NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
GEICO 400
CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 13, 2013
 
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET/KRAFT CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED THIRD
ON HIS LAP:
“It was close got tight in (turns) three and four and had to bail a little bit out of the gas, but gave it a good go.  Our Target Chevy has been pretty good so I’m pretty excited.”
 
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED FOURTH
WHERE DID YOU FIND ALL THE SPEED FROM PRACTICE?
“I must have had a pretty good car in practice and just didn’t drive it hard enough. Kenny (Francis, crew chief) and the guys made a couple of small changes but nothing big.  I looked at some things; they gave me a little information and did a better job there than I had been.  I felt good about that lap.  It should be pretty close.  I think Ricky (Stenhouse) has been really fast qualifying on these mile and a half tracks lately so I feel like to beat him we should be in a pretty good spot hopefully top five, maybe pole that would be awesome to start here in Chicago.”
 
YOU ARE SHAKING. DID YOU GET EVERYTHING ON YOUR LAP?
“Well, I think it’s a pretty good lap. I maybe gave up a little bit in (Turn) 1. When I landed, I maybe didn’t get wide-open quite soon enough. But in (Turns) 3 and 4, I thought I hit that pretty good. And the guys did a nice job today with our Farmers Insurance Chevrolet. We’re in a good spot. We’ll definitely be in the top-5, I think. I felt like that was a really solid lap. Maybe front row; definitely top-5.”
 
DO YOU HOPE TO GET ANY CLARITY OUT OF THIS MEETING TOMORROW?
“I feel like I have plenty of clarity.  I feel like I know what you are supposed to do and what you are not.  I don’t understand why it’s so difficult.  I think we all know where it started at Richmond and I just don’t understand all the rest.  I feel like I have plenty of clarity.  I’m going to go tomorrow and sit in and make sure I know what I’m thinking is correct, but I don’t think I’m missing too much right now.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED SIXTH
ON EARNING A SPOT IN THE CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP:
“Oh, it’s been a roller coaster ride this week and an unusual set of circumstances. I’ve never been a part of anything like this before. But for my team and my fans that that have been overwhelming supportive this week, for the tough decisions that NASCAR has to make, and for Drive to End Hunger, I’m extremely happy about this. We’re proud to be in it, and now an incredible set of opportunities lie on our shoulders to go out there and show that we belong in this Chase.”
 
WHEN WE INTERVIEWED YOU AFTER THE RACE AT RICHMOND, YOU WERE TOTALLY UNAWARE, AS WERE MANY, WHAT HAD TRANSPIRED THAT YOU DIDN’T GET IN. NOW THAT YOU’VE SEEN WHAT HAPPENED ALL WEEK WITH THE MEDIA; AND NASCAR’S DECISIONS, IS THIS IN YOUR MIND JUSTICE SERVED?
“Well, certainly from where I’m standing now and all that we’ve been through this week and looking at that race and how hard we worked, it would be easy for me to say that. But we’ve got some issues that need to be addressed. I’m looking forward to this meeting tomorrow; to work through some of those and to interact with NASCAR and hear what they have to say as well as come up with long-term solutions of how we get around these types of events ever occurring again. And I know we’re going to leave that (meeting) with hopefully a crystal clear set of guidelines to make sure that we’re only going out there and racing as hard as we possibly can the way this No. 24 was last week.
 
CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING IN. NOW GO OUT AND MAYBE GET YOUR FIFTH CHAMPIONSHIP:
“Well we had a good car today. And speaking of fans, we’ve got 516 contributors to Drive to End Hunger on my hood that are all going to be riding around here with us on Sunday; and now for a Chase for the Championship in Sprint Cup. Thank you.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED NINTH
ONE LAP IS ONE THING WHAT ABOUT 400 MILES HERE ON SUNDAY WHAT DO YOU NEED TO GO TO VICTORY LANE?
“We haven’t done any race runs yet, so I don’t have an opinion there just yet.  We do have a lot of great history here at this track.  It has been a very good race track for me even all the way back to my Nationwide days winning my one and only Nationwide race here.  I’m excited about our race on Sunday and we will get into practice tomorrow and see what we have.”
 
HOW HAS THIS PLACED CHANGED OVER THE COURSE OF TIME?
“The groove has moved around a lot.  There are a lot of bumps and the track is really a lot of fun to drive right now.  I think we are going to have a great race with a lot of racing lines to choose from once it gets going.”
 
YOU WERE OH SO CLOSE. WHERE DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU LOST IT THERE?
“That was a really good lap. I had it in the bag and then something happened on the front stretch, but I’m not really sure. I didn’t have any problems on the exit of Turn 4. The car drove great and so I’m excited about that. And we’re on the early side, so that might hurt us a little late in the going with some other cars coming out, but all-in-all it should be a great start for the Lowe’s Chevrolet.”
 
HOW ABOUT A REACTION TO THE DECISION THAT JEFF GORDON WILL NOW BE IN THE CHASE:
“Of course I’m very happy that Jeff is in the Chase.  In my opinion though I believe there should be 12 cars.  One in one out should be the deal.  It’s not, but there are a lot of things to consider and look at.  It’s been an interesting week to say the least.  From conversations I’ve had from things I’ve seen, read, speculations, truth.  Truth lies somewhere in the middle of all this that we keep talking about.  Very happy for the No. 24 to be in the Chase though.”
 
WHO SHOULD BE OUT?
“Whoever was 12th, ones in ones out is the way I see it.”
 
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OUT OF TOMORROW’S MEETING?
“I don’t really know.  I’m sure a lot of threats and things along that side of life, but I just don’t know to be honest with you.  This is something that I have never seen or been a part of in my career.  To watch the sanctioning body react and respond and how they are going to police in the future this is all new territory.  It will be a start of the process tomorrow and I think as the weeks come and the months come following it we will continue to evolve the changes that are going to be put in place and do a better job policing it.”
 
DOES IT HURT NASCAR’S IMAGE TO JUST KIND OF THROW ON AN EXTRA DRIVER LIKE THAT WHEN EVERYBODY THOUGHT THERE WAS GOING TO BE 12?
“I think some people are going to feel it was right.  Some are going to feel that it’s not.  I think the arguable point most will have is that the penalties to MWR are far different than the penalties to the No. 38 and the No. 22.  I think through all of this we all are just looking for consistency.  I think there is probably more argument in that than in 13 cars being in the Chase.  As a competitor and one of the 12 that was in the Chase you just changed the odds and the ratio tremendously by adding a 13th car.  It’s not like… and I feel Jeff should be in so I guess the No. 22 would be the one on the outside looking in if they removed one.  That is a good team. They won the championship last year with the No. 2 car and Joey (Logano) is doing a great job and earning a lot of points.  It changes the dynamic of the Chase quite a bit to have 13 cars in there.”
 
YESTERDAY YOU WERE SAYING THAT YOU DON’T CARE WHAT NASCAR SAYS IN REGARDS TO RESTARTS AS LONG AS THEY JUST MAKE IT CONSISTENT.  DO YOU THINK THIS IS A STEP TO MAKING THINGS CLEAR AND CONSISTENT IN WHAT THEY
WANT?
“In the restart area we still haven’t even crossed that bridge yet.  I think we are all eagerly awaiting for that opportunity too.  I know I am as a competitor.  Certainly want consistency in that area as well.  I haven’t gotten a good clear explanation as to why there wasn’t a call at the end of the Richmond race on that final restart either.  I’m just going to sit back and watch and just see what happens.  We have a lot of voices and a lot of people’s opinions right now.  My phone rings and NASCAR wants my opinion I’m more than willing to give it, but I’m not going to go marching up in there with ideas anymore.”
 
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 QUAKER STATE/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 11TH
YOU HAVE A LOT OF LAPS ON THIS RACE TRACK IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF CARS.  HOW HAS THIS PLACE CHANGED SINCE THE FIRST TIME YOU CAME TO CHICAGOLAND?
“Every year it just keeps getting better.  The grip level goes down which means that the drivers search around a little bit more and the track is really wide.  You are seeing guys qualify in the middle of the race track right now. In the race on Sunday we are going to up by the fence all over the place.  It’s a great race track it’s coming into its own.  That was a good qualifying lap for us.  I wasn’t really sure how it was going to go.  We only did two mock runs in practice.  Trying to work on race trim and try and save some tires for tomorrow.  The guys did a good job making some good adjustments.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 23RD
ON HER LAP:
“It was a little tight in (turns) 3-4, but not bad. I’m proud of the GoDaddy guys. We picked up a lot from practice, which it always a good thing. Our qualifying has gotten better, especially on the 1.5 mile ovals. We want to continue to get better.”
 
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
GEICO 400
CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 13, 2013
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Chicagoland Speedway and discussed the first practice session, helping teammates and other topics. Full Transcript:
 
HOW DID PRACTICE GO FOR YOU GUYS?
“Practice was relatively productive got a little bit better, got a little bit better in race trim which leads to qualifying trim.  Still feel like we have a fair amount to improve on.  I felt like I was tight enough through (turns) three and four that I was sure that I was losing a couple a tenths.  So if we can find that it would be awesome.  We will see what that leads to in qualifying.”
 
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION IS THIS WEEK TO ALL THE CONTROVERSY? RYAN NEWMAN GETTING INTO THE CHASE BECAUSE OF THE MWR (MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING) FINES AND STUFF LIKE THAT? 
“Well you just said that Ryan Newman got in due to the fines.  He was my understanding leading the race.  So I don’t envy NASCAR’s position whatsoever.  That is a tough place to be put in when you are trying to sort all of that out and you have so many different entities that are involved.  And put so much into it and it means so much to get in the Chase, but at the end of the day Ryan (Newman) is in and he was running in a position that he would have been in if it would have stayed green.  I think that he has a lot to be proud of for that.  I don’t know.  Makes it exciting to see what the heck is going on, on Twitter everyday though.”
 
