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Category: NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series

  • QUAKER STATE DRIVER JIMMIE JOHNSON MAKES HISTORY WITH FIFTH CONSECUTIVE TITLE

  • Hendrick Motorsports 2010 Championship Notes

    10TH TITLE: Hendrick Motorsports now is NASCAR’s all-time leader in NASCAR Sprint Cup owner championships with 10 after Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team earned their fifth consecutive series title Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports previously was tied with Petty Enterprises, which earned nine Cup owner championships.

    THE OTHER GUYS: With its fifth straight championship, Hendrick Motorsports becomes one of just four teams in major American professional sports to have scored five or more titles consecutively. The Boston Celtics posted eight NBA titles in a row starting with the 1958-59 season and ending in 1965-66. Hendrick now is tied with the New York Yankees, which earned five World Series rings from 1949-53, and the Montreal Canadiens, which scored five Stanley Cups from 1956-60.

    COMPARISONS: In the major American professional sports leagues, Hendrick Motorsports’ 10 total Sprint Cup owner championships are tied for eighth behind the New York Yankees (27 World Series titles), Montreal Canadiens (24 Stanley Cups), Boston Celtics (17 NBA titles), Los Angeles Lakers (16 NBA titles), Toronto Maple Leafs (13 Stanley Cups), Green Bay Packers (12 NFL championships) and Detroit Red Wings (11 Stanley Cups). The St. Louis Cardinals own 10 World Series titles.

    ALL-TIME CHAMPIONSHIPS: The 2010 Sprint Cup car owner championship is the 13th for Hendrick Motorsports across NASCAR’s three national series, extending the team’s all-time record. Richard Childress Racing ranks second among owners with 11 combined titles. In the car owner category, Hendrick has won 10 titles in the Sprint Cup Series and three in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Hendrick Motorsports also has won a NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship, which came in 2003.

    KNAUS SETS THE STANDARD: Chad Knaus is the only crew chief ever to win more than two consecutive Sprint Cup titles (he now has five in a row), and his championship total (also five) ranks him second all-time among crew chiefs in NASCAR history. Only Dale Inman (eight titles) has more.

    FIVE-PEAT: Johnson is the first driver in NASCAR history to capture five straight Sprint Cup titles and the first champion in the Chase format to overcome a points deficit going into the final event. Johnson, however, is not the first driver ever to come back and win a championship. Most recently, Alan Kulwicki rallied from 30 points down going in to the 1992 season finale to win it all.

    TWO TO GO: With a fifth title, Johnson breaks a tie with teammate Jeff Gordon to become the Sprint Cup championship leader among active drivers and third all-time. Johnson is two titles shy of NASCAR’s all-time leaders, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty, who scored seven apiece during their Hall of Fame careers.

    DRIVE FOR FIVE: Winning five straight championships is a first for Hendrick Motorsports, which previously was the only NASCAR team to have achieved four titles consecutively. In addition to Johnson’s 2006-10 run, Hendrick scored four in a row with Gordon (1995, 1997 and 1998) and Terry Labonte (1996). No other team has won more than three Sprint Cup championships in consecutive seasons.

    DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK: Johnson isn’t the first driver in motor sports this year to come back from a points deficit and capture the series championship in the season finale. John Force (NHRA Funny Car), Sebastian Vettel (F1) and Dario Franchitti (IndyCar) join Johnson in coming from behind to capture their series championships in the final race of the season. Force trailed first by 37 points going into the Nov. 14 finale, when he rallied to win his 15th Funny Car title. Vettel made up 15 points in F1’s season finale on Nov. 14, while Franchitti overcame a 12-point deficit on Oct. 2 to capture the IndyCar championship in the last race of the season.

    WINNING PERCENTAGE: Hendrick Motorsports is the most efficient team in major American professional sports, earning 10 titles since its inception in 1984 for a 37.04 all-time title-winning percentage. The Celtics rank second with 17 titles in 65 seasons (26.15 percent), while the Yankees are third with 27 World Series championships in 107 seasons (25.23 percent). Hendrick has won 10 of the last 16 Sprint Cup championships (1995-2010), putting the team’s title-winning percentage during that span at 62.5.

    SINCE 1984: No other major American professional sports team has earned more championships than Hendrick Motorsports since 1984, the organization’s inaugural season. In that time, the Los Angeles Lakers have earned eight championships and the Chicago Bulls have collected six titles. The New York Yankees and Edmonton Oilers have scored five titles apiece.

    STILL ROLLING: Hendrick Motorsports never has run a Sprint Cup campaign without winning a pole position (1984-2010). The team scored five this season, including two from Johnson.

    APPROACHING 200: Hendrick Motorsports has posted at least one Cup-level win in 25 straight seasons (194 victories from 1986-2010), the longest active streak in NASCAR. The streak began Feb. 16, 1986, when Geoff Bodine won Hendrick’s first Daytona 500.

    ANOTHER ONE FOR CHEVY: Chevrolet captured its 34th Sprint Cup manufacturers’ championship this season after winning 18 races. Johnson led all Chevy drivers with seven victories.

    *When referencing “major American professional sports,” the following have been factored in: Major League Baseball, NASCAR, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League and the National Hockey League.

  • Quieting the Critics: Matt Kenseth Set For Top Five Finish in Chase Standings

    Quieting the Critics: Matt Kenseth Set For Top Five Finish in Chase Standings

    When Matt Kenseth and his No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion team made the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship back in September, his fans didn’t hear the congratulations of being among the top 12 in the playoffs. They didn’t hear about how Kenseth was among the best in the business for this season who would be competing in the toughest 10 races of NASCAR.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]No, what they heard was that Kenseth shouldn’t have been in the Chase at all.

    It has been a rare season for a man that has built a career on consistency, although at the start of the 2010 season it looked like Kenseth was going to be in typical form. Through the first five races he had five top 10 finishes, the worst of those being an eighth place in the season opening Daytona 500.

