Summit Racing

Starting Third, Line Sets His Sights on a Long Day in Dallas

Starting Third, Line Sets His Sights on a Long Day in Dallas

Event:  27th annual AAA Texas Fall NHRA Nationals

Location: Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas

Day/Date: Saturday, September 22, 2012

After having an up-and-down day on Friday, Jason Line and the Summit Racing team looked for a more consistent performance during the second and final day of qualifying for the AAA Fall NHRA Nationals in Ennis, Tx.  In the early session, Line posted a 6.559-second elapsed time with a top speed of 210.64 mph, third-quickest for the round, earning him a valuable point, and eventually slotting the defending event champion in the third spot for Sunday’s final eliminations.

It was a similar situation in the final round, as Line covered the quarter-mile in the heat of the afternoon in 6.610-seconds with a top speed of 210.28 mph, claiming another bonus point and setting the stage for another solid day on Sunday, as he looks to successfully defend his win from a year ago.

“The numbers show that we made four decent runs, each one in the top half among all the cars attempting to qualify,” said Line. “But when we compare ourselves to the racers at the top of the chart, we see we still have work to do.  We’re certainly making progress with these Summit Racing Camaros – now it is just a matter of finding the consistency we need to win.

“The good news is that we showed last week that we have the ability to win, even against one of the toughest fields we have had in a long time.  We just need to make sure to do our jobs and avoid any mistakes.  If we do that, I believe we certainly have a car capable of winning the race.”

Summit Racing

Anderson Will Start Fifth In Dallas

Anderson Will Start Fifth In Dallas 

Event:  27th annual AAA Texas Fall NHRA Nationals

Location: Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas

Day/Date: Saturday, September 22, 2012

Greg Anderson and the Summit Racing team continue to use their qualifying attempts at national events as a means to learn the performance envelope of their sleek Chevrolet Camaro.  Such as the case during this weekend’s AAA Fall NHRA Nationals in Ennis, Tx. On Friday, Anderson posted the sixth quickest time of the day at 6.599 seconds while admitting there was still work to be done.

On Saturday, Anderson was one of many taking advantage of the slightly cooler temperatures, covering the quarter-mile in 6.571-seconds with a top speed of 211.04 mph to secure the fifth starting position for Sunday’s final eliminations at the Texas Motorplex, and a first-round encounter with Greg Stanfield.

“We’re still in the process of getting both Summit Racing Camaros ready for race day,” said Anderson. “We’ll have some work to do on the tune-up, but I’m confident we’ll be ready in the morning.  The numbers show we’re definitely gaining on it, but we’re really not satisfied unless one of our names is at the top of board or close to it, and that’s exactly what we’re working on.

“Fortunately, we’re on opposite sides of the ladder, and I believe we both have a shot at going rounds tomorrow as long as we find the one thing that has us a little off.  It’s supposed to be a little cooler, but it’s still going to be warm, so we’ll just have to deal with it.  Tomorrow is a very big day and we need to make the most of it.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Four Cruzes in top six at Sonoma

Four Cruzes in top six at Sonoma
Menu takes pole sensational, Muller and Huff in 3rd and 4th
 
SONOMA, 22 September 2012: The Chevrolet Cruzes did not miss their first important rendezvous on American soil, claiming pole position, and filling most of the top spots in today’s qualifying for the WTCC’s first visit ever to the US in Q2 after an intense battle with teammate Yvan Muller and SEAT’s Gabriele Tarquini.
 
Alain Menu took an incredible pole, his second this year, in the dying seconds of the session with a perfect lap on the hilly and technical California track, beating his rivals by almost three tenths of a second.
 
Tarquini took second spot while Muller qualified in third position ahead of teammate Rob Huff. Alex MacDowall, of the independently-run Bamboo Engineering Chevrolet Cruze, finished sixth fastest.
 
In a warm and sunny afternoon, the RML-run Cruzes proved competitive, raising a lot of expectations ahead of the two races tomorrow, which could see Chevrolet secure its third WTCC Constructors’ World Champion title with three rounds to go. To achieve this, the Cruzes will have to end the day with 42 points more than BMW and 37 more than SEAT.
 
The fight for the Drivers’ title, for which only the three Chevrolet drivers remain in contention, remains wide open.
 
 
·        QUOTES
 
Alain Menu (1st): “It’s a great feeling to be on pole on such a driver circuit. I have to thank my engineer and all the boys because the car was simply perfect. We worked well on the set up and the balance of the Cruze and it paid off.
 
“The track conditions evolved between Q1 and Q2 but the car was fantastic throughout. I managed a clear lap with no mistakes and the right rhythm, which is so important here.”
 
Yvan Muller (3rd): “Alain did a great job today. Third is not bad and I am pleased with that, but I have some regrets because I didn’t drive that well, I made a couple of mistakes in the decisive laps, and I think I had the car to do better. The circuit is definitely not easy …”
 
Rob Huff (4th): “I’m happy with my performance as I could have improved my time by two tenths compared to the time set in Q1. My first fast lap was a bit messy; I made a couple of mistakes and struggled in turn 2, but the second time round was much better. I am pleased because that’s everything I had on my car today. We’ll work on the set up tonight and I am sure we can make some improvements.”

Summit Racing

Anderson Opens Dallas Qualifying in Sixth, Looks for More

Anderson Opens Dallas Qualifying in Sixth, Looks for More 

Event:  27th annual AAA Texas Fall NHRA Nationals

Location: Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas

Day/Date: Friday, September 21, 2012

Conditions for the first day of the AAA Fall NHRA Nationals in Ennis, Tx. were completely unlike those racers encountered one week ago in North Carolina, with temperatures in the mid-90s, requiring a completely different set-up.  After starting with the ninth-best time in the opening session at the Texas Motorplex, Greg Anderson and the Summit Racing team rebounded nicely, posting a 6.599-second, 210.37 mph pass on their second attempt to not only move up to the sixth position with two attempts remaining, but also have a direction in which to held with their race car’s tune-up. 

“We were off a little on the first run, but came back nicely later in the afternoon,” said Anderson. “For the most part, we’re directionally correct with our Summit Racing Camaro, especially with the car tune-up, although we still have some work to do on the engine tune-up.

“Tomorrow morning’s session should be the best of the weekend, and we’ll try to take advantage of it to move up in the starting order.  Other than that, we’ll be using both runs to make sure we have everything in order for race day.”