YOU ARE A DRIVER WHO IS NOT IN THE CHASE AND YOU HAVE A TEAMMATE THAT IS IN THE CHASE.  ARE YOU CONCERNED AT ALL ABOUT ANY SORT OF PERCEPTION THAT IF YOU GIVE UP A SPOT YOU ARE HELPING HIM?
“I mean at the end of the day you run as hard as you can and you get every single position that you can.  When it comes down to one or two drivers next to each other on the track it is one thing especially if you are teammates.  But I can say that my team has never asked me to do anything at all on the track.  There were no orders for last weekend, nothing, and I don’t believe they would ever make me do anything.  It’s a really gray area and it’s a really sticky situation.  I believe that if you want to give a spot to somebody on the track and they are right behind you, you can do that.  That is your decision, but you are also not affecting the entire outcome of the race.  That is just one spot.  There were things done on this past weekend that involved more positions than just the immediate one next to you.”
 
I DON’T KNOW IF YOU WERE IN CHARLOTTE THIS WEEK, BUT HOW HAS THE MOOD CHANGED IN THE ORGANIZATION?
“I wasn’t.  I was in sunny Phoenix.  Actually rainy Phoenix if I may be honest.”
 
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW THE GUYS WERE?  VERY DISAPPOINTING THEY WERE SO CLOSE TO GETTING ONE CAR INTO THE CHASE LAST SATURDAY NIGHT AND THEN IT TO CHANGE ON MONDAY?
“I wasn’t there.”
 
HAVE YOU HEARD THE GUYS TALK ABOUT IT AT ALL?
“Look teams work so hard to make the Chase it’s everything.  Shoot from the outside looking in it looks like there is almost more pressure coming down to that last race than there even is at the end of the season.  A lot of that has to do with the fact that there are so many more people involved in those positions as opposed to the end of the year where usually it’s down to two or three drivers.  A lot is on the line.  I’m sure that there is a lot of relief and also a refreshed determination to be in the Chase, but I wasn’t there to exactly witness everyone’s mood, but I know what kind of effort gets put in to get there.”
 
EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A GOOD TEAMMATE.  HOW DO YOU DISCERN WHAT IS APPROPRIATE, WHAT’S INAPPROPRIATE AND WHERE THE LINE IS WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO BE A GOOD TEAMMATE TO WHOEVER THAT MIGHT BE?
“I mean like I just said I feel like when you do things that affect entire outcomes of the race and many positions on the track then that is a pretty big move.  When you are involving one person around you in giving up a spot then that’s I feel like that’s a whole different thing.  You know a lot of that comes down to relationships on the track with other drivers, manufacturers; sure you are always trying to help.  It’s no different than you go to Talladega or Daytona and you try to get in line with other Chevy’s.  It’s no different than that trying to help each other, but it really just comes down to the individual and what they feel comfortable doing.  At the end of the day this has been going on forever and ever and ever in racing.  There have been people that have given up spots here and there.  There have been teams that have asked drivers to do certain things and it’s probably never going to go completely away it’s just trying to figure out how far you can go before you get punished for it.  It’s a gray area there are no rules for it, but I’m glad I’m not in the middle of it.”
 
YOU SAW PROBABLY THE SAME THING IN INDYCAR DIDN’T YOU?
“Yeah, sure, in IndyCar it happens too.  I remember getting told what to do in certain situations or who to be helping out there and when I could pass and when I couldn’t.  Looking back at the end of the day I think some of it is fair and I think some of it’s a little unfair.  I might do some of it different going back in time, but the attitude in general is for the greater good and what allows a team to get the highest result possible.”
 
YOU’VE BROUGHT A LOT OF FANS TO THE SPORT. WHEN YOU HAVE AN INSTANCE LIKE THIS, DO YOU THINK THIS HURTS THE CREDIBILITY BY TURNING FANS OFF? OR, DO YOU THINK IT MIGHT BRING MORE FANS IN?
“This is somewhat negative attention, but it’s still attention on the sport. And there is a negative side to every sport at the end of the day; and every job, essentially. So, we’re just doing it on a televised stage. So, I don’t think it’s the best of things, but I think that when people are talking about NASCAR racing and paying attention to see how it goes, I think that ultimately if they end up loving the sport, it’s a good thing. But, you try and do it with positive attention as opposed to negative.”
 
REGARDING CREDIBILITY (INAUDIBLE):
“Well, I think so and I think that it can have an effect as well on the sponsors involved and not wanting to be part of a negative swirl of attention. I think that’s probably one of the most negative sides to it because our sport is driven on sponsorship. But yeah, I think at the end of the day it’s probably a little bit negative. But if we generate fans because they watch the sport and love it and want to keep watching it, then that’s also a positive.”
 
DOES THIS BUILD UP EXCITEMENT FOR THE CHASE?
“Before Richmond, I, as a driver, could definitely feel the tension. There’s a lot on the line. And people, like I said, put so much effort into making the Chase and I feel like it’s a pretty cool format. I’m sure that when it was introduced, I wasn’t around, but I’m sure there were some people that didn’t like it but at the end of the day it creates a lot of buzz for NASCAR and creates a lot of storylines, clearly, and brings people back to the sport if they’ve drifted away over the summer. And like I said, or it generates new fans. So it’s still racing at the end of the day and you still have to race at this point to get in and you still have to race to the end to get a championship or your finishing positions, so I think it creates a very interesting layer of entertainment.”
 
DO YOU PROJECT AHEAD AS TO WHEN YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO COMPETE FOR A CHASE SLOT?
“I think that realistically, not necessarily for the Chase in particular, but I think to really understand the car and feel comfortable i
n the car and be able to start to have some more established expectation levels, I think it takes at least three years to get to that point. And some people say five years. So, I really hope it doesn’t take that long, but I feel like in my mind it’s realistic to think it could take at least three years to at least feel comfortable in the car; and then it’s about being in the right situation where you’re in the right group and you have the right car and your manufacturers are good. It comes down to a lot of other things. But I think as a driver, after a good few years, you as a driver are probably pretty ready to take the car to the limit.”
 
ON SPENDING TIME IN PHOENIX THIS PAST WEEK:
“This was ‘old friends week’ back in Arizona. It was nice. I saw a lot of people an A/C unit was out, which was very uncomfortable to sleep in a hot house. I think it was about 80 – 88 degrees throughout the house. But that’s okay; I can get everything fixed before we go back in November. It actually rained three days in a row out there. It was terrible. I tried to play golf. It’s really hard to play golf when it’s pouring rain. But I came back to Chicago on Wednesday night and Ricky’s dad came into town and had dinner. So that was nice; got some friends and family coming to the race this weekend. So I definitely make the most of the times when I get back to my home bases.”
 
RACING HERE ON THE WEEKEND ISN’T THAT MUCH DIFFERENT FROM BEING HERE?
“No, it is nice to wake up in your own bed, and spend some more nights with your own kitchen and ‘fridge and whatnot and have a nice view. But it’s not too much different than every other weekend.”
 

RYAN NEWMAN, 2014 DRIVER OF THE NO. 31 CHEVROLET SS AT RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING AND TORREY GALIDA CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER FOR RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING, WERE THE GUESTS ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
 
 
THE MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to today’s NASCAR teleconference.  We are joined by Ryan Newman, who will drive the No. 31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing starting in 2014.  Also joining us is the Chief Operating Officer of Richard Childress Racing, Torrey Galida.
 
 
Ryan, we’ll start with you.  Instead of asking an opening question, I’ll just throw it to you to talk about driving the No. 31 Chevrolet in 2014, and what you’re looking forward to most about joining Richard Childress Racing?
 
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  Just extremely excited about the opportunity.  Richard and I had talked five years ago, or roughly five years ago before I went to Stewart‑Haas racing, and didn’t have the moons correctly aligned to do what we needed to do there, and this is just a great opportunity for me personally.
 
 
Really looking forward to driving the 31 Car with Caterpillar.  I think with Richard’s goals and my goals and the things that we do aside from that away from the racetrack that I think are a lot of fun as well, I’m just really looking forward to all of 2014, not just the races ‑‑ 2014 and beyond, not just the racing season.
 
 
THE MODERATOR:  Torrey, clearly Ryan has enjoyed a lot of success in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.  What do you think he’ll add to the Richard Childress Racing organization?
 
 
TORREY GALIDA:  Thanks, Amanda.  First, I wanted to just say to everybody out there that Richard sends his regrets.  He couldn’t be with us this afternoon.  He is traveling, but he did want me to let everybody know if you have questions specifically for him, he’ll be available over the weekend or is more than willing to do another teleconference if we need to.
 
 
So with that being said, I think Ryan is really going to add a lot to our organization and add another dimension for us.  He’s a proven winner.  He’s been very, very successful throughout his career, and we are always looking to add that kind of talent to our organization.
 
 
We talked to him for a while about potentially becoming a fourth team here.  Weren’t quite able to pull that all together, but did find a scenario that we believe is going to work for everybody.
Q.  Ryan, have you had any time to spend with Luke Lambert yet?  What are your first impressions?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  I shouldn’t laugh, because it’s probably taken the wrong way, but I actually think it was Atlanta race weekend, right before the race started.  Luke and I were in line together at the outhouse before the race started, and we talked for about three minutes, so that’s why I laugh.
 
 
But we’ve talked a little bit over the phone, very little, but definitely have an understanding of his background and know that Richard believes in him as well as the team that they have associated there together on the 31 car.  So just really have only scratched the surface on getting to know somebody in Luke.
Q.  First off, just how many teams did you talk to, and kind of where was Richard Childress Racing in the pecking order of the people that you talked to?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  I talked to a few, which, in my world, is three or more.  Richard, honestly, to start the whole conversation, came to me Daytona 500 week and wanted to know what I was doing in 2014.  I told him at that point I needed to lay some ground work with the new team that we had started with Matt Borland and all the guys, and that it was too early to even think about that, but I appreciated the offer.  Our conversations matured over time.  After Loudon when I was told what I wasn’t going to be doing, the conversations intensified.
 
 
So to answer your question, at the top, without a doubt, Richard and everybody at RCR are in a position to control their own destiny.  They build their own cars.  They build their own engines.  They hang their own bodies.  Everything is at the RCR compound, and that means a lot to me, because that keeps that information right there, and that, I think is extremely important with the technology in our sport right now.
 Q.  Obviously this is the first time we’ve seen you since Saturday night.  Have you seen any of the replays and heard any of the MWR audios?  Just curious if you have any sort of opinion on the Bowyer spinout now that we’re a couple days later?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  Yeah, right now it’s tough to comment on it because I know it’s being reviewed.  My ultimate answer is it’s pretty obvious to me the decisions that were made and the communication that’s led up to that.  I don’t know how anybody is going to react or put their foot down or penalize or do anything in respect to all of this.  So I guess I’m kind of waiting to see what comes of it.
 
