NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
August 25, 2012
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO 48 LOWE’S DOVER WHITE CHEVROLET – FINISHED SECOND
YOU FINISHED SECOND AND ARE LOCKED INTO-THE CHASE.
‘It was a great night. I wish we could have finished one spot better but it was a very solid effort for this Chevrolet Lowe’s team. We messed up in practice and had to start in the back. We had a bad pit stall and no track position. But, we really had a great strategy and fast car and made the most of it today. I’m really proud of this whole race team and am so very proud that we clinched today and am glad that we locked-down the Chase. That’s something that I’m very proud of. We’ve made it each year. And now it’s time to get to work.”
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 FARM VILLE/DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET – FINISHED THIRD
YOU GUYS LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE HAVING SOME FUN RACING JUST SO CLOSE TONIGHT: “Well I don’t know how many people were here that remember like 1991, 1992, I remember standing up on top of the suites in the spotter stand watching DW (Darrell Waltrip) run a line like we were running tonight. It was a heck of a battle then and I thought it was a heck of a race tonight. Who would have thought grinding that race track would have turned into what it did.”
WHAT DID IT TURN INTO? “Well it was slick up there, but it laid rubber. So guys kept creeping up there and laying rubber. The rest of the track is so abrasive it doesn’t lay rubber. It’s smooth enough up there where these Goodyear tires just start laying rubber and all of a sudden we were all way up against the wall, it had more grip up there than it did on the bottom. I think that tells you something. Back several years ago they ground the bottom at Martinsville and it made the outer groove better. So maybe they need to grind and make it really abrasive up there if they don’t want us to go up there.”
GOOD RUN FOR YOU: “Yeah it was a great run for our Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet. I want to thank Farmville for coming on board. Make sure that you go and check it out and help support Drive To End Hunger because it’s a great game and great way to give back to a great cause.”
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET – FINISHED NINTH ON HIS RACE: “We had a really good car as good as I’ve ever had here. I don’t know who someone broke an engine, I hit oil leading, I was the first car to it. I had no clue it was on the track and hit the wall. It really messed up the right-front and the car just didn’t do the things it’s supposed to after that. The guys worked really hard and made tons of adjustments and things trying to fix it. We got back to ninth so it was a solid of a day as a team can have after hitting the wall that hard.”
WITH TONY (STEWART’S) TROUBLES IT LOOKS LIKE YOU MAY HAVE GAINED SOME POINTS HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT AT THIS JUNCTURE?
“I don’t know how the points ended up there if we lost or gained or where we are at, but I feel like we put together another great race. We ran in the top 10 with a car that was beat up. You can’t do much better than that. This team is doing a really good job.”
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 SCHROCK/MENARDS CHEVROLET – FINISHED 10TH ON HIS RACE: “This entire No. 27 Schrock/Menards Chevrolet team overcame a lot for this top-10 finish. The pit crew was amazing tonight, too. Once we were able to move into the high groove, the car was pretty good. We were just too tight on the bottom.”
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 DIET MOUNTAIN DEW/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET – FINISHED 12TH
YOU’VE CLINCHED A PLACE IN THE 2012 CHASE. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?
“I feel good about it. We worked real hard all season and I want to thank my guys. They do a good job every week and give me good strategy. I made a little mistake and came down a closed pit tonight (laughs). I don’t know what we were thinking. But we had a fast car. The car was so fast at the start of the race. We just lost that track position and couldn’t get by some guys. I had fun, though. I don’t know what the fans thought about the race. But I really enjoyed it.”
I THINK THEY’LL TELL US THIS WEEK, RIGHT?
“That’s true. I hope they enjoyed it.”
About Chevrolet
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