    Working with new crew chief Todd Parrott brought not only confidence and excitement, but also optimism. They finished second in Atlanta in March and then third at Dover in June after leading for 15 laps.

    Now through the first 16 races run Kenseth led in nine of those events, but then things started to get rocky. By mid-June as the team sat seventh in points, Parrott was released from his crew chiefing duties.

    Team owner Jack Roush felt the team wasn’t hitting on things during the race weekend or learning in the practice sessions.

    In came Jimmy Fennig. Kenseth and Fennig already had a pre-established relationship and a good one. While things weren’t going to change overnight, the hopes were high that the crew chief search was over.

    “You hate changing stuff around all the time because it’s hard to get any kind of consistency going … it’s hard to build on stuff,” said Kenseth.

    Through the summer months the team continued to ride the roller coaster. The next six races resulted in finishes of 12th or worse before a fifth place at Michigan before the Chase started just weeks later.

    To some they squeaked by and made it in. To others they were taking the place of more deserving teams such as Jamie McMurray who a strong case was made for. Kenseth and the entire Roush-Fenway organization never stopped working though and they knew that it was a only a matter of time before they became factors.

    In the third race of the Chase, Kansas, he led 26 laps and finished seventh. The following week at California where he’s won at before he started third, led 29 laps and 40 laps remaining while he ran in the top 10 the engine started to go sour. He finished 30th and sat 11th in points, still facing the critics that said he would finished 12th in points.

    Over the last few weekends though, those critics have gotten quieter.

    Kenseth finished sixth at Charlotte, 15th at Martinsville, and 16th at Talladega after leading 12 laps. Now they quietly sat eighth in points as the focus and attention turned to the top three in the championship battle.

    Entering Texas only twice this season had RFR been able to celebrate victories, both coming from Greg Biffle. None of their three drivers, Kenseth, Biffle or Carl Edwards was going to win the title as all three were enduring their own struggles in the Chase.

    Texas though is one of Kenseth best racetrack and he came with one half a lap of winning his first race since February of 2009. Biffle dominated the race and Edwards had won the Nationwide Series race the day before.

    Next came Phoenix where Edwards swept the weekend and Kenseth earned another top 10 finish. Entering the final weekend of the season the team that had fought all year long was sitting fifth in the championship standings.

    Yes, fifth.

    Winless and with a pole, they’re among the drivers that have been in the spotlight all season long. The 14 top 10s and six top fives they’ve complied is the worst of any driver in the Chase, but through the elimination of mistakes and wrecks it’s helped their points climb.

    Before the Chase they led just 35 laps. In nine races of the 10 in the Chase, they’ve led 72 laps.

    “All our cars [Roush-Fenway] seem to be faster the last few months, so lately it seems things have been going better,” said Kenseth at Homestead.

    “Last week [Phoenix] I thought we had a shot at it without having that pit road penalty on our last pit stop,” he said. “It feels like we’re gaining momentum and things are smoother and cars are quicker and we’re understanding each other probably a little better.”

    Sunday at Homestead will mark Kenseth’s 400th career start in the NSCS. He’s reflected only a little, just to think about former crew chief Robbie Reiser whom he once drove for and then won a Cup title with in 2003.

    But there’s not time to reflect too much, because to Kenseth it’s just another race and the last race to get a win this season. He’s only ever gone winless in a season once before, that was 2008. He’s start from the lucky No. 13 spot at a track that has been dominated by the company he drives for and where he won in 2007. There’s nothing like ending the season on a high note, even though it’s in the back of his mind that if something does go wrong he could potentially finish 11th in points.

    “It’s been a disappointing few years for me and probably for the team as well,” he said. “I feel like if we can get through Sunday without problems and run as good as I feel we’re capable of and finish fourth of fifth in the points, that’s a highlight of our year, something to hang on our hat on.”

    It would be hard to question whether he deserved to be in the Chase then.

  • CHEVY NSCS AT HOMESTEAD: Post Final Practice Quotes

    NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

    FORD 400

    HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

    TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST PRACTICE QUOTES

    November 20, 2010

    KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVROLET: LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE GOING TO PACK IT IN EARLY “Well, it’s just a couple of minutes (before practice is over) and we ran several laps there. We’re really happy with our car. It should be a fun day tomorrow.”

    HOW MUCH OF AN ADVANTAGE WAS IT TO BE ABLE TO PRACTICE UNDER THE CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU WILL BE RACING IN TOMORROW? “Yeah, it keeps you from having to guess; which is kind of what you had to do before. And we’re always better in the heat of the day than we are at night. So, I’m excited. We’re going to race hard!”

     

    GIL MARTIN, CREW CHIEF, NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVROLET: HOW WAS PRACTICE TODAY? “We started off too loose in the first practice. Got the car really good toward the end of that practice. In happy hour, I felt like we had one of the best cars period here. It was a great happy hour for us. I am excited about tomorrow. It is going to take us a couple of pit stops to get up there. I think we will be fine.”

    HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN THE COHESIVENESS THAT YOU HAVE HERE WITH THIS TEAM? “I just think it has got a lot to do with these guys period, the fact of there is a lot to be said. Everybody talks about how the No. 48 has been together for a long time. These guys are getting there now too. They had a head start on us. They were five years ahead of us where they had a lot of members that were in the same group. These guys have been together a long time now and we know how to feed off each other. If somebody is down, we know how to bring that guy back up. 

    “We came in here knowing they couldn’t take third place away from us. The only thing we can do is take second and first away from them. They can still finish third. We can’t finish no worse than there. We know that going in. It helps a little bit.”

    About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly” solutions, such as the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco model that is expected to deliver up to an estimated 40 mpg highway, and 2011 Chevrolet Volt that will offer 25-50 miles of electric driving and an additional 310 miles of extended range with the onboard generator (based on GM testing).  Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

  • No. 29 Pit Crew Tops On Pit Road In Fourth Quarter

    Kevin Harvick’s Richard Childress Racing Over-the-Wall Team Voted Fourth-Quarter Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. (November 20, 2010) – The pit crew of the No. 29 Shell Pennzoil Chevroletfor Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing has earned fourth-quarter honors in the 2010 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award competition while on their way to a chance of winning the Sprint Cup.