Summit Racing

Second on Friday in Dallas, Line Believes Work Remains to Be Done

Second on Friday in Dallas, Line Believes Work Remains to Be Done 

Event:  27th annual AAA Texas Fall NHRA Nationals

Location: Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas

Day/Date: Friday, September 21, 2012

Coming off his tremendous victory in the first race of the Countdown to the Championship, Summit Racing’s Jason Line came into the first day of qualifying for the AAA Fall NHRA Nationals in Ennis, Tx. looking to continue his forward progress in this year’s title chase.  After opening with the eighth-quickest time, the two-time champion returned to form in his second attempt, covering the quarter-mile in 6.586-seconds with a top speed of 210.54 mph good enough for second with two attempts remaining.  Although pleased with his initial attempt, he admitted that both he and his team still had work to be done.

“Although our second run was certainly better than our first, we’re not where we need to be,” said Line. “But honestly, it could be a lot worse, we ended up second and scored a couple little points so all in all, it’s still good, and we have a solid baseline.

“Tomorrow morning’s session should be the best of the weekend, if so, we’d certainly like to take advantage and see if we can sneak in and score the pole.  Still, we will spend the day doing what we can to make this Summit Racing Camaro even better.  Even so, if we can make a bad run and still end up second, it’s not all bad.  We know the areas we need to work on, and we’ll try to address then during one of our two remaining qualifying attempts.  Still, it’s not a bad start.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–WTCC

SONOMA, 21 September 2012: The World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) cars had their first taste of a US circuit today as they took the track at Sonoma, California, for the first testing session which opened the inaugural series event in the United States.
 
Alex MacDowall, at the wheel of a Bamboo Engineering Chevrolet Cruze, posted the best lap time, making it the first time the British outfit is ahead of the field in an official session.
 
The three RML-run Cruzes had a good working session, with the three drivers using the half-hour testing session to discover the circuit and to work on the initial set-up simulations. Yvan Muller was 4th fastest, with Rob Huff and Alain Menu in 6th and 7th respectively.
 
Today’s session took place in excellent weather conditions and the team will continue work tonight to fine tune the cars’ set-up ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying.
 
Chevrolet leads the Manufacturers’ Championship and could mathematically secure the title on home soil this weekend.
 
QUOTES
 
Yvan Muller (4th): “It was a session devoted to learning the circuit. Unfortunately, we could not use the entire 30 minutes allocated as the session was red-flagged and did not resume until five minutes before the end. The surface was quite slippery today and we have quite a bit of work on set-up ahead of us.”
 
Rob Huff (6th): “I went off into the gravel in my first lap and that resulted in a slow puncture, which I realized only a couple of laps later. That cut my session short. Eventually, I only did one fast lap. We still have a lot of work on set-up. No doubt this is a very interesting track, with a lot of uphills and downhills and many corners, which means you basically never rest.”
 
Alain Menu (7th): “I went through the entire working program drafted with my engineer and did eight laps, which is basically half a race. It’s a beautiful track, but there are definitely two or three very delicate corners and a lot of blind spots.”
 

RCR

RCR Racing–Kentucky Speedway

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 

Kentucky 201  

Kentucky Speedway 

September 21, 2012

 

Race Highlights:

  • Richard Childress Racing teammates finished third (Ty Dillon), fourth (Joey Coulter) and 18th (Tim George Jr.). 
  • Dillon is the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship point leader by four markers; Coulter ranks fifth in the standings.
  • The No. 3 Chevrolet team is the Camping World Truck Series owner championship point leader, with the No. 22 team fourth in the standings and the No. 2 team 10th.
  • Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings ahead of Cale Gale.
  • According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Coulter earned the third-highest Driver Rating (136.5), and Dillon earned a rating of 116.2 ranking him fourth amongst the competitors.
  • Coulter led for 39 laps during the Kentucky 201.
  • RCR drivers made a total of 77 Green Flag Passes during the 134-lap event with Dillon earning 39 passes, Coulter with 27 and George with 11 passes.
  • George tied for second in the Closers category, gaining one position in the final 10 percent (14 laps) of the race.
  • Coulter scored the highest Average Running Position of 2.813, and Dillon ranked third with a 5.254.
  • Coulter was ranked the Fastest Driver Early in a Run, while Dillon was the fourth-quickest.
  • Combined, RCR teammates Dillon and Coulter scored the Fastest Laps Run for 41 circuits at the 1.5-mile track.
  • Dillon and Coulter spent 100 percent of the event in the top 15 ranking them first amongst the rest of the field.
  • Coulter was the Fastest on Restarts and Dillon was fourth in the category.
  • James Buescher took the checkered flag at Kentucky Speedway and was followed to the line by Parker Kligerman, Dillon, Coulter and Brian Scott.
  • The next scheduled Camping World Truck Series race is the Smith’s 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 29. The 17th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on Motor Racing Network beginning at 7:45 p.m.     

Summit Racing

Anderson Determined to Make A Charge in Dallas

Anderson Determined to Make A Charge in Dallas

Mooresville, N.C., September 20, 2012 –Summit Racing Pro Stock standout Greg Anderson is a man with a plan heading into this weekend’s AAA Texas Fall Nationals in Ennis, Tx. After a freak mechanical failure resulted in an early exit at last weekend’s race in Charlotte, N.C., the four-time champion knows he will need a strong performance in the Lone Star State in order to remain among the contenders for this year’s Full Throttle crown. Despite this tough assignment, Anderson remains cautiously optimistic about his chances.

“I guess you could say it’s now or never for me,” said Anderson. “The main thing I need is a little racing luck, keeping me away from the freak breakage. If I can do that, then I believe I am ready to make a run. It’s not that we can pin it back to anything we did wrong, and we still have to figure out the why and how. Obviously Jason’s (teammate Line, who won the last race in Charlotte) has been fine, so it’s not an epidemic, maybe just a little bad luck on my part.

“But we’re not going to focus on that, we’re going to drive forward. We believe the performance is back in our Summit Racing Camaros, and we’re ready to make a run. It’s time for me to make some ground up this weekend, and I definitely think I can.”

Fortunately, if Anderson had to pick a venue at which to make a comeback, there are few on the circuit at which he has experienced more success that the Texas Motorplex, site of this weekend’s event. In his last nine races on the Ennis quarter-mile he has four wins in five final round appearances, placing him among Pro Stock legends Bob Glidden and Warren Johnson for the most by a Pro Stock competitor, a fact that is not lost Anderson as he heads into this crucial weekend.

“I certainly could be going to a worse racetrack,” said Anderson. “After all, over the last few years the Texas Motorplex has been very good to me and to the KB Racing team. We know it has its quirks, but we’ve been going there long enough to know how to handle them.

“For example, as an all-concrete racetrack, it will have a narrow groove. It’s not one of those racetracks you can slide all over – if you get out of the groove here you had better plan on lifting, so it’s up to the driver to concentrate for the entire length of the run, much like a Funny Car driver does on every run, keeping the car right in that groove even when it doesn’t want to.

