Catchfence

NASCAR on TNT

Lindsay Czarniak (host), Kyle Petty (analyst) and Larry McReynolds (analyst)

McReynolds on the challenges of racing at Chicagoland Speedway: “The biggest reason that (the track) wants to play mind-games is that (NASCAR) only comes here once a year.  I don’t think you can look back and say, ‘this team ran well here’ because so much changes from one July to the next.  The set-up changes, the track changes, the cars change and of course, we’re racing for the first time here with the rear spoiler so that’s why we’ve had nine races with seven different winners (at Chicagoland Speedway).”

No. 29 Kevin Harvick joined the TNT pre-race show.

Harvick on his win at Daytona on July 3^rd: “It doesn’t hurt to be lucky sometimes.  Last week, we had a good car and we were able to run up front all day and stay ahead of the wrecks.  If you could turn back the clock to a year ago, we would’ve been in all of those wrecks.  Things go in cycles and right now, everything is going well.”

TNT’s Pride of NASCAR featured a tribute to legendary driver Alan Kulwicki.

Former business manager Don Hawk on Kulwick’s mentality: “The guy was absolutely driven.  He was focused and intense.  He knew what he wanted and he absolutely knew when you had your first communication with him, if you were talking nonsense, he wouldn’t talk to you.”

Petty on Alan Kulwicki: “(Kulwicki) didn’t have a big budget but he had a huge heart.  Until the day when I stopped driving race cars, I had an ‘AK 7’ patch on my sleeve in memory of Alan Kulwicki.  We were friends and he was an incredible person and an incredibly focused individual.  He drove (cars) hard and he drove them hard for a purpose…to win championships.  He was a really good driver, a great guy and would still have an impact on the sport today.”

No. 18 Kyle Busch joined the TNT pre-race show live on the set.

Busch on his intensity during races: “You’re here to win.  You’re here to win every single week and that’s the first and foremost thing you want to do.  The second thing after that is…nothing.  You go home and go on to next week.  I’ve been fortunate to be in the position I’m in and to have the people with Joe Gibbs Racing who have worked so hard and given me great race cars this year.”

Busch on if he’s matured over the years: “I feel like I’ve been trying but probably not getting too many high remarks or results.  For me, it’s just to go out there, do what my job is and win the race.”

Busch on his rivalry with his brother No. 2 Kurt Busch: “We had a sibling rivalry and it was tough growing up with him.  I was seven years younger so I was trying to be like him.  But he was always starting everything before I was so I was always trying to get into it and try to be better than he was.”

No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. on not believing in momentum going from race to race: “We just want to keep working hard and it builds our confidence a little bit.  I don’t know if I believe in momentum because there are just too many variables during the race but we feel pretty good and we worked on the car really hard yesterday.  We’ll see what we’ve got.”

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from Chicago

Announcers: Adam Alexander (play-by-play), Wally Dallenbach (analyst) and Kyle Petty (analyst); Larry McReynolds (analyst) contributes from the in-field with the TNT Offtrack Robotic Car (TORC) with Lindsay Czarniak (host)

Pit reporters: Marty Snider, Ralph Sheheen, Phil Parsons and Matt Yocum

Petty on drivers racing side-by-side: “The funny thing about racing 50 or so laps into the race is if you end up racing a guy side-by-side for three or four laps, you lose a lot of time.  These guys are smart enough to know that they don’t want to lose time to the leader or let those guys behind them catch up.”

Dallenbach on how every race is different: “One race makes a difference.  You think you’ve got the stuff figured out and then you show up like (No. 29 Kevin) Harvick does this weekend and I know that restricter plate (racing) is a different deal but still, those guys have been running good all year and all of a sudden, they’re out to lunch tonight.”

Dallenbach on how drivers are stepping up with No. 48 Jimmy Johnson falling out of contention: “All of a sudden these guys have a little more step in them.  With the No. 48 (Jimmy Johnson) out of the picture, all of these guys think they have a chance now.  When you see a guy like that have problems, everyone else seems to step up more.”

Dallenbach on No. 16 Greg Biffle: “(Biffle’s) car looks really, really good after they make a pit stop and about halfway through the run.  The last couple of times, they look like they’ve lost some ground towards the end of their run.  If they can make the car better, especially towards the end of the run, I really think they’ll have a good finish tonight.”

Petty on drivers knowing when to run down under another driver: “When you run down under somebody, you don’t want to run lap after lap because you use your stuff up.  (No. 24) Jeff (Gordon) isn’t using his stuff up, he’s just running his line but you use your stuff up trying to get around him.  You have to fall back in line, let your stuff cool off and then come back and try it again.”

Dallenbach on certain race teams focusing on winning races instead of winning the Sprint Cup:  “There are a lot of teams that are saying, ‘Even if we get into the Chase (for the Sprint Cup), we’re not good enough to win the championship’ so they are focusing in on winning races.  I think that’s what they should be doing.”

Petty on No. 99 Carl Edwards: “This might be the best run (No.99) Carl Edwards has had all year long.  They have struggled off and on but this might be their best run.”

Petty on No. 00 David Reutimann’s pit crew rising to the occasion: “I’m going to give Reutimann’s pit crew a huge shout-out because when you get in this position (as leader) for the first time, and this is one of the first times that Reutimann has had a shot at winning a race like this, you have to perform under pressure.  His pit crew hasn’t been in this position any more than Reutimann has.  The whole team is in this position and they have all risen to the occasion.”

No. 99 Carl Edwards on his second place finish: “The biggest positive is that we ran this well.  Our guys have been working hard.  The guys at the shop have kept with it and are working so hard.  We were coming on strong at the end (of the race).  I just needed a couple more laps.  I honestly needed a couple of more points so I could go up there and risk it really hard on the high side but I was really loose.  I ran that last lap hard and fast and I wish I could’ve run all the laps like that but it’s a good points night.”

Dallenbach on the importance of wins to drivers who aren’t in position to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup: “I think it’s really important for these guys because wins matter right now.  It’s not so much about being in the Chase because winning the championship is tough and a lot of these guys aren’t at that level.  The win column is really important and these guys did a really good job tonight.  They earned it.”

Unofficial NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from Chicago Results:

1. No. 00 David Reutimann

2.      No. 99 Carl Edwards

3.      No. 24 Jeff Gordon

4.      No. 33 Clint Bowyer

5.      No. 1 Jamie McMurray

6.      No. 9 Kasey Kahne

7.      No. 31 Jeff Burton

8.      No. 11 Denny Hamlin

9.      No. 14 Tony Stewart

10.  No. 98 Paul Menard

- Turner Sports, Press Release