 
But I do know that based on my opinion inside a race car and watching and listening and understanding the communication that there was then, that it was not entirely an accident; and the second part of that is maybe somebody could look up for me how many times this year Clint Bowyer spun out all by himself and get me an answer on that, if you don’t mind.
 
Q.  Ryan, it was pretty obvious from things you said at Richmond and maybe even back to Atlanta about you could say but it was inappropriate to say it was pretty clear you had a good idea that today, Monday, the 9th was coming and this announcement would happen.  Even so, with making this official, does that help take any of the sting out of what happened to you Saturday night or is that going to sting for a while, regardless?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  To me, what happened to me Saturday night is the toughest thing that I’ve ever gone through in any kind of racing in my 30 years of driving because of the way everything went down and, in hindsight, how it hurt that much more.
 
 
This, for a week, yeah, I knew this announcement was coming, but in the end, I don’t think it’s anything to compare or contrast or say that the positive outweighs the negative or even compensates for it.  They’re two different things.  This announcement is to show and tell everybody how much we look forward to it and what we have coming down the pipeline as far as racing and our relationship with RCR and myself and Chevrolet and everybody else and Caterpillar included.
 
 
So it’s really tough to comment on anything about Saturday night right now until an announcement is made.
 
Q.  I’m curious about how much do you think we’ll be able to transfer over from SHR to RCR as far as your notes and stuff?  Obviously, if you’re going to a different manufacturer, I’m sure things would be protective or more protective about information.  Will you be able to be allowed to take any notes with you as far as set‑up stuff that can be sent over like how you like a car in a certain place?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  No, I don’t have a set of notes.  I don’t have a backlog of information when it comes to that.  I don’t write anything down.  To me, what is important, is my feel for the race car.  The way the team works together.  The way we can accomplish adjusting to either weather conditions or a racetrack or a new Goodyear tire or whatever it is.  I don’t see that ‑‑ I think there are some principles that I understand and can carry over.  I did that from Penske to SHR and will from SHR to RCR, and no different from what Kevin Harvick will do when he goes over to SHR.  But, in the end, you have to adjust and liv
e in the moment.
 
 
From a driver’s standpoint, that’s not a matter of bringing out the notebook.  That is the crew chief’s responsibility, and that is my responsibility to communicate with the team and tell them what I need the race car to do so that we can work on it collectively.
 
Q.  The first question, you found out in July that you were looking for a job.  At that time there were not many seats available, and even more so, there are not many great seats available.  Was there any concern for you at that point?  What are you going to do?  Are you even going to be able to get a ride?  In hindsight, you’ve landed a very good job, but does any panic set in?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  Thank you, first of all.  I don’t think I really ever had any panic.  As Torrey mentioned, the real question was how can we make it make sense for myself and for RCR, whether it was a third car, fourth car or whatever.  And I wanted it to be, as I said from the beginning, for me personally, some place where I was wanted and some place that is super competitive, and we have the opportunity to live out our common goals.
 
 
RCR is, as I said and mentioned earlier, was part of my interest five years ago, and obviously when Richard expressed that interest back in February, it was a no‑brainer for me to go back and knock on his door.  That being said, I’m just excited about the opportunity that we have from a team standpoint, the resources with Chevrolet.  I know that Richard has the drive and dedication to be as successful as he possibly can, and that is as simple as that.
 
 
I told Richard when I sat down in his bus a while ago, I said every driver’s going to sit here and tell you that he wants to win.  He wants to win races.  He wants to win a championship.  He wants to win a pole.  But it’s the drive and dedication and the inflection you hear in my voice when I say that to you.  I think that that makes a difference.  Because every car owner wants to win.  Every car owner wants to make money and be successful too.  But I see the same things in him that he does in me, and that’s why I look forward to the next three years.
 
Q.  Second question, which I apologize for reverting back to Saturday night, but just based on what you said.  You called it the toughest in your 30 years of racing.  I don’t know what your relationships might have been with anyone at MWR or Clint in the past, if you had relationships, but will you have trouble going forward?  Will you be able to look at those people the same?  Is this something that will be damaging going forward in the garage area?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  I’d say the potential is not good for us to be cordial to each other, but at the same time, as I said earlier, at announcement was made that NASCAR is reviewing what happened.  So until NASCAR does their due diligence of how they proceed with what happened, and that could go several different directions, I really don’t know.  In the end, I was extremely disappointed to see and hear some of the things that went down, and I think that that’s relatively obvious to any fan or non‑fan of our sport to know that it kind of goes without saying what happened.
 
 
We’ll see how it all works out, but, yeah, it’s not an easy thing to work through mentally, emotionally, and even physically afterwards.
 
Q.  For you it’s got to be a little different situation from Penske to Stewart‑Haas to now Childress where you’ve had traditionally veteran teammates.  Can you talk about what the team dynamic you think will be with the three cars, with Paul, and with the rest of the line that may be forthcoming?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  I look forward to it.  I’ve talked to Paul a good bit going back probably even to Coke 600 weekend.  We had a couple of conversations.  Look forward to working with him and everybody.  Obviously, Austin and Ty are there.  I don’t know what capacity they’ll be in, but at the same time, no matter what, we are a team together.
 
 
Even racing with Austin going back to the truck race at Eldora, we had a lot of fun together, and clean and raced hard.  That is something that even, if you look at the last five years, Tony and I have done very well and done a good job of as far as racing, clean racing hard and having fun as a competitor.
 
 
I also want to make mention too that I’m extremely respectful and I have a lot of admiration for the way Jeff Burton’s handled himself and all of this with his situation and the opportunities that we have to be able to just make all of this workout.  He’s been great and I’ll leave it at that.
 
Q.  Ryan, based off your question you were asking earlier, I haven’t finished reviewing the stat, but just a quick look.  I think I found two instances where the 15 was involved in a single‑car spin at Auto Club Speedway and at Michigan this year?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  Yeah, he blew up at both of them, if I remember right.
 
Q.  Something like that.  My question to you as being a student of the history of the sport, you understand that the competition has not always been the most pure and really some of that is celebrated with the things that have been done in this sport.  How would you explain what happened Saturday night is potentially different from what has happened in the past?  Because there have been various things that have happened that have not always been on the up and up, and certainly some things have been penalized, but not everything.
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  I think our sport is unique, and we all that are involved kind of know this.  In the instance that we don’t have instant replay.  We can’t hit the pause button, we can’t blow the whistle.  I would say that there might have been a different perspective had anybody from NASCAR or from what I’ve understood in the way it works, the NASCAR officials, the way that each inspector monitors the communication with respect to their car that they’re handling on pit road.
 
 
My point is that that communication very easily could have been communicated about, in the end, may have caused a different reaction immediately versus talking about it two days later.  It’s a tough situation in our sport, because we can’t just kick them in neutral and think about it or figure out what we need to do or take a couple of extra pay slats because we’re sitting out there burning fuel and figure out how it should work.  It’s just unique.  I think that’s the task at hand for NASCAR is how to handle this as well as these situations in the future.
 
Q.  Because you mentioned and you talk about the officials on pit road monitoring the teams, you know, there has been the talk about NASCAR reducing the number of officials on pit road and reducing the number of officials at the track.  If something like that happens, how does that impact that? Suddenly there is the potential that an official could be monitoring more than one radio frequency?  Might stuff get lost if there is a reduction in officials on pit road or reduction in officials on the track?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  Without a doubt.  It’s already lost because it’s not monitored.  If it was monitored, in my opinion, it would have made a difference in the way it got handled immediately on Saturday night.  That is probably my point more so than the fact of what and where are we next year?
 
Q.  For Torrey, I guess Ryan mentioned it was a three‑year deal.  I’m curious, did Caterpillar extend through the end of this deal?  Are your other sponsors for Ryan already signed?
 
TORREY GALIDA:  Our policy is not to discuss our contracts, but we do still have some work to do on the sponsorship front.  As
you know, Cat takes the majority of the season, but we do have some work there to get everything finished getting sold out.  And we hope it is a very long‑term relationship with Ryan.
 
 
We’ve been lucky to have Caterpillar for five years, and part of us making this move was to make sure that we kept a very strong relationship with Caterpillar for the long‑term.  I think everybody here at Richard Childress Racing would love nothing more than to be part of RCR winning another championship, and we think that Ryan is the kind of guy that can do that for us.  So we’re hoping it is a long‑term relationship.
 
Q.  Ryan, I guess my question is were you surprised about what you kind of saw and heard on, I guess, probably late Saturday night or Sunday when looking at all of what happened?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  Yeah, I pretty much had to stress myself to sleep Saturday night.  I had my phone in my hands and was communicating with different people at different times about different things.  You know, some of the homework was done by you guys as far as the media goes, and some of it was done internally at SHR as far as tying everything together and the communications that were made between some of the MWR cars and what reactions that they created on the racetrack and how it affected the points, not just at the end of the race.
 
 
So in the end, it became more disappointing the more we dug into it.  So that’s, I guess, and what I hope NASCAR is investigating as well.  But it didn’t just affect me, it affected Jeff Gordon and at the same time Logano and Truex.
 
 
And we knew there was potential for this going into this race, so I guess from my standpoint, I would have hoped that we would have been able to monitor this situation.  I mean, this is something that is brought up in every Richmond driver’s meeting.  You know the quotes and you know what was said.  In the end, it’s like we saw there was potential for fire, but nobody grabbed the extinguisher.
 
Q.  Do you think they should put you in the Chase?  Should they add drivers to the Chase?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  I don’t even want to really comment on that.  I just know that we were deserving of it at one point without a doubt Saturday night, and we put ourselves in that position.  To me, there was nothing up to that point that would have changed that until Clint spun out and that changed everything.  That’s why I told you after I told everybody after the race, I was still disappointed in the fact that we still had the opportunity to control our destiny, come off pit road, even if we came off second behind Menard, we still should have been able to come off first car on four tires and win the race, just as Carl did.  And we didn’t do that.  That would have changed everything on our part.  It may not have changed everything on Jeff or Truex’s or Logano’s part, but we still had control of our own destiny and didn’t pull that off.  So I was disappointed from that standpoint.
 
