NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
CAMPINGWORLD.COM 500
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 24, 2015
GORDON TAKES POLE POSITION IN FINAL CAREER TALLADEGA RACE
Chevrolet SS takes top three positions in qualifying for final race in Challenger round
TALLADEGA, Ala. (Oct. 24, 2015) – Jeff Gordon will start out front in his final race at Talladega Superspeedway after winning the pole position and leading the Chevrolet SS contingent in qualifying for the CampingWorld.com 500.
Gordon, driving the No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS, set a quick time of 49.234 (194.500 mph) as Team Chevy drivers took the top three positions in the two-round qualifying format. Gordon also was the fastest driver in Saturday’s first round of qualifying, which saw 12 drivers advance.
It’s the fifth pole in 46 Talladega races for Gordon. He has four poles in 2015 which is the most in a season for him since 2008. Gordon now has 81 career pole positions to put him third all-time.
“I did know we had a fast car, but I wasn’t sure,” said Gordon after earning the pole. “This is a different car than what we had here earlier this year. I mean everybody felt confident in the car and it was really fast in the drafting sessions, but we weren’t exactly sure when we made a mock qualifying run if we had what it took for the pole, but after that first run I knew the boys did what they do. They just are so good at all the details and it goes all the way back to the engine shop, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports and everybody at the 24/5 shop and even our teammates 48 and 88. Everybody is contributing to make this happen, and that is why we are 1-2-3 and 5. It’s a great day for Hendrick Motorsports.”
Gordon was 0.219 seconds clear of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne in the No. 5 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet SS. Kahne will start second followed by six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS. Hendrick Chevrolets will start 1-2-3 in the final race of the Challenger round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
The top eight drivers in points advance to the three-race Eliminator round. Gordon is sixth in points – one of six Team Chevy drivers still in championship contention.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who sits 11th in points, will start fifth in his No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet SS and look to sweep the races at Talladega Superspeedway in 2015. Earnhardt, Jr. is the defending race winner at the 2.66-mile track. Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick will start seventh in his No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS.
Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS advanced to the final round of qualifying and will start 12th.
Chevrolet SS drivers in the Chase who did not make the final round of qualifying included Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS, who will start 14th; Ryan Newman, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS will roll off from the 18th position and Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet SS will be forced to start shotgun on the field (43rd) after having his qualifying time disallowed in the first round when he dipped below the double yellow line, a NASCAR rules violation.
The 188-lap/500-mile CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m., ET on Sunday. Live coverage will be available on NBCSN, MRN, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 3M CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
TALK ABOUT LEADING THE FIELD TO GREEN IN YOUR FINAL START AT TALLADEGA: “This team has just done an amazing job this year on restrictor plate tracks. Just the preparation of the cars… I mean I’ve had some of the fastest restrictor plate cars this year because of their hard work. When we’ve gotten the opportunity to qualify we have been on the pole each time. That is not an easy thing to do and they have pulled that off. So, yeah, this is a great way to get us started. We have really run well. I’ve been excited about the restrictor plate (tracks) this year how well we have performed in the race. But just haven’t quite gotten the results that we have needed and hopefully we execute tomorrow and can learn from some of the mistakes. For me specifically getting to pit road, we worked on that a lot yesterday. Other than that I feel really good about things.”
THREE POLES THIS YEAR THE ONLY POLE YOU DIDN’T GET ON A PLATE TRACK WAS AT DAYTONA WHEN IT RAINED OUT. HAS HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS BEEN FOCUSING ON THE PLATE RACE? OR IS THAT JUST HOW IT IS BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS? “Well, yeah, it’s just part of our culture. It was that way before I came to Hendrick Motorsports, really being fast on restrictor plates or the superspeedways. I think it’s just not only the attention to detail with the cars, but in the engine department as well. Our engines showed a lot of strength today, as well as, just the effort that everyone at Hendrick Motorsports puts in. Especially Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) he is an engineer. He loves the wind tunnel and the details that it takes to make these cars qualify on the pole like that. He should be really proud of the effort he and his group of guys that he has put together and the effort that they put out here this entire year on the restrictor plate races.”
ALL FOUR HENDRICK DRIVERS ARE AT THE FRONT. HOW REALISTIC IS IT THAT YOU GUYS CAN HOOK-UP AND STAY TOGETHER AT THE FRONT FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME?
“Yeah, that would certainly be nice. I think we all understand what’s at stake and what our goal and our mission is and how we can work together to better our chances. We know what (Dale Earnhardt) Junior has to do. We know what we have to do. And we’ve got four excellent race cars and race teams that can definitely work together and help to make that happen. But, you can’t control everything out there. And we’ll just get the green and go racing and just see how it’s working out and how the lines are forming and choosing the right lines. We have to do our job first and then hopefully we can put ourselves in position to either help Junior or have those guys helping both of us to make sure we secure our way to the next round.”
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