“I feel great going into this race. I’m not worried at all. The weather forecast looks great and I am ready to race. Hopefully I’ve used up all my bad luck and it’s now time for me to make a run at this year’s championship. We’re going in with a great attitude, and I have everything I need – a fast Summit Racing Camaro, a great team and all the parts and pieces necessary to win – now it’s up to me to go out and do it.”

Summit Racing

Line Keeping Things in Perspective in Dallas

Line Keeping Things in Perspective in Dallas

Mooresville, N.C., September 20, 2012 – No one could blame Jason Line for feeling a bit smug as he prepared for this weekend’s AAA NHRA Texas Fall Nationals in Ennis, Tx.  After all, the Summit Racing driver is the reigning NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock champion, the most recent winner on tour following his impressive victory in Charlotte, and enters this event as the defending champion, having scored his first win at the Texas Motorplex.  However, as anyone who knows the soft-spoken Minnesota native would tell you, it simply isn’t his style.  In fact, as the world’s best quarter-milers make their annual visit to Ennis, he is the first to point out that a tremendous amount of work remains to be done.

“We’ve gotten off to a good start in the Countdown, and that’s the end of the statement,” said Line.  “This is still a five-race season and a lot can happen.  That’s not to say I don’t feel good going into this weekend, because I do, and I certainly wouldn’t want to trade places with anyone else.

“After all, everything is going pretty well at the moment, but this Summit Racing team has a lot of work to do to keep things that way.  Now that we’re in the Countdown every round is a huge points swing, and you can’t afford to miss anything.  You have to be perfect every time out in order to score points and keep yourself in contention, and we’re ready to do just that.”

The one area Line was extremely pleased with in Charlotte was the performance of his KB Racing team and the Summit Racing Camaro they gave him to drive.  Not only did Line post the quickest elapsed time in two of the four qualifying sessions, but he backed it up by being the quickest in all four eliminations rounds, quite a feat considering the level of competition.  In fact, the one area he is concerned about may come as a surprise, given his solid record.

“Last weekend, my crew guys gave me a Summit Racing Camaro that was bad to the bone,” said Line.  “On top of that through some trying conditions and a very long day, they never missed a beat, and we ended up in the winner’s circle.  I’m certainly not worried about them this weekend, because I know they will come through.

“To be honest, I’m more concerned with my performance because I see myself as the weak link.  I have to make sure to go up there and be perfect or as close to it as I am capable of every time in order to give us a good a chance as anyone to win the race.  There are certainly no guarantees, but I have to say I definitely like our chances.”

World of Outlaws

Swindell Commands NAPA Auto Parts Outlaw Showdown at Eagle

Swindell Commands NAPA Auto Parts Outlaw Showdown at Eagle
Schatz continues World of Outlaws championship lead with 10th straight top five
 
EAGLE, Neb. – Sept. 19, 2012 – Sammy Swindell leads the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in feature victories. He leads in heat race wins and in bonus points via qualifying.
Unfortunately for the three-time champion, he has faced a myriad of issues throughout the season and has come up against a hot streak by Donny Schatz as the campaign winds down.

On Wednesday, Swindell did everything he could to cut into the championship points deficit by earning qualifying points, winning his heat and leading all 40 laps to claim the NAPA Auto Parts Outlaw Showdown in the Outlaws first event at Eagle Raceway since 2009.

“After Knoxville we just kinda put an effort into just going for it and that’s what we were doing,” he said. “We’ve had a few problems that we’ve had to work around with some stuff, some pieces. We’re back on track here now. Hopefully we can get through the rest of the year clean and we’ll just see where the points lay.”

It was Swindell’s 12th feature win of the season – his most since 1997, which is the last time he claimed the World of Outlaws championship.

Yet Schatz wasn’t far behind. While his streak of five consecutive top-two finishes was snapped, Schatz’s third-place result marked his 10th straight top five and 19th in the last 21 points races. He maintains a 94-point advantage over Craig Dollansky and a 117-point edge over Swindell with nine features remaining this season.

“I just could never get rolling right; Sammy rolled best,” Schatz said. “To start sixth and run third, no one is complaining here. You’re not going to win every night.”

Cody Darrah was the only driver who gave Swindell a challenge and that was short lived. Swindell, who started on the pole, rocketed to the early lead with Darrah maneuvering from fifth to second on the opening lap.

With Schatz advancing to third by lap six, Darrah began to reel in Swindell. The duo entered traffic on lap seven and Darrah closed to the rear bumper before the first caution came out for Joey Saldana, who stopped in turn two on lap 13.

Swindell chose the inside line on the double-file restart and edged Darrah until the second – and final – caution came out for Terry McCarl stopping on the backstretch on lap 17.

“That last restart I kinda got through (turns) one and two not as well as I did the last two starts and he got away from me,” Darrah said. “We got into lapped traffic and I couldn’t really move around as we could earlier in the race. Our car was pretty tight and as the track progressed it slicked off in spots, which didn’t allow me to overcome and throw my car like it was in the beginning of the race. Definitely hard fought for second place.”

Swindell capitalized and as the final 24 laps were caution-free, he picked his way through traffic to perfection en route to his third career win at Eagle Raceway. He won the first career World of Outlaws event in 1981 and also in 1992.

“It was a hard race; it was tough,” Swindell said. “We’ve got a new car and everything is going great here tonight. Hopefully we can keep going with this momentum here.”

Dollansky finished fourth and Kerry Madsen earned the KSE Hard Charger Award after driving from 11th to fifth. Kraig Kinser ended sixth, Danny Lasoski seventh, Mark Dobmeier eighth, Ian Madsen ninth and Steve Kinser rounded out the top 10.

Race Winners

Race Winners Week Ending 9.16.2012

Indycar- MavTV500- Ed Carpenter
Indycar season champion- Ryan Hunter Reay

Whelan- Riverhead 200- Ryan Preece
World of Outlaws- Craig Dollansky
ARCA- Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic- Tom Hessert

NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series- American Ethanol 200- Ryan Blaney
Nationwide Series- Dollar General 300- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Sprint Cup- GEICO 400- Brad Keselowski

NHRA
Top Fuel — Shawn Langdon
Funny Car — Ron Capps
Pro Stock — Jason Line
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Andrew Hines
Top Alcohol Dragster — Richard Bourke
Top Alcohol Funny Car — Frank Manzo
Super Stock — Larry Miller
Stock Eliminator — Dan Fletcher
Super Comp — Scot LaMar
Super Gas — Ray Sawyer

RCR

RCR Post Race Report NSCS GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway

RCR Post Race Report 
NSCS GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway  
 
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
GEICO 400  
Chicagoland Speedway
September 16, 2012
 