    The Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award , which is determined by a vote of each team’s crew chief, is given quarterly to the top-performing pit crew in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The four quarterly winners are eligible for the year-end Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award presented during Champion’s Week in Las Vegas.

    The award is part of the NASCAR Prize Money and Decal Program, also referred to as the contingency program, which provide teams prize money and weekly awards based on performance in several categories. Mechanix Wear, the #1 glove in racing, is the Official Glove of NASCAR® used by nearly all pit crew members in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

    Created nine years ago, the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award it is one of the most sought-after titles for pit crews.

    “Pit crews in NASCAR have to put their hands to some pretty tough conditions,” said Ted Abdon, Director of Racing for Mechanix Wear. “We look at the changes in the cars and the pit stops, and create products that make them safer on the job and help them do it more effectively. We’ve worked hard to reward them for being the best in their sport.”

    This year, Harvick and the No. 29 team had three wins, 15 top-fives and 25 top-10’s. While Harvick is turning fast laps behind the wheel, crew chief Gil Martin over-the-wall gang has been on their game as well, performing consistent, quick pit stops all year.

    “This pit crew is one of the best crews around,” said Martin. “Without them, we can’t get the No. 29 back and forth onto the track smoothly. Their attention to detail and hard work make our job easier.”

    Members of the No. 29 Shell Pennzoil pit crew include: Dail Long (Front Tire Changer), Terry Spaulding (Front Tire Carrier), Jonathon Billy (Rear Tire Changer), Erik Pringle (Rear Tire Carrier), Carey Wimbish (Jackman), Mike Morrison (Fueler), and Phil Gould (Catch Can Man). The team’s pit crew coach is Gil Martin.

    About Mechanix Wear

    Mechanix Wear, the #1 glove in racing, is the motorsports industry’s first and foremost company dedicated to providing gloves to help you work faster, safer and cleaner. From the introduction of the Original glove in 1991, Mechanix Wear has continually defined the state of high quality performance work gloves by adding products specifically designed to enhance comfort and resist extreme wear, temperatures and impact. Mechanix Wear gloves can be found in toolboxes in homes, garages and workshops and used by emergency, military and professional tradesman as well as do-it-yourselfers.

  • Hamlin, Johnson and Harvick: The Sprint Cup Chase Tracker With 1 To Go

    Hamlin, Johnson and Harvick: The Sprint Cup Chase Tracker With 1 To Go

    The past five races of the Sprint Cup Series Chase have been interesting to watch as the action has focused on Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick.

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]Back at Charlotte, it seemed that the picture for the final run to the champion was being set.

    Following Charlotte, Harvick sat third in points, 77 points behind then leader Johnson, after finishing eighth.

    Hamlin sat in second, 41 points behind, after finishing fourth. Hamlin started to show his determination there as the disappointment could be seen on his face as he knew he’d lost ground to Johnson.

    Johnson, meanwhile, finished second, after making an incredible comeback.

    At the beginning of the race, Johnson had a really loose car, which caused him to spin. Once he was stuck back in traffic, it was thought that he’d be done. However, like many times before, crew chief Chad Knaus pulled out the magic wand and got the car to where it was the quickest car on track. Johnson drove from the back to lead the race for awhile, and then eventually settled for second.

    After the oval, the series headed to the Martinsville paperclip, where the Chase took another turn.

    Harvick showed he wasn’t backing out of it yet as he finished third, now sitting 62 points behind.

    “I just have to thank everybody on this Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet,” Harvick said after that race. “Those guys on pit road were just awesome today and really kept us up front and in the race. That’s what we have to do. We kept the No. 48 (Johnson) behind us and the No. 11 (Hamlin) in sight. Everybody said this was going to be a two-horse race, and we were right there in the middle of it. So, today was a lot of fun. We came here and finished third at a track that we never had a top-five finish. Right now, we have four more weeks. I’m really looking forward to Talladega and just racing hard.”

    Hamlin, meanwhile, made himself known as he won the race, closing the gap to just six points.

    “We’re back, baby,” Hamlin said after the race. “Awesome job.”

    Johnson, though, held his ground as he finished fifth.

    “Good top-five finish today. We certainly wanted to finish higher. But it’s over and done with,” said Johnson afterwards. “It is what it is. Top five is something would have been a good goal coming in here this weekend. We’re rolling into Talladega. We all know what can happen there. Happy to still be leading. Wish the margin had gone the other way. Denny won the race, closed it up. We’ll buckle down, go to work the next four.”

    Talladega was the next step on the line for the trio, in which it brought more drama to the Chase.

    In a dramatic finish, Harvick barely missed the win by inches as the win went to teammate Clint Bowyer. Though he was still satisfied with how he did, considering he got damage in an earlier wreck.

    ‎”I didn’t know when the caution came out, but I know I beat him to the line,” Harvick said afterward. “I just got thank David Reutimann for the push….That’s what we came to Talladega to do. We came to win the race, came up a spot short on that, but beat the guys we needed to.”

    The second-place finish allowed Harvick to gain points as he now sat 38 behind.

    Hamlin, meanwhile, fought his own battles at Talladega as he got to ninth after coming back from being a lap down. This left him sitting 14 points back.

    For Hamlin, that was enough as he was ready for the final stretch.

    ‎”I like that the championship will be decided on three race tracks where the drivers are in control,” Hamlin said afterwards. “Let the best man win.”

    Johnson was looking for more, though a seventh place finish was all he could manage.

    ‎”It’s not the best finish, but we’ll take it,” he said after the race. “I thought we had this thing in control and we could’ve hung on till the end.”

    From the Talladega highbanks, the series traveled to the lonestar state, where some of the biggest twists of the entire chase will be recalled from.

