NASCAR Cup Series

Leonard Wood, whose work over the years on the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane/JDRF Ford earned him induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, has a special appreciation for Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

SAM HORNISH JR. – No. 9 Medallion Bank Ford Fusion – HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING EFFORT AND POSITION FORTOMORROW? “I feel a lot better about it than what I did yesterday. We struggled a lot through the first two sessions in trying to find speed in the car. It’s definitely a lot different package than what we’ve ever had on the car, so I think we’re all pretty frustrated."

Our other car isn't like this one! That may be the thoughts of Luther and Stephani Martin after Eckrich and NASCAR driver Aric Almirola surprised the military family with a new custom-made 2016 Ford Fusion, designed to replicate the No. 43 scheme that Almirola will race in Sunday's Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Skittles Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - What have the last four weeks been like for you winning three of the races? “It’s certainly been pretty remarkable to come back and be as successful as we have been for us and this 18 team. Certainly it started out a little rough, but it’s certainly gotten a heck of a lot better here as of late in the last three of four weeks."

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 43 Eckrich Ford Fusion, presented Army Veteran Luther Martin and his family with a new Ford Fusion and a free year of groceries as part of Eckrich’s participation in Operation Homefront this morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Almirola spoke about that and the new rules package being used this weekend after the presentation.

It is a big week for NASCAR. First we had Eldora and over the weekend Indianapolis. I guess I’m pondering the great love affair with a truck race on dirt and the revival of the road race. Once upon a time, the fan base hated road courses and didn’t acknowledge dirt tracks because they were “minor league.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S/CESSNA CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed his former win at the Brickyard and what it meant to him, his season to date, the rules package change for this weekend, keeping his cool on-track, and more.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - Did something happen with your hood pins? “They were probably hanging, I would say. It wasn’t on TV, so I’m just assuming they were probably out.”

Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion, is looking for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Logano held a press conference this morning to talk about NASCAR’s new rules package for this weekend, along with other topics.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and discussed what it means to win at the Brickyard, his contract extension, the new aerodynamics package and many other topics.