CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP
ROUND 9 OF 10
CAN-AM 500
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
NOVEMBER 11, 2016
ALEX BOWMAN, INTERIM DRIVER, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
FIRST CAREER POLE, YOU DO IT IN YOUR HOMETOWN HOW DOES IT FEEL?
“Man, it’s amazing. We weren’t really that strong in qualifying trim in practice. I don’t really know where that came from, but I just can’t thank everybody at Hendrick Motorsports enough. To do this in Phoenix, so close to home, means so much to me. We have had such fast racecars we haven’t had an ounce of luck, but to get a pole here means a lot.”
WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRACTICE THIS MORNING AND QUALIFYING?
“I guess the sun going down probably helped us a little bit. Greg (Ives, crew chief) and all these guys are so smart. They make such great, methodical changes all day. Everybody on this Nationwide team does an amazing job, so I’ve got to thank the Hendrick horsepower under the hood it was pulling strong for sure and just everybody on this team does awesome.”
HOW DID YOU PULL THAT OFF?
“I’m not quite sure I guess Hendrick horsepower, great guys at Hendrick Motorsports, got to thank Greg (Ives, crew chief) and all the guys. A lot of help from this guy standing next to me, Dale, Jr. and just really thankful to be here, especially to get a pole in Phoenix, so close to home, it means a lot to me.”
HE CLAIMS HE IS NO HELP WHEN IT COMES TO QUALIFYING THAT CAN’T BE TRUE:
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: “Well, I’m not very good at qualifying, so he has been in the car and he has really helped our team get better on the qualifying front, as well as in the racing also. I’m not that great of a qualifier, so this is good for the team, good for Greg and the guys, great for Alex. Alex has really helped our program. Jeff (Gordon) helped it a lot, but Alex has been a great treat for the guys to work with and obviously he is a great driver.”
YOU SAID HE WAS SMOOTH AND SMART:
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: “He sure is. This is his hometown, kind of, so it’s awesome that all his friends are around to see him do this. This is great for his career, this is exactly what we were hoping to happen for him. Hopefully, he can put it together on Sunday.”
HOW WAS GETTING A PHONE CALL FROM MR. HENDRICK?
“It’s great. To get to drive for Hendrick Motorsports has been such a blessing and just really thankful to have Nationwide Insurance on board. We’ve got Dalton, our Nationwide patient champion on the door of the car, really excited about that. Just very thankful to be here.”
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About Chevrolet:
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 115 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