 
But, yeah, there are so many things that we knew going into the race, could have, would have, should have, and the fact of the direct influence somebody could have by manipulating that situation, which I do feel happened.  But in the end, how NASCAR handles this is extremely important for all of us.
 
Q.  Just wanted to ask, with the location of the racetrack, do you expect to spend a lot of time there and do you expect to work with the grandsons since they’re young and up and coming?  Obviously, Austin’s already doing some Cup, but Ty is expected to move in that direction as well.  Do you expect to be a mentor to both boys?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  I can’t say that.  I guess maybe your wording, I don’t expect to be a mentor.  I want to be a good teammate, a good friend and be able to mentor, no more than they’re capable of for me.  This is kind of an off‑the‑wall comment, but the last two races, I’ve gotten the opportunity to work with Mark Martin, and he brings a different perspective, some of it because of his age.  Some of it because of his age and some of it the places that he’s been and the things that he’s experienced.  But everybody has a different perspective.
 
 
You know, a couple young boys like the Dillon boys can have a different perspective and mentor me no different than I can mentor them.  So I look forward to the team work and potential that we all have together.  No different than Paul or anybody else if a fourth car ever is added.  So that’s my perspective of it.
 
Q.  Not to keep harping on Saturday night, but is there anything that will give you solace that NASCAR can do at this point?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  Repeat the question, please?
 
Q.  Is there anything that will give you solace after Saturday night?  Any kind of decision mass car could make that would give you solace?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  I don’t know.  It’s one of those things where I really don’t know until if, and when, and how they say something.  I mean, I don’t know.  To me there are so many people involved and anything could happen because of how important it was.
 
 
I mean, we spent 26 races to get to that point, and we missed it by a tie, but we also missed it by what happened.  Other people can say that they were in.  I mean, it’s just so touchy.  I’ll just leave it at that.
 
Q.  Saturday night a different topic, what did you think of that final restart?  You had a good view of it.  Did you think it was an okay start?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  I honestly didn’t have a real good view of it.  I spun my tires just a little bit and had the intentions of getting underneath Mark going into one, and didn’t.  So I drove up and around him.  Unintentionally, actually, put Truex up in the fuzz.
 
But, yeah, I watched the replay as well as many other replays that night later and saw that there was a defined moment where he beat the leader back to the line, which is the rule of what not to do.  And no penalty was enforced, no different than the night before in which they brought up in the drivers’ meeting that you couldn’t do that.
 
 
So there is more than one issue at hand with respect to the race on Saturday night and how rules and how NASCAR needs to enforce things in the future.
 
Q.  That’s been a gripe of Jimmie Johnson’s many times this year, the restarts.  As someone who has talked a lot about technology, do you wonder why there is not a technology that NASCAR can lean on that that is a black‑and‑white thing, the restart?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  Well, I said this when it came up a few weeks or months ago.  To me, when the green flag drops, the race resumes.  If the second place guy beats the leader, then so be it.  The leader has the opportunity to get going however he needs to get going.  If he has lesser tires, then he chose to have lesser tires.  There is no penalty for the fourth place guy to beat the third place guy.  There is no penalty for the eighth place guy to beat the seventh place guy.
 
 
Why should there be for the second place car to beat the leader?  It doesn’t make any sense to me.  The reason we’re there is to race.  There is nobody that has control of the race until you get to the start‑finish line.  That doesn’t mean anything.  It’s who gets back to the next lap if we can’t go green and checkered in the same instant.
 
 
So, to me, it’s a dumb rule in my opinion just because it doesn’t ‑‑ it just creates more confusion.  There is no need for it.
 
Q.  A lot of times in the past we’ve seen teams that haven’t qualified for the Chase to use the last ten races to get a
head start on the following season.  With you not coming back to the 39 team, what will your focus be going into the last ten races?  What do you hope to accomplish?  Also, will that put them at any sort of disadvantage because they can’t really use those ten races knowing that you’re not going to be there?
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  Our goal is to win each and every one of these last ten races.  I feel that we have the potential to.  I want to do it for myself, my team, my sponsors and everybody involved, especially all of the things that we went through and fought through to get back to where we were on Saturday night and to be in a position within seven to go to race our way in.  These guys deserve it.  That’s as simple as that.
 
 
There are things that we can learn that are going to make our race car go faster.  I don’t think there is any announcements for any big changes for the cars for 2014 with respect to wholesaling them where it takes a different set‑up or different package or anything like that.
 
 
So I think what we do in these last ten races, from my standpoint, it’s going to help SHR, but it also helps me.  I have to finish it out just as if we were going to be starting 2014 together.  I think that’s the right and fairway to do it for myself, my team, and my sponsors.
 
 
THE MODERATOR:  Ryan, thank you for joining us today and best of luck this weekend in Chicago,  and congrats again on driving the No. 31 Cat Chevrolet in 2014.
 
 
RYAN NEWMAN:  Thank you so much.  Thanks for having us, thanks for the questions, and I look forward to it.  Hopefully we can talk about great things in the future.
 

MONTEREY DOMINATION: Taylor, Angelelli Win Going Away at Laguna Seca
in No. 10 Corvette DP
Season’s fourth win extends DP championship lead; Said, Curran Corvette 3rd in GT
 
MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 8, 2013) – Wayne Taylor Racing’s Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli continued to show championship form Sunday as they won their second straight race in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Angelelli started from outside the front row, and Taylor put on a dominating display as Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette Daytona Prototype won the Continental Tire Sports Car Festival at Laguna Seca.
 
The victory extended the lead of Taylor and Angelelli in the Rolex Series’ DP standings to eight points with one race remaining. Chevrolet also retained its advantage in the class’ engine manufacturer championship, and Wayne Taylor Racing moved to second place and within nine points in the team standings.
 
Taylor led 72 of the race’s 105 laps. Richard Westbrook in the pole-winning Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP led the first 22 when the yellow flag came out for a full-course caution. Angelelli, running second at the time, pitted and handed over to Taylor, who won the race out of pit lane thanks to quick pit work from the Wayne Taylor Racing crew. Over the next two-plus hours, the young American’s lead grew to nearly a half-minute before late-race caution periods tightened up the field.
 
He finished 2.692 seconds clear of Scott Pruett, whom Taylor fended off to win at Kansas City in the previous Rolex Series race. IZOD IndyCar Series driver Scott Dixon was third and pressured Jordan in the race’s latter half, as well.
 
“It was definitely a good race,” Taylor said. “Once we got past that first yellow and had a bunch of green-flag running, we pulled a good lead. I was hoping to stay green and use that buffer to my advantage. But once it went yellow, that went away. Having Pruett and Dixon right on you is intense. I was glad to be able to hold them off and get a win for the guys.”
 
Corvette DPs took three of the top-five places. Unofficially, Chevrolet leads the engine manufacturer standings by 32 points with 35 available in the final race at Lime Rock Park in on Sept. 28.
 
“Congratulations to Jordan Taylor, Max Angelelli and everyone at Wayne Taylor Racing on a flawless effort at Laguna Seca,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager, Rolex Sports Car Series. “Not only was this a tremendous victory in today’s race but an important step toward the Daytona Prototype drivers’, team and engine manufacturers’ championship. The competitive nature of the DP class makes today’s effort even more impressive. This is a great day but no one at Team Chevy will let up with one race remaining.”
 
In GT, Marsh Racing’s Corvette of Boris Said and Eric Curran placed third after starting second in class. The result matched their season-best at Barber Motorsports Park in the spring, and Curran led for 10 laps late Sunday. Andy Lally and John Potter were the winners.
 
Stevenson Motorsports’ Robin Liddell and John Edwards placed seventh in their No. 57 Camaro GT.R and stand third in the class drivers’ championship – 13 points behind leaders Lally and Potter.
 
Earlier in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, Matt Bell went from fifth to second in the final four minutes in Stevenson Motorsports’ No. 9 Camaro GS.R. Bell and Edwards were runners-up to Spencer Pumpelly and Jim Norman in GS and extended the class championship to the season finale at Lime Rock Park.
 
ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES QUOTES
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP
(Did lessons from holding off Pruett at Kansas help today?) “It definitely helped a lot. But guys in GT also are great drivers. So in my career in GT, I’ve learned a lot from those guys and how to hold them off. Having Pruett on me for an hour-and-a-half (at Kansas) was intense and having Dixon on me here was another good experience. I’m glad to have that one in my book and move on.”
 
MAX ANGELELLI, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP
“Our team is just the best in my opinion. Jordan, as usual, delivered. He always has this year. I’m very proud of him. He did a fantastic job – was very strong, very fast and made no mistakes. This is the way to win championships.”
 
WAYNE TAYLOR, OWNER, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP
“I can’t even talk. The team was flawless. Max did a great start. Everyone did a great job. These boys never cease to amaze me. I’m just so proud of them all.”
 
ERIC CURRAN, NO. 31 MARSH RACING CORVETTE
“We’ve always been strong here. Today was just a great day. We had a strong car and good pit stops; on the last one, we kind of got hung up on a lug nut (during a tire change). We had a strong car overall and had a car that could have won today but we will take third place and a podium finish. We’ve struggled the last couple races so it’s really good for the team to get some results and have such a strong finish. I’m really happy for all these guys at Marsh Racing. All their efforts and hard work that they’ve put into this program is really paying off now. I couldn’t be happier for them. It’s a good result beginning of a big future for us looking toward our DP program.”
 
