. A pre-determined competition caution on lap 30 coincided with a spin in Turn 4. This allowed crew chief Luke Lambert to bring Burton down pit road taking on four tires, fuel and making a track bar adjustment. Restarting 25th, Burton began his methodical climb through the scoring ranks. By lap 50, he was 17th when the caution waved one lap later. During this break, Lambert radioed to Burton that he felt like the track conditions were working in their favor. That became evident through the next four cautions and the halfway point when Burton first entered the top-10 ranks. Taking only two right-side tires under caution on lap 166, then two left-side tires on lap 202 helped keep Burton in the top-15. He re-entered the top 10 on lap 245 and remained there for the rest of the race to finish eighth, earning his sixth top-10 finish in 2013. He also moved up three positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings to 19th place.

                Start – 25     Finish – 8       Laps Led – 0        Points Position – 19th

Jeff Burton Quote:

“We just got too tight there at the end to gain any more positions. We had great pit stops during the entire race, so my hat is off to the No. 31 Cheerios team today. That was a great Chevrolet we had, we just should have finished much better than we did. But, we’ll take that top-10 and head to Dover (International Speedway) and do it again.”                         

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Line Wins Dallas and Moves into Points Lead

Line Wins Dallas and Moves into Points Lead
 
ENNIS, Texas, September 22, 2013 – Jason Line is becoming a very big fan of the Lone Star state. The Summit Racing Pro Stock driver raced to victory today at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, adding another Texas trophy to his collection after scoring in Houston earlier this season. With the win – the 31st of his career – Line moved into the points lead for the first time in 2013.
 
“I wanted another one of those Wild Bill cowboy hats you get for winning here, and I got it, but having the points lead is really exciting,” said Line, who was a finalist last week in Charlotte and sits atop the points with four races left in NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship. “That’s a big deal. To go from where we were two months ago to being here is a small miracle and a testament to all of our KB Racing guys and all the Summit Racing folks. There has been a lot of effort. We have worked harder than we have in a long, long time, that’s for sure. It’s good to see it starting to pay off.”
 
Although qualifying was cut short by two runs due to persistent rain that plagued the area surrounding Texas Motorplex, Line, who was No. 1 qualifier in 2011 and went on to win the event, had no trouble qualifying the silver Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro in the No. 5 position with a best time of 6.566 at 211.06 mph.
 
In the opening act on Sunday, the Mooresville, N.C.-based Line knocked out Rodger Brogdon with a second-best of the round 6.555 at 211.20 to his opponent’s 6.662, 209.52. His quick e.t. was good for the win light; however, it wasn’t quick enough to garner lane choice over Allen Johnson in the second round.
 
As the outcome would show, Line didn’t require lane choice to beat the defending series champ, and he launched his Summit Racing Camaro ahead of his challenger and continued to surge ahead for a 6.568, 211.39 to 6.578, 211.53 victory. This time, Line did earn honors for having the quickest car of the round, and he scored them again in the semifinals when he clocked an awesome 6.579 at 210.67 mph in his defeat of a red-lighting V. Gaines.
 
Loaded with horsepower and a definite sense of determination, Team Summit was calm as they towed up to the staging lanes for what would be Line’s 65th final round in NHRA’s tough Pro Stock division. Fully expecting a repeat of the Houston event, when Line beat Shane Gray in the final round for the title, the team saw their expectations become a reality as the scoreboard lit up with a 6.590 at 211.16 to Gray’s 6.595, 210.44.
 
“We were a little bit lucky today for sure,” said Line, referring to what appeared to be a malfunction at the starting line that was later suspected to be a disturbance of the staging beams by crickets. When Line pulled his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro into position to stage, the top bulb on the Tree, NHRA’s starting system, flickered off and on instead of fully illuminating.
 
“That was probably the oddest final of my life, no question,” continued Line. “I was not in deep [a method of inching in further than normal during the staging process in order to shave time off of a driver’s reaction time]; I did what I normally do without a plan to be first or last off the starting line. I was just doing my thing, and to be honest, I panicked because I didn’t know what was going on. I was definitely thrown for a loop.”
 
The disruption on the starting line showed in each driver’s reaction time. Line was a surprising .067 at the hit of the throttle while Gray was only a bit behind with a .074-second reaction.
 
“It is what it is, though,” Line concluded. “This win is huge, and timing is everything. We still aren’t where we feel we need to be, but the Summit Racing team is competitive. I can assure you that we are going to continue to work to get an advantage. We aren’t going to stop, and we have some very talented folks on the KB Racing team. It’s unfortunate that at the beginning of the year we didn’t show that, but sometimes you have to be willing to go backwards to go forward.”
 

Mopar Racing

Mopar Racing–Mixed Results for Mopar in Championship Battle at Texas NHRA FallNationals

Mixed Results for Mopar in Championship Battle at Texas NHRA FallNationals
 
·         Points battle tightens in both Funny Car and Pro Stock classes following mixed results at 28th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals
·         Hagan remains in Funny Car points lead with a 51 point advantage over second place despite second round loss at Texas Motorplex
·         Coughlin still second in Pro Stock standings with four more playoff events left in Countdown to Championship
·         Johnson only 74 points from Pro Stock points leader despite dropping to fifth place

Ennis, Texas (Sunday, September 22, 2013) – It was a tough race day at Texas Motorplex as Mopar teams and drivers ran the gamut of highs and lows only to leave the 28th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals no better but no worse in the battle to defend its two world titles with just four playoff events remaining in the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Series “Countdown to the Championship”. While the results for the Mopar contingent didn’t include any final round appearances, the championship points battle tightened up in both Funny Car and Pro Stock classes to make the upcoming final four events that much more interesting.

 

It was a definite mix of good news and bad news in the early Pro Stock elimination rounds. The first bit of good news came from Larry Morgan’s first round upset of Mike Edwards, who had led the standings since the Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals in April. That loss combined with Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s first round win against Greg Anderson, temporarily gave the Jegs.com Mopar driver the lead in the championship standings.

 

That advantage was short lived however, as Coughlin lost his semifinal matchup with an elapsed time run of 6.601 seconds (210.47 mph) and a 0.066 second reaction time to Shane Gray’s 0.029 second start and a 6.620 sec. (210.01 mph) pass for a holeshot victory.

 

“Being ten points behind the points leader coming into the race, when Mike Edwards went out first round, that gave us an opportunity to make up some ground,” Coughlin said. “To bow out in the semis was untimely. We felt like we had a great car, and I felt great behind the wheel.”

 

Benefitting from Coughlin’s loss was Jason Line who defeated Gray in the final elimination round to steal the lead in the points from his previous third place position in the standings. The good news is that Coughlin is just eight points behind Line in second place heading into the third of six playoff events next week in St. Louis.

 

The defending winner of the FallNationals, Allen Johnson, wasn’t able to take full advantage of Edwards’ loss to gain ground in the standings after he saw his day come to a premature end with a second round loss to eventual title winner Line despite having two very strong runs and two elapsed time passes of 6.550 seconds (against Greg Stanfield) and 6.578 seconds (against Line). On a more positive note, the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger didn’t lose too much ground either as Johnson is just 74 points from the new leader despite a drop down to fifth place.

 

“We’re leaving here with the Mopar Express Lane Dodge just about the same amount of points behind the leader as we did coming into it, just with a different leader now. The stars just haven’t aligned yet for us because we had a really good car here and I’m really disappointed with that second round loss. We’re beating all around it but we’re going to hit it in the middle in the next race. We only won three races last year in the countdown, maybe we’ll have to go for four in a row and go out with a big exciting finish.”

 

A strong performance was seen from the HEMI-powered Dodge of V. Gaines who won the first round battle of the Mopars by eliminating Vincent Nobile from competition and then had an outstanding second round run against No.1 qualifier Erica Enders. While Gaines had a great 0.010-second reaction time, Enders left first with a 0.008 but the Mopar driver chased her down and edged her at the finish line by just 0.0061-seconds to advance to the semifinals against Jason Line. A red light start against Line ended his hope of a final round berth, but now has him tied in sixth place with Enders-Stevens and ahead of eighth place Vincent Nobile.

 

In Funny Car action, Matt Hagan won his first round match up against Jeff Arend by posting an e.t. (4.081) that was even quicker than his third place qualifying effort (4.093) but saw his day go up in tire smoke against his Mopar teammate and defending world champion Jack Beckman in the second round. Despite the loss, Hagan will take his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Charger R/T and a 51-point lead into the third playoff event of the Countdown.

 

“It’s like anything; you can’t get your head down,” said Hagan who has been in first place since his win at the NHRA Nationals in Englishtown, N.J. in June. “You win as a team, you lose as a team and you move forward as a team. I’m looking forward to getting to the next race. This one is behind us now and we just have to keep digging deep and working hard.”

 

Beckman, for his part, carried the Mopar banner through to a semifinal round loss against Cruz Pedregon, the eventual title winner at the FallNationals, cutting down his points deficit to the leader to 76 points. Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps, who started the weekend off with a second place spot in the standings, saw his day spoiled by Tony Pedregon in the first round, dropping him all the way down to sixth place and 102 points from Hagan. Johnny Gray’s Dodge Charger R/T is right behind Capps in seventh place after his second round loss to Robert Hight.

 

Taylor Fern

Taylor Ferns–Taylor Ferns Caps Three-Race Day with Fourth-Place Run at Eldora

Taylor Ferns Caps Three-Race Day with Fourth-Place Run at Eldora
By Ferns Racing PR 

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich.—Sept. 22, 2013 — Taylor Ferns has had some busy days at the racetrack, but none quite like the one she had on Saturday, Sept. 21. She began the day at Kentucky Speedway by finishing 12th in an afternoon race with the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards at the 1.5-mile superspeedway. Ferns then headed 150 miles north to the famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio, for the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series and Honda USAC National Midget Series portions of the 4-Crown Nationals. She finished 11th in the Midget, and then capped the night with a career-best fourth-place finish in the 50-lap Silver Crown event.

“Overall it was a pretty good day,” said Ferns. “To race all three cars was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed it. It definitely took a toll on me today (Sunday), and I slept a lot of the day, but it was a great experience. Kentucky (Speedway) and Eldora (Speedway) are so different and so are each of the three cars I raced. To be able to have consistent runs in each and very a strong showing in the Silver Crown car was definitely a confidence booster.”

In her first Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series race at Eldora, Ferns lined up on the inside of the seventh row for the 50-lap A-Feature at the high-banked, half-mile. She worked her way into the top-10 by just the second lap and continued her march forward, in what turned out to be a caution-filled race. Ferns powered her way up to seventh by the eighth circuit and was into the top-five by lap-22.

Just one lap prior to the halfway point of the 50-lapper, the 2011 USAC D1 Midget Series found herself in fourth. For the final 15 laps of the race, Ferns had a spirited battle with Matt Westfall for the fourth spot. The pair traded the position no less than five times officially at the line and several more unofficially, lap after lap. Ferns would take the checkered flag fourth, which marked the best finish of her career with the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series. It was also her second straight top-five finish and fourth consecutive top-10, piloting the No. 35 Toyota-powered Beast.

“To finish fourth in my first start in a Silver Crown car at Eldora was great,” Ferns shared. “Originally, I wasn’t even going to race the Silver Crown car at Eldora, so it was a last minute decision last week. Our main goal was to go and learn for next year. The car was fast all race long and it was a fun race. We didn’t qualify where we were hoping to, but were able to make up quite a bit of ground in the feature. Racing at Eldora is great, and you learn every time you are on the track.”

In the Honda USAC National Midget Series portion of the 4-Crown Nationals, Ferns finished 11th in her family-owned No. 55 Motor City Transport Inc. Spike. She lined up 15th for the 25-lap A-Feature and ran a steady race, picking up spots where she could. The native of Shelby Township, Mich., opened the night by recording the 16th-fastest lap in time trials and followed that up with a fifth-place effort in the third heat race.

“In the midget, I struggled a bit transitioning from the heavier stock car in the afternoon to a 900-pound car,” she explained. “We moved up during the race, from where we started, so that was a positive to take away. I can’t say I’m disappointed, I just wish we could have had a little better of a finish. We’ll keep working hard with the midget the rest of the season.”