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished 12th (Kevin Harvick), 15th (Paul Menard) and 24th (Jeff Burton).  
According the NASCAR Post-Race Loop Data Statistics, Harvick completed 100 Green Flag Passes during the 267-lap event, the most of any driver. 
Harvick improved six positions during the last 10 percent (27 laps) of the race, positioning him first in the NASCAR Loop Data Statistics Closers category. 
Menard gained four positions in the final 10 percent (27 laps) of the race, tying him for third in the NASCAR Loop Data Statistics category Closers.
Menard made 83 green-flag passes, 39 of those while running in the top 15 which ranked him sixth in Quality Passes.
Burton made 57 Green Flag Passes during the 400-mile race
Brad Keselowski claimed the victory at Chicagoland Speedway, followed to the line by Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman.
The next scheduled Sprint Cup Series race is the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 23. The 28th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

Summit Racing

Jason Line Starts Countdown with Big Win at zMAX Dragway

Jason Line Starts Countdown with Big Win at zMAX Dragway 

Mooresville, N.C., September 16, 2012 – Summit Racing driver Jason Line started his Full Throttle championship defense in impressive fashion, capturing the Pro Stock title at Sunday’s NHRA Nationals in Concord, N.C., the start of which were delayed by over five hours due to morning rain.  Starting from the second position, Line defeated Frank Gugliotta, Larry Morgan and Warren Johnson in the early rounds before squaring off against current points leader Allen Johnson in the final.

Although Line was able to gain the upper hand at the start with a strong .013 reaction time, both drivers soon found themselves fighting to maintain control on the very tricky surface. Fortunately, Line was able to regain traction first, crossing the finish line in 7.518-seconds with a top speed of 200.20 mph to outdistance Johnson’s 11.800-second, 78.71 mph pass.  It was Line’s second win of the season, 29th of his career, first in his new Chevrolet Camaro and first at zMAX Dragway.

“This was a big win for the Summit Racing team, and we couldn’t have started the Countdown in better fashion,” said Line.  We haven’t had one for a while, so it feels pretty good.  It’s tough when you get conditions like this and although the track had been pretty good for most of the day, you had to make sure to stay in the groove or else you could be in trouble. However, it was a completely different story in the final.

“We ran out of sequence because of the weather, and ended up following the fuel cars, which can be a tough situation and you have to deal with it the best you can.  Obviously it’s easy for me to say since things worked out well for us, but we made the best of a not-so-great situation.

“I shouldn’t say this but Allen (Johnson) hardly ever pedals when he shakes, so all I knew was that I was getting back in it as long as I didn’t see him, and I never did.  I may have destroyed the clutch in the process, but we won the race.  Best of all, I was able to get my first win here at zMAX Dragway, which is huge.”

It should have come as no surprise that Line was one of dominant cars on race day, as he had been equally strong during qualifying, posting the quickest time in two of the four sessions on Friday and Saturday in securing the second starting position.  He continued that trend on Sunday, posting the quickest elapsed time in every round, starting with a 6.576-second pass in his opening round victory over a red-lighting Frank Gugliotta. After defeating Larry Morgan in the second round, Line squared off against all-time Pro Stock wins leader Warren Johnson in the the semifinals, with the winner advancing to the money round.

Once again, it was a wire-to-wire victory for Line, who gained the advantage at the start and never looked back, posting the quickest elapsed time of the day at 6.554-seconds with a top speed of 211.39 mph to advance to the 62nd final round of his career, sixth of the season and second at zMAX Dragway.

“My Summit Racing crew gave me a Camaro that was bad to the bone today,” said Line.  “It was simply phenomenal.  We had struggled in the past few months, but we went down the race track on almost every run with no issues, and we were able to take advantage of it and come home with a huge win.”

Line also took time after the win to thank those whose support makes days like today possible.

“Naturally, we could not do this without the support of several great people and companies,” said Line.  “Of course, it all starts with Ken and Judy Black, who were here with us this weekend to share in this victory.  Also at the very top of the list is Summit Racing Equipment, and their many employees, who we are so proud to represent.  In addition, we want to thank Chevrolet, Maxima Oils, Cometic Gaskets, Mac Tools, PAC Valve Springs, CP Carillo, K&N Filters, Speed Dawg Shift Knobs, Wiley-X and everyone else whose involvement with our race team makes days like today possible.  We are glad to bring them this win.”

Finally, despite the big win, Line was quick to caution that the Countdown had just begun, and with numerous quality teams lurking in the standings, he assured all those in attendance that this fight was far from over, especially considering the tough schedule teams will faces over the next few weeks.

“This next month will be very tough on our Summit guys with three more races in as many weeks, especially considering the carnage we’ve created lately,” said Line.  “Every one of them does a terrific job, and we have more bullets that we can use, so we’ll be okay.  This is going to be a tough fight for the championship, so for us to start the way we did today was huge, because you have so many quality cars in the Countdown.  The drivers have to drive well and the crew chiefs need to do a perfect job on every run, which is a lot to ask of anybody, but I think we’re up to the task.  We’ll enjoy this win tonight and a little during the week, but tomorrow we’ll be back at work getting ready for Dallas.”

Honda Racing

Honda Racing–Starworks Wins Again for HPD in Sao Paulo

Starworks Wins Again for HPD in Sao Paulo

The American Starworks team once again led the way for Honda Performance Development Saturday in FIA World Endurance Championship competition, taking the P2 class victory in its HPD ARX-03b at the Six Hours of Sao Paulo in Brazil, after a long mid-race battle with the Morgan Nissan of OAK Racing.

In P1, the contest between private teams once again featured the HPD ARX-03a of the British Strakka Racing organization against a pair of Lola Toyotas fielded by the Swiss Rebellion Racing team, while a second ARX-03a run by JRM Motorsports had its most promising run of the season.

The Starworks HPD started from the pole in the strong, 11-car P2 field after an outstanding performance on Friday by Stephane Sarrazin, but the #35 OAK Racing Morgan produced a formidable challenge, as the teams traded the lead throughout the first four hours. The Oreca Nissan of ADR-Delta Racing also figured during the contest’s opening hour, but then fell off the pace with mechanical issues that resulted in a long pit stop.

Two hours into the race, Ryan Dalziel in the HPD and Alex Brundle in the OAK Morgan put on a thrilling battle for the P2 lead, trading places several times and running side-by-side up the long Sao Paulo front straight for three consecutive laps before Dalziel finally established an advantage. Once in front, Dalziel and teammates Sarrazin and Enzo Potolicchio extended their lead over them remaining two hours to a three-lap margin at the finish, helped by a mechanical problem with the #35 OAK Morgan and a pair of pit-lane speeding penalties for the sister #24 car. It was the third P2 win of the season for Starworks, on the heels of previous triumphs at the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans, and extended its class points lead after five of eight races.