CONTINENTAL SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE QUOTES
JOHN EDWARDS, NO. 9 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO GS.R
“It really wasn’t all that crazy of a race until the last couple of laps when people started getting desperate, but Matt kept his head on straight and made a great move around the outside of (Joey) Atterbury.”
(On Bell’s late pass) “He said he saw Atterbury getting loose and tried the outside and since Atterbury had to pinch it, Matt was able to get the run. I have to say that I never thought that would work when I saw him try it on the outside and we were all on the intercom going, ‘Oh that’s not going to work, that’s not going to work!’ and then it worked.
“At the same time (Bill) Auberlen fell out so we inherited second and then there was mayhem behind us. This Camaro is pretty beat up at the end of this race, but I think it’s actually put together better than it was at the end of last year’s race here. We’ll take the points, and I think we’re looking pretty secure here for second in the championship.”
MATT BELL, NO. 9 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO GS.R
“This wasn’t the car it’s been here – actually the last two years it hasn’t been the best car here that we could have had, but really (the team) kept making decisions to make it more drivable when the tires were burning off of it. Everybody was having the same issues. I kept seeing the No. 51 car in front of me get loose in braking zones so I tried the outside and he kind of pinched over and I was braking in the dirt, but it all worked out. We still kind of willed ourselves into that because there were a lot of people spinning all over the place. Maybe I caused that, I don’t know, but it worked. I want to thank all the Stevenson guys. They worked really hard.”
 
MIKE JOHNSON, TEAM MANAGER, NO. 9 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS, CAMARO GS.R
“It was just another crazy race. Our whole goal was to stay with the No. 55.  We had some really good pit stops. We made a really good call on the dive in which got us some track position. Matt fought hard with that No. 15 car for a long time. We just did what we had to do, which was stay with the No. 55 car, not do anything silly. I guess technically we still have a shot at the championship, but our goal was really just to finish out this season on a high note. This was probably one of the most fun second places we’ve had, so we’re really happy right now.”
 

Federated Auto Parts 400
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Richmond International Raceway   
September 7, 2013
 
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished fifth (Paul Menard), 11th (Kevin Harvick), and 18th (Jeff Burton) in the Federated Auto Parts 400.
Following the event at Richmond International Raceway, Harvick is tied for the fourth seed in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, six markers out of the lead, while Menard is 17th in the driver championship point standings and Burton sits 22nd.
The No. 29 Chevrolet SS team ranks fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 27 team 18th in the standings and the No. 31 team 24th.
According to NASCAR’s Post-Race Loop Data Statistics, Menard was the ninth-Fastest Driver Late in a Run.
Menard posted the eighth-fastest Speed in Traffic.
Completing 38 passes while running in the top 15, Harvick was fourth in the loop data category of Quality Passes.
Harvick gained two positions during the final 10 percent (40 laps) of the 400-lap event, ranking him sixth in the Closers category and was the sixth-Fastest Driver Late in a Run.
With a 9.185 Average Running Position, Burton held the eighth-best average position of the 43-car field.
Burton spent 84.5 percent of the 400-lap race running in the top 15 (338 laps).
Carl Edwards earned his second victory of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season and was followed to the finish line by Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray and Menard.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 15. The 27th race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.

   
Menard Earns a Fifth-Place Finish Under the Lights at Richmond International Raceway
 
Paul Menard and the No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards team brought home a fifth-place finish after starting from the 22nd position Saturday evening at Richmond International Raceway. Throughout the opening segment of the 400-lap event, the Eau Claire, Wis., native reported that his Chevrolet was free in and needed better drive off the corners. While running in the 21st position, Crew chief “Slugger” Labbe called the No. 27 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver to pit road on lap 92 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment under green-flag conditions. The evening’s first caution flag was displayed on lap 135, allowing Menard to pit for a second time taking four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. During the next lengthy green-flag run, Menard moved inside the top-15. Throughout the evening, the crew continued to adjust the handling on the Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet SS allowing Menard to turn the fastest lap times of the field. By lap 341 he was shown in the fifth position and charging forward. For the final 50 laps the Richard Childress Racing driver battled inside the top five. Labbe brought Menard to pit road for right-side tires only when the caution flag waved with eight laps remaining, giving him the lead for the green-white-checkered finish. Menard ultimately brought home a fifth-place result and his second top-five finish of the 2013 season. Menard remains 17th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings heading into the next race at Chicagoland Speedway.
 
Start – 22         Finish – 5         Laps Led – 3         Points – 17th
 
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We had a great Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet tonight. We started out a little loose but, “Slugger” (Labbe, crew chief) called for the right adjustments all night and we got dialed in to run up front. We tried strategy in hopes of bringing home a win, but two tires couldn’t hold off the guys with four. I’m proud of our efforts this weekend in the garage and on pit road. I’m looking forward to Chicagoland (Speedway) next week.”
 
 

Harvick Finishes 11th at Richmond International Raceway
 
Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser team collected an 11th-place finish under the lights of Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night after battling handling issues and experiencing an untimely caution. The California native started the 400-lap event from the 17th position and fell back into the top 20 during the early laps as he battled handling issues on the red and white Chevrolet. The Gil Martin-led pit crew made multiple chassis adjustments during routine four-tire pit stops on laps 91 and 137 to improve the handling of the car. As the race progressed, Harvick worked his way into the second position on lap 307, but a powerful run was halted by bad luck when the caution flag was displayed while the No. 29 Chevrolet was on pit road for a scheduled pit stop on lap 342. Harvick returned to the track in the 15th position, one lap down to the leader. Before going back to green-flag racing, the Richard Childress Racing driver took the “wave around” and returned to the lead lap in the 14th position for the ensuing restart. Harvick slowly worked his way forward during the final laps, ultimately crossing the finish line 11th. Harvick is tied with Carl Edwards for the fourth seed heading into the first event of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Chicagoland Speedway.
 
Start – 17         Finish – 11         Laps Led – 0         Points – 4th
                      
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“Well, if the caution didn’t come out I feel like we could have won the race tonight. The Budweiser Chevrolet was really good, but we had made a lot of adjustments. The car was just really loose to start the race, so when you can do things to adjust your car and take it from a 25th-place car to a winning car in the same night, that’s a sign that things are going to be okay. We are as good as we’ve ever been, and hopefully we can continue to get better over the next few weeks. I’m just really proud of everybody for their work tonight.”
 
 
 
 

Untimely Caution-Flag Period Thwarts Burton’s Top-Five Run 
at Richmond International Raceway
 
Jeff Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team finished 18th at Richmond International Raceway after an untimely caution-flag period trapped the Richard Childress Racing driver one lap down to the leader late in the race. Starting the 400-lap affair from the 19th position, Burton entered the top 15 early and was scored in seventh place after a fast pit stop by the Caterpillar pit crew on lap 91. Finding speed on multiple long green-flag runs, the 21-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner cracked the top five by the halfway point of the 300-mile event. Burton maintained a top-five running position throughout the majority of the race, running as high as third while turning some of the fastest laps in the 43-car field. After making a routine four-tire pit stop on lap 339 under green-flag conditions, disaster struck when Jimmie Johnson made contact with the outside retaining wall, bringing out the yellow flag. The untimely caution-flag period trapped Burton one lap down to the leader and forced the 46-year-old driver to take the “wave around” and earn his lap back under caution. Restarting 15th, Burton reported handling issues as the black and yellow machine was trapped in heavy traffic and the RCR driver battled hard to an 18th-place finish when the checkered flag was displayed. Burton remains 22nd in the Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings.
 
Start – 19          Finish – 18        &nb
sp; Laps Led – 0           Points – 22nd
 
JEFF BURTON QUOTE:
“That’s the story of our season right there. We had a top-five effort taken away from us with bad luck in the form of an untimely caution. I am proud of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team. We will keep working hard until the end of the season and try to get to Victory Lane.”

FOUR CHEVROLET SS DRIVERS GRAB TOP FIVE FINISHES AT RICHMOND
 
A TOTAL OF FIVE TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS CLINCH POSITIONS IN UPCOMING
CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP
 
RICHMOND, Virginia – September 7, 2013 – The Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway (RIR) closed the first 26 races of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season and set the field for the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in dramatic fashion. Team Chevy captured four of the top-5 finishing spots at RIR, and locked-in two additional Chevrolet SS drivers for the championship run.
 
After a round of pit stops and various strategies on tires, both the race and Chase field were decided on a final restart with three laps remaining.  Kurt Busch, in his No. 78 Furniture Row/Beautyrest Chevrolet SS, came away with a second place finish after leading five times for 73 laps in tonight’s race. The finish put the single-car team from Denver, Colorado in the Chase for the first time.
 
Ryan Newman, No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS, led late in the race but had to settle for third place at the finish line.  Newman’s sixth top-five finish of the season was not enough to land a spot in the Chase. He leaves RIR 14th in the overall point standings.
 
Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS, had a strong car all night and led six laps before finishing in fourth place.  McMurray, who had an outside shot at a Chase berth, came away with his second top-five finish of the season.   Paul Menard had the lead on the final restart, but had to settle for fifth in his No. 27 Menards/Pittsburgh Paints Chevrolet SS.  It was his second top-five finish and seventh top-10 finish of 2013.  
 
Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy SS, was in the spotlight throughout the 400-lap race as he bounced on and off the Chase bubble many times throughout the night.  His eighth-place finish left him just a single point out of the Chase and 13th in points overall.  Mark Martin, still subbing for the injured Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, was ninth at the finish.
 
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet SS, Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS, and Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Farmers Chevrolet SS had secured Chase positions leading into tonight’s event.  Dale Earnhardt Jr, No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet SS, who finished 13th, joined Kurt Busch as Chevrolet drivers who earned positions in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with their performance at RIR.
 
Carl Edwards (Ford) was the race winner.
 
The next event on the tour, and first in the 10-race run for the title, will be September 15th at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL.
 
AN INTERVIEW WITH
KURT BUSCH, No. 78 Furniture Row/Beautyrest Chevrolet SS, finished 2nd to make Chase
BARNEY VISSER, Furniture Row Racing Team Owner
JOE GARONE, Furniture Row Racing General Manager
 
KERRY THARP:  We have a special treat right now.  Kurt Busch makes the Chase.  He’ll be going for his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
            Kurt, before the seeding would have been in eighth position.  After the seeding, he goes to 10th.  Kurt, congratulations.  He’s joined by Joe Garone and owner Barney Visser.  Single‑car race team.  Terrific accomplishment.  I think it’s a cool deal.
            Kurt, your thoughts about making the Chase?
            KURT BUSCH:  Well, how about them apples?  Unbelievable.  The way this team has grown, what we’ve been able to accomplish, it’s an amazing feeling.  We achieved something very special tonight.  Barney Visser and his dream of a NASCAR Sprint Cup team, to be a competitive team, he deserves all the credit.
            Joe Garone, the general manager, all the people that he’s aligned to help build this team.  Then there’s guys like Todd Berrier that are veterans of the garage that make big differences in small places like this.  Everybody at the Furniture Row shop back in Colorado, it was a dream, now it’s a reality.
            It’s an amazing feeling to sit here at Richmond after such a long journey for myself, but to be able to deliver, to do my part along with these guys.  I can’t thank them enough.  Very proud to have driven the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy into the Chase this year.
 
