NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SPRINT UNLIMITED
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
FEBRUARY 14, 2015
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 2ND
ON HIS RUN:
“It was awesome. I can’t say enough about the guys on the Furniture Row No. 78 team. They gave me one heck of a race car right there. The best car I have ever had here without a doubt. Second sucks, but that is the most fun I have had in a race car in a long long time. After the year we had last year and then everything that I have been through with Sherry (Pollex, girlfriend) and all. It feels good to come here and run like that. It felt really good.”
CASEY MEARS, NO. 13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 4TH
ON HIS RUN:
“It was great. I want to thank Bob Germain for the opportunity because we were in a position here to take advantage of this and run this race and if it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t have been able to do it. It’s really cool the Geico Chevrolet ran really good all night. We got in that bottom lane and just kept getting bogged down and couldn’t get the big run at the end. I think it shows how we can perform at these places and we are looking forward to this week.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 5TH
TELL US ABOUT YOUR NIGHT:
“We got to the front pretty quick there in the beginning and then I tried getting to the bottom and tried to learn as much as I could. I stalled out and then that wreck with (Brad) Keselowski I didn’t feel like I crowded the top lane, but I haven’t seen a replay so I might of. If I did I feel bad for ruining his race. I learned quite a bit today in the Target Chevy. Still lots of racing left to do next week, so I’ve got a lot more learning left to do. I feel like I’m gaining some more confidence on superspeedways, so that is a good thing.”
WHAT WERE YOU ABLE TO LEARN TONIGHT THAT YOU CAN USE IN THE DUEL’S NEXT THURSDAY?
“I just learned kind of how to get runs. Last year on superspeedways, especially the way we started the season, it is easy to lose points on superspeedways so I just tried to drive those races I didn’t try to ever really race and be aggressive or anything like that. So tonight I felt like I was more aggressive than normal so that helped me learn a few things.”
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S/BUDWEISER CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 11TH
WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU AND THE NO. 22 (JOEY LOGANO)?
“He just drove us straight in the fence. Everybody is trying to be aggressive, but you still have to know when and where you can do things. You can’t just drive somebody in the fence. I’m just disappointed for my guys on my Jimmy John’s team just for the fact that they worked hard to get their car back where it needed to be. And then just one of those deals where you just know that is going to work. Whether it is an all-star race or not, it doesn’t really matter, you can’t just take your head off and throw it on the floor board and not use your brain.”
WERE YOU ABLE TO LEARN SOMETHING OUT THERE TONIGHT THAT YOU CAN USE DURING THE REST OF SPEEDWEEKS?
“I think so. I think it’s fun to be on the race track again and be able to be in the car and to be down here in Speedweeks. Hell of a race tonight, just a lot of fun to draft. Just a little frustrating there at the end, but it’s just common sense of how far you can take things.”
WHAT ABOUT THE USE OF THE PIT ROAD TECHNOLOGY TONIGHT ON THE PIT STOPS?
“That doesn’t really change anything for me. I think as you look at the things that happen, on and off pit road you have to just do what you normally do. Driving in and out of three boxes in or out or the guys jumping over the wall is going to be the hardest thing. There is no hiding from the new pit road penalties.”
WHAT WAS PARTICULARLY FRUSTRATING?
“There was no frustration it was good hard speedway racing, but he (Joey Logano) hooked me halfway down the backstretch and then just literally drove me in the corner until I hit the fence. I have had a few issues with him on the speedways. You can’t just take your head off and detach it and throw it on the floor board and not use your brain. It’s an all-star race, but you still have to have some common sense.”
WILL THIS CARRY OVER AT ALL?
“No, like I told him (Joey Logano) last year that kind of stuff catches up with you. It caught up with him last year and you can only do things like that so long before it catches up with you.”
YOU SAID IT HAPPENED AT TALLADEGA IN THE FALL CAN YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED THERE?
“About the same thing, just blocking.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CHEVROLET SS – INVOLVED IN MULTI-CAR CRASH ON LAP 60:
WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE?
“We had a pretty good run down the backstretch. Ricky (Stenhouse) was right in behind (Kevin) Harvick and I thought we were going to get clear there and have a run. I think he just busted a tire. Had too. He turned around so fast and there was nowhere I could go. Just part of it. I want to thank all my guys on the Dow Chevy. Everything is fine and safe. The car is really safe. I’m glad we made it through that. Man, we are tearing up a lot of stuff to start the year off, so let’s go qualifying tomorrow and get in the (Daytona) 500.”
HOW DID THIS CAR COMPARE TO YOUR DAYTONA 500 CAR?
“We kind of got in that first wreck a little bit when we got below Brad and I think it knocked the splitter on the ground so it was pretty tight for a while. We made some adjustments and at the end it was fine. I think it was starting to handle better. We’ll work on our car a little bit more after qualifying before the Duels and give it all we have got.”
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1/BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS – INVOLVED IN A MULTI-CAR CRASH ON LAP 66:
WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT LAST WRECK:
“I just pushed trying to get back in line there. I just wasn’t clear. It is kind of what we all have to do. You have to push, especially this close to the end, you have to fight to get into a spot there. I either wasn’t all the way clear, or didn’t get there quick enough. It just part of it. You have got to do what everybody else is doing. You have to do the same thing. I have to do what everybody else is doing.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS, INVOLVED IN A MULTI-CAR CRASH ON LAP 66:
WHAT HAPPENED FROM YOUR SEAT?
“There was the No. 16 (Greg Biffle) and the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) came together. What caused that? Maybe the No. 14 was trying to get into the outside lane, I’m not sure. I was running about 10th, and I had a choice to make to go left or to go right. I went left and then everybody else ended up left. Sometimes cars spin around and go to the outside wall when they are coming off of turn two. The guys put me back out there after a lot of crash damage from before when (Jamie) McMurray and (Paul) Menard got together. So those guys got together running third and fourth, and I was running fifth. These guys were probably running third to fourth, and I was about 10th. To the moral of the story is the guys that are running third to fourth are pushing really hard to crack through and lead. That’s what I am seeing. There is a congestion point in second to fifth.”
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