In the “privateer” portion of the P1 contest, late-race contact between the Nick Leventis in the Strakka HPD and the #13 Rebellion Racing Lola of Harald Primat while fighting for second place sent both cars That set the stage for yet another come-from-behind charge from Strakka as, first Leventis, then Jonny Kane began to close the 40-second gap to the #13 Rebellion car. The margin was halved after the last round of pit stops, and Kane was relentless in his pursuit, finally catching and passing the Lola at the start of the final lap to finish second among the private P1 entries and fifth overall.

Fielding a second HPD ARX-03a, JRM produced its best effort of the season, qualifying strongly and featuring in the early race fight with Rebellion and Strakka, but an off-course excursion and extended pit stop at the two-hour mark dropped JRM to an unrepresentative seventh-place finish.

Having finished its 2012 European and American rounds, the World Endurance Championship now heads to the Bahrain International Circuit on the Arabian Peninsula on Saturday, September 29, for the 6 Hours of Bahrain.
Ryan Dalziel (#44 Starworks HPD ARX-03b) started 1st, finished 1st in P2, 3rd class win of 2012: “I
think the Starworks HPD was the car to have this weekend! It’s a great package, but we have great people, too. We turned up here and found that we were competitive straight away – we have an extremely fast and reliable car. Most places seem to come down to tire wear, and we’re extremely conservative on what we do to the car to make sure we can double-stint [the tires] consistently. A lot of other cars seem to be falling off in their second stints and I think we’ve been strong at that all year.

Today was definitely won by strategy, hard work, and a well-prepared car.” Steve Eriksen (Vice President, Honda Performance Development) on Saturday’s WEC race in Brazil:
“Another fine effort from Starworks was rewarded with another P2 win, further cementing its reputation as one of the top teams in the series this season, with three wins in five races – including the ‘big two’ at LeMans and Sebring. We’re pleased to see the points lead extended, and of course, its pole position in qualifying. It was quite an accomplishment for an American team in this quality P2 field. In P1, it was encouraging to see JRM continuing to improve and start the race in such a strong fashion, and Strakka produced yet another thrilling finish. It seems to be becoming a habit for them! Now, it’s on to Bahrain
and the races in Japan and China. We’re looking forward to them.”

Honda Racing

Honda Racing–HPD Teams Sweep VIR

HPD Teams Sweep VIR
Both Honda Performance Development teams in the American Le Mans Series closed in on their respective championships Saturday with victories at Virginia International Raceway. Muscle Milk Pickett Racing won the VIR 240 overall and LMP1 for its sixth victory of the season with drivers Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr; while the Level 5 Motorsports duo of Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker followed up its overall win two weeks ago on the streets of Baltimore with an LMP2 class win in Virginia.

It was a perfect race weekend for Muscle Milk Pickett, as the team set a new outright VIR lap record with its HPD ARX-03a in securing the pole on Friday, with Graf at the wheel around the challenging 17-turn, 3.27-mile road course located in the hill country of southern Virginia. Saturday’s race saw the Muscle Milk pair lead from start to finish, avoiding issues with slower traffic and including a new race lap record by Luhr, to pull away to a dominating three-lap victory over the Lola-Mazda of Dyson Racing. The team once again claimed the Michelin Green X Challenge, its fourth MGXC award of the year.

The victory also moved the Muscle Milk Pickett team one step closer to the LMP1 championship. Unofficially, the team needs only to complete at least 70 per cent of the race distance at next month’s Petit Le Mans season finale to secure the championship.
In LMP2, it was another exciting race-long battle between the pair of HPD ARX-03bs, against the fast Morgan-Nissan of Conquest Racing, with all three cars leading the race at different points – and all three involved in contact with other cars during the course of the four-hour contest.

At the end, Level 5’s superior pit strategy appeared to make the difference, as the #055 HPD of Christophe Bouchut exited the pits for the final time with a narrow margin over the Morgan of David Heinemeier-Hansson. That proved decisive, as Bouchut skillfully worked his way through the slower GT field to pull away to a 28-second victory and the fifth win of 2012 for Bouchut and team owner/driver Scott Tucker.

The team’s second HPD, driven by Tucker, Ricardo Gonzalez and Luis Diaz, finished third in LMP2 on track, but was later excluded from the results when it failed the post-race “stall test”, as the engine did not shut off when the air intake was sealed. With one race remaining in the 2012 season, HPD and its partner teams and drivers continue to lead their
respective driver, team and manufacturer championships in both LMP1 and LMP2. The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron concludes Saturday, October 20 with the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, near Gainesville, Georgia.

Klaus Graf (#6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03a) started 1st, finished 1st, the team’s sixth race win of 2012; also won the Michelin Green X Challenge for fast, clean and efficient performance for the 4th time this year: “It was a difficult race to manage from a traffic standpoint. There are certain places [here] where you just can’t get around another car without taking too much risk. So I pushed hard, but at the same time I was conservative with the moves I made in traffic. For us, we had a trouble-free race, which is what we really came here to do. It was a perfect race for Muscle Milk Racing. Now we go back to the shop and prepare [for Petit Le Mans], where [finishing 70 per cent of the race] is not the easiest thing to do. It will be a big team effort.”

Steve Eriksen (Vice President, Honda Performance Development) on Saturday’s race at Virginia International Raceway: “Congratulations to everyone at both Muscle Milk Pickett Racing and Level 5 Motorsports for a near perfect weekend at Virginia International Raceway. It takes a great deal of hard work with long hours of preparation and planning to produce a ‘clean sweep’ weekend like this one, so this is a great reward for the efforts of everyone at HPD and our partner teams. In addition to their dominating weekend, Muscle Milk also won the Michelin Green X Challenge for the fourth time this year, and it is the sixth Green X award for an HPD team in 2012, an accomplishment of which all of us at HPD
can be proud. Now, the championships in LMP1 and LMP2 once again come down to the always challenging Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, where HPD certainly has had more than its share of ‘exciting moments’ over the years. But we all look forward to the challenge, and to successfully defending our string of prototype titles.”