            KERRY THARP:  Barney, your thoughts?
            BARNEY VISSER:  I want to thank Joe Garone, who we built the team around eight years ago.  He’s collected all these people.  Everybody has just been putting in a lot of hours this year.  I think the road crew put in several hundred‑hour weeks testing.  It’s all kind of paid off here, I think.  Kurt expressed it really well, how we feel about everything.
            But thank you, Joe, and thanks to the team.  I mean, a lot of time, a lot of effort.  It’s been real good.
 
            KERRY THARP:  Joe, your thoughts about making the Chase.  Great accomplishment.
            JOE GARONE:  It is a great accomplishment.  I have to go back and say at the beginning of the year as the team has grown, you start setting goals, again coming to Barney, after Kurt coming onboard, being able to bring Todd Berrier, some of the guys we’ve had come onboard at the shop, Barney making the comments, I expect to make the Chase.
            When you’re out in Colorado, you’ve gone through what we’ve gone through, you realize just how difficult of an accomplishment that is, to have a leader that’s got that kind of vision, we all just fell in right behind him.
            I don’t know that we had that vision.  Maybe Kurt did with his experience, but we all filed in right behind Barney and his lead there.  Dream comes true today.
 
            KERRY THARP:  Questions, please.
 
            Q.  Barney, we’ve seen a lot of single‑car owners come and go over the years.  To have Kurt, to be able to accomplish this, what kind of a dream come true is it for you?
            BARNEY VISSER:  Well, I don’t know that it’s a dream come true as much as I’m kind of in awe of Kurt and Joe, the whole team, what these guys have been able to do.
            Like I said, it’s been a lot of hard work.  They put in a lot of hours.  It’s much appreciated here.
 
            Q.  Kurt, you were sort of safely into the top 10 pretty much all night, not by a great margin, but by a little bit.  Were people telling you, We’re 12 points in, we’re 8 in?  Did you have any idea how safe you were within the top 10?
            KURT BUSCH:  When the race started and the 24 was fast and dominant, that’s when I knew we had our work cut out for us.  If he was going to win tonight, we had to finish second, not knowing what was going to happen with Biffle and Logano.< br>            As the race progressed, I didn’t see the 24 as often.  I was able to relax a little bit.  But still, the nerves and the feelings, the emotions were all there of making sure that I hit my marks, making sure I didn’t slip any tires, try to protect the car, stay out of trouble.
            Any time that I did ask, I was just doing it just for conversation’s sake.  I needed to break up my rhythm, my intense white knuckles just to say something.  They’d go, Yeah, you’re fine, keep digging.  It was more of a verification and a check, then just get back into work and focus on making my lap times.
 
            Q.  Obviously your alliance this season with RCR has helped a lot.  How much of a role do you think it will help you in the last 10 races?
            KURT BUSCH:  I think it will still be business as usual.  We have a great group of crew chiefs on the other side there at RCR.  Gil Martin, the way he’s helped us and Harvick, those guys stand out in my mind.  We all know what Harvick’s future is and my future is.
            Then we look at the 27 car, the help they’ve given us this year.  I would say that should continue.
            Then you have Luke Lambert in the 31 car.  They’ve always been helpful.  I would say it’s going to be business as usual.  We’ll expect to be there to do our part, to help the 29.  Right now it’s the 29 and the 78 coming out of that situation.
            But overall, very happy for our guys, everybody that works in Colorado.  It’s an amazing group of guys.  They’re at the race shop at 5 a.m. every day.  The way that our logistical situation is, you have to stay ahead of the game, about 10 days ahead.  Todd Berrier does an amazing job of balancing that.
            Garone is the one that’s helped allow us to operate like a big‑time team in the state of Colorado.
            JOE GARONE:  Yeah, I think Kurt said a lot there about the same things that I would say.  What I would add is the partnership that we have with RCR, when we first started, Richard was very supportive, really to the point of saying, I’m not going to do this unless we do it all in and really support you guys.
            Whenever we’ve needed it, on projects when we’re working back and forth, they’ve always been right there with us.  We look forward to growing that as we move forward here.
 
            Q.  Kurt, you won a championship in 2004.  That’s obviously considered the pinnacle of anyone’s career.  With a decade of racing between then and now, is this something that you can really appreciate and savor for how difficult it was?
            KURT BUSCH:  Yeah, you’re right.  I took some of the performance levels of Roush Racing for granted, then expected the same thing at Penske.  It was a tougher road there.
            But we made the Chase in a fashion to where it was supposed to be a given.  When you didn’t make it, it was a devastating feeling.
            Now to be back after missing it last year, the work that it takes, the commitment, the things that you just can’t expect to happen, not necessarily with the odds stacked against you, but you have to dig in deep and you have to find something from within.  Barney has been a great shepherd for me and this whole team.
            It’s something special we achieved tonight, to put a single car into the Chase.  We have our friends, other drivers.  But yet it’s every man for themselves out there.  We have some muscle left in us.  We have a great 10 weeks ahead of us.  We have a test session we’ve saved.  I think we can make a run through this Chase.  We just have to do the same thing we did tonight:  keep plugging away, let everybody else worry about what has to happen and we’ll keep doing what we’re doing out in Colorado because nobody can look over our shoulder.
 
            Q.  Your first pit stop on pit road under yellow didn’t go the way that you wanted it to, but they got better as the night went on.  Talk about the way the pit crew stepped up and rose to the occasion.  Also, do you think the 99’s final restart was okay?
            KURT BUSCH:  I feel like the pit crew did their job.  We needed them to hold serve tonight.  We lost a few sets or maybe a breakpoint.  We went in leading once, came out seventh.  That’s not acceptable.  We came in third one time, came out first.  I was happy for them, and they felt it.  They knew what they did.
            Overall I think we did what we could on pit road tonight.  Can we get better?  Yes.
            The way the restart went, I couldn’t tell you if he went early, he went late.  I was on the outside just trying to protect my car and not get hit from behind.  Then if I could have been more aggressive instead of on the defensive, maybe I would have had a shot to win.
            I didn’t care if Carl went a hundred yards too early, I was just going to go when I saw bumpers moving.
            KERRY THARP:  Congratulations to Kurt, Barney and Joe.
                      
   
AN INTERVIEW WITH
RYAN NEWMAN, No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS, finished 3rd
 
KERRY THARP:  Ryan, I know it’s a difficult time.  Just talk about the run out there this evening, anything else you might want to say.
            RYAN NEWMAN:  We did everything we needed to up until the last caution.  I’m not sure exactly what unfolded there.  We still had the opportunity to win it on pit road and we didn’t.  Coming from 6th to 3rd in a couple laps is not bad.  But we had to win, so it’s disappointing.
            Didn’t expect to make up for everything we didn’t get in the first 25 in the last race, but we were in position.  We did everything we needed to with the exception of the pit stop.  I’m not sure what happened with the 15 on that caution.  Obviously we were in a position to take that second wild card with two wins.
            Nevertheless, I still feel like we lost it on pit road.  It’s disappointing.  We’ll go on.  But just thank Quicken Loans and all our sponsors to give us the opportunity to go out and do what we do and we got more to go.
 
            KERRY THARP:  Questions.
 
            Q.  Ryan, I know you can’t be inside Clint
Bowyer’s head, but a teammate of Martin Truex did that?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  They are teammates.  I don’t know if he looked at the scoring pylon, knew I was leading.  It doesn’t matter.  If that was the case, I’ll find out one way or the other.  At the same time we still had the opportunity to make our own destiny and win it on pitroad, and we didn’t.
            That being said, we’re out.
 
            Q.  Ryan, you took four tires.  Whose call was that?  In hindsight does it matter?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  We came down pit road first.  Carl came off pit road second.  We should have been at least second at that point.  We didn’t do our job on pit road.  Four tires won the race.  We were the first car to be in position on four tires and we didn’t get the job done.
            KERRY THARP:  Ryan, thanks for coming in.
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400
RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 7, 2013
 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING/BEAUTYREST CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED SECOND
TALK ABOUT YOUR RUN TONIGHT TO GET INTO THE CHASE:
“This feels incredible.  The way that we worked together as a team and built up over the year it’s amazing that we have come this far and we have put ourselves in position and here we are in the Chase.  We didn’t win a race yet this year.  We still have some work to do to get to that point, but we have a lot of good tools on this team that help us and it’s an amazing feeling to go up against these big teams and to put a little lone Chevrolet from Colorado into the Chase against the big boys it doesn’t start with one person it’s a team effort.
 
“I was happy to guide the ship, but I had a great skipper, the way that Todd Berrier (crew chief) led this group into the off season last year and Todd the way that he followed Barney Visser’s dream.  We are in the Chase and we have a shot at the championship so we are not done yet, but it feels great to deliver and to achieve something very special tonight.”
 