At Kentucky Speedway with the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards, Ferns completed all 100 laps of the race, which was postponed by rain on Friday, Sept. 20, and thus completed in the afternoon on Saturday, Sept. 21. The starting field was lined up by owner points, which put Ferns seventh on the grid in the No. 55 National Auto Placement Toyota for Venturini Motorsports. She ran just outside of the top-10 during the first 25 laps of the race. Following a round of pit stops just prior to the halfway point, she was up to eighth. During the second half of the 100-lapper, Ferns ran as high as seventh, before finishing 12th. In eight ARCA starts this season, she finished among the top-15 in seven of those races.

“Our main goal going into Kentucky was to learn about the mile-and-half racetrack,” Ferns said. “It’s been a challenge adapting to the bigger racetracks and I just have to learn what my limits are at the speedways. I learned a ton during the race and was very satisfied with that and we finished on the lead lap, so that was good. The car just got a little too tight at the end and that allowed a few cars to pass me.”

Ferns ended up eighth in the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series championship standings, despite not competing in all of the races. She recorded four top-10 finishes in six starts. The No. 55 Venturini Motorsports team, for which she has raced in the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards, is seventh in owner points as the season winds down.

John Force Racing

John Force Racing–Texas Wrapup

JOHN FORCE RUNNER-UP AT AAA TEXAS NHRA FALL NATIONALS

 

ENNIS, TX —- John Force almost got his revenge on the Texas Motorplex, site of his horrific crash in 2007, but he came up a few hundredths of a second short against his nemesis Cruz Pedregon in the final round at the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals. Force was racing in his second final round since his crash at the historic track but fell 4.220 seconds to Pedregon’s winning 4.106 second run. Force did move up to 4th in the Mello Yello Funny Car point standings with his fifth final round appearance of the season.

 

“My race car is running good and all of our race cars are really running well. Courtney’s ET in the first round would have whooped anybody else. The run with Cruz was good but it got loose down there. Cruz was yelling in his interview about putting out the top bulb. I am just learning if I get in there and get set up my focus is a lot better,” said Force, a seven time winner at the Texas Motorplex. “I had a great leave time a .055 light. He put out the top bulb. He is a good racer but I have a good race car too. Like (crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) said, ‘Force you are learning how to drive all over again and I am learning how to tune. We’ll make a good team.’ We are all up in the top of the points. (Matt) Hagan didn’t get a run on the points today. We will go to St. Louis for another AAA race. This was big for AAA Texas and next weekend we’ll be racing for AAA Missouri.”

 

Force’s run to the final was a tough battle for the leader of John Force Racing. He had to defeat both of his team cars, each of whom is a championship contender in a tough Countdown battle. In the first round Force posted his best run of the weekend against his daughter Courtney, then Force outran former teammate Tony Pedregon before taking on Robert Hight in the AAA Texas Ford Mustang.

 

“I am really excited. I have been struggling a little as a driver. I had to go back to basics. I was so busy teaching my kids that I forgot how to drive. I was hot early in the year and then I got this new car. I was sitting in it differently and I got a little lost. Robert has really been helpful in working with me to get me comfortable with the pedal and the padding,” said Force.

 

The semi-final win over Hight took the biggest toll on the 15-time Funny Car champion.

 

“I said in my interview after I beat Robert. I can win the championship. I have proved that and I will win again but if I was a betting man I would not bet against Robert Hight,” said the proud team owner.

 

“I could have left here second in the points if I would have won. Hagan didn’t move on any of us. Now it is all jammed up. Cruz is two, Robert is three and I am four. It is all a matter of who gets on a roll. Right now Robert is on a roll. He won the last two races and today they lost a motor. The ignition was on fire in the second round and they had to change motors before the semis. That is like starting all over without qualifying. They smoked the tires but Neff, I drove for him, he runs it right on the edge. Robert is Cool Hand Luke.”

 

While Force was racing to the finals he had to go through the hottest driver on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series to reach his 221st career final. Hight, the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals No. 1 qualifier, had won the previous ten rounds of racing going into the semi-finals versus Force. Hight’s win streak started when he won the Chevrolet Performance US Nationals Labor Day weekend and the Carlyle Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals last weekend. Hight moved up from 9th to as high as 2nd place in the Mello Yello point standings this weekend was pleased with his overall performance even if he personally wasn’t standing in the winner’s circle.

 

“We made up some ground on points leader Matt Hagan this weekend. We were the No. 1 qualifier and we made it to the semi-finals. You have to be ready for anything when you race John. We were over in the right lane which was a tough lane and we had a shot. I am proud of my AAA Texas team and we will be ready to go after them in St. Louis in a couple of days,” said Hight.

 

Hight defeated veteran Del Worsham in the first round with the quickest run of the session a great 4.067 second pass.

 

“We had to step up. That Del Worsham team over there is tough. They can put a great number up on the board just like anyone else can out here,” said Hight from the top end after the win. “That was a great, great job by (crew chief) Mike Neff and this whole AAA Texas team. We have to do a great job for our sponsors. I do not want to look back and say Texas is where we messed up.”

 

In the second round Hight squared off against Johnny Gray, another Countdown competitor. Hight had lane choice and the Funny Cars launched together but Gray went into tire smoke just before Hight’s Goodyears also lost traction. Hight was able to maintain control of his AAA Texas Ford Mustang Funny Car and get the win with a less than dominant 4.593 to Gray’s 5.374 second run. Hight attributed his quickness in gathering control of his Funny Car to a consistent tune-up by Neff.

 

“The way this Mustang has been going up and down the track Neff has it tuned perfectly. When it does smoke the tires, that is out of the norm so you can catch it quickly,” said Hight. “As driver it is easier to catch a car when it has been running well. We have a tough round next round against another Ford Mustang with John Force. For sure one of us will be in the final and try and get the win for AAA Texas.”

 

No. 5 qualifier Courtney Force lined up beside her father John Force today in the first round of eliminations. The 2012 NHRA Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award winner – “Rookie of the Year” – and her father have faced each other six times prior to today with more than half of those matchups coming in the opening round.

The pair ran a great side-by-side race. The 25-year-old went right down the groove with her quickest pass of the weekend. Unfortunately, the 15-time World Champion also made his quickest pass of the weekend and pulled away for the win.

“We had another first round matchup against my dad. You know, we went out there, we had lane choice, we had a good car, we ran a 4.08, but he outran us with a 4.06. It’s definitely a tough way to lose, especially when you’re out here because you’re focused on winning the Mello Yello Funny Car championship.”

“Every round counts. I really didn’t expect him to go out there and put a number like that on the board, but he had a good car and he got the win light so that’s all that matters,” said Force.

With that loss, Force dropped two spots to No. 8 in points.

“For our team, I’m proud of my guys, they gave me a great race car it’s just unfortunate we couldn’t go rounds today. We just had the wrong matchup, but we’re going to get after it again in St. Louis,” said Force.

Top Fuel rookie Brittany Force and her Castrol EDGE team continued to make improvements as they advanced to the second round.

 

After qualifying No. 10 in the field, Force had a first round match-up against Kalitta Motorsports’ David Grubnic. With a strong car, she knew she had a good chance at advancing. Force ran a 3.832 elapsed time at 317.79 mph to Grubnic’s 4.284 at 208.17.

 

“We had a good first round today against David (Grubnic),” Force said. “The entire Castrol EDGE team worked so hard to put together a really good, consistent car. We ran a good number and actually got the win this time. We were so excited about that. It was a good confidence booster for all of us.”

 

The entire Top Fuel team worked hard to prep the 27-year-old Southern California native’s dragster for round two of eliminations. As the track temperature hea
ted up, crew chiefs Dean Antonelli, Eric Lane and John Medlen made the right adjustments to the car that would ultimately take them all the way down the track with a solid time. Force ran a 3.867 ET, but it wasn’t enough to get the win over eventual Top Fuel winner Mac Tools backed Doug Kalitta, who had an ET of 3.805. 

 

“Going into second round we had Kalitta,” said Force. “We’ve raced him quite a few times already this season. Unfortunately, we went out second round to him. Again, we still had a pretty decent car and I was very happy with my job both runs. I had good lights, good leave times right off the Christmas Tree, which is something I’ve been practicing more than ever because my team now has an awesome car put together for me and I want to make sure that I’m doing my job next to them.

 

“Overall, I think the weekend went awesome for the Castrol EDGE team. We’re excited about it. Just getting that first round win gets me pumped up and motivated and it’s the same with my team and crew chiefs. We’re still moving in the right direction. We leave Dallas with some good runs and another round win under our belt. We didn’t hurt the motor today either, so we’re very happy about that, too,” Force continued.

 

 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–New Hampshire

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SYLVANIA 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 22, 2013
 
Jimmie Johnson Leads Team Chevy Finishers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
 
LOUDON, N.H. (September 22, 2013)  Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, finished fourth in the Sylvania 300 to lead four Team Chevy drivers to top-10 finishes.  Today’s run at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion’s second consecutive top-five finish in the 2013 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.  With two of 10 races in the books, Johnson is third in points, just 18 points down to the leader.
 
Jamie McMurray recovered from a lap 38 spin to bring the No. 1 Linksys Chevrolet SS to the checkered flag in fifth place to give the Bowtie Brand two of the top-five in the final finishing order.
 
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet SS, finished sixth and now sits 11th in the Chase standings. 
 
Jeff Burton, No. 31 Cheerios Chevrolet SS, was the fourth Chevrolet SS driver in the top-10, crossing the finish line in eighth place.
 
Other Chevrolet SS drivers in the Chase championship battle finished as follows:  Kurt Busch, No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet SS – 13th (7th in points); Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS – 15th (8th in points); Ryan Newman, No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS – 16th (9th in points); Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS – 20th (6th in points) and Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS – 37th (13th in points) after contact on lap 253 sent him to the garage for repairs.
 
Matt Kenseth (Toyota) was the race winner. Kyle Busch (Toyota) and Greg Biffle (Ford) complete the top-five finishers.
 
The Series moves next to Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware on Sunday, September 29, 2013 for Chase Race Number Three.
 
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED FOURTH
ON HIS RACE: 
“It was better than we thought it would be. I felt like we were really going to have to scrap for a top-10, maybe a top-five. I truthfully feel like we had a shot to win this race, if not run second or third. Those last couple of restarts lining up on the inside lane just didn’t work for anyone. I’d lose a couple of spots and have to get them back. Strong, strong performance. And, again my crew has worked so hard over the last three or four weeks getting ready for Richmond, which didn’t go well. Then getting ready for here which went really well. It took a lot of hard work to get the end result, but we’ve got a nice race car for these flat tracks. I’m looking forward to Phoenix now. It’s good to have a good run here knowing we can go to Phoenix and be competitive too.”
 
IS THIS A SENSE OF RELIEF HEADING TO DOVER?
“Yes, to open (the Chase) with a five, four (finishing positions) is great. One, one like Matt (Kenseth) has is a lot better, but we’re in a good spot. We haven’t given up to many points, and we’re going to one of my best race tracks next week in Dover. So I certainly hope to have this Lowe’s Chevrolet in Victory Lane over there.”
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR DAY:
“Definitely wanted more.  I think we had a great race car.  There are the end I was in the inside lane on those restarts and I would lose two or three (spots) each time.  Just part of it one of those things, but a great performance.  Great start to the Chase you know our five, four isn’t too bad.  It’s hard to beat a one, one that Matt (Kenseth) has right now, but we will keep plugging along.  We are getting into the meat of the Chase and where there are some great tracks for this Chevrolet that I am driving and all these Lowe’s guys working so hard to make it fast.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 LINKSYS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED FIFTH
YOU CAME BACK AND YOU CAME BACK BIG.  EARLY SPIN, THE BACK OF THE CAR KNOCKED OFF AND YOU STILL CAME BACK WITH A TOP FIVE:
“Yeah, are car was really good even after the crash.  I told you before the race that if we had good track position at the end I thought we could finish good.  It was a really good day for our Linksys car.  Just a fun day racing.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 TIME WARNER CABLE CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED SIXTH
TALK ABOUT YOUR DAY AND THE BATTLE WITH (JAMIE) MCMURRAY AT THE END:
“Yeah, I run out of rear tires trying to hold him off.  Couldn’t get the power down just off the corner and he was a pretty fast car to begin with.  I knew it was going to be difficult to hold him off, but we had a good car yesterday.  Almost as good as it was today.  Just real happy to be able to rebound from earlier on pit road and get a good finish.  The car was fast as heck yesterday, one of the top three cars I thought.  Glad we were able to get a decent finish out of it.  Just want to win one, I’m trying hard.”
 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING/DENVER MATTRESS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 13TH
ON HIS RACE:
“We didn’t hit it right on the adjustments today. It was nobody’s fault, we all agreed what adjustments to make and it just didn’t work out. We struggled with the handling and couldn’t make a move to the front with our Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet. While we aren’t pleased with where we finished (13th), we fought for every position and gave it our best effort. There’s still a long ways to go in this Chase.  When you’re off the way we were today and still finish 13th I guess it’s not all that bad. But we know we can do much better and we’ll keep on plugging away.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 15TH
YOU LED 36 LAPS AND THEN THERE WAS THAT PIT STOP. TAKE US THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED
“I’m highly disappointed in myself. The team put me in a great position. We had a decent car and then track position made it into a great car. So it was obviously important to maintain that. I just came in and slid through. I hadn’t come close to sliding through all day and I guess just leading, I carried a little bit more speed in there and crossed the splitter over the line by an inch and that’s all it takes to make a difference between a chance at winning and finishing 15th.”
 