RCR

RCR Post Race Report NNS Chicagoland Speedway and NCWTS Iowa Speedway

RCR Post Race Report 
NNS Chicagoland Speedway and NCWTS Iowa Speedway  
 
 
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola 
Chicagoland Speedway
September 15, 2012
 
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished third (Austin Dillon), fifth (Paul Menard) and eighth (Elliott Sadler).
Sadler is in the second position in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, nine points behind leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr., while Dillon ranks third in the standings, trailing the leader by 34 points.
The No. 2 Chevrolet team is third in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, 13 points shy of the No. 18 team’s lead, with the No. 3 team fourth in the standings and the No. 33 team sixth.
Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings over Cole Whitt.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Menard was ranked the seventh-Fastest Driver Early in a Run (168.466 mph), Late in a Run (168.078 mph) and on Restarts (165.090 mph). He also maintained the eighth-best Average Running Position (7.645), Driver Rating (103) and Green Flag Speed (167.236 mph).
Dillon and Menard spent 100 percent of the contested Laps in the Top 15, while Sadler turned 199 of the 200 laps (99.5 percent) in the top 15.
The RCR drivers turned 51 of the Fastest Laps Run with Dillon contributing 38, Sadler with 11 and Menard with two.
Dillon was the Fastest Driver Late In a Run with an average speed of 167.599 mph according to NASCAR’s Post-Race Loop Data Statistics. Dillon ranked second in Average Running Position (2.582), Laps Led (52) and Speed in Traffic (168.412 mph). He was third-Fastest on Restarts (166.161 mph), averaged a Green Flag Speed of 168.400 mph and earned a Driver Rating of 127.1 ranking him third in both categories.
Sadler notched the second position in Quality Passes, third in Fastest Drivers Late in a Run and fourth in Speed in Traffic.
Stenhouse, Jr. claimed the victory at Chicagoland Speedway, followed to the line by Kyle Busch, Dillon, Brad Keselowski and Menard.
The next scheduled Nationwide Series race is the Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday, September 22. The 27th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Ed Carpenter Captures Win in IndyCar Season Finale at Auto Club Speedway; Brings Home 11th Win for Chevrolet IndyCar V6 of the Season

Ed Carpenter Captures Win in IndyCar Season Finale at Auto Club Speedway; Brings Home 11th Win for Chevrolet IndyCar V6 of the Season
 
FONTANA, Calif (September 15, 2012) – Ed Carpenter let the competition know early in the weekend of the IZOD IndyCar Series season finale at Auto Club Speedway that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with in the MAVTV 500. And the first-year team owner/driver did just that with a gritty performance that delivered his first victory of the 2012 season.
 
“Congratulations to Ed Carpenter, and the No. 20 Chevrolet team on their exciting victory tonight at Auto Club Speedway,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, IZOD IndyCar Series.  “Wow, what a race!  It was a nail-biter throughout the entire 250 laps.  We couldn’t be more proud of the effort of our Chevrolet IndyCar V6 teams throughout the entire IZOD IndyCar Series season.”
 
Carpenter started his No. 20 Fuzzy’s Premium Ultra Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet fifth in the 26-car field, and worked his way to the lead on lap 66 of the 250-lap/500-mile race.  He was credited with leading eight times for a race-high total of 62 laps.
 
But it was Carpenter’s last-lap pass of former Series’ champion Dario Franchitti that secured the win. It is his second IZOD IndyCar Series victory, the first coming in the 2011 season-ending race at Kentucky Speedway where he also bested Franchitti on the last lap.
 
A fourth place finish netted Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, the title of 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Champion, as well as capturing the Oval Championship. The double championships are his first in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
 
Hunter-Reay entered tonight’s race with a 17 point deficit to Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, in the battle for the title. After Power received substantial damage in a single car on-track incident on lap 56, Hunter-Reay had to finish fifth or better to secure the crown. When the checkered flag flew, Hunter-Reay scored a fourth-place finish, and captured the Championship by three points over Power.
 
Berube concluded by saying: “And, congratulations to Ryan Hunter-Reay and the No. 28 Andretti Autosport Chevrolet team on winning the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series’ Driver’s Championship as well as the A.J. Foyt Oval Track Championship! They fought hard to win the crown, and will be a great champion for the IZOD IndyCar Series, and for Chevrolet.”
 
Giving Team Chevy five of the top-10 finishers in tonight’s race were: Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Auto Club of Southern California Team Penske Chevrolet – fifth; Marco Andretti, No. 26 Team RC Cola Andretti Autosport Chevrolet – eighth, and Katherine Legge, No. 6 TrueCar Dragon Racing Chevrolet – ninth.
 
Completing the top-five finishers were Dario Franchitti (Honda) – second, and Scott Dixon (Honda) – third.
 
Chevrolet, in its first season back in IndyCar competition, captured the Series’ Manufacturers’ Championship with 11 victories in 15 races. In addition to Hunter-Reay’s two titles, Power captured the Road Course Championship for the third consecutive year.
 

Honda Racing

Honda Racing–Franchitti Finishes Second in California Season Finale

Franchitti Finishes Second in California Season Finale
A thrilling conclusion to Saturday night’s MAVTV 500 saw a closing-lap duel between Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti and Ed Carpenter end just after Carpenter claimed the lead, as Takuma Sato crashed and yellow flags froze the field through the final corners on the 250th – and final – lap of the IZOD IndyCar Series season-ending event at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

Franchitti and Carpenter traded the lead several times over the last six laps, a repeat of their closing-lap battle for victory at Kentucky Speedway last year – a race also won by Carpenter in a photo finish.

In addition to Franchitti, his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon, Takuma Sato and Alex Tagliani all had extended runs at the front of the 26-car starting field. As the race approached Lap 200, Honda-powered drivers were running first through fourth, led by Dixon; and at the Lap 125 mid-point in the 500-mile run, Tagliani, Sato and Franchitti were 1-2-3 for Honda.

A crash by Tony Kanaan on Lap 240 set up the wild finish. Race officials briefly halted the race to clear the track and then restarted on Lap 244 with a six-lap dash to the checkers. When the green flag waved for the final time, Franchitti was in front, with Carpenter and Ryan Hunter-Reay – who needed to finish fifth or better to claim the IZOD IndyCar Series drivers’ championship – rounding out the top three. Sato, in fourth, Dixon and a charging Helio Castroneves rounded out the potential race winners. Franchitti and Carpenter quickly pulled out an advantage of several car lengths over the rest of the frontrunners,
who staged their own equally fierce battle for third through sixth. At the start of the final lap,
Carpenter made one final pass on Franchitti as the pair exited Turn 2 and, just an instant later, Sato spun and crashed without injury to end the race. As a result, Dixon grabbed third, while fourth place was just enough for Hunter-Reay to edge Will Power for the series title.

Chevrolet Racing

Ryan Hunter-Reay Wins IZOD IndyCar Series Championship with Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Power

Ryan Hunter-Reay Wins IZOD IndyCar Series Championship with Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Power
 
FONTANA, Calif (September 15, 2012) – With a fourth place finish in the MAVTV 500 season finale at Auto Club Speedway, Ryan Hunter-Reay is the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series driver’s champion.  Piloting the No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, Hunter-Reay took the crown with six podium, and nine top-10 finishes that included a Series’-high four wins in the 15-race schedule.
 
