Ford Racing NSCS Notes & Quotes:
Quicken Loans 400 (Michigan International Speedway)
NSCS Extended Practice Session (June 16, 2012)
NASCAR called for a bonus practice session Saturday evening after bringing a new left front tire for Sunday’s race due to blistering during practice sessions Friday. Ford drivers Marcos Ambrose (Pole Setter) and Greg Biffle (Fastest in Extra Practice) spoke after the extra practice about the situation.
MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion (Pole Setter)
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE OUT THERE WITH THIS NEW TIRE? “Well, we were out there trying to save miles on the engine, so we never really busted off a good run. The tire is very different. It hasn’t got much grip. You are loose in, shake in the middle and then on the gas spin yourself out. It feels unbalanced and a little bit wobbly and you don’t want to be wobbly at 200 mph. You want to feel like the car is underneath you. I think we did enough stuff during practice to get a feel for what we need. We will make some adjustments tonight and get ready for tomorrow.”
GREG BIFFLE, No. 16 3M Ford Fusion (Fastest in Extra Practice Session)
WHAT WAS IT LIKE OUT THERE? “The tires are really hard, you can tell. It is giving up a lot of grip. It is kind of funny, you can hear the tires squealing when you first go out, before it builds temperature, you can feel it sliding on the race track. It slows the cars down and as it builds heat it actually starts to gain some of that grip back. I think the biggest thing with this tire that I remember is the first three laps off of the yellow as the hardest racing around other cars. The thing will just take off on you. That is the biggest thing we need to stay cautious of. After you get four or five laps in a run I think it will race pretty normal.”
HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT TO HAVE A LAST MINUTE PRACTICE TO PREPARE FOR TOMORROW? “It kind of threw us for a loop – the engine guys mostly. They have set amount of miles we can put on the engines and we are a little over this weekend. We are on the throttle so much around here that we are a little concerned with the engine package anyway. This is a little added blood pressure for them all day tomorrow.”