    Harvick had a consistent day as he finished sixth.

    Hamlin, though, made himself known as he took the lead with 29 to go and never looked back.

    With the win, Hamlin took the lead in the championship standings by 33 points over Jimmie Johnson, who finished ninth.

    “It was just a long day,” Johnson said. “We just gave away so much track position at the beginning and it was tough to get back to where we needed to.

    “On the restart, it was the 16 spinning the tires on the restart and all those guys who took tires behind us.”

    “It was pretty rough day for sure,” crew chief Chad Knaus said. “We lost the track

    position and when you get back there, you don’t know how you should tune on the car.”

    The race was an eventful one for the No. 48 team that even included a pit crew swap.

    Out of the first seven stops of the day, the No. 48 team lost spots on four of them, costing their driver valuable time. Once teammate Jeff Gordon was wrecked out of the race, Hendrick officials decided to use Gordon’s pit crew.

    “Ultimately, it was my decision to make the decision as we were getting beat,” Knaus said. “I hope we get back with the 48 guys and get things back on track.”

    “I’m okay with it,” front tire changer Mike Lingerfelt said. “We’re all team players.”

    Johnson said, though despite everything, don’t count them out.

    “I’ve lost plenty of championships in the past,” he said. “You’re not going to get everything you want every weekend. I can promise you this – 33 back is not where we want to be, but we’re going to work hard on getting it back.”

    The change was set to stay in place heading into Phoenix, which the final run to the finish led to the championship standings growing even closer.

    Harvick had issues during the day, including hitting the wall and a loose lug nut on a lap 224 pit stop. Harvick used it to his advantage as he pitted under the lap 233 caution, while most of the leaders stayed out, to be able to make it to the end and finish sixth.

    “I was pretty down and I thought, ‘There it went,’” Harvick said. “We dodged one, for sure.”

    Harvick now sits third in points, 46 points behind Hamlin.

    Johnson also used the fuel card as he stretched it the last 88 laps to come home fifth and bring the gap from first to second to just 15 points.

    “I’m so happy to put pressure on the No. 11 team,” Johnson said.

    Hamlin, meanwhile, led a series high 190 laps before having to pit late for fuel, resulting in a 12th place finish.

    “Knowing that we had a very, very good points lead with 15 or 20 to go, that quickly diminishes, it hurts,” Hamlin said. “It hurts when you have a car that can possibly win.

    “So for me, I wasn’t aware that anyone was going to try to stretch it [on fuel] and make it. [Crew chief] Mike [Ford] didn’t make me aware that anyone was going to stretch it and make it so I went out there and ran as hard as I could. Unfortunately, our car didn’t have as good of fuel mileage as everyone else’s.”

    The Sprint Cup Series now heads to the final event of the season – the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Hamlin looks to lock up the championship while Johnson and Harvick look to steal the trophy away.

    For Hamlin not to worry about where Johnson or Harvick finish and just purely lock up the championship, he has to win or finish second while leading the most laps. If he falls beyond those two positions, depending on where Johnson finishes, he could lose the championship.

    In a sense, for Johnson to win the title, he has to gain 16 points on Hamlin as if he ties, he loses virtue of the tie breaker.

    If Johnson wins and leads the most laps, Hamlin has to finish second and tie him in the most laps led category.

    If Johnson wins, but doesn’t lead the most laps, Hamlin has to finish second or finish third while leading at least one lap.

    If Johnson finishes second while leading the most laps, Hamlin has to finish third or better without leading a lap, fourth or better with leading at least a lap or finish fifth and tie him for most laps led.

    If Johnson finishes second while leading at least one lap, Hamlin has to finish fourth or better without leading a lap, fifth or better with leading at least a lap or finish sixth and lead the most laps.

    If Johnson finishes second yet doesn’t lead, Hamlin has to finish fifth or better without leading a lap, sixth with leading at least a lap, or seventh and lead the most laps.

    The scenarios can continue way beyond that as they are pretty much endless till you get Hamlin finishing last and not leading a lap.

    However, there is also a third party – Harvick. Harvick could play a definite factor, depending on how he finishes.

    For Harvick to win the championship, he is going to need to gain 47 points on Hamlin and 32 points on Johnson.

    Let’s take a look at a couple of scenarios.

    If Harvick was to win the race and lead the most laps, he’d need Hamlin to finish seventh or worse, eighth or worse if he led a lap or ninth or worse if he tied Harvick in leading the most. Harvick would then also need Johnson to finish fourth or worse, third or worse if he led a lap, or second or worse if he tied Harvick in most laps led.

    If Harvick wins the race without leading the most, Hamlin needs to finish eighth or worse, ninth or worse if he leads, or 11th or worse if he leads the most. He then would need Johnson to also finish fifth or worse, sixth or worse if he led, or seventh or worse if he led the most laps.

    If Harvick was to finish second with leading the most laps, he’d need Hamlin to finish 11th or worse, 12th or worse if he led or 14th or worse if he led the most laps. He then would also need Johnson to finish seventh or worse, eighth or worse if he led, or ninth or worse if he led the most laps.

    If Harvick was to finish second with leading at least a lap but not the most, he’d need Hamlin to finish 12th or worse, 14th or worse if he led, or 15th or worse if he led the most. He then would need Johnson to finish eighth or worse, ninth or worse if he led, or 11th or worse if he led the most laps.

    If Harvick was to finish second without leading a lap, he’d need Hamlin to finish 14th or worse, 15th or worse if he led, or 17th or worse if he led the most laps. He then would need Johnson to finish ninth or worse, 11th or worse if he led, or 12th or worse if he led the most laps.

    Their past performances at Homestead-Miami would believe you to think that Harvick would have an advantage.

    In Harvick’s past nine starts at Homestead-Miami, he has no wins, four top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 8.4. Last year he finished third while in 2008, he finished second.