YOU WERE ABLE TO SALVAGE A 15TH PLACE FINISH. IT’S STILL EARLY IN THE CHASE. WHAT’S YOUR MINDSET HEADED TO DOVER?
“Well, I’m excited with the way we’re performing. Chicago was great and this weekend was great and we just keep that up; we’re not far out of fourth. We lost quite a bit of ground to those guys up front but not too much as far as getting in the top 5 in points. I think we are very capable of doing it but the driver can’t make mistakes. Today was one of the days. This is a short race. Track position is so important. You can’t make mistakes. I made a crucial one and I can’t allow that to happen if we’re going to get ourselves in the top 5 in points this year.”
 
HOW DO YOU CLEAR YOUR HEAD AFTER A DAY LIKE TODAY?
“Oh, I’ve been doing this for 20-some years, man. It’s not like I’ve never made mistakes before but you just hate to make them at a crucial time like that. So I’m very disappointed. And I’ll be disappointed until we get to Dover and start working on Dover.”

YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE OVER THE LINE?
“I knew it was close. When I got in there, the front started to slide. And I knew I was carrying a little bit more speed. I knew it was going to be close but I was hoping it would stop just at the line. I saw the official react and I knew we were in trouble.”
 
FROM WHERE YOU WERE ON THE TRACK THEN, IN 22ND, WHERE DID YOU THINK YOU COULD POSSIBLY FINISH?
“Oh, a top 10. That caution hurt us in general. We didn’t need that caution to come when it did. So, that was taking us out of sync for what was going to work best for our pit strategy anyway. So, we were already go
ing to be behind but there is a big difference between starting say 12th and 22nd. We lost a lot of spots to the other guys that took four tires and who knows how much that made a difference, but it was a bunch.”
 
WHEN A MOMENT LIKE THAT HAPPENS AND YOU HAVE THAT GOOD OF A CAR, WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR HEAD? WAS IT OH, DAMN, I MIGHT HAVE JUST GIVEN ONE AWAY?
“Well, I knew just from the way that the race was going, that passing was near impossible. And my car was a good race car, but it wasn’t a good passing car; not to mention the absolute chaos that goes on. The guys were four and five-wide running all over one another. Just being in the mix of that and trying to battle your way through each position was difficult enough. But our car, being back there, just different have the handling characteristics that we needed to pass cars. We had the handling characteristics of a car that needed good track position and we had it until I messed up.”
 
HOW DO SIZE UP THE FIELD NOW?
“Well, I mean if (Matt) Kenseth keeps doing what he’s doing, it’s not going to matter what anybody else does. For us, we have to be realistic and look at our points position and outcome and right now we’re not that far out of fourth, so that’s a realistic goal for us right now. But anything is possible. We go to these next several races and go on a tear, who knows? But we’re higher in points than where we started this thing, so we’ll just keep that going.”
 
DID YOU EXPECT MATT KENSETH TO BE THIS STRONG?
“I knew they would be strong, but I thought this would be one track that we might have a little bit of an advantage on him. But then I saw the times that he was running yesterday in practice and I was like uh, oh; they’ve got their act together pretty good. And he was strong today. I thought he was beatable, but they didn’t make any mistakes and were really good. Hat’s off to them. That was a great job and they’re on a roll. Like I said, now we’re going to Dover and that’s a great track for him. So, yeah, they’re definitely the team to beat right now.”
 
HOW MUCH BETTER DO YOU FEEL AFTER THIS RACE COMPARED TO LAST WEEK AND HEADED TOWARD DOVER?
“Last week stung it still stings pretty good.  If we would have won today it might of helped a little bit, but we dug a pretty deep hole.  When Matt (Kenseth) and the No. 48 and No. 18 are running like they are I’m not going to catch them running sixth.  So, we’ve got to do better.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 37TH AFTER SUSTAINING HEAVY CONTACT FROM AN ON-TRACK INCIDENT ON LAP 253
WHAT HAPPENED?
“I really don’t know what happened.  Just racing and I’m not sure if there was contact or if I just spun.  I seriously don’t really remember how it happened.”

WAS THERE CONTACT?
“I’m not sure. I hit the inside wall, but I’m not sure how I got there.”
 
 

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing–Kentucky 300

Kentucky 300
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Kentucky Speedway
September 21, 2013
 
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished second (Austin Dillon), third (Matt Crafton), 11th (Brian Scott) and 13th (Dakoda Armstrong).
Dillon is second in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Sam Hornish, Jr. by 15 points, while Scott is seventh in the standings, 79 points behind the leader.
The No. 3 Chevrolet team ranks fourth in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 2 team ninth in the standings and the No. 33 team 10th.
According to NASCAR’s Post Race Loop Data Statistics, Dillon ranked second in Average Running Position (3.230), maintained the second-best Driver Rating (126.6), had the second-best Green-Flag Speed (172.496 mph), was the second-Fastest Driver Late in a Run (171.003 mph) and spent 100 percent of his laps running in the top-15.
Crafton ranked fourth in Green-Flag Passes (48).
Scott led the Closers category, advancing eight positions in the final 10 percent of the race, was fourth-Fastest on Restarts (166.486 mph) and ranked fifth in the Driver Rating category (107.8).
Armstrong made 12 Quality Passes.
Combined, the RCR drivers posted the Fastest Laps for 31 circuits with Dillon (25 laps), Crafton (4 laps) and Scott (2 laps).
Ryan Blaney earned his first career Nationwide Series victory and was followed to the finish line by Dillon, Crafton, Hornish and Alex Bowman.
The next Nationwide Series race is the Dover 200 at Dover International Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 28. The 28th race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio channel 90.

   
Brian Scott Earns 11th-Place Finish at Kentucky Speedway Despite Penalty
 
Brian Scott and Richard Childress Racing’s No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet team battled among the top-five for a majority of the 200-lap affair at Kentucky Speedway for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in the Bluegrass State, but a pit road penalty relegated the team to an 11th-place finish. Scott took the green flag from the fourth position and quickly advanced into the second spot, despite reporting to crew chief Phil Gould that he was tight through the center of the corners. NASCAR displayed the yellow flag on lap 25 for a competition caution, which allowed Scott to visit pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. He restarted 12th after several other competitors opted to make a two-tire pit stop. The 25-year old competitor drove up to the third spot by lap 47. Scott remained among the top three until visiting pit road under green-flag conditions for routine service on lap 164. NASCAR relayed to the team that Scott was too fast exiting pit road as the caution-flag was displayed. The Boise, Idaho-native restarted from the rear of the field but was able to advance to 11th, where he took the checkered flag.
 
Start: 4         Finish: 11         Laps Led: 1         Points: 7th
 
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“We had such a strong Shore Lodge Camaro tonight. Phil (Gould) and the guys were strong once again on pit road and we were able to run up front all night. Unfortunately, we got caught speeding and ran out of time to get back up to the front. I’m proud of the crew and looking forward to Dover next week.”
 

 
Austin Dillon Scores Second-Place Finish in Kentucky 300
 
Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet to a second-place finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday evening and remains second in the driver championship point standings, 15 markers behind current leader Sam Hornish, Jr., with six races remaining in the season. After starting the 200-lap race from the third position, Dillon noted a tight-handling condition in the center of the corners during the early stages of the 300-mile event. Crew chief Danny Stockman called for a series of adjustments during a competition caution on lap 25, including air pressure and track bar adjustments during a four-tire and fuel pit stop. With several teams opting to take two tires only, Dillon lost 11 positions on pit road and restarted 13th when green-flag racing resumed on lap 30. Although the team continued to struggle finding the right balance on the No. 3 car during ensuing runs, they gained track position during a two-tire pit stop under caution on lap 62 which positioned Dillon in the third spot for a lap 68 restart. He took control of the race on lap 69, gaining a valuable championship bonus point, then fell to second as a dominate No. 22 entry took the race lead. Dillon challenged to retake the lead during several late-race cautions, but could not put a complete pass together. When the checkered flag waved, Dillon took  second in the No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet.
 
Start – 3           Finish – 2         Laps Led – 32       Points – 2 nd                         
 
 
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“We had a second-place car today. I want to congratulate Ryan Blaney and the No. 22 team. They had a really strong car and put an amazing race together. We had a great car. I am really proud of Danny Stockman and all of the guys, especially the over- the-wall pit crew. They were really fast tonight. As strong as we were, the 22 car was just a tiny bit better and, at the end of the night, that is what made the difference.”
 
 
 
 

 
Matt Crafton Earns Third-Place Finish in NASCAR Nationwide Series Event at Kentucky Speedway
 
 
In his third and final scheduled 2013 appearance in Richard Childress Racing’s No. 33 Rheem/Menards entry, Matt Crafton earned a third-place finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday evening. Crafton qualified the No. 33 car fifth, but dropped to the rear of the field at the start of the 200-lap race to serve a NASCAR-issued penalty for changing a radiator after qualifying. The Tulare, Calif., native quickly advanced his running position, working his way into the 18th spot before the yellow flag was displayed for a NASCAR-mandated competition caution on lap 25. During the caution period, crew chief Ernie Cope directed Crafton down pit road so the RCR crew could service his machine with right-side tires and fuel. Quick work by the team positioned him ninth for the restart on lap 30. The veteran NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver remained in the top-10 for the rest of the race, breaking into the top five at the halfway mark. Routine pit stops under caution flag conditions on laps 63, 108 and 167 helped Cope keep the car’s balance to the driver’s liking allowing Crafton to ultimately post a third-place finish.
 
Start – 5           Finish – 3         Laps Led – 0    Owner’s Points – 10th                   
 
 
MATT CRAFTON QUOTE:
“I have had a blast these past three races with the No. 33 Rheem/Menards team. We definitely had a car capable of winning tonight. These race cars are second-to-none and I look forward to hopefully doing this again next year.”
 
 
 

 
Dakoda Armstrong Secures Career-Best NASCAR Nationwide Series Finish with RCR
 
Dakoda Armstrong drove the No. 21 WinField Chevrolet to a career-best 13th-place finish at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday evening, marking h
is fourth of five scheduled NASCAR Nationwide Series starts with Richard Childress Racing. The 22-year-old driver took the green flag from the 21st position and climbed inside the top-20 during the early stages of the event, but reported to crew chief Marcus Richmond he was tight through the corners during his initial run. NASCAR displayed the yellow flag for a competition caution on lap 25, providing Armstrong & Co. an opportunity to bring their Camaro down pit road for two tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. When green-flag racing resumed on lap 30, the New Castle, Ind., native restarted in the 15th position. He reported the changes helped the handling and the car was coming to him as he worked to find the best line through each corner. As the crew continued to improve the handling to his liking throughout the evening, he found himself solidly inside the top-15 in the closing laps. When the checkered flag was displayed he crossed the line in the 13th spot, earning a career-best Nationwide Series finish.
 
Start: 21         Finish: 13         Laps Led: 0         Owners Points :N/A
 
DAKODA ARMSTRONG QUOTE:
“We kept improving all night and I think if we could’ve just had one more adjustment to help me turn off the corners, we could’ve easily gotten into the top-10. This RCR crew did a great job on pit road all night and we had a competitive WinField Camaro. I can’t complain about a 13th-place finish.”
 
