Saturday
Dodge NASCAR Nationwide Series Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Post Race Notes & Quotes
Press Release
NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Nationwide Series Post-Race Quotes
ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 12 Hot Wheels Dodge Challenger R/T) Finished 2nd
“I was so happy to have the good fortune to race for Penske Racing and drive the Dodge Challenger car this weekend. It was pretty quick. It was unfortunate for Jacques (Villeneuve) with what happened on one of the restarts. We decided to go with a car that was very good on the long runs and very good on the tires. I think we had one of the fastest cars on the long runs, but all of those restarts were pretty tough for us. I’ve very proud, very thankful for all the help I had from Penske Racing. It was great to drive the Hot Wheels Dodge this weekend here in Montreal.”
YOU WERE A CROWD FAVORITE TODAY? DID YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO JACQUES DURING HIS INCIDENT?
“When Jacques went wide in Turn 1 and went sideways, we almost got taken out. Two Penske cars in that scenario was not a good thing. I got on the brakes to make sure I wasn’t going to damage the car and do the best that I could to avoid chaos. We lost some positions. After that, we charged to the front, passed a couple of guys and raced clean with Michael (McDowell), Ron (Fellows). The restarts were OK. We just decided that it was going to be more important to save the tires. It was a new tire that Goodyear brought here this weekend. We went with a setup that was pretty easy on the tire. It wasn’t good to put heat in the tires on restarts. It was penalizing for us to have all the restarts, but in the end, racing was clean with everybody. I tried to keep the nose of our car clean all day. That was key.”
JACQUES VILLENEUVE (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T) Finished 27th
“A tough deal today. We had the fastest car out there today. The Penske car today was prepared amazing. I don’t think anyone could come near our lap times. I spent the first part of the race just saving my brakes. I was actually driving slowly. On the restart with Marcos (Ambrose), I got caught sleeping. Instead of leaning on him, I gave him too much room, ended up in the gray and lost control of the car. I should have been more aggressive. Our Dodge was very fast. It’s disappointing. We had the car to beat.
“Our car was amazing. It wasn’t too good on restarts. When I was in the lead for a lap or two, the car was difficult to drive. Once the air pressures came up, I could just smoke anyone. We were really, really fast. The car was just drive away from the field.
“It was exciting to drive a Penske car. The crew did an amazing job preparing the car to be fast. I think we had the best car to win the race. The crew did an amazing job.”
ANDREW RANGER (No. 53 Quebec Dodge Dealers Dodge Challenger R/T) Finished 41st
“It’s disappointing. We lost our second engine this weekend and that’s tough. Our Dodge Challenger was fast. We were running 15th. It’s too bad. We had a pretty good car. I was saving my stuff. It’s a long race here and a lot can happen. The moment I shifted to third gear the engine just exploded. I don’t know what happened.”
- Darnell Communications Press Release
Article Tags: Alex Tagliani, Andrew Ranger, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques Villeneuve, Michael McDowell, NAPA Auto Parts 200 Presented by Dodge, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NNS, No. 12 Hot Wheels Dodge Challenger R/T, No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T, No. 53 Quebec Dodge Dealers Dodge Challenger R/T, Penske Racing, Ron Fellows