“Congratulations to Ryan Hunter-Reay and the No. 28 Andretti Autosport Chevrolet team on winning the coveted 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series driver’s championship,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Everyone at Chevrolet is very proud of Ryan and his team for securing their first driver’s crown with Chevrolet IndyCar V6 power. This championship caps off an exciting first year back in IndyCar competition for Chevrolet. We are looking forward to competing next season, and beyond.”
 
His finish tonight also clinched the Oval Championship commemorated with the A.J. Foyt Oval Championship trophy. On his way to the prestigious title, Hunter-Reay won two of the five oval track races and posted a top-five finish tonight in the season ending race.
 
The Championship is a culmination of Hunter-Reay’s ninth season in IndyCar, and his third season with Andretti Autosport. He is the first American driver since 2006 (Sam Hornish Jr.) to win the IndyCar title.
 
In addition to Hunter-Reay’s championship effort, Chevrolet won the Series’ Manufacturers title with 11 wins in the 15-race season in its first year back in IndyCar competition. Chevrolet competed previously in Indy-style competition as an engine manufacturer in 1986-93 and 2002-05 with V-8 engines, winning 105 races. The wins powered Chevrolet to six driver champions, and included seven Indianapolis 500 victories.
 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–MAVTV 500

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
MAVTV 500
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 15, 2012
 
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER: BEING A TEAM OWNER/DRIVER: “This feels great for a brand new team that just started in November.”
 
ON OVALS: “I probably should have won Indy (Indianapolis 500) but I kind of messed up a little bit. We have been trying to win ovals all year and finally got it done tonight. Good way to end the year.”
 
PASSING DARIO FRANCHITTI FOR WIN: “I got a good start, I thought that maybe that was going to be my last chance to get by him and then he just kept protecting the bottom and I started working the top where I would run all night through one and two and kept building momentum, and building momentum and finally got close enough to get a draft and get a run around him on the front stretch.”
 
RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO. 28 TEAM DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, FINISHED 3RD: 2012 IZOD INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPION: HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU GET THAT DONE? “I have no idea, that was a team effort right there.  We were struggling all weekend and I didn’t want to let anyone know about it.  We were really in the woods and this hasn’t sunk in yet.  I just drove 500 miles like it was for my life. I cannot believe we are IndyCar champions, but to IndyCar, Sundrop, Chevrolet, DHL, and everyone, you have mad my dreams come true.”
 
SO THIS RESTART ON THE FINAL RUN, THIS ISNT WHAT YOU WANTED TO SEE, RIGHT?  “Yeah, absolutely, I just wanted to get set back into a rhythm as it was a little bit better but I knew after that red flag I was just sitting there and thinking the tires would take another heat cycle and that we would slide around a bit more.  Everybody raced tough, but they raced clean and my God…….I don’t know about the race but we just kept making it better and better and they did a great job with the radio and the guys did a great job in the pits.  This hasn’t sunk in yet as I am just full of adrenaline. “
 
HOW ABOUT THE WRECK WITH WILL, HOW CLOSE WAS IT? “You know, I don’t know, he (Will Power) was right next to me and I saw him lose it.  I feel like it was pretty close but I have no idea, you tell me.”
 
IT WAS CLOSE RIGHT?  “Yes, it was close and he was joking around that he would take me out if it was too close so……..”
 
TWO YEARS AGO YOU WERE OUT THERE DRIVING A SHOW CAR SO I GUESS YOU DIDN’T THINK THIS MOMENT WAS POSSIBLE? “Not really, and now we have put the hard work in and have the right group of people in surrounding us and Will Power has done a great job of supporting us so I don’t want to overshadow that.”
 
MICHAEL ANDRETTI, CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM OWNER OF NO. 28 TEAM DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET:  “This is an incredible day. It wasn’t going so good right at the start there – we were struggling a little bit – and then we saw Will (Power) have his unfortunate accident and we knew it was open from there. We needed to get the job done and it was a lot of hard work. Ryan did a helluva job, and the whole team did – getting the car better and better throughout the race. We had enough there at the end to get it done. I’m just so proud of everybody here with the DHL/Sun Drop team…. There’s a lot more to come. This team is still getting better and better and I think we’re going to be even stronger next year.”
 
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, SIDELINED AS A RESULT OF SINGLE CAR ON-TRACK INCIDENT ON LAP 56, CREW REPAIRED THE CAR, HE RETURNED TO THE TRACK FOR 12 LAPS OF COMPETITION: ON WHAT HAPPENED? “I just caught a seam. I had a bit of understeer, so I went a half a lane down and caught a seam. It absolutely took me by surprise. It is the last thing I thought would happen running down there on that seam. Depressing to lose the championship again that way.”
 
HOW DO YOU FEEL? “It’s a season, and you can’t make mistakes like this. The whole season, this is just another race.  It’s depressing to lose the championship again that way. It’s the season; you can’t make mistakes like that. I had understeer all night, I was having to lift, half a lane lower than I was before and caught a seam, and yeah. Man, I don’t know what to say, it’s depressing. I was surprised, I had been pushing all day and just went a little bit different than what I had, and nothing I can say. It’s just depressing. My team was pushing me to get around him (Ryan Hunter-Reay), and it was just a mistake. Just a mistake.”
 
HOW DO YOU LOOK AHEAD TO THIS? “There is a very slim chance. I don’t even want to watch the rest of race; it’s just going to be so…  I don’t know what say. I don’t know what emotion to feel right now, I’m so disappointed. I just thought (when it happened), another championship gone. That is basically what I said to myself. I am so disappointed for Verizon and all the guys, just to make a mistake like that is just…just bad. It never comes easy, man. It never comes easy.”
 
WILL POWER – POST RACE QUOTES – FINISHED 24TH: HOW HELPLESS DID YOU FEEL WATCHING THE RACE UNFOLD? “There were definitely times where it looked hopeful, but full credit to my guys for getting the car out to do those 12 laps. It gave us a couple of points. At the end of the day (Ryan) Hunter-Reay is definitely a deserving champion. A real fighter. Probably as far as all-around drivers go, one of the best in the Series because he wins at each discipline. As I look back on the season again, once again the ovals…three crashes on three of the ovals this year, that is massive hits in the points. Three years winning the Road Course Championship quite convincingly, it’s very obvious where I lack.”
 
TALK ABOUT THE EFFORT BY YOUR TEAM TO GET YOUR CAR BACK IN THE RACE: “You see how hard those boys worked. That was a great effort considering how hard we hit the wall, and to be back out probably 45 minutes later. Full credit to them. To lose another championship, three years in a row, man, I feel because all the guys have been with my car for the last three years. They put in a tremendous effort. I feel bad for Penske Racing.”
 