 
 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Corvette Racing at Austin

CORVETTE RACING AT AUSTIN: Thrilling Victory for Garcia, Magnussen
Third win of season and GT championship lead for No. 3 Compuware Corvette
 
AUSTIN, Texas (Sept. 21, 2013) – Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia scored their second straight victory in the American Le Mans Series’ GT class on Saturday, winning the eighth round of the championship at Circuit of The Americas. Garcia led the final 58 minutes in his No. 3 Compuware Chevrolet Corvette C6.R under intense pressure to win by less than a second.
 
Their third victory of the season moved Garcia and Magnussen into the lead of the ALMS GT drivers’ championship with two rounds remaining. The result bolstered Chevrolet’s lead in the manufacturer standings and Corvette Racing’s advantage in the team championship.
 
“The ALMS GT class is ultra-competitive,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Corvette Racing’s teamwork was the key element to put us in the best positions to race for a win today. Preparation, strategy, flawless pit stops and incredible driving by Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia delivered a fifth win for Corvette Racing this season. The championship points standings remain very tight. Our focus remains on prep for the final two races of the season.”
 
Saturday’s race will air on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
 
On the opposite end of the spectrum were Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner. Their No. 4 Corvette lost its transmission just shy of the one-hour mark. The duo entered the weekend with the drivers’ championship lead.
 
Milner started from third but moved to lead class lead at the start the race as both Corvettes got around the pole-sitting BMW before Turn 1. Magnussen dropped back to third but moved up two positions and into the lead 10 minutes later when the then-race leading Viper went wide off track and forced Milner to back off slightly.
 
Two stellar pit stops and an incredible strategic call on the team’s first stop put Garcia in the lead for good with a little less than an hour remaining. The Spaniard fended off multiple charges from Dirk Muller by timing the race traffic just right. He was able to put slower cars between himself and his competitors on numerous occasions to build gaps from as little as 0.2 seconds to 1.5 and 2 seconds at a time.
 
In the No. 4 Corvette, Milner reported having issues shifting up to third gear 11 minutes in, and the problem grew worse when the car lost drive in fourth gear at the 57-minute mark. It stopped halfway around the circuit and could not continue.
 
“It was great to see the Corvette Racing team salute our Corvette customers in the Corvette Corral directly across from our pit location with a win,” Campbell said. “We race to improve the production car, and we race for our Corvette owners.”
 
The next race for Corvette Racing is the Oak Tree Grand Prix on Saturday, Oct. 5 from Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Va. The race will air on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 6 with live coverage at 2 p.m. ET, Oct. 5 on ESPN3.
 

Honda Racing

Honda Racing–Muscle Milk, Level 5 Score AgainHPD Clinches 2013 LMP1 Engine Title with Race Victory Level 5 Motorsports Continues Winning Ways in LMP2

Honda Performance Development continued its streak of victories in the 2013 American Le Mans Series Saturday at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, clinching its second consecutive LMP1 engine manufacturers’ championshipas Muscle Milk Pickett Racing’s Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr led all 83 laps in their HPD ARX-03c Honda to post their record-extending seventh consecutive victory of the season.HPD is also on course to repeat as LMP1 chassis manufacturer champion with a successful race finish in the next event, at Virginia International Raceway. 

In the LMP2 category, the duo of IndyCar veteran Ryan Briscoe and team owner/driver Scott Tuckerfinished third overall and first in class, heading a 1-2 LMP2 class finish for Level 5 Motorsports in itspair of HPD ARX-03b Hondas. Teammates Guy Cosmo and Marino Franchitti were just over five seconds behind at the checkers. 

Starting from the pole,Luhr briefly surrendered the lead to the Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda of Tony Burgess, but re-passed his rival later in the lap.  The Muscle Milk HPD-Honda continued to lead every lap of the two-hour, forty-five minute contest, even through the two scheduled pit stops, and finished two laps ahead of its closest competitor in a caution-free contest.  For Luhr, the win extended his own record of American Le Mans Series victories to 48, with two races remaining in the 2013 season, while Graf scored his 21st series win.

In LMP2, the two Level 5 HPD-Hondas traded the lead several times, with Cosmo in the class pole-starting #552 leading through the first round of pit stops.  Teammate Briscoe took over at the front in the #551 ARX-03b Honda, until Franchitti regained the advantage for the #552 following the second and final pit stop. Franchitti went on to set the fastest LMP2 race lap, but was called to the pits for a suspected tire puncture in the final half hour, once again reversing the running order.  Briscoe took the checkers for his first LMP2 win since the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring, while co-driver Tucker won for the fifth time this year.

Behind the Level 5 entries, championship rivals Extreme Speed Motorsports started at the rear of the 33-car field, when drivers Scott Sharp and Ed Brown failed to meet the minimum practice time requirements due to heavy rain at the circuit on Friday.  The #02 HPD-Honda of Brown and Johannes van Overbeek had a relatively trouble-free run to finish third in LMP2, and fifth overall, one lap behind the Level 5 entries.  Sharp and Anthony Lazzaro lost time mid-race in their #01 ARX-03b when Lazzaro was punted into a spin by a GT-class entry, but the pair recovered to finish fourth in LMP2, just over 12 seconds behind their teammates

HPD, the most successful competitor in the LMP Green X Challenge since the award for “fast, clean and efficient” performance was established in 2008, received a record-extending 23rdprototype Green X Challenge award today.  Muscle Milk Pickett Racing claimed Green X prototype honors after a race-winning performance, with the LMP2 ARX-03b entries of Level 5 Motorsports taking second and third. 

The 2013 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron next travels to historic Virginia International Raceway for the October 5 Oak Tree Grand Prix, the penultimate race prior to the merger of the series with Grand-Am to form the Tudor United Sports Car Championship in 2014.

Klaus Graf (#6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03c Honda) 1st overall and in LMP1 with co-driver Lucas Luhr; ALMS series record 7th consecutive win for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing and Honda in 2013; clinched the 2013 LMP1 engine manufacturers’ championship for Honda:  “Another great day for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing.  Lucas [Luhr] did a great job at the start, regaining the lead after the start and then just pulling away.  We’ve really put together a great package with our partners at HPD and Michelin.  With the latest updates from HPD on the car, I believe if you look at the times you will see we are on a par with the [World Endurance Championship] cars.  Lucas now has 48 race wins, so our goal is to get him to 50 by the end of this season.”

Ryan Briscoe (#551 Level 5 Motorsports HPD ARX-03b Honda) 1st in LMP2 and 3rd overall with co-driver Scott Tucker; 6th class victory of the season for the team:  “After being taken out at the start in Baltimore, this was kind of a ‘comeback’ race for us.  Scott [Tucker] did an awesome job in the first stintand the team performed flawlessly.  This was a brand new car, and our mechanics, engineers, the HPD chassis and Honda engine all worked perfectly.  When I first got in the car in testing earlier this week, I couldn’t believe how good it felt, and that feeling continued right through today.  It was a picture-perfect weekend, I’m really proud of our team.”

Steve Eriksen(Vice President and COO, Honda Performance Development) on Saturday’s championship-clinching victory for HPD:  “Having an all green race was a welcome departure from the challenges of the previous race at Baltimore.  The Muscle Milk Pickett Racing team put on a commanding performance and was the class of the field, finishing two laps ahead of everyone in their trouble-free run.  Congratulations to all of the Honda associates at HPD on our repeat win of the LMP1 engine manufacturers’ championship in the final year of the ALMS.  The LMP2 battle between Level 5 and Extreme Speed was entertaining for the fans, and we were pleased to again have the reliability and speed of the HPD ARX-03b Hondas demonstrated for the world to see.  We’re very pleased to win the inaugural sports car race at this world-class Circuit of the Americas facility.  We look forward to helping our teams continue to set records in the remainder of the season.”

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Anderson a Top Half Player in Qualifying in Dallas

Anderson a Top Half Player in Qualifying in Dallas
 
ENNIS, Texas, September 21, 2013 – Summit Racing driver Greg Anderson has regularly earned a start from the top half of the field in the extremely competitive Pro Stock category this year, and at Texas Motorplex and the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, the Mooresville, N.C.-based driver is continuing his strong record with a start from the No. 7 position at the conclusion of qualifying.
 
Anderson will have lane choice over Jeg Coughlin on Sunday, a driver he last raced in the final round in Chicago earlier this year.
 
“That’s a big round for us, and obviously we want those bragging rights,” said Anderson, as the scene pits Coughlin’s namesake mail order parts house against the Summit Racing Equipment-backed Chevrolet Camaro he intends to drive to the winner’s circle. “And right now, there is a lot on the line in terms of the points. We want that round win, but we want those points, too. We want to add them to the pile so that we can work our way up. It’s now or never for me in the Countdown to the Championship, and I have to make it happen tomorrow. It doesn’t matter who is in the other lane first round, they’ve all got to get out of my way.”
 
Qualifying for the event was cut short and only two sessions were allowed after the entire first day of the event was washed away by persistent rain.
 
Anderson, a four-time Dallas winner, made a decent run in the first round of qualifying on Saturday – his 6.567 at 210.64 mph was initially good for the No. 6 spot. A 6.579 in the second and final session didn’t allow for a move up in the order, but lessons that will come into play on raceday were learned.
 
“I made a decent run the first session, but it wasn’t a perfectly smooth run so I knew it could be better,” said Anderson. “The second run was just a little too conservative. It was nice and smooth, but it just wasn’t fast enough. Both of the runs were decent, though, and we found both sides of the tune-up today, so the Summit Racing team believes that we can run even better tomorrow. We should have a good shot.
 
“The track was very good today despite the rain on Friday, and I expect tomorrow it will be even better. The weather should be similar to what we had today, so we should have a good idea what we need to do. Once again, it just comes down to executing. It’s play-off drag racing time. The stakes are high. The Summit Racing team will be bringing our A-game.”

John Force Racing

John Force Racing–Texas

AAA TEXAS BACKED ROBERT HIGHT No. 1 AT AAA TEXAS NHRA FALL NATIONALS

ENNIS, TX (Sept. 21, 2013) – With half of the qualifying sessions lost to a rainout on Friday the NHRA Funny Car and Top Fuel teams had to hunker down and bring their best to the track with only two shots at qualifying for the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals. For Robert Hight and the AAA Texas Ford Mustang Funny Car team their best was good enough for the No. 1 spot in qualifying and a Texas Motorplex track record elapsed time of 4.052 seconds.

“How is that for showing off for the sponsor? Maybe Governor Perry brought us good luck. If that is the case I don’t want him to leave tomorrow. This Auto Club Ford is flying ad my guys have a really good handle on it. We have Worsham first round and that is a tough first round match-up. We have to get past qualifying and do our job tomorrow,” said Hight from the top end after his AAA Texas Ford Mustang took the No. 1 spot from veteran Cruz Pedregon.

Texas Governor Rick Perry was a guest of AAA Texas today at the Texas Motorplex. He spent the morning touring the John Force Racing pit area and spent quality time with all the JFR drivers. For Hight it was obvious the governor was really excited to be at an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event.

“It was great having Governor Perry here today. He was really into it. He was not just out here going through the motions. He filmed my warm up. He was right there in the middle of the fumes. He kept coming to the staging lanes and he was taking pictures. He was totally into this. It was really cool. Someone texted him that we went to No. 1 and I got a call from him congratulating me. I wish I could bring him back tomorrow,” said Hight in the Texas Motorplex media center.

Hight was the provisional No. 4 qualifier after the first session today. His elapsed time of 4.135 seconds was the quickest run in the right lane. It was quick enough to put Hight and his Mike Neff tuned AAA Texas Ford Mustang Funny Car at the very back of the second and final qualifying session tonight.

“Going up there (for the second run) I was thinking it might run around 4.09. Mike Neff is not one of these guys that goes up there and just throws up a Hail Mary. He does not do that. We went up there in the first round and we made the quickest run in the right lane. We thought the left lane was a little better,” said Hight. “It was only a few degrees cooler for the second run and you didn’t see Top Fuel stepping up. It did help us being at the back of the pack. I figured it would run 4.07 to 4.09 if it made it. It really ran through the middle. That 4.05 was pretty awesome.”