    For Johnson, in his past nine starts at Homestead-Miami, he has no wins, three top fives, six top 10s and an average finish of 12.7. Last year, he finished fifth while the year before, he finished 15th. Though Johnson has taken the conservative approach the last four years due to just looking to lock up the championship so with the need to push it, he could step up it up to a win.

    Hamlin, meanwhile, has already done the duty of stepping it up to a win. In his five past starts, he has one win, three top fives, three top 10s and an average finish of 10.6. He is last year’s winner as he won the race to close out the season, making his claim then that he was going after the title this year.

    As a whole, this looks to be one of the best championship fights that NASCAR has seen in awhile and it definitely will go down to the wire. Depending on what driver pushes it to most, what teams performs the best on pit road and what crew chief makes the best adjustments will determine who your 2010 champion is.

  • CHEVY NSCS AT HOMESTEAD: Post Qualifying Press Conf Transcript

    NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

    FORD 400

    HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

    TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

    November 19, 2010

     

    Team Chevy Championship Contenders Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick Qualified Sixth and 28th To Set the Stage for Sunday’s Battle for the Title NASCAR at Homestead

    HOMESTEAD, Fla – (November 19, 2010) – The field is set for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) battle for the title in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Team Chevy championship contenders Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, and Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet, qualified sixth and 28th respectively for the 267-lap/400.5-mile race.

    Four-time defending NSCS champion Johnson heads into the final race second in the standings 15 points out of the top spot. Harvick is third, 31 points down to Johnson.

    Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet, will start third in the 36th race of the year.

    Mark Martin, No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, posted the eighth fastest qualifying time. Regan Smith, No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet, was 10th fastest to give Chevrolet four of the top-10 starters in the 43-car field.

    A total of 15 Team Chevy drivers will take the green flag one final time this season.

    Kasey Kahne (Toyota) was the pole sitter.  Carl Edwards (Ford), Bill Elliott (Ford) and A.J. Allmendinger (Ford) complete the top-five qualifiers.

    The Ford 400 is set to start at 1:00 p.m. ET Sunday with live broadcast coverage on ESPN TV, MRN Radio and Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128.

    POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:

    JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER BOATS CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 3RD:

     

    CONGRATULATIONS ON A VERY SOLID SEASON. YOU’VE GOT ANOTHER CHANCE TO TACK ON ANOTHER WIN ON SUNDAY AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

    “Yeah, we unloaded really good today. You know, you show up on Friday and you just never know. People ask you throughout the week, how’s your car going to be for this weekend, and you just really never know until you get to make those first laps on Friday. We unloaded here with a little different set-up than what we have run at the other 1.5-mile tracks and the car had really good speed in it. And it even seemed like it was going to be good on the longer runs. It’s been a great weekend for us. We were racing both Kasey (Kahne) and Carl (Edwards) for the most poles so I thought it was ironic that we all ended up first, second, and third. But it’s been a really good day for us.”

    WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON 2010, IS IT OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE, OR DO YU FEEL LIKE YOU LEFT SOMETHING ON THE TABLE? WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO TOP IT NEXT YEAR?

    “We’ve had really an amazing year. To come back to Ganassi’s organization and then start rolling in the (Daytona) 500 and the Brickyard 400, we’ve just had a great year. At the beginning of the season we’ve struggled a little bit with some consistency, but since Chicago, our bad days have still been pretty good. And after knocking the spoiler off the car last week and coming back in and somehow those guys taping it back on and to come back and finish 10th, honestly I was not as happy running 10th last week as I was winning the big races. But I thought that showed a lot about the strength of our team to be able to come back; and Phoenix is really hard to pass. It’s a really tough track to go all the way to the back; especially with a wounded car to drive back up and finish 10th; that was a really big day for us. So I feel like we’ve become a lot more consistent and our bad days seems to be 15th now which is really good. And so I’m just looking forward to starting next season. Our qualifying has been really good this year and really, our 1.5-mile program has been great. We probably need to work a little bit on our short track program.”

    WHO IS GOING TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND WHY?

    “I would probably rather be in Denny’s (Hamlin) position because he’s leading. All he has to do is outrun Jimmie (Johnson). I don’t know. I don’t think any of those guys are out of it. I think Kevin (Harvick) certainly could be a spoiler in all that. He’s been really consistent and I don’t know. If I did, I would put a lot of money on it in Vegas, but I don’t.

    IF YOU HAD A LOT OF MONEY, WHERE WOULD YOU PUT IT?

    “In the bank (laughter).  I think it’s just really hard to pick one because they all have had really good years and I think any of them are capable of winning on Sunday. So, it’s just hard to put your finger on which one is going to come out the winner. I don’t think it matters where you qualified. If you can get a lucky pit selection, because honestly guys, it’s really weird, but qualifying 15th is like the worst time to pick pits because there can be a good car that picks in front of your or behind you. When you qualify that far back, sometimes there is a good opening left. So, as long as he can get a good put pick, I think that he’ll be okay. He’s certainly not been known to be a qualifier.”

    WHY AM I DOING BETTER THIS YEAR? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW?

    “For me, I feel like they do more where I am now than where I was as far as the effort that’s put in. I know that Carl (Edwards) has shown up the last 8 or 10 weeks it seems like and every week he’s in qualifying trim. We don’t do that. We show up in race trim and then put our car in qualifying trim, but there’s a bigger transition of qualifying set-up to race set-up and the amount of lead the car holds. I think a lot of it, for us, has to do with our engines. I think the ECR engines are really awesome. And you can show that when you come to a track like this and there is so much wide-open throttle. I’m with Carl (Edwards); I have never been one of those guys that on Friday (says) I think I’ve got a chance at the pole. Maybe at Sonoma I always felt like I had a shot at the pole but certainly not at a 1.5-mile. And then I came here and honestly each Friday I feel like we have a chance. You know, today, sitting out there I’m thinking I believe we have a chance to sit on the pole today if we do everything right. I feel like our organization does a better job at getting the cars prepared for qualifying.”