DID YOU THINK AT SOME POINTS IN THE RACE IT MIGHT COME TOGETHER? “I did. I was. You never give up hope. I was thinking anything is possible in IndyCar. Anything can happen.”
 
WILL THE OVALS BE THE FOCUS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THE 12 CAR PROGRAM NEXT YEAR? “It is interesting because we are not slow. I just can’t put my finger on why. It’s not like we’re slow. Or the same thing happens every time. I just don’t know why on the ovals I am jinxed. We get involved in someone’s accident. I don’t know what you do. Where do you look to be better at that? You become massively conservative, or you become really aggressive. It’s hard.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 6th: “Man, I thought we had a winner tonight in the No. 3 Auto Club machine. We had a great car and just needed some help here and there to finish up front. The Auto Club guys really did a great job in making adjustments and we thought we could get by some people on the final restart with the new tires. I am disappointed we did not get the championship for Team Penske, but in the end it is a top-five finish and that is a good place to be.”
MARCO ANDRETTI, NO. 26 TEAM RC COLA ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, FINISHED 8th: “It’s a good thing we were prepared for war tonight. That’s what we had. It was just fight, fight, fight. We were fast, but we had some clutch issues that caused us to stall a couple of times in the pits, so we would drop back and then have to claw our way back up there. I wish we could have had a better result after starting on the pole, but we tried our hardest.
“Congratulations to Ryan (Hunter-Reay) on the champions
hip, they deserve it, and the whole Andretti Autosport team worked really well together this year, and winning the championship is a great reward for everyone in the company.”
KATHERINE LEGGE, NO. 6 TRUECAR DRAGON RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 9TH:  ON HER RACE: “The team did an awesome job, I had one of the fastest cars out there. It was my lack of experience, and my mistakes in the pits that cost us a top-six, top-eight. It really could have been very good, but I made three big mistakes. But to get ninth, we’ll take that to move on to next year. 500 miles doesn’t seem that much longer. You get in the zone, and get focused. When the red flag and you come in and start to heat up, that is when it is like ‘oh, I still have eight laps to go’. It kind of sinks in. It was fun.”
 
JR HILDEBRAND, NO. 4 NATIONAL GUARD/PANTHER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 11th: “Obviously we got off to a killer start and the National Guard Chevy was really good those first couple stints. On the restart I was running high and had to pedal it while Ed (Carpenter) stayed flat and drove straight through. I felt like I had the pace to get back by him, but just by the nature of the two lines we were running I was getting a lot of dirty air on the exit of the corners. I knewthat if I could keep the pressure on him I could get back by, I could see that he was struggling a little but, but I was the one that ended up getting caught out. Massively frustrating deal. I felt we had a car that was going to finish in the Top Five and I felt like we had a shot at winning this deal. I’m super frustrated for the team, cause we definitely rolled the dice with a couple things for this race and we had a chance to run up front all day. Once I got stuck a little further back, the car was still good in traffic, but then everybody else moved up on that top line. We got a couple of our laps back, but obviously not enough to get back on the lead lap there by the end.”
 
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE, NO. 27 TEAM GODADDY.COM ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, FINISHED 13th:   “This is one of those times when we’re all hoping that we get back to the shop and find that something was broken on the car. We had such a strong first stint, we moved up to seventh, and the guys were great in the pits and then it just fell off the wagon.  As soon as the sun went down, I’m not sure if it was just the set-up or a problem, but either way a very tough day for the Go Daddy guys. They deserve better than that. I really wanted the season to end on a high note, so for us it’s a bittersweet day. With Ryan taking the championship, it’s huge for the team, and big congrats to him and everybody on the team for working so hard all year. We’re thrilled for him.”
RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 2 IZOD TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 17th: “It was a disappointing result, the No.2 IZOD car was running really well at the start of the race. But at the end of the second stint there with Will’s crash in turn two we ran over his wing and I think it might have damaged our diffuser and we just struggled from then on throughout the night. I’m just proud of the guys, they did what they needed to do and it just didn’t go our way tonight.”
TONY KANAAN, NO. 11 GEICO/MOUSER ELECTRONICS KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET, FINISHED 18th:  “I was trying to go for it.  I had nothing to lose.  I was trying to win the Oval championship.  I got caught in the middle of traffic and just lost it.  It’s a shame.  We had a strong car when I was in front.   It is what it is.  Let’s move on and get ready for next year.”
ORIOL SERVIA, NO. 22 PANTHER/DREYER AND REINBOLD RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 19TH:  ON HIS RACE: “At the end…we struggled a little bit with the car at the beginning of the weekend. But in the race, I really liked my car. But we had something strange happen, we were having all this debris getting the radiator. We didn’t want to blow our beautiful engine, so we had to keep stopping because it was getting over heated. Our race was over then. We had to stop every 10-15 laps to clean the radiator. Strange. We had a couple of strange things this year. Filter, fuel and things that usually don’t happen. A few more DNFs than we want. We had a great season, especially since we got the Chevy power behind us, definitely.  Good season. We want much more, but we had some strong runs. Hopefully we can come back next year stronger.”
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO. 17 AFS RACING ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, FINISHED 21st: “I had a blast, to be honest, and I think we need to focus on the positive side of this race. It was an unfortunate situation where the tire temperatures just took us out. We were doing an amazing race. We had a top-five car, but you know at the end I’m very happy to race with my teammates up-front there. And for (Ryan) Hunter-Reay, to be a part of team  that wins the championship, to be a part of that process, and just so proud of them and big congrats to Hunter-Reay. This is the beginning of something big. We’ll keep focused for next year and bring that No. 17 car back.”
RUBENS BARRICHELLO, NO. 8 BMC/EMBRASE KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET, FINISHED 22nd: “I enjoyed myself a lot out there.  I had a good car at the beginning and it was all going really well, but unfortunately it ended literally in fumes.  I enjoyed being back on ovals and at Fontana.  I need to thank my crew for their hard work this year a look forward to next year.”
EJ VISO, NO. 5 CITGO/PDVSA KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET, FINISHED 25TH:  “This was one of the most frustrating weekends of my career.  Starting with testing on Wednesday I had a car that was extremely difficult to drive because it lacked grip.  I believed at the time it was because the track was very slick especially with the downforce levels we were running.  Today I had the same feeling in the car, but I was really looking forward to the last race of the season.  I was focused and I thought we had a chance to make it into the top-six.  However, in the race I had to stop because I was lacking both front and rear grip.  We aren’t sure what caused it, but we definitely need to investigate that.”
About Chevrolet

Racer News and Results