“Mike Neff does not go up there to try and get away with something. He sets the car up to run the best it can and it is showing. It is a lot of fun right now and it couldn’t have come at a better time than my sponsor’s race. Qualifying is over. It was shortened to begin with so you always feel fortunate to be able to go down the track twice when you only have two runs. Tomorrow is a new day and it is the Countdown.”

Hight will race veteran Del Worsham in the first round. Hight holds a 13-10 record against Worsham.

“It would be devastating to lose the first round tomorrow. (Points leader Matt) Hagan is still way out there on us. We have to make the most of this. Del is a tough opponent. He is one of the last guys that I would pick from the sixteen out there to race in the first round. We have to stay focused and make another real good run the first round to have a chance to go on.”

The other two JFR Funny Cars will square off in a father daughter first round match-up. Courtney Force made the third quickest run of the first session, a strong 4.115 second pass, but in the second session she slipped back to the No. 5 spot. She will face John Force and the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang for the fourth time this season. The last time the pair met in the first round John Force defeated his daughter and went on to win the Ford Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee on Father’s Day.

John Force will enter Sunday’s first round as the No. 12 qualifier with a 4.174 second elapsed time as his best effort.

Courtney Force the No. 5 qualifier picked up one bonus point to help move the team forward, but will match-up against her father, John Force, in the opening round on Sunday.

“It was unfortunate that we only got two qualifying passes this weekend because of the rain yesterday. It took away two sessions for Top Fuel and Funny Car and that’s never a good thing, but it was nice to come out today and see the sun at the Texas Motorplex. It ended up being a great day for racing,” said Force.

In the first qualifying session for the Funny Car class, Force made a clean pass beside her father and ran 4.115 at 309.13 mph in her Traxxas Ford Mustang. She was third-quickest of the round and gained one bonus point.

“Our first qualifying pass was beside my dad and it was really surreal. It was strange being in that left lane and having my dad next to me. You can’t help but have those flashbacks of when he crashed here in 2007,” said Force. “We went out there and made two safe passes. We both got down the race track. I ran a 4.11 and went to No. 3 and picked up a point so we were excited to have had that first solid pass down the track.”

The Traxxas Ford Mustang team was hoping for improvement going up to the starting line for their second run of the day, but Force’s hotrod had a cylinder out and posted a 4.156 ET at 300.00 mph.

“In the second session, we were obviously going after a better run that the 4.11 that we had. We were going for a 4.0, but our Traxxas Ford Mustang dropped a cylinder down there and couldn’t get it down as quick as we wanted to, but we still ended up in the No. 5 spot, which is the top half of the field. We only had two shots out there so I’m excited about where we ended up going into race day. I feel good,” said Force.

This will be the sixth time the father/daughter combo have raced each other in the 25-year-old’s short two season career. She has had a total of four wins over the veteran driver and has suffered only two losses beside him.

“It is unfortunate that I have to run my dad tomorrow, but I think it was bound to happen and we’re going to do the best we can. We have lane choice over him and I think we have a good shot at winning. Hopefully tomorrow we can go some rounds and move up in points,” said Force.

Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award nominee Brittany Force continued her strong qualifying efforts as she raced to the No. 10 qualifying position Saturday.

Force’s first time out was strong as she ran a 3.925 elapsed time at 298.80 mph, which put her No. 11 out of 20 cars. As the air temperature began to cool down, so did the track temperature. The second time out, she and the team improved with a 3.871 ET at 312.06 mph, ultimately landing her No. 10 on the ladder. 

“We had two qualifying passes today after losing two runs,” Force said. “First run out today we got down the track and ended up running a 3.92 ET. Second run out we always try to improve and we did. The Castrol EDGE team worked their butts off in between the two runs. We got back up there and ended up improving on the run with a 3.87 pass, which bumped us up to No. 10. I’m happy about that. It’s difficult coming out to an event and only having two runs. I’m excited about it and we’re ready for Sunday.”

It’s never easy for a new team to come to a race track that they had never competed on before and dominate. Every qualifying pass is important and the 27-year-old Cal State-Fullerton graduate understands the difficulty of missing out on a chance to learn something new about a track.

“Obviously losing the two passes makes it tougher on the team because we’re only working off of two runs instead of four,” Force said. “We don’t have any info
rmation to build off of from last year because this is our first time out here in Dallas in a Top Fuel car, so we only have two runs to work with. Hoping that weather doesn’t change dramatically tomorrow, we’re hoping everything will stay pretty close to the same so we can try and keep the car as consistent as we can. That’s how the game works. Our team wasn’t the only one that got two runs, it was everybody.”

Heading into Sunday’s elimination rounds, Force will square off against veteran David Grubnic. They met in the first round earlier in the season at Phoenix, but unfortunately Force fell short of the win.

“He’s an awesome competitor. I’m excited to be going up against him. I haven’t run him in a while, so as long as we have some safe racing tomorrow and put on a good show for the fans, I’m hoping this Castrol EDGE team will go some rounds.”

 

Mopar Racing

Mopar Racing–Hagan, Johnson pace Mopars in Qualifying at the FallNationals

Hagan, Johnson pace Mopars in Qualifying at the FallNationals
 
·         Mopar competing at the 28th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, the second of six playoff races in the “Countdown to the Championship”
·         Johnson, defending winner at Texas Motorplex, is top Pro Stock Mopar qualifier with a fourth place run
·         Hagan, runner-up finisher in Charlotte, leads the Funny Car standings and Mopar contingent with third place qualifying effort and top speed of the weekend
·         Coughlin, last week’s winner, and second in Pro Stock points, is tenth in qualifying

 

Ennis, Texas (Saturday, September 21, 2013) – After Friday qualifying was cancelled at Texas Motorplex due to persistent rain showers, Mopar drivers refocused their efforts on Saturday with just two sessions available to set the eliminations ladder for the 28th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, the second of six playoff events in the NHRA “Countdown to the Championship”.

 

The defending Pro Stock world champ, Allen Johnson, is also the defending winner at the FallNationals where he holds the Pro Stock records for both elapsed time (6.550 seconds) and speed (211.99 mph). In his first qualifying run, Johnson’s Mopar Express Lane Dodge set the fourth quickest run with elapsed time run of 6.564 seconds (211.23 mph) after drifting out of the groove and approaching the centerline near the top end. He did not improve his time in the second session but was the third quickest and earned a bonus point for his efforts. He’ll face Greg Stanfield in the first round of eliminations on Sunday and will hope to help continue Mopar’s streak of nine consecutive final round appearances.

 

Jeg Coughlin Jr. is looking to repeat his performance from last week when he took the JEGS.com Mopar to the victory circle to get the playoffs started on a winning note which put him second in the championship points standings. After a best run of 6.583 seconds (210.05 mph), Coughlin will start from the second half of the ladder in tenth spot and will see Greg Anderson as his first round match-up.

 

HEMI-powered Dodges of Vincent Nobile (6.582 / 210.47) and V. Gaines (6.582 / 210.31) were eighth and ninth respectively, and will face each other in first round action. The No.1 qualifying position was taken by Erica Enders-Stevens.

 

In Funny Car qualifying, Matt Hagan paced his Don Schumacher Racing teammates in his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar”/ Freightliner machine and found himself in third spot with the second quickest pass in the final session. He did by setting the top speed (312.78 mph) of the weekend and an e.t. of 4.093 seconds to earn two bonus points. Hagan, who has four wins and earned his fourth runner-up finish of the year last week to maintain his lead in the championship points race, will line up his Dodge Charger R/T next to adversary Jeff Arend for a first round battle.

 

Ron Capps, who is chasing Hagan in the standings from his second place seat, also sits just behind his Mopar teammate in the fourth qualifying spot. He earned it with a pass of 4.096 seconds (306.88 mph) on his final run which gave him a single bonus point for the third quickest time of the session. He’ll face Tony Pedregon as his first round opponent.

 

Fast Jack Beckman, defending Funny Car World Champ, will start his Mopar from the sixth place position on the eliminations ladder with his 4.122-second (306.12 mph) pass and will be paired up with Alexis DeJoria. Johnny Gray rounds out the top half of the ladder in eighth spot with a 4.154 sec (304.39 mph) run in his Dodge Charger R/T to maintain lane choice over Tim Wilkerson. The pole position was won by Robert Hight.

Dyson Racing

Dyson Racing–Red White and Blue (and Wet) in Texas

AUSTN, TX September 20, 2013 – The remnants of Hurricane Manuel brought additional flavor to this afternoon’s qualifying for the International Sports Car Weekend at the Circuit of the Americas.  Chris McMurry qualified the #16 Lola Mazda in the rain, setting the second fastest P1 time and fifth overall best for tomorrow’s inaugural American Le Mans Series race here at COTA, the only FIA Grade 1 facility in the U.S.

“I would have loved to have had another ten laps. I am actually getting to enjoy the rain,” said McMurry. “The car was really quite good, so that was giving me confidence. There was another two or three seconds in the car, but it went well and I am happy.”

This is the third of four races this year for Tony Burgess and Chris McMurry in the #16 Dyson entry.  Tony Burgess drove the majority of the initial test session Tuesday here at the home of the American F1 race. “It is a great facility.  The track is a modern Formula One track which means it is very smooth and has a big mix of corners, including various super tight and technical corners. Turn One is an interesting turn with the speed you carry down the front straight and then steep uphill  while at the top, it is such a slow corner– very unique, and different. Normally you would not get that sort of combination on a natural terrain track.”

This is the first time here for both Tony Burgess and Chris McMurry and Chris was impressed. “It is a great to have this in the United States because it is an incredible circuit.  There is literally not a bump in the track. For people who drive in the United States, we are used to bumpy tracks but here, it is as smooth as silk. It is a fairly demanding circuit, and is quite technical, much more than I imagined. I played it on Xbox and watched videos, and did as much preparation as I could.  It is a tighter circuit than I thought it would be:  there are four corners where you are coming down to first or second gear.  But all in all, really fun to drive.”

This inaugural ALMS race at COTA is the eighth round of the ten-race 2013 ALMS season and the only shared weekend with the FIA World Endurance Championship this year.  Chris Dyson is also participating in this weekend’s sports car doubleheader and will be co-driving the #41 Greaves Motorsport Zytek P2 entry in Sunday’s six-hour WEC race. “This track has an amazing combination of corners which are pretty relentless. It is one of the more technical tracks that we race on in the U.S. You have a combination of corners which is unlike what you will see anywhere else. It creates a unique challenge for the engineers and as a driver, you have to be really disciplined in your execution.  So it ends up being a lap that is very satisfying when you get it right.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–New Hampshire–Post Qualifying

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SYLVANIA 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
 
 
Newman Puts Chevrolet SS on the Pole at New Hampshire
Team Chevy Drivers Capture Four of Top-Five and Six of Top-10 Starting Positions
 
LOUDON, N.H. (Sept. 20, 2013) – Ryan Newman is known for his talent of winning poles, and today in qualifying for the Sylvania 300, he did just that with a record-setting lap of 27.904 seconds/136.497 m.p.h.  It is his second pole of the 2013 season, and the seventh time the driver of the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS will lead the field to the green flag at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS).  In 2002 and again in 2011, Newman started on the pole at NHMS and won the race.
 
Also breaking the old track record were the second and third place qualifiers, Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS and Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet SS.
 
Kurt Busch qualified the No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet SS fourth fastest to give Chevrolet the four fastest starters in the 43-car field.
 
Richard Childress Racing drivers Paul Menard, No. 27 Menards/Sylvania Chevrolet SS and Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS qualified seventh and eighth respectively to give Team Chevy six of the top-10 starters in Sunday’s 300-lap/317.4-mile race that is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. ET with live coverage on ESPN TV, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and PRN Radio.
 
Other Chevrolet Chase contenders qualified as follows:  Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS – 11th and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet SS – 17th.
 
Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota) completed the top-five qualifiers.
 