    About Chevrolet

    Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly” solutions, such as the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco model that is expected to deliver up to an estimated 40 mpg highway, and 2011 Chevrolet Volt that will offer 25-50 miles of electric driving and an additional 310 miles of extended range with the onboard generator (based on GM testing).  Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

  • TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Post-Qualifying Notes & Quotes Homestead-Miami Speedway

    1st, Kasey Kahne 7th, David Reutimann 19th, Joey Logano 20th, Marcos Ambrose 25th, Martin Truex Jr. 29th, Joe Nemechek 30th, Mike Bliss 33rd, Kyle Busch 34th, Casey Mears 37th, Denny Hamlin 41st, Scott Speed 42nd, Kevin Conway 43rd, Landon Cassill

    KASEY KAHNE, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position:  1st How was your qualifying lap? “We had a really good run.  The Red Bull team did a nice job.  The Toyota engine was good.  We made some gains from practice.  We were a little bit quicker there and hopefully we can do the same tomorrow and we’ll be good for Sunday.” Are you surprised with your qualifying lap? “We were pretty decent in practice.  The Red Bull Toyota was good and the guys have done a really nice job this week. Everything felt good, it was just I was too free so we tightened up there and I was actually pretty good right there, but I felt like I got a touch tight.  It was a great lap for us.  That was really good.” What will you work on during Saturday’s practice? “Just keeping the car turning.  The track will change a little bit Sunday, but we race during the day this year so it’s going to be different than what we’ve had in the past.  Just making sure you have grip, whether it’s front grip or rear grip you need it here to go fast.  You can definitely search at this track and find different spots on the track to go fast.  It’s a neat track so it’s always nice to race at Homestead.” Are you looking forward to Sunday’s race? “I’m looking forward to it.  That was the best qualifying run by far since I’ve been at Red Bull.  It was a little bit free in practice.  A little bit too loose — we ended up seventh.  They made the right changes and the team did a really good job to get the pole.  It was nice.  I look forward to Sunday’s race.  It’s gonna be exciting being up front now, being in the mix with Denny (Hamlin), (Kevin) Harvick and Jimmie (Johnson) — they’re all gonna be fast throughout the race.  I’m just glad we are so far.   Hopefully, we can stick with it tomorrow and have a good practice and be competitive and in the mix on Sunday.” How does it feel to start the final race of the season with a pole? “It feels good to be able to have a good weekend.  Those guys came down and seemed like they had a lot of confidence and have really done a nice job since we started practice.  We just went out and did the best job we could.  We had a good qualifying run and hopefully we can do the same on Sunday.  Get through Saturday and do the same on Sunday.  It’s a good group of guys.   Everybody at Red Bull does a nice job.  It’s just a matter of doing it all the time, and hopefully we do that Sunday.” Have beneficial have these five races with Red Bull been? “I think the five races have actually been really beneficial for myself.  We’ve struggled at times.  We’ve ran pretty decent lap times at times and the finishes haven’t quite been as good as we would’ve liked, but we’ve finished the races and led a few laps.   It’s been good.  I see what Red Bull’s all about.  I see how they do it and learning about their parts and pieces and race cars, and they have really good stuff, and they have good people.  It’s just a matter of a little bit of direction and some leadership and we’re working on that.  I think we get through just a little bit here and a little bit there and we can be a strong team next year, and a strong company. I think both cars can be really good.  I’m looking forward it.  We used a little bit of the 82’s (Scott Speed) stuff today, which is the first time that either team has really mixed since I’ve been there and worked together.  We used some of theirs today, and I really liked it.  They’re gonna look at what we did and probably start practice really similar tomorrow, and kind of be teammates.  And that’s good.  I think it’s been a good five weeks.  We’ll just go on and have a good day Sunday and have a great offseason.”

    KASEY KAHNE, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team (continued) How are your knees and what is the nature of your off-season surgery? “The knees are fine.  What happened is I was born with what I have, both knees, and the older I get, the more I stay active and run and play basketball and work out and things like that, it’s inflamed it and it’s just rubbing, I guess, a hole in my kneecaps.   So, it’s just rubbing against each other and getting to where it’s no fun.  When I get out of the car, a lot of times I limp around.   When I walk around a lot — if I go to Vegas and walk for a day, I can’t walk the next day.  It’s just a pain, is all it is.  It’s not bad by no means.  It’s very simple surgery that we’ll get out of the way and be ready to go by January 1.  Hopefully, I’ll go to the Chili Bowl and be good to go.” When are you going to have the surgery on your knees and do you know how long is the recovery period? “Tuesday morning at 5:30 AM and they say, I think, 35 minutes per knee.  Get them done, go home, lay on the couch most of the day.  By Thursday I think I will be pretty good so I will be able to eat full on at Thanksgiving.  I’m looking forward to it.  I think it will take maybe six weeks and then they will be like 100 percent or close to it.” What kind of comfort level will you have next year after being with Red Bull Racing Team for five races this year? “I think it does a lot for myself and for everybody at Red Bull.  Everybody puts in a huge effort to try to win poles and win races each week.  Toyota, TRD they did a really nice job with the engine.  It ran great there.  I think you feel good on the off-season with a pole.  Hopefully, we can put together a great run  on Sunday and carry that through the off-season too.  I think we’ll be in good shape next year.  I look forward to the off-season and being able to work with the guys and being ready to go when Daytona comes.” What have you learned from this year’s experiences that will help you in the future? “I think there’s a lot that you learn as each season goes on and this one has had a lot of downs it seems like.  Some ups and a lot of downs.  I’m actually really excited once the season gets over.  Just to look at next year hopefully having a really not so stressful, unexpected changes and things like that throughout the season.  I think this year has been difficult for a lot of reasons and we’ve gotten through it.  We’ve been able to win some poles and some top-fives and top-10s.  It will just be nice to be behind us and be able to go on to next year and think about racing again and focus on trying to make the Chase and winning races.  Doing everything we want to do and not having to worry about a lot of other things going on around the company.”

    DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position:  7th Are you happy with your qualifying lap? “It was okay.  We picked up a lot from practice so I’m happy with that.  We were just a little bit loose, but overall hopefully it will hold up to be an okay lap.  We have to work on making it turn better and stuff like that – normal stuff.”

    JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position:  19th How was your qualifying lap? “The track picked up a lot of grip.  I think we picked up what we were supposed to.  We were just too tight.  Just got under and plowed the nose which we knew the track was going to tighten up, but maybe a little bit more than what we thought it was going to there.” How was your car in race trim? “We were really loose in race trim to start today and we worked on it and got it pretty good by the end of the day so hopefully we can kind of start with what we had and fine-tune it tomorrow hopefully.”

    MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 47 Clorox/Kleenex Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Starting Position:  20th

    MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position:  25th How was your qualifying lap? “It was okay.  I was a little skeptical about going out early, but we picked up a little bit from practice, which was good.  The guys did a good job on the NAPA Toyota today.  We were off a little bit off the trailer and kind of ran out of time in practice, so that was a decent lap for us, for sure.”

    JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 Young Eagles/HeatRedefined.com Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Starting Position:  29th

    MIKE BLISS, No. 66 Toyota Camry, PRISM Motorsports Starting Position:  30th

    KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position:  33rd

    CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Starting Position:  34th

    DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position:  38th How was your qualifying lap? “It was tough.  I told (the team), it looked just like Kyle’s (Busch) lap, that’s for sure.  I got a feel for it, it was just too tight right there.  The setup was quite a bit tighter than ours.  It looked just like it.  We didn’t improve, but our car is gonna be fine tomorrow.  We know that.  This is a track you can pass.  We’re looking forward to that part of it.  Friday has just never been our strong suit and so we gotta battle back again.”

    SCOTT SPEED, No. 82 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position:  41st What happened on your qualifying lap? “I wish I could say it was exciting, but when you’re right next to the wall and touch it’s not too exciting.  It is what it is.  We probably pushed it a little bit too hard.  We knew going out first the track is not gonna be near as good right now as it will be in an hour-and-a-half.  Just tried to get a little bit more than we probably should have.”

    KEVIN CONWAY, No. 7 Extenze Toyota Camry, Robby Gordon Motorsports Starting Position:  42nd

    LANDON CASSILL, No. 64 Empire Steel Toyota Camry, Gunselman Motorsports Starting Position:  43rd

  • CHEVY NSCS AT HOMESTEAD: Qualifying Notes & Quotes

    NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

    FORD 400

    HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

    TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUALIFYING NOTES & QUOTES

    November 19, 2010

    JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER BOATS CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 3RD: 

    ON HIS LAP: “That was a really good lap. Honestly, I felt like I got all out of that I could. I didn’t think anything left. We’ve been really quick right off the truck; we should have a good weekend.

    “I went through turn one and was expecting the car to be loose and I got a little tight and then back through three and four it felt awesome and I heard (Crew Chief) Bono come on the radio and say ‘you have a really good lap’ and I knew I carried a lot of speed but it felt like off four that it felt really, really good but I am sure somebody will pull something down a little quicker but our Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet is running really good.”

    JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 5TH:

    “That was definitely a good lap for us. Carl Edwards has done a lot in qualifying trim here lately so to be there at his pace I think is a good time. Unfortunately there are a lot of cars to go yet and the cars we’re concerned about are later in the session. But either way I think that’s going to be the best starting position I think we’ve had in a while.”

    ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE CAR SO FAR IN PRACTICE?

    “We came down really well organized with scenarios we wanted to work with on the car if the handling went a certain way and stuff worked as we had hoped, which was nice to see. So, I’m excited about how we’ll start the race and then I’m also looking forward to practice tomorrow. There’s some work to do there and we’ll get on top of things and have some fun.”

    ON THE CLOUD COVER

    “Yeah, it was a good lap for us. Carl Edwards has been the guy to beat in qualifying trim lately, so to be right there at his pace says a lot for our lap.

    “I don’t really know what’s going to happen as the track cools down and what’s going to take place from here, but for the time of day and what we had going on, we’re really happy about that.”

    YOU LOOK PLEASED WITH THAT QUALIFYING RUN

    “We picked up a bit from our run earlier today.  We normally pick up about half as much as everybody else gets but I think I picked up more than anyone at this point especially the top several guys so we’ll see where it goes and obviously we want to be as far forward as we can and we are off to a good start.”

    DO YOU THINK THE TIMES ARE GOING TO CHANGE THE DEEPER WE GET INTO THE QUALIFYING ORDER?

    “It’s hard to say because it’s a bit windy now and I don’t know if the wind is going to pick up because I could feel the wind pretty bad into one and I didn’t get the line that I wanted with the wind pushing me down the back or the frontstretch I should say off the corner so it’s a tricky track right now.  You have some grip, lot of wind and we will see how those guys do.

    MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 8TH

    ON HIS LAP: “Good run. Good run. Within a half of a tenth of the pole so far. Mighta coulda just got that if I had been a little less conservative in three and four. I really thought because the sun was out down there, I anticipated it to be a little slicker than what it was. I’m real happy to be this close.”

    JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 11TH

    ON HIS LAP AND TALKING TO CHAD KNAUS: “I talked to Chad a little bit after that run. I thought it was a decent lap for the DuPont Chevrolet. With an early draw like this, we will see.. With the sun going down, not to optimistic but all-in-all, been a pretty decent day for us. I feel like the car has been good. The early draw, like I said, it isn’t helping us out a whole lot. But, been really pleased with how the car has been driving today. That was a nice little pickup. Certainly a big improvement over how we qualified the last couple of times.”

    DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 22ND

    ON HIS LAP: “The car drove pretty good but the car just wasn’t fast. I don’t know, we haven’t been fast all day but the car drove pretty good.”

    KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 28th

    ON HIS LAP: “I thought we might be a little better, but not much. Everybody on the car did a really good job; we hit the chip really hard going into turn one and lost all of our timing getting into the corner in turn one because we hit it for so long, I couldn’t really judge how far I needed to drive it in there because it slowed it down so much. We’ve been talking about where we want to pit here. The same thing we do every week. Our car was very comfortable in race trim and we are ready to go.”

    WHAT KIND OF CHALLENGE IS PIT ROAD HERE? “It is a lot less of a challenge here just for the fact that the pit stalls are much longer. So, even if somebody does pit in front of you, it’s not going to be a big deal where you get blocked in because you have so much room. I think we have a good plan on where we want to be as far as timing lines and what end of pit road we want to be on. So, business as usual.”

    About Chevrolet

    Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly” solutions, such as the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco model that is expected to deliver up to an estimated 40 mpg highway, and 2011 Chevrolet Volt that will offer 25-50 miles of electric driving and an additional 310 miles of extended range with the onboard generator (based on GM testing).  Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

  • FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES – Ford 400 Qualifying

    CARL EDWARDS, No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion (Qualified 2nd) “Going out early is not good. We put a lot of effort into qualifying this week because, and I don’t know if it’s true or not, but they told me if we get the pole this week we tie Jamie McMurray for the pole award. This pole would be very important for s. The clouds are rolling over though so I don’t know if it will hold up. I didn’t even practice the Nationwide car because we wanted to concentrate on this.”

    ARE YOU A GUY WHO BELIEVES IN MOMENTUM? “I hate to admit it but I do now. I used to never believe in it but I do now. If the sun would stay out I think we could hold on for the pole but I’m not certain it will hold up.”

    PAUL MENARD, No. 98 Menards Ford Fusion (Qualified 16th) “It felt pretty good. We have been fighting a little bit loose off of four. It had the same issues. It was a little late getting back to wide open but the car drove pretty decent so we should b okay.”

    DAVID RAGAN – No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion (Qualified 9th) -“That was a solid lap. We went out early and the car felt really good. You always think there is a little more on the table. I’m proud of Drew and everyone turning this car around from Texas. It just shows how quick the process works. I know they had to do some body work and change the engine out. That should wind up in the top-10 which should be good.”

    DAVID GILLILAND – No. 37 Taco Bell Ford Fusion (Qualified 40th) “We hit the splurged really hard. We only made one qualifying run in practice and never hit the splitter all day. We hit it really hard and pushed up the track. It is disappointing. We thought we had a better race car than that. In race trim it was really good and

    I’m excited about racing this car on Sunday.”

    AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 43 Best Buy/Insignia Ford Fusion (Qualified 5th) – “It was alright. This isn’t my best place to qualify at. It’s a tough race track trying to figure out what line you want to go an contemplate if you want to do something different. I’m happy with it. There could have been a little more there but us race car drivers always think there could have been. That should get us in the top 10 and I think we should have a pretty good car for Sunday. Maybe we can win 43 people a Ford Fiesta.”

    TRAVIS KAVPIL, No. 34 Long John Silver’s Ford Fusion (Qualified 41st) – “We really struggled with our car in practice this morning. It wasn’t looking real good. Our teammate David Gilliland was running pretty decent so we switched the whole thing over to what he had and now we are right there lap-time wise with what he was. I am proud of my guys. We were searching for it for a little bit there and changed everything on the race car going into qualifying and it drove pretty good. I am looking forward to tomorrow and working on it and trying to keep improving it for Sunday.”

    MATT KENSETH, No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion (Qualified 13th) – “We just missed the balance by a mile. I am glad our speed was still good because the car drove not very good. It was so-so earlier in race trim. I thought we had a really good day overall, we just missed it in our qualifying lap.”

    ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 9 Budweiser Ford Fusion (Qualified 24th) – “I didn’t do a very good job there. The car was a lot better than that and I did a bad job. I am disappointed in myself because we have a much better car that that. I just missed it. We have a really good car in race trim and I think we will be in good shape come Sunday.”

    GREG BIFFLE, No. 16 3M Ford Fusion (Qualified 27th) – “Going to the back-up car hurt us. We went from probably going in the front to going in the back. That lap didn’t feel very good. It was too tight and kind of slow. I would have thought the car would be better than that. This is a car we haven’t run for awhile. We just have to get it on the race track tomorrow and see how good we can make it.”

    BILL ELLIOTT – No. 21 Motorcraft Ford Fusion (Qualified 4th)– “The track cooled off and the car was good. Donnie and the guys do a good job. We made some changes the very last run we did and actually slowed down a little bit. It seemed like that last 10-15 minutes of practice a lot of people picked up, but I was really surprised to pick up that much. We’ve been fighting a little bit tight rolling through the center. The car was still just a little bit tight rolling through the center, but when I was able to pick the throttle up I could get everything I had. They do a great job. My hat’s off to Len and Eddie, the Motorcraft guys, Ford – everybody – they’ve just done a super job on this Fusion.” WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR POSITION TO START THIS RACE? “I’m just glad to be in the race (laughing). You’ve got to put this in perspective. When you unload and you’re out of that top 35 in points, everything is just so critical as far as what you do. Len and Eddie have worked so hard to try and turn this deal around and it seems like we’ve made some really good improvement the last few races. I know Trevor had a really good race at Texas and that was very encouraging for the whole crew. I felt like our Charlotte was gonna be pretty good, but we had those issues during the first part of the race. Doug and the guys have come with a great motor and this thing runs awfully well. With the combination they’ve put together, it’s made my job easy.”

    DAVE BLANEY, No. 38 A&W All American Food Ford (Qualified 36th) – “Qualifying went pretty well. The car was a ton better than in practice, and I probably under drove it a bit and cost us some time. But we made huge gains from practice. David Gilliland made a nice mock qualifying run in practice, so we learned some things from him and that helped us. Greg Conner and the guys were able to make some good changes and it turned out OK.”