AFTER ALL YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH THE LAST COUPLE YEARS IT’S MY PLEASURE TO BE AMONG THE FIRST TO WELCOME YOU BACK TO THE CHASE.  WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU? “Thanks.  It’s been a journey.  It’s been a great ride of trying to persevere and going up against the odds when certain things are against you that are out of your control and sometimes you induce things that put you in a position where you have to dig hard and keep working.  This shows to people that when you can just pull through and believe in yourself and find good people like Patricia and little Houston, he said he wanted to go to victory lane this summer and I didn’t get him to victory lane yet, but we’re going to celebrate on the Chase stage.  I’m getting all emotional about the eight year old hanging out with me.
“But to make the Chase with these guys is an unbelievable feeling.  It’s been an 18‑month work in progress, and I’ve been through a lot, and I’ve learned a lot, and I feel like I’m better ready for the Chase and life in general as a 35 year old.
“I’ve got a little one that’s in a go‑kart looking up to me now.  Just these guys, it’s an unbelievable feeling; Barney Visser started this in Colorado years ago, and here we are in the Chase.  You get a guy like Todd Berrier that comes in and helps arrange things, starts cutting weight out of cars and knows his way around the garage, he’s a veteran leader, and I’ve always loved veterans and car guys.  Todd Berrier reminds me a lot of Jimmy Fennig, who’s a guy that helped me win a championship years ago.  We’ve got some muscle in us.  We haven’t won a race yet this year, but we’re in the Chase, and we’ve got a good 10 weeks ahead of us where we can do some good things.”
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 QUICKEN LOANS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED THIRD
PUT INTO WORDS YOUR THOUGHTS RIGHT NOW AS YOU HAVE CLIMBED OUT OF THE CAR:
“The car was good no doubt.  Matt (Borland, crew chief) and the guys did a good job making it fast.  The pit crew left me hanging on that last stop there is no doubt about that.  In the end I’m proud of the guys we came from nowhere this year to be in this position.  If it wasn’t for that last caution we would be in the Chase.
 
“Thank Quicken Loans, Wix Filters, Aspen Dental, Code 3 Associates, State Water Heaters, just everybody that helps out with this Outback we got another Bloomin’ Monday.  Just unfortunate, I don’t have really anything good to say.”
 
YOU WERE IN AND THEN THE CAUTION FELL.  HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE WHAT’S GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND RIGHT NOW? “I mean, I told Matt when we came into this race that we couldn’t make up everything we’ve missed in the first 25. Now, winning would have changed everything and that last caution definitely hurt us, but we got killed on pit road, there’s no doubt about that.  Carl and those guys beat us on four tires.  The guys that took two were just doing some strategy, but we should have been able to come off pit road first and come off pit road first if we were a championship contending team.  We needed a championship contending pit crew, and we didn’t have that tonight.”
 
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 MENARDS/PITTSBURGH PAINTS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED FIFTH
GOOD FIGHT OUT THERE TONIGHT DESCRIBE THE WAY THE EVENING WENT FOR YOU:
“We just had a really good long run car.  Restarts, especially that last restart old left side tires, we had to try something.  We weren’t going to beat those guys heads up so we had to try a little strategy, but awesome Chevrolet on long runs.  Just couldn’t take off very good.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED EIGHTH
DID EVERYTHING YOU COULD THERE THOSE FINAL FEW LAPS KIND OF BRING US THROUGH YOUR NIGHT:
“Yeah, it’s disappointing to miss it that close.  Another great effort and come back with our Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet team.  Again, we started up front and the car was good and then we got off and had to fight our way back.  Got a lap down, had a loose wheel so I love the effort this team put in and didn’t need to see that last caution.
 
“We were in and that last caution you know it’s going to be wild and crazy out there and great show for the fans, but unfortunately with those two guys with old tires we just couldn’t get our line to move.  Just didn’t make up the spots we needed to.  It’s unfortunate we didn’t make it in.  We are going to fight like that all the way to the end of the season.”
THE ADVERSITY THAT THIS 24 TEAM FOUGHT THROUGH TONIGHT, THE UPS AND DOWNS JUST LIKE LAST YEAR.  WHAT IS THIS EMOTION LIKE MISSING IT FOR JUST THE SECOND TIME?  “Yeah, it’s unfortunate.  We haven’t had the kind of year that this team is capable of, and that’s where our focus is these next 10 races is just to know that we put in every bit of effort we possibly could.  We fought through a lot of things.  It wasn’t pretty but we were getting it done until that caution came out, and you know, we still could have made it in.  The restart just didn’t go the way we needed it to, so that’s unfortunate.
“But yeah, it’s tough.  I’m just bummed for this team.  They worked so hard, and I don’t know why we’ve had the kind of rough year that we’ve had.  We’re going to do everything we can to go these next 10 races and step it up and get ourselves in position to be more competitive.  Hopefully we can win a race or two and get ourselves in position to go be in a better position when it comes to Richmond at this time next year.
I KNOW THE EMOTION FOR JUST US WATCHING AND LISTENING TO YOU ON THE TRACK.  WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING AT RICHMOND AND RACING LITERALLY FOR EVERY SINGLE POSITION? “ I don’t know what it is about this track lately with me and this race team.  We started off so great and we’ve done this before, and then all of a sudden we start fading, and I was getting pretty frustrated at that time because it was that kind of condition where you’re real tight landing and real loose off, and we’re like, how do we fix this.  I don’t know how to drive it any different and I don’t know what to tell them.  But they did an awesome job.  We stayed calm, and we got a lot done, had a loose wheel, had all these things thrown at us, and yet we come back and finish eighth.  I’m blown away that we finished eighth.  I think that’s a testament to this race team and the fight that we have in us, and it was fun to fight back like that.  I wish we could have got a couple more.”
MARK MARTIN, NO. 14 BASS PRO SHOPS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED NINTH
ON HIS RACE:
“Really proud of all the guys on this Bass Pr
o Shops/Mobil 1 team. They improved the car throughout the race and made some great calls. We got our first top-10 together. We’ll take that and build on it.”
 
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 11TH
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCE TO RUN FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP?
“Well if the caution doesn’t come out I feel like we win the race tonight. The Budweiser Chevrolet was really good and we had made a lot of adjustments tonight.  The car was just really loose to start the race and so when you can do things like that, adjust your car and take it from a 25th-place car to a winning car in the same night that is signs that things are going to be okay.  We are as good as we’ve been over the years and hopefully we can take our team and get better over the next few weeks and the car was really good tonight.  Just really proud of everybody.”
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 TIME WARNER CABLE CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 13TH
TALK ABOUT THE RACE TONIGHT.  A LOT OF LONG GREEN FLAG LAPS DID THAT CATCH YOU GUYS OFF GUARD?
“No, I like it when it goes long green runs because I feel like we can take care of our tires and get some that work on their car too hard at the start of the run.  It’s a slick old race track so if you just take care of your car no matter how bad the car is handling you can actually be pretty good at the end of the run.  I like that and I think that plays into a different style of racing and plays into other drivers hands and I think I’m one of them.”
 
TEN RACES TO GO TO TRY TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP. WHERE DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS TEAM IS RIGHT NOW?
“I don’t know you know.  We are pretty excited to be in the Chase.  Especially to do it with Time Warner Cable on the side of the car tonight was pretty cool.  We’ve got some things to do to sort of get our cars in order and give ourselves a good shot.  We are going to do the best job we can.”
 
JUNIOR, YOU WERE BEHIND THE NO. 15 (CLINT BOWYER).  WHAT DID YOU SEE? “He just spun right out.  That’s the craziest thing I ever saw.  He just came right around.  He got ‑‑ we were going into, through 3 and 4, and I don’t know if they can put up his brakes and his gas.  We got all the technology.  But he was hemming around on the brakes and jerking the car around, and then the thing just spun out.  It was crazy.  I don’t know what was going on. It was right there, I almost run into it, so I’m glad we were able to get out of there without any trouble.
SIXTH TIME YOU ARE IN THE CHASE.  HOW CLOSE ARE YOU AND STEVE LETARTE TO GETTING INTO VICTORY LANE AND BEING A REAL FACTOR TO WIN THIS CHAMPIONSHIP? “You know, I don’t think a lot of people were counting us as one of the favorites, so last year we were definitely putting up the kind of numbers where I think we were in that conversation.  Maybe not this year.  We’ve had a lot of races that we haven’t been able to finish, but we’ve had fast cars, and I’m real confident in our ability to perform well enough in these 10 races.  We’re going to work real hard.  I think we’ve got as good a shot as anybody, so we’re going to go in there with a good attitude and work real hard and see what we get.”
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 14TH
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS GOING INTO THE CHASE?
“We have got to start at the back.  We weren’t able to race our way in.  We just weren’t good enough tonight.  It’s discouraging to not be as fast as we would like to be.  I thought we were going to be a lot better than that tonight.  We just weren’t.  We’ve got five days to think about it and try to put a good plan together and prepare.  Hopefully these final 10 we can make some noise.  I feel good.  I feel like there have been times this season where my team and myself and our whole group the way we have communicated and worked together we have been as strong as any car here.  We will see if we can do that in the Chase.”
FRUSTRATED FROM THE PERFORMANCE YOU HAD TONIGHT.  LET’S ADDRESS TONIGHT AND THE ISSUES THAT YOU HAD.  WHAT WENT WRONG? “ I’m just happy we have a couple wins or we wouldn’t have made the Chase.  We just wouldn’t turn in the center all night, tried to get looser in, looser off and could never turn the center, so it was a tough race.  We stayed out there and tried to do the best we could for Farmer’s and Quaker State, Time Warner Cable, Great Clips, everybody that was part of it, but we weren’t very good.  Looking forward to preparing this week and we’ve got 10 races to make up some ground.
 YOU WON AT BRISTOL, YOU WON AT POCONO.  DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE THE CHASE? “I would hope so.  There’s times this year that we definitely have, and then there’s other times like tonight where I’m like kind of wondering what’s going on.  I would say the majority of the season we’ve had as much speed as anybody, and if we can put that together for nine or 10 of these next 10, we’ll definitely have a shot.
 
 
TRANSCRIPT FROM MEDIA CENTER:  MODERATOR:  At this time we’ll call up our two wild card participants.  That’s Kasey Kahne
            Let’s hear from Kasey right now.  Kasey, certainly you actually had wrapped up at least a wild card berth last week at Atlanta.  Maybe just talk about your race here tonight.
            KASEY KAHNE:  Yeah, just glad we had it wrapped up because we were struggling tonight throughout the race.  Just off.  Never really got it figured out.  Tight first 20 laps, then spinning the last 60.
            It was a tough race for us.  Wish somehow Jeff would have got in, but that didn’t happen.  That’s it.
           MODERATOR:  Questions for Kasey
 
            Q.  Kasey, did you at any time during practice expect the race to be this way tonight?
            KASEY KAHNE:  As far as my car?
PAGE 6
 
            Q.  Yes.
            KASEY KAHNE:  No.  I thought my car was decent in practice.  We made a 25‑lap run.  It wasn’t as good as some, but it was better than most.  So I thought we were all right.
            Once the race started, I knew we weren’t.  I mean, we made some adjustments four times.  We came out last and really worked on it and didn’t go anywhere after that.
            We struggled here the first race also.  Tested here.  Never felt good in the test.  Clint, Martin.  Martin wasn’t as good as Clint.  Clint was the best guy at the test I thought.  We knew we were off.
            I haven’t been able to figure it out.  I don’t know if it’s the way I drive this track with this tire, track, car combination, the way I lift, how I hold the car out on entry, things like that, or if we’re missing it setup‑wise.  I’m not sure.
            I’m definitely glad this isn’t one of the final 10.
 