 
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 QUICKEN LOANS CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
 
THIS IS RYAN’S 51ST POLE IN HIS NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER. THIS IS HIS SECOND POLE IN 2013. HE HAS SAT ON THE POLE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE SEVEN TIMES. THIS WAS A TRACK QUALIFYING RECORD 136.497 MPH. TALK ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING EFFORT:
“I’ve sat in here several times and probably on at least six other occasions and said this was the birth place of track position and I strongly feel that it is in qualifying well and having that number one pit stall at the start of the race up front in clean air and all the things that go along with it. More important is the confidence to know that you have the fastest race car or at least can make it the fastest race car. Our Quicken Loans Chevrolet was good today. The guys did a really good job. We unloaded in qualifying trim and kept making it faster and faster and faster and we really thought Kasey (Kahne’s) lap was going to be tough to be and I really didn’t feel like I had a lot of speed in my lap. I felt ike it was balanced. But the speed just kind of comes with the track cooling down compared to practice and a really good run for us. I’m happy to be on the pole and to get my 51st pole and to do it at a place where it’s really tough to pass.”
 
WHEN YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO GIVE 100 ON BOTH LAPS EVERYBODY SORT OF CHUCKLED. BUT IT TURNED OUT THAT WAS INDEED THE CASE BECAUSE EITHER ONE OF THEM WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD FOR THE POLE. DID YOU FEEL LIKE AFTER YOU RAN THE 27.93 THAT THERE WAS STILL SOMETHING LEFT OUT THERE?
“I had no idea I’d run a .93. I hit the chip on th back straightaway and didn’t in practice, but I ran a .33 in practice. That could have been a .32 for all I knew. The question that they had asked me was are you geared up for being quick on the first lap or second lap. I was more focused on being as good as I could be on both laps and then I would tell you afterwards which lap those pressures came in and obviously it was 300ths to the better on the second lap. So, the guys did a good job with our Quicken Loans Chevrolet and I’m just happy that we’re in this position in a place where it probably means the most.”
 
CAN YOU JUST GIVE US AN UPDATE ON MODIFIED PRACTICE THIS MORNING
“I’ll let you know if you’ll let me go qualify (laughs). No, it was pretty good. It’s the same old program to come up here and have fun. We made the car definitely better than we were in the first race. I think we were 10th or something in practice. But I don’t look to be able to set it on fire and win the pole. I think we’re going to have a better long-run car. We kind of showed that in the first race.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 2ND
POST QUALIFYING PRESS RELEASE TRANSCRIPT:
 
YOU WILL BE IN GOOD SHAPE AS YOU START THE SECOND RACE IN THE CHASE HERE ON SUNDAY.
“We had a really good lap. We went out pretty early and I feel like I missed just a little bit off Turn 2; didn’t quite get enough there. We got through Turns 3 and 4 really well. I felt strong there in practice and in qualifying. I’m looking forward to practice tomorrow and working on it and trying to decide on a better package on what he had that first race here. We were off the first race. A lot of cars were. We were one of them. We came back and tested as a company and hopefully we learned some things and picked up some speed since.”
 
ON GOING OUT EARLY AND SETTING SUCH A FAST TIME THAT HELD FOR MOST OF THE QUALIFYING SESSION
“I thought that was a really strong lap for going out at that time. I think the track definitely cooled down; the temperatures cooled down some, so the track obviously did too. There was a little bit of shade out there. I think the time we put down with an early draw was solid. Like I said, I think I could have gone a little quicker if I would have hit Turn 2 a touch better that second lap. Whether it would have been the pole or not would be tough to say, but I think I could have picked up a little bit myself. So that just shows that our Great Clips Chevy was strong. We have a strong car for the weekend.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED THIRD
POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
 
YOUR RACE TEAM IS KIND OF PICKING UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF LAST WEEK AT CHICAGOLAND THAT HAS TO FEEL PRETTY GOOD:
“Well it just feels good that we are picking things up.  It’s been an up and down season for us there is no question about that.  If you ever want to peak you want to do it when the Chase comes around.  Just sneaking our way into it and now having the type of performance we had last week and today has been a great day from practice to backing that up with qualifying.  This is a great way for us to not only get this weekend started, but to get the Chase started.  We are pretty excited right now.”
 
THERE WAS A SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR FIRST AND SECOND LAPS WAS THAT BY DESIGN?
“No, I really was planning on when I went into the run and took off from pit road I was really going to try to get it done on the first lap.  I came off of turn four just wiggling, sliding and I thought ‘okay well maybe I can make up for it in (turns) one and two’.  Then I got off of (turn) two really bad and at that point it was just all about regrouping and trying to put a second lap together.  The last time we were here we did it on lap one.  All day today I’ve not been able to get it done on lap one. It’s a strange thing.
 
“Maybe it’s just a slight change in our set-up.  I’m not really sure what it is.  The car is good it just takes that first lap for the temps to get up and the grip to be there.  We struggled with that today.  I was really nervous.  I was shaking when I got out of the car just because that first lap was so hairy and on the edge.  The second lap I just had to really try to get the car to run really straight and not make any mistakes, but knew we had a lot of ground to make up. 
 
“When they said I was
third, boy, I was really excited because I knew we certainly weren’t anywhere close to that on the first lap. I wish now I would have designed it that way though because I wouldn’t be shaking as much right now.  I wish that I would have just thrown away the first lap you know that is something I like to do and we do that a lot of places.  But it’s not something I’ve typically done here.”
 
IS THAT A CONCERN IN RACE TRIM TOO IN TERMS OF RESTARTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT OF GETTING UP TO SPEED ON LAP ONE?
“Always, it’s always a concern here at New Hampshire.  This place is very tricky on restarts because of the lack of grip.  You just don’t have the banking to get the grip and get the car into the race track the way you need it to when those tires are cold.  Yeah, it’s something that we worked on a little bit when we were here testing.  It’s something we will be working on tomorrow as well.  As fast as the times were qualifying I thought that the grip must be there so I thought it would be there right away, but it wasn’t.  I’m just glad it was there on the second one.”
 
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR IMPROVEMENT ON QUALIFYING?  OVER THE LAST FOUR RACES YOU HAVE QUALIFIED IN THE TOP 10.  ARE CERTAIN THINGS CLICKING? 
“I would say it’s a combination of I think that earlier in the year with the new car we made some adjustments or tried to guess which direction to go in for qualifying.  It seemed to bite us a little bit.  We were getting extremely loose going to qualify from practice.  I think we have just found that we need to tighten the car up a little bit more than what we anticipate.  I think some of it is this car and just the balance change when you tape the grill up and go put it into qualifying trim and the cooler track and tires.  Then I think the other thing is we have been to some tracks that are not only good tracks for us racing, but qualifying.  Atlanta, here, Richmond, so like I said if you are ever going to get the momentum and get things rolling this is the time to do it.  Pretty excited things are going the way they are going for us right now.”
 
HOW BENEFICIAL WAS TESTING HERE? 
“I will let you know on Sunday when the race is over.  I mean testing is always beneficial, but it can give you some false sense of security or some information that can lead you down the wrong path.  What typically happens when we come here and test, I did the tire test this year here and did our Hendrick test and it’s amazing just how much grip there is when we are here testing.  Then you go out to practice and there is no grip.  A lot of it is the other different series that are here putting different rubber on the track just makes for different conditions.  I think we learned some good things that are going to benefit us in the race.  But we didn’t do any qualifying runs when we were here.  I didn’t expect it to impact our qualifying.”
 
 
 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–New Hampshire–Ryan Newman

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SYLVANIA 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
 
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 QUICKEN LOANS CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
ON HIS NEW TRACK RECORD:
“I’ve told you before that this track is the birthplace of track position and qualifying great with our Quicken Loans Chevrolet is extremely important obviously for where we are in the points and this time of year. It is really difficult to pass. Having a good pit selection; having all those things we’ve had so many times before…  But great run for Matt (Borland, crew chief) and all these guys to do what they did.  Last time we were on the pole here, we led a lot of laps and we won (SMILES). I am hoping we can duplicate that again.”
 
SEVEN TIMES THE POLE SITTER HERE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY CONGRATULATIONS:
“Yeah it’s great timing I guess none the less, but a great run for our Quicken Loans Chevrolet.  Matt (Borland, crew chief) and the guys did a great job and this is the birthplace of track position so with that being said we will see if we can capitalize on it.”
 
HOW IMPORTANT IS TRACK POSITION?  IS IT HAVING THAT NUMBER ONE PIT STALL WHAT MATTERS THE MOST?
“Well everything about qualifying weighs in to having a better chance in the race with the pit selection and with track position to start and obviously knowing you have a fast race car. We will see what we can do with our Quicken Loans Chevrolet tomorrow in race trim.  We have been in qualifying trim the entire day so I’m pretty sure and pretty confident we can make it all pay off.” 

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED SECOND
A NEW TRACK RECORD.  PRETTY GOOD LAP TELL US ABOUT IT:
“Yeah it felt really good.  The first lap I was sliding a little bit too much so we didn’t get there, but the second lap I was able to pick up some speed and run a good lap.  I don’t know I know Kurt (Busch) is going to be strong and probably a bunch of the other guys as well, but that is a good lap for right now.  I felt good about it.”
 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING/DENVER MATTRESS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED FOURTH
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“I’ve just got to thank the guys for going out there and having shots at poles. It’s not every Friday that you have a shot at it. Today we didn’t get it but it’s crazy how close it is. And our Denver Mattress Chevy was right there. You can’t tiptoe a pole lap. You have to know it. And so I think we tiptoed into a top 5 spot. I just couldn’t’ do anything aggressively with steering input or throttle input because the car wanted to come out from underneath me.”
 
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 SYLVANIA/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED SEVENTH
AFTER BRUSHING WALL IN PRACTICE TALK ABOUT QUALIFYING:
“The car was really good in practice. We were doing race runs.  I lost track of where the wall was and I just brushed the wall a little bit.  We switched to qualifying trim right after that and the car was good in qualifying trim. I didn’t get all of it, so we basically left it alone. We tightened it up just a little bit for qualifying here. We could have gone a little bit more, just a little bit too loose.”

YOU THIS THE WALL IN PRACTICE AND YOU JUST SAID YOUR CAR WAS LOOSE
“The car was really good in practice. We were doing race runs. I just lost track and brushed the wall. I switched over to qualifying trim right after that and felt like the car was good in qualifying trim. I didn’t get all of it. So we basically left it alone. We tightened it up just a little bit for qualifying here. But we were just a little too loose.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 11TH
WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR LAP?  TOMORROW WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE TO PRACTICE SOME MORE WHAT ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO WORK ON?
“Our qualifying lap was fine nothing spectacular put up a decent time so that is good.  As we get into race trim tomorrow we worked on that this morning and just didn’t have exactly what we were looking for.  Tomorrow’s practice will be important for us and just trying to get that race feel that we need where you can pass cars.  It’s one thing to get one to go by itself around here with clean air and everything.  But what I saw in the race here in the spring to get through traffic you need something totally different.  I was chasing that feeling today in the first practice session and I didn’t quite get it.  Trying to drive it a little differently and a little smarter going into the race.”
 
ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN:
“The car drove comfortably, so that is a good sign.  Saw a lot of guys on television lacking an overall grip comfort. I had that. Decent lap. We had a tough time in race trim this morning. When we got to qualifying trim and went faster. We are definitely working hard to get this Lowe’s Chevrolet right. Tomorrow’s practice will be important for us. This has been such a great track for us over the years, I feel pretty good about things.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 TIME WARNER CABLE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 17TH
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR RUN:
“Just wasn’t real happy with it.  We just haven’t had the car we had here in qualifying last time.  The car just hadn’t been turning very well and the front end is a bit of a handful.  We will just have to see how it goes.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 21ST
A GOOD SECOND LAP TALK ABOUT THE RUN:
“The first lap felt like a little bit of a throw away.  I got pretty loose in (turns) one and two and I wasn’t very good coming to the green either.  I kind of knew it wasn’t going to be the lap.  It was like that in practice for me.  It’s so important to turn here that I guess what I feel like I’ve learned is that you can be a little loose to start, but in qualifying it comes in quicker.  In the race it’s a little bit like our first race run we were really loose but just kept going faster and faster and that was our best run of that first practice other than qualifying.  It’s just important to rotate at almost any cost for some reason.”
 
