NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
TEXAS 500
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUALIFYING NOTES & QUOTES
APRIL 12, 2013
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 42ND:
ON HER QUALIFYING LAP:
“It was horrible. I was fine coming to the green and then I was fine in (turns) one and two and it was just really tight in (turns) three and four. Tony (Gibson, crew chief) tried to say I was two tenths quicker than the pole sitter going into (turn) three which means I lost 1.2 seconds in (turns) three and four. That seems like a lot, but it sucked in (turns) three and four. It’s not going to be a good qualifying.”
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 QUAKER STATE/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 19TH:
ON HIS LAP:
“We probably just over adjusted a little bit. We were too loose in practice and just a little bit too tight right there. I feel like (Turns) 1 and 2 were good. I kind of got off the bottom in (Turns) 3 and 4 and just lost some time. But we have a good race car, for sure. We’ll be fine.”
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 TIME WARNER CABLE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 14TH:
TALK ABOUT YOUR LAP:
“It was a really good lap. We made great changes to get to that point. I was just on the free side, so I had to back pedal in the center of (Turns) 3 and 4. I think we would have been pretty close. It felt really good.”
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET/KELLOGG’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 10TH:
HOW WAS YOUR QUALIFYING EFFORT?
“Our car was really good. We picked up where we were supposed to pick up. I was maybe a little too tight for what I wanted. But I think, to be honest with you, this year I can say everywhere we’ve been really good, like set-up wise (and) really close. But we were miles away here when we unloaded. We are closer, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING/SERTA CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED SECOND
JUST SAYING IT WAS A GOOD LAP BUT THERE ARE STILL SOME GOOD GUYS TO GO. NOT READY TO JUMP ON THAT BANDWAGON YET ARE YOU:
“Well, we will take it. It’s a great lap for us and our Furniture Row Chevy. We unloaded fast and we stayed fast and we delivered there. A pole would be nice, but we do have a couple of strong cars still left, don’t want to put the cart in front of the horse.”
YOU HAVE HAD SOME GOOD RUNS THIS YEAR WITH THIS TEAM. IS THIS A SIGN THAT THIS TEAM IS BECOMING A BETTER AND BETTER TEAM ALL THE WAY AROUND? ”I think we have A-Z in front of us as far as parts, people, just the knowledge and the know-how. We just like last week got bit by a brake issue and a fuel pump issue. Those are things that if we can get that weeded out that will help us.”
WILL YOU BE THE LONE STAR WHEN QUALIFYING IS OVER TODAY? “I hope we are. It was good. A little bit still left out there but just the improvements of this team. When we unloaded we were fast. That car has kept its speed. I have delivered right now and now we can start moving into the 500 miles for the NRA 500. Make sure we are on the right pit sequence and make good calls throughout the race and see what night time brings us with this new Chevy SS.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S DOVER WHITE CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED SEVENTH IS THAT WHAT YOU EXPECTED? “I expected to have a good lap and we certainly did. I thought that was good enough to get Aric (Almirola) but hats off to him and his team. That was one whale of a lap. I thought mine was pole worthy and ended up third. Still have a chance to get beat there are some good cars coming out here a little later and the track is getting cool. Very thankful for a fast Lowe’s Chevrolet. We have a cool white paint scheme on the car and hopefully we give it a good run this weekend.”
ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK YOU ARE EXPECTING YOUR SECOND CHILD. IS GENEVIEVE EXCITED? “I think she does. She seems to get it and is excited about things. She takes very good care of her little baby dolls. I think she understands things in the scheme of things. We will see. I’m sure they will be siblings and they will do what siblings do. I know what I did to my two younger brothers beating up on them over the years. We are very happy to have a second on the way.”
YOU PICKED UP A TON FROM PRACTICE TODAY: “The second practice we worked on race runs. We elected to make our qualifying run in the first session. We felt really good about our car. I felt really good about that lap. My hats off to Aric (Almirola) he put up one heck of a lap there. I thought I was pole worthy there and I’m still probably two tenths away from him.”
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1/BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED 13TH ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR LAP? ”Yeah, I’m pretty happy with that. We picked up a second there, so, that’s a lot of speed to pick up here at Texas. Man these cars are fast around here today. I told Steve Addington (crew chief) I said I would like to rerun that lap because I think I could go quicker, but I just really don’t want to do it today (laughs).”
YOU WERE LATE GETTING TO THE GRID WAS THERE A PROBLEM? “I don’t know. I don’t know what the holdup was but they said everything was fine when we got there. My job just to get in it and drive it.”
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS, QUALIFIED 6TH:
ON HIS QUALIFYING: “I think our balance was just a little too tight. The guys did a good job though. We got a good draw. The track was in great shape. We had a good shot at good qualifying lap, and we got one.
“I think I over-drove the car quite a bit, and the balance on the car just a little off. The wind is blowing off of (turn) two down into (turn) three so it makes the cars just a little bit too tight; a little bit tighter than you are expecting. The way it drives in (turn) one and two is great. You try to go into three thinking you are going same response out of the car, and it’s just a little bit tight.”
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 CROMAX PRO CHEVROLET SS, QUALIFIED 8TH:
ON HIS QUALIFYING: “The track has picked up so much from practice. So it is hard to really predict how hard to push it, or what adjustments to make as a team. They did a great job. The car was a little bit better than that actually, I kind of feel like I left a little bit out there. Still a real solid lap, so happy with that.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 BELL HELICOPTER CHEVROLET SS, QUALIFIED 11TH:
ON HIS QUALIFYING: “The car has been really good actually all weekend. I am happy with it in race trim. I bottomed out right there a little bit in (turns) one and two, and it got us up the race track a little bit. Really, it’s been a good weekend. It was a good lap again for us. Happy with that. Our cars have been much better this year, so really pleased.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 51 BRUCE LOWRIE CHEVROLET/REALTREE CHEVROLET SS, QUALIFIED 12TH:
ON HIS QUALIFYING: “I’m really happy with that. The Phoenix Racing guys have done a great job all weekend long. The car has had speed in it, so I’m really happy with it. Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet on the hood, and Realtree on the side of hit, it is going to be a fun NRA 500.”
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