            Q.  So are you glad there’s nothing like this coming?
            KASEY KAHNE:  Glad we had two wins coming in.
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT
TOOLS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 40TH
YOU ARE IN THE CHASE, BUT IT WASN’T THE NIGHT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR:
“Yeah, that was a tough night.  We just would run through the right-front tire for whatever reason.  It would wear it out and finally blew it on one of them.  The car was tight, but just really would wear out that right-front tire.  Just a bummer we ended the regular season like we did.  As we look forward to the Chase those are 10 awesome tracks for the No. 48 team and we will go to Chicago and get this Chase started off on the right foot.”
 
A LOT OF PEOPLE WONDER WHERE IS THE TEAM RIGHT NOW AFTER ANOTHER BAD FINISH TONIGHT: “ Yeah, it was definitely a bad run tonight.  When I look at the Chase and the tracks that are in the Chase, those are tracks that we’re really good at historically, and when I look at August, August is normally tough on the 48, and this year it was once again.  I think the big tracks we have plenty of speed.  Some of the shorter tracks we’re off.  The big tracks leading into the Chase we had speed but had some issues, mechanical with the engine and then blew a tire at Pocono.
“So I’m not pleased with where we’re at, but I’m still very confident and feel that going into the Chase it’s a clean sheet of paper for everybody, and we’re going to be where we need to.  People can speculate and wonder all week long, but I really look forward to getting to Chicago and showing people what this team has in it.”
MEDIA CENTER TRANSCRIPT:  MODERATOR:  What a night it was here tonight at Richmond.  It was quite the event.  Jimmie Johnson is our five‑time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion.  He’ll go into the Chase as the No. 2 seed as he contends for his sixth championship.
            Before I even get into NASCAR racing, congratulations, dad, on the birth of another beautiful young girl.
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Thank you.
            MODERATOR:  Just your thoughts maybe about that and just now your thoughts about the Chase.
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Obviously extremely happy, proud.  Tired from the last few nights.  Chani is home.  Lydia is home.  They’re both doing really, really good.  Got them about 11:00 today.  Got some food in everybody.  We all took some naps.  Flew up here.  Got in the car and went at it.
            Just the five‑time thing is awfully cool, but two‑time, I’m much more proud of being two‑time than anything (smiling).  Just an awesome couple of nights.
            Ready to get home and see my girls.  I’m obviously out‑numbered in the household with my daughters, wife, two female dogs.  I need to find a male fish to put in the corner of the room so I have more testosterone around.
            Unfortunately tonight here at the track things did not go well.  We would literally wear the right front tire off the car as the night would go on.  Start off kind of fast, run through the right front tire, had some issues there.
            Unfortunate night here.  But as I look at the string of bad races we’ve had here over the last three, four weeks, the majority of the tracks that resemble the Chase, we’ve been fast.  We had a blown engine and tire failure at Pocono.  Bristol, here, tracks we don’t see in the Chase, we’ve had our issues.
            I’m glad Richmond and Bristol aren’t in the Chase.  I feel the 10 tracks that are in the Chase are very good for the No. 48 team.  We’ll start over on a clean sheet of paper next weekend and go at it.
            MODERATOR:  Questions for Jimmie.
            Q.  Kyle Busch was in here yesterday and he was asked about the bad finishes you had.  He shook his head and he said, The 48 team will flip the switch next week.  Do you believe that or are you concerned at all with four bad races in a row?
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  There’s always a little concern.  Without a doubt you want to enter the Chase with momentum.  I think every team falls back on past history.  We have won championships without momentum going into the first race.
            So we’re going to fall on our experience and also the experience of knowing the Chase is so different than anything else.  You’re only racing 12 guys, not 43.  So things change a lot.  We’re going to go to a track that is very good for us.  We had a tire test there earlier in the year.  It went really well.
            I’m going to reserve any major concern or overwhelming confidence until after Chicago.  I’m going to go in there with confidence I can go out and win because I know that I can.  We’re going to enter nice and smooth and see how Chicago goes.
            Q.  Did you know you’ve never finished 28th or worst in your entire career.
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  No.
            Q.  Because he asked that, we’re going to ask a group question here.
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Group?
            Q.  Are you glad that the baby is here and that all the personal stuff is finished and you can now just focus on the racing?
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, without a doubt.  I don’t believe that the personal side has distracted my focus by any means.  I think moving forward with Lydia here, there’s going to be more demands on my personal side.  It’s been pretty easy.  Chani is extremely supportive of my career, lets me have all the time and space I need to do my job.  As the Chase starts, I’m going to have more going on at home.
            We’ve had some bad tracks we’ve run bad at.  Then the tracks we run good at we’ve had some issues.  Definitely don’t want to enter the Chase with no momentum like we have right now.  But Chicago is a whole new world.  The personal side, you know, things will pick up at home a little bit more now than they have.  No way around that.
 “I think more than anything, I’ll get less sleep.  Have to come to the motorhome and get a good night’s sleep on Thursday and Friday (laughter).
            Q.  Jimmie, did being away yesterday in a more important part of your life affect how you raced tonight at all?  Was that a negative not being able to practice?
            JIMMIE JOHNSON:  Yeah, it definitely hurts the efforts of the team.  We tested here a couple weeks ago, felt like what we learned during the test was going to translate and be fine.  We had confidence in the decision not to be in the car yesterday.
            Without a doubt, it would have been best if I was in the car.  I’m not sure we w
ould have gotten where we needed to.  We were pretty far off tonight.
            Speed was okay on the short run, but it would run through the tire and blow the tire.
            MODERATOR:  Jimmie, thank you very much.
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 4H:
“That was a great night for our team.  Our car was really good early in the race, but we struggled a little in the middle of the race.  I am proud of the work from our guys all weekend on our Cessna team.  We had really good pit stops tonight that put us in position for that top-five finish”.                   
 
 

GREAT START IN MONTEREY: Westbrook Leads Front-Row Sweep for Corvette DPs
Edwards’ GT pole means Team Chevy locks out front rows in both Rolex Series classes
 
MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 7, 2013) – Team Chevy couldn’t ask for a better start to the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series weekend at Laguna Seca. Richard Westbrook took pole position in Spirit of Daytona’s No. 90 Corvette Daytona Prototype for Sunday’s Continental Tire Sports Car Festival as Chevrolet power swept the front rows of both Rolex Series classes.
 
Westbrook, last year’s race-winner in Monterey with Antonio Garcia, posted a qualifying lap Saturday of 1:21.557 (98.787 mph) in the entry he shares with Ricky Taylor. It marked the first pole of the season for Westbrook and Spirit of Daytona. Max Angelelli in Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette DP qualified second and was just 0.021 seconds off Westbrook’s pace.
 
Angelelli and Jordan Taylor enter the weekend leading the Rolex Series’ DP drivers’ championship, and Chevrolet is first in the engine manufacturer standings. Corvette DPs took four of the first six spots on the Daytona Prototype grid.
 
Sunday’s two-hour, 45-minute race is the next-to-last round of the 2013 Rolex Series. The race airs live at 5 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
 
John Edwards and Boris Said gave Team Chevy a 1-2 finish in GT qualifying. Edwards captured the class pole with a 1:27.529 (92.047 mph) lap in Stevenson Motorsports’ Camaro GT.R. The young American, driving with Robin Liddell, took his third pole of the season.
 
Boris Said was second and just 0.099 seconds off Edwards’ pole time. Said drives Marsh Racing’s No. 31 Corvette with Eric Curran.
 
Edwards and Liddell sit third in the GT drivers’ standings but are just three points out of first. Stevenson Motorsports holds the same position and interval in the team championship.
 
“This is an ideal start to a critical championship weekend at Laguna Seca,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager, Rolex Sports Car Series. “Congratulations to Richard Westbrook and everyone at Spirit of Daytona for their work in an incredibly close session that sees Corvette DPs lock out the front row. Likewise, congratulations are in order for John Edwards and Stevenson Motorsports with its Camaro GT.R. If qualifying is any indication, tomorrow’s race is certain to be a thrilling one.”
 
In qualifying for Sunday’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race, Edwards qualified fourth in Stevenson Motorsports’ No. 9 Camaro GS.R. Edwards’ lap of 1:36.645 (83.365 mph) put the Stevenson entry, also driven by Matt Bell, fourth overall and on the GS grid. Edwards was 0.283 seconds off Brandon Davis’ pole-winning time.
 
RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 90 SPIRIT OF DAYTONA CORVETTE DP
“It’s not quite enough to make up for what has been a truly woeful season for us – definitely by our standards. It shows we have a good car and shows we can bounce back off a run of really bad results. Obviously it’s a good track for us but we still have to work very hard at these places. The competition is so much harder this year. It was pretty close out there.”
 
JOHN EDWARDS, NO. 57 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO GT.R
“This place has been good to me, but it’s never easy. It always seems to be a pretty hard fight. I think we have a really good car — one of the best cars we’ve had all year on new tires. But I think this weekend in GT everyone seems to be struggling with a big difference in time at the end of the stint versus the beginning. We’ve never seen track temperatures this high here in the past couple of years, so it’s really hard on the tires. I think the key is going to be trying to keep the car underneath us and keep it from going loose in the race as the tires get older.
“This race also with our fuel windows and everything opens up more options for strategy than somewhere like Kansas. I think that’s one place where Stevenson excels and also on pit stops, so I’m optimistic about tomorrow. But it’s definitely going to be a tough fight between the Ferraris and the Porsches.”