WHAT WAS THE BIG DIFFERENCE FROM PRACTICE TO QUALIFYING?
“That magic I was talking about on the PA system before I went out that I was hoping for. We’ve just been doing a nice job. (Tony) Gibson (crew chief) has been doing a great job of making the car better for qualifying, and I’m just thinking more about it, and watching the cars more before I go out for my qualifying run. Just paying attention to the little things. Every little bit helps. The times are always so close, especially at a small little track like this. It is really critical I think at this track to turn in the center.  It just is. There is so much time in it. I rotated really nice on throttle.  Too well on the first lap which is why I was slow.  But no matter what happens, it was a nice pickup for us, and hopefully will give us a better place to work from on Sunday than last time.”
 
 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–ACO Honoring Corvette Legend Dick Thompson on ALMS/WEC Weekend

ACO Honoring Corvette Legend Dick Thompson on ALMS/WEC Weekend
‘Flying Dentist’ is oldest living American to race at Le Mans 24 Hours
 
AUSTIN, Texas (Sept. 20, 2013) – Through the years, Corvette and Chevrolet have had the honor of racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A number of American sports car achievements have come from Corvette drivers over the years, and those contributions will be front and center during a special ceremony this weekend at Circuit of The Americas.
 
Friday evening, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), the governing body of Le Mans, will honor Dr. Dick Thompson, the oldest living American to race at Le Mans. “The Flying Dentist” won multiple SCCA national championships from the mid-1950s to early-1960s, and Thompson was part of Corvette’s initial journey to Le Mans in 1960 in one of Briggs Cunningham’s three Corvettes.
 
Cunningham’s trio of cars, plus a fourth entered by Camoradi USA, started a dramatic shift in the perception of Corvette as a global sports car brand. Corvette Racing’s debut of the C5-R at the great race in 2000 added to its rich history. Since that time, Corvette Racing captured seven class victories at Le Mans with the C5-R and C6.R.
 
As part of this weekend’s tribute, both of Corvette Racing’s Compuware Corvette C6.Rs that race in the American Le Mans Series’ GT class will feature the names of every American driver who has raced at Le Mans in the race’s first 90 years. Included on that list are seven American drivers who drove or currently drive for Corvette Racing.
 
The ALMS shares the COTA weekend with the FIA World Endurance Championship.
 
JIM CAMPBELL, CHEVROLET VICE PRESIDENT, PERFORMANCE VEHICLES AND MOTORSPORTS
“We salute and honor all of the American drivers who have competed at Le Mans, including Dr. Dick Thompson for his achievements. He was inducted in the National Corvette Museum’s Hall of Fame in 2000 – a very special honor in the Corvette community. I personally had the opportunity to spend time with Dr. Thompson at the 12 Hours of Sebring a number of years ago, where we sat in the 1959 Corvette Stingray Racer. It was extra special because he had actually raced that car.”
 
PIERRE FILLON, PRESIDENT, AUTOMOBILE CLUB DE L’OUEST
“As part of the ceremonies linked to the 90th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest is pleased to honor the American drivers who have raced at Le Mans through their most senior, Dr. Dick Thompson, a former Corvette driver. An iconic American brand, Corvette’s racing history is tied to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and there could be no more appropriate a manufacturer to carry the names of all the U.S. drivers who have distinguished themselves at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

Casey Currie

Casey Currie Returns to Las Vegas

After a great start to the second-to-last weekend of Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series (LOORS) competition, Casey Currie and the Monster Energy/General Tire team will carry a pair of top five qualifying efforts into the 13th and 14th rounds of the Pro Lite season. The action from the series’ second to visit Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2013 kicks off Friday night, followed by a second showing under the lights on Saturday.

Since the arrival of the Monster Energy/General Tire Jeep JK, Currie and his team have continued to step up their performance every time they take to the track. After logging laps for the first time on Thursday morning for practice, Currie and his team fine-tuned the truck for an all-out assault of the track in qualifying. At the end of two sessions, the Monster Energy/General Tire Jeep JK will line up fourth during each night of action.

“We’ve been where we need to be with the Jeep JK to challenge for wins, but luck just hasn’t always been on our side,” explained Currie. “But we refuse to put our heads down and we came out on Thursday gunning for the pole in each session. A top five spot is a good place to start for us and we’ll take advantage of it once the green flag drops.”
 
As the team inches closer to finally securing its first win of the season, a little history is also on the line in an effort to become the first Jeep to sit atop the podium in LOORS competition.

After a pair of top 10’s results at the previous stop in Reno, Currie currently sits fifth in the Pro Lite standings heading into Las Vegas. With four podium finishes to his credit this season, another strong and consistent weekend for Currie will undoubtedly make him a factor in the battle for the Pro Lite crown. Coincidentally, Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the site of Currie’s best weekend of 2013 back in April when he claimed back-to-back runner-up efforts.

“When we left here in April we walked away with the points lead, so there’s no doubt that the front of the field is where we need to be and where we expect to be,” added Currie. “I really enjoy the Vegas track and I’m looking forward to putting the momentum back on our side.”

This weekend’s return to “Sin City” is highlighted by the second and final night race of the season. Currie has an affinity for racing under the lights and it’s only adding to his anticipation to put the Monster Energy/General Tire Jeep JK on the line and make a charge to victory.

“We’re here to win. It’s a simple as that,” concluded Currie. “My guys have put in too much work to not have a chance to enjoy what its like to win, so it’s the only thing on my mind the next two nights.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–New Hampshire–Jimmie Johnson

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SYLVANIA 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed sponsorships, restarts, helping teammates on the track, and more. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR OUTLOOK THIS WEEKEND AS WE EMBARK ON THE SECOND RACE OF THE CHASE
“We had a nice run at Chicago. I felt like, at times in the race, we had a chance to win. We still came out of there with a very good top-10 finish. We certainly had challenges to overcome throughout the night. So, to take a challenging and eventful night and turn it into a top-5, I think says a lot about the team and the speed we have. The August stretch is now hopefully long and far behind us in our rear view mirror. We’re excited and optimistic for this week. This is a track the (crew chief) Chad (Knaus) really likes and we’ve had good success here.Of course you want to win, but knocking down those top-5’s and top-10’s if you don’t have the best today, and just not get too far behind this early in the Chase is important.”
 
WHEN YOU COME OUT OF THE PITS ARE YOU ARE BACK IN THE 20’S, AND KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT TO DO, DO YOU SEE RED? DO YOU GET MAD? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? ARE WE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF FUN NOW?
“No, no fun. Traffic is so tough to get through. Definitely seeing red. A lot of complaining on the radio. Just before we took the green on that run before we got to third, a lot of complaining. I’m like man, I need track position, you’re killing me, I need track position. And once I got to I think fourth, or something, (spotter) Earl (Barban) came on the radio and said, ‘Hey buddy. There’s that track position you wanted.’ So, I was complaining a lot; especially the second time because it’s so hard to get back through the field. And that second to last run, man we were flying. And I was still fast the last run, but we had perfectly matched set of tires and everything rolling right on that second to the last run.”
 
SOME OF THE GUYS IN THE CHASE HAD TOUGH RUNS AT CHICAGO.  YOU SHOWED IN ’06 THAT YOU FINISHED IN THE HIGH 30’S HERE BUT STILL WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT NOT GIVING UP HOPE AND THAT THERE IS STILL A CHANCE TO WIN THE TITLE?
“Yeah, you can’t give up hope. That’s not the way you want to start the Chase. Last year I had two bad races and really one in Phoenix where we crashed, and still had a chance going to Homestead. So I think there still is a chance for them. Unfortunately, they’re losing control. And that’s what no one wants to have happen. As you have poor finishes or bad finishes or whatever the cause, you lose control. And that’s the worst part. But we’ll see. In 10 races, anything can happen. Talladega is still out there in front of us and I think once you get through Talladega, the championship picture becomes much more clear. And again, not the way they want to start, but it’s not time to panic yet.”
 
WERE YOU SURPRISED WHEN YOU HEARD THE NEWS THAT NAPA WAS LEAVING MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING? WHAT TYPE OF IMPACT DO YOU THINK IT HAS ON TEAMS TO ACTUALLY SEE A SPONSOR LEAVE OVER SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
“Yes, definitely shocked. The long-standing relationship that Michael has had with Napa; definitely shocked. I don’t know what message it sends. Clearly there’s been a lot of things flushed out and discussed over the last couple of weeks. And the sponsor stood up and said hey, this it where we stand.
 
“And I saw something where Michael had spoken to his other sponsors and they’re all behind him. In this tough economy and tough world right now, we hate to see sponsors leave. And It’s going to be very challenging for MWR with the loss of such a major sponsor.”
 
ON RESTARTS, WHAT WAS YOUR VIEWPOINT LAST WEEKEND? WHAT KIND OF IMPACT MIGHT IT HAVE HERE BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENT TRACK CONFIGURATION?
“I think it’s good. I think it’s taken a little bit away from the leader, which is okay. The leader, with knowing that you couldn’t, in most cases, couldn’t be beat back to the start/finish line, you could set things up to get the person next to you to lift. I think Jeff (Gordon) was kind of talking about it earlier.
 
“When second is on the inside, and you’re on a 1.5-mile and you have that big apron down below, if you can get second to lift, now he’s three-wide and someone next to him is slowing him down, you’ve got a big advantage. So, it’s taken away some advantage from the leader, which is fine. I think it will promote a better start; less controversy clearly, but a chance for better racing through (Turns) 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and maybe more lead changes. That’s good for our sport, directionally. I still think we need to focus on how guys lay back. And when you have a huge apron down below like we did last weekend (at Chicago), it’s easy to lay back three-quarters of a car length to a car length, and roll up on the driver in front of you and be inside.
 
“So, that’s the part that I think we need to focus on next; but definitely a good change.”
 
BUT THERE IS STILL A LOT OF GAMESMANSHIP THAT CAN TAKE PLACE
“A lot. There’s some. The ace everyone had in their pocket was knowing the leader couldn’t be beat. Now, when the green is out, it doesn’t matter. That does change it. There’s change on both sides, for the leader and for second. I think it makes life easier for second.
 
“If the leader spins, you’re not put in the position; you know, did he spin is questionable enough, am I only six inches ahead? Is that going to be viewed all right by the tower? It takes away a little from both sides. But, I think in the end it’s a better product and easier to officiate.”
 
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT JUST TRYING NOT TO GET TOO FAR BEHIND THIS EARLY IN THE CHASE. BUT HOW BADLY DO YOU NEED A BREAKOUT WIN SINCE YOU HAVEN’T WON SINCE JULY?  CAN YOU KEEP THAT STEADY APPROACH OR DO YOU NEED TO WIN ONE HERE PRETTY QUICKLY?
“When you get to the Chase, at least my focal point, you can’t look back on the regular season. It doesn’t matter if you dominated it or if you’ve been behind. It’s a 10-race stretch of it’s own. With that in mind, I haven’t won in a week. I finished fifth and had a shot to win last week. So, that’s how you have to look at it honestly. I know that Dover, Martinsville, our performance on the plate tracks this year, and on 1.5-miles in general, I know there are very good opportunities for us ahead. So, blinders on. Focus on the No. 48. Focus on what we need to do and not let the outside opinions or what goes on to be a distraction for us. We need to run our best 10. I honestly feel if we put together our 10 best races, we’ll be in contention for the championship.”
 
WITH THE RULES THAT CAME DOWN LAST WEEK, DO YOU THINK IT’S GOING TO HAVE ANY KIND OF CHILLING EFFECT ON WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE ABLE TO FUNCTION ON THE RACE TRACK AS TEAMMATES WITHOUT CALLING INTO QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT YOU’RE WALKING THAT FINE LINE THAT NASCAR HAS SET? CAN TEAMMATES STILL HELP EACH OTHER IN SOME WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM?
“Yeah, you can let a guy by to lead a lap; and the flow of the race and what goes on is still the same. I guess the ruling might have a different meaning for one team versus another. For us, and it’s the way we’ve raced; and the only team orders we have ever had at Hendrick Motorsports is don’t crash your teammate. That’s it. One very simple rule.
 
“And we still break that rule, at times. So, for us, it hasn’t been a big change. There is obviously a spotlight on things and I feel it was a rare situation. I’m sure it’s happened more than once in our sport, but it was pretty rare. And I think NASCAR has the language they need in the rule book. We certainly have the eyeballs paying attention now for stuff like that and to jump on top of it next time if it happens.
 
