NASCAR Cup Series

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – WINNER - TELL US ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU KNEW ABOUT BRAD’S ISSUES WITH THE OVERHEATING AND ALL THAT AND DID HE LET YOU BY? “Well he didn’t want to let me by, but I don’t know if his motor was going to make it. That is unfortunate for him. He had me beat I couldn’t get to him. Just real hard to pass here."

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Redd’s Apple Ale Ford Fusion | FINISHED 2nd (PIT ROAD INTERVIEW) - WHAT HAPPENED THERE AT THE END WITH THE TRASH ON THE GRILLE AND DOWN IN TURN ONE? “You know, we were just running really hot and the motor was going to blow up so I had to do something so I tried to follow the 10 down in the corner to get the debris off and I just checked up too much. I thought I had more room than I did."

Last year at Phoenix International Raceway, Kasey Kahne admitted that his self-confidence was a part of his struggles in 2013, pointing out to instances of bad luck or mistakes on his part. In 2013, Kahne finished outside the top 30 nine times.

Kasey Kahne, after being beaten and pounded with questions surrounding the lack of success that he’s had this season, vented some annoyance and anger during a media center appearance at Pocono Raceway this weekend.

“We were just all really close on speed and it was going to be curious to see who would get the top spot. I didn’t think Denny was that fast but I knew Kurt was and he put up a good lap and so did Denny. I feel like he put we put up a decent lap as well; we were just a tiny bit short.

“It’s a tough balance, but we really just made the car a lot better. Each session our balance got a little bit better and we were able to get a little bit more speed out of it. That’s kind of what you want to do, play it enough in the first few rounds to get to the final round where you go all out.

Denny Hamlin, four-time winner at the ‘Tricky Triangle’, scored the pole for the 33rd annual Pocono 400 with a fast lap of 181. 415 mph and a time of 49.610 seconds. Hamlin broke Jimmie Johnson’s previous track record of 180.654 mph and 49.819 seconds set in August 2013.

“It didn’t feel that close in the car. Turn 1 we ended up on the tight side on the exit of the corner. I said to myself a lot of these laps aren’t perfect anymore. Go get what you can in other spots of the track. That is what it’s all about is the team work side of it.

While LeBron James and the Miami Heat were experiencing the over 90 degree temperatures in Game One of the NBA playoffs at the AT&T Center, some of the stars of NASCAR, including six-time champion Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards were also describing their own experiences with high temperatures, an issue that they often face as they race throughout the summer months.

Kasey Kahne, No. 5 GREAT CLIPS Chevrolet SS met with media and discussed the challenges of trying to obtain his first race of the season, his hopes to become the fourth Hendrick Motorsports team to make the Chase, the challenges of road course racing and the upcoming Sonoma event, and more.