“It doesn’t change the Hendri
ck mindset. So, we’ll still function and do what we can. And right now, I’ve got three teammates. All four of us are in the Chase. Anybody who saw the closing laps with (Jeff) Gordon and I at Chicago knows that we were both very hungry for that one point. I mean he almost had me passed two or three times and I was able to rally back on the outside.”
 
AS YOU KNOW, JUAN PABLO MONTOYA IS MOVING TO INDYCAR AT THE END OF THE YEAR. HOW DO YOU LOOK AT HIM AS A RACE CAR DRIVER? HOW HAS HE IMPRESSED YOU ? WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE CHALLENGES HE’S FACED WITH A SMALLER TEAM THAN YOUR TEAM?
“It’s only been a couple of times, but I’ve had a chance to see him in a high downforce car and on a road course, which would be in the GRAND-AM Series. My opinions and ability to race with him and his car knowledge of a stock car is one thing. When you go to a lighter downforce car, road course in general, and watch Juan do his thing, he blisters everybody. So, I feel very confident that he’s going to be successful going back to IndyCar. I certainly want him to be safe. He’s had a rollcage around him for a long time now and I’m sure he’s grown used to that comfort level and safety factor that’s there.
 
“But his ability to get through a road course on brakes and turn-in speed and all that stuff, he’s gifted. That’s why he won the CART championship and went to F-1 and had the success that he did. And stock cars are a different animal. So, I have high hopes for him. The one thing that I’ve heard through (A.J.) Allmendinger is that the IndyCar world has changed quite a bit and it’s ultra-ultra competitive over there. And he has come back with his eyes wide open saying you have no idea how hard those guys run week-in and week-out. So I am assuming there will be some type of acclimation process for him to get up to speed and get going, but he’s going to do just fine.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–New Hampshire–Juan Pablo Montoya

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SYLVANIA 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET/GILLETTE CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and discussed going to IndyCar for Team Penske in 2014, finishing the season strong for his Earnhardt Ganassi team and other topics.  Full transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT YOUR DECISION TO RACE INDYCAR FOR TEAM PENSKE NEXT SEASON: “I was looking at all the choices, and when I started talking to Roger (Penske) about it, to tell you the truth, it was a no-brainer for me. I always loved open wheel (racing). That is my background. I had seven great years here, and still have nine more races with the Target car this year. When you get a chance to run for Roger, I wouldn’t turn that down.”
 
DID IT ALL HAPPEN PRETTY FAST? “Yes.  I was talking a lot to the No. 78 (Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet SS owned by Barney Visser), and they are great people and they work really hard. I think they have a really good team. There were a few conversations with Roger and Tim (Cindric, President, Penske Racing) about it, but they were pretty casual. They called me and asked if I could come up, and I said yes. That was it.”
 
SO IT DIDN’T TAKE YOU LONG TO MAKE THAT DECISION? “No. It is something I wanted to do. I have been lucky enough to race for Chip (Ganassi) in IndyCar, it is one of the best teams out there. I have run for Williams, McClaren, Mercedes, BMW (in Formula 1), I mean I have run for big teams, and the only one on the list that I hadn’t run and felt I always wanted to do was Roger’s.  If I could get some wins for him next year, I will be really excited.”
 
HOW DID IT GO WHEN CHIP FOUND OUT YOU WERE GOING TO GO DRIVE FOR ROGER? “To tell the truth, he was in Europe so I left him a voicemail and sent him a text. He seemed very genuinely happy about it.  I have always told people here, we are really good friends. We have a very good relationship. It is just going to make it more interesting and fun next year.”
 
HOW MUCH WILL YOU MISS DRIVING THE NASCAR STOCK CARS? “There are a lot of good people here, and we were looking at things for next year. But today the focus is still on this year in the Cup Series to finish the season. Then looking at the Penske thing into the future we’ll see if there is maybe some NASCAR races might come about. We’ll see.”
 
YOU ARE NOT RULING OUT COMING BACK HERE TO RACE SELECT RACES? “We’ll see. That is up to Roger and what he wants to do. We need to sit down and talk about that later. There are two focuses. One on the weekends is going to still be this. I still want to try and get the oval win for the guys. They have been working really hard, and we’ve been getting a lot better race cars. This is a place where we have run really well, so that is important.”
 
YOU HAVE SAID THAT YOUR TIME IN NASCAR HAS MADE YOU A SMARTER DRIVER. CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT AND HOW IT MIGHT TRANSFER TO INDYCAR? “I think you learn so many things about the cars that you will never understand, or believe or see. There are a lot more basic things that you ignore in open wheel. I think it is pretty cool because I sat down with the guys the other day, and we talked a little bit about the cars. I talked to Will (Power) a little bit and understand more what the cars do. On YouTube I’ve been looking at a lot of videos and on-board cameras. It is fun because I know all the places.
 
“There are a lot of things to learn. And as I said the beginning of this week, it is going to be an uphill battle in a lot of ways, but I am looking forward to the challenge.”
 
WILL YOU CONSIDER IT UNFINISHED BUSINESS IF YOU DON’T GET THAT WIN ON AN OVAL BEFORE THE END OF THE SEASON? “It’s not over yet, so we’ll see. We are working really hard. I have a great group of guys here. They are fun to work with. They are determined and I am 100% behind them in these last races here.”
 
DOES WHERE YOU ARE GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO GET THAT WIN? “We’ve been going that all year, believe me. We’ve been trying and have been close to paying off. But, we’re not there yet.”
 
ANY CONCERNS ABOUT SPONSORSHIP ISSUES FOR INDY NEXT YEAR? “No, not really. Roger took a leap of faith. I think they are the best team out there, at least one of the best.  They took a leap of faith on me, and I am taking a leap of faith on them. It’s all good.”
 
HOW HARD IS IT FOR A ONE-CAR OR TWO-CAR TEAM TO COMPETE AGAINST THE FOUR CAR, AND THE THREE-CAR REALLY BIG, STRONG TEAMS? “If you look at the champion (Brad Keselowski) from last year here (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series) was from a two-car team. So it is all relative.”
 
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT IT ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT YOU MIGHT MISS FROM HERE? “No, but I thought enough what I have missed in open wheel. Getting that opportunity was…I know Helio (Castroneves) really well. I met Will (Power) this week. I told them I am going to need their help a lot to get up to speed. I think it will be fun. I think I can bring a completely different aspect to the cars. I have a lot of open wheel experience, so it should be fun.”
 
HAVE YOU TALKED TO AJ ALLMENDINGER AT ALL AFTER HE HAD DRIVEN THE NO. 2 CAR THIS YEAR? “It is funny; I talked to AJ a lot about IndyCar this year and that was actually before I knew I would be in the No. 2. Everything happens for a reason.”
 
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT GETTING BACK TO INDIANAPOLIS? “We do that every year here, but going back to actually the 500 is a big deal. I know Roger hasn’t won it since ’09. I’m one-for-one there, so hopefully we can make it two-for-two. AJ did a really good job this year. If you watched the race, if he wouldn’t have had the problem with the seatbelt, he had a real shot at winning. You have to be there at the right place at the right time.”
 
WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION ON THE INDYCAR SIDE FROM OTHER DRIVERS?  TONY KANAAN? DARIO FRANCHITTI? HAS IT BEEN GOOD? “Yes, absolutely. They have all sent me texts. They all laugh. They all said they all knew sooner or later you would convert back. It is fun. It is fun because you learn a lot of different things. When you go to Europe, it is all about yourself and not about the team. You learn to be a team player over here. I think that is going to help us huge.”
 
IS IT GOING BACK TO YOUR ROOTS? “Yes, that is where I grew up and everything. I feel like I am a stock car driver as well. I’m open for anything. But right now, this Penske opportunity is golden.”
 
WHAT WERE YOUR IMMEDIATE FEELINGS WHEN IT WAS DONE AND FINALIZED? “I was jumping around. I felt like a five year-old kid.”
 
HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO ROGER? “The deal was actually done with Roger.”
 
IS THERE ANY WAY YOUR EXPERIENCE HERE HELPS YOU OVER THERE? “Absolutely. We talked about that already. But yes. You learn a lot of things, and understand a lot of things. The tire degradation here is so much more noticeable. Tire management is huge here. In open wheel, you do a little bit of that, but if you understand it better, it is going to pay off. There is a lot of pluses of being here these years. I don’t think that they are wasted years. I think that I learned a lot. I’m just looking forward to being in a winning car.”
 
DID YOU SERIOUSLY CONSIDER ANY OTHER NASCAR RIDES? “Absolutely. The No. 78. We talked about it. We actually were pretty close. When the Penske thing came about….”
 
SO THIS DOESN’T CLOSE THE DOOR ON ANY FUTURE NASCAR? “No, not at all. We talked to Roger a little bit about it. But today the focus is here, but at the moment and the next couple of months is getting up to speed in the car.”
 
HOW CLOSE WERE YOU TO SIGNING WITH THE NO. 78? “We were getting there.”
 
WOULD
YOU WANT TO COME BACK AND RUN A FEW NASCAR RACES? ROAD COURSES? DAYTONA? “I think it would be fun. It would probably be with Roger if we did it. We’ll look at that in the future. We talked about it a little bit. But I am focusing at the moment of finishing this and then the Indy car.  I know what we need to do and that is goal at the moment.”
 
IS THERE A POSSIBILITY OF DOING THE MEMORIAL DAY DOUBLE? “I don’t know. You are asking the wrong guy…I think you are in the wrong hauler.”  (LAUGHS)
 
IS RUNNING THE DAYTONA 500 WITH ROGER SOMETHING YOU WOULD TALK ABOUT? “There is a little bit of talks, but not much. You have to understand the deal was announced four days ago. It was done in five. It is not like we had two months to talk about it. I talked a lot to the guys. I started looking at videos and stuff.  And that is all I have done so far.”
 
YOU AREN’T GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS CAR BEFORE END OF YEAR ARE YOU? “No, no. Target has been a great sponsor for me and the team. I am committed to them all the way to the end of the season.”
 
WHO WAS THE FIRST INDYCAR DRIVER TO SEND YOU A TEXT? “Helio. Then TK then Dario…then Scott (Dixon) the next day.”
 
WILL IT BE AWKWARD WITH YOU AND THE GANASSI INDYCAR BOYS SINCE YOU ARE GOING TO THE ENEMY CAMP? “I don’t see it as the enemy.  I won the championship with a lot of the guys that are still there. It will be fun. I have great friends there, and I still will. Just  driving a different car. And I will make news ones. It is what it is.”
 
AND CHIP WISHED YOU WELL? “Oh yes. As I said, he understands he made a decision not to have me here in his car next year, and I made a decision that I wanted to go back to open wheel. Roger gave me that opportunity.”
 
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SHORTER INDYCAR SCHEDULE? “Yes! That’s is another thing that is important. I want to have a little more time for myself and my family. Sebastian races now. If I want to run well, at the beginning of the season I will be more busy than I was here. I really want to make sure…I know I have an uphill battle and I think the first few races are going to be hard while I figure everything out. It will be fine.”
 
AT MICHIGAN YOU SAID YOU JUST WANTED TO GET IN A WINNING RACE CAR: “And I got my wish didn’t I?  And I said that, and it was true. I wanted to have the best opportunity to win races, and Roger gave me that.”
 
INAUDIBLE QUESTION: “IndyCar all the while. Think about it. 2000 probably. I drove Formula 1 for six years. I have been driving open wheel since ’92 through 2006.”
 
HAVE YOU DONE ANY SORT OF TESTING? THOSE CARS HAVE CHANGED SO MUCH: “No (to testing). Remember one of the good things about it is that when I drove them, they were sequential, manually sequential gearbox. Now they are paddle shift like the F1 (car) was. It is actually…I would say…easier than it used to be. You know when you had a six speed manual and you had to go from sixth gear to first gear, one at a time; that was a lot of work. This is click click click (makes a noise with his tongue). You know. I hadn’t even thought about the push-to-pass yet.  There are a lot of things I am going to learn and a lot of mistakes I am going to do with the push-to-pass; not using it or over using it and stuff. We’ll learn and I think the more I look at videos and prepare myself for the race, the better I am going to be
 
“It’s cool to have data on the weekends. Proper data. Look at suspension. Look at everything. Look at how I am driving the car. If I have the data, it makes my life easier. I can just look at everything they are doing, and give it a try. See what happens.”
 
 

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