Dale Earnhardt Jr Diet Mt Dew - Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images

DALE EARNHARDT JR, NO. 88 DIET MOUNTAIN DEW CHEVROLET met with media and discussed Pre-Season Thunder at Daytona, the off-season, team changes for 2012, and more.

KERRY THARP:  We’re here with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., driver of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew National Guard Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, and Dale, first thing I’m going to ask you, you’ve won the Daytona 500, you know what it’s like to go to victory lane here at Daytona.  What would it be like to go into victory lane here at Daytona again in 2012?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:  Winning the 500 is the biggest race of the year.  It’s the greatest feeling.  When it comes to winning single events, you can’t beat it.  A lot of effort goes into this race.  Just like down here testing for three days, we don’t really do it anywhere else.  Same amount of work that you’re seeing down here for three days, that’s what’s happening back at the shop with the engines for this race, for that whole Speed Weeks.  The effort is quadruple when it comes to how much goes into the engines just for that race and the bodies on the cars just for that race.

Audio: 2012 NSCS Preseason Thunder Press Conference with Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.

A lot goes into it for whatever reason, more than any other event.  So it’s a pretty big deal when you win. 

            Q.  Just a simple question:  What’s your mindset entering the season?  How did the off season go as far as you thinking about this season and what’s your approach going to be?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:  The off season has been good.  I’ve been able to relax a lot, and I’ve been looking forward to getting in the car.  I really wasn’t ready to get out of the car, and I’ve been asking Steve when we were going to test, when we’re going to go to the racetrack just to be doing something instead of sitting around at home.  We plan to test a little bit more than we did last year before the season starts, which I think will be good for our team.

It’s been good, though.  I’ve been just enjoying the time off and really getting charged up and ready for the year to start.

Q.  What’s your thoughts on the speed y’all are running out there now?  Do you think it’ll be faster, slower?  Do you like it better than last year?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:  Yeah, I like going faster than we’ve been going.  The cars are really, really slow by themselves the last couple years at Daytona and Talladega.  Qualifying in the mid-180 range is just way too slow.  You know, when I was growing up as a kid, hearing the numbers that guys were trying to put up and how fast they would go, 210 here and 214 at Talladega when Elliott was doing that in ’85, maybe it was ’84, but just back then those kind of numbers, man, that was awesome stuff to read about, and it gets you really excited.

So going 30 miles an hour slower than that doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, and it’s not.  So I’m glad that they opened up the cars a little bit, took a little plate away, took a little spoiler away and gave us a bigger plate.

I could always    the cars, the track is brand new, and the tire is really good, so the cars don’t handle.  I like the cars to handle some.  I’d like to have to adjust on my car and work on the handling and get it to drive good, but it doesn’t go fast enough to have a problem.  So that’s a little disappointment.

But I think that the changes they made are really good.  I can feel that I’m going around the corner faster than I have been the last couple years, which is good.

Q.  What kind of racing do you think we’ll see if it’s not tandem racing?  What kind of racing will fans see from the grandstands?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:  I’ve only run single car runs today, so I don’t really know how to answer that question.  If I had to guess, I’d guess it’s going to look like last year’s race.

Q.  I was just curious your thoughts about what kind of impact the stories we’ve seen about limiting communications between drivers on the track might make.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:  I don’t think it’ll be a big deal.  You know, pretty much everybody is working with teammates anyways.  I don’t think they’re going to limit that.  I don’t think it’ll be any big deal.  When we first started tandem drafting, you might end up working with somebody outside of your company, but then everybody sort of got a little strict on who they were going to work with and how they were going to do it, and they stuck with that plan the entire races.  So I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.

Q.  Do you have any changes at all really with your team this year, and if not, can you just talk about kind of the difference going into this year compared to last year?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:  We had a couple people move around.  I had a really, really good interior guy that went to work at RCR because it’s a little closer to where he lives.  A lot, actually.  And we got a new guy who works out really good.

A couple other positions like that, similar to that, that can really affect a team.  Everybody’s personalities have to mesh and everybody has to get along good.  You get one guy in there that everybody doesn’t like, then you’ve got a big problem, kind of a bruise over the entire season and can really bring a team down from the inside out.

But I feel pretty good about the changes we’ve made.  I believe in what Steve chooses when it comes to personnel, to put the team around him that he thinks he needs.  So I’m excited about some of those changes that we’ve made.

But other than that, we have nothing really huge that’s been done.  I think they did hire a fellow to come in and manage the fabrication department or something like that, which is a pretty big deal, but the effects of that won’t be felt for another month or so.

Q.  When Danica came here in ’09 for the ARCA test she talked about how nervous she was and had trouble figuring out how to put her hair in the uniform and things like that.  Did you pay any attention to her today?  Did you feel like this is routine stuff for her, that she’s kind of gotten past all that?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:  I didn’t even remember that she was supposed to be here.  I didn’t know who was in the 10 car until Steve told me because I saw 10 on the board, and I’m thinking, There’s no 10; who’s in the 10?  But she’s been relatively quiet, and that’s probably good for her to be able to come in here and work and get everything done she wants to get done and concentrate on her driving and concentrate on her new team and everybody.  She’s learning a whole new group of guys, and the nuances of the Cup car versus the Nationwide car.  As far as I can tell it’s been a pretty quiet day, considering.

Q.  Just wanted to ask you about Cole Whitt in your Nationwide car, about that deal.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:  All right.

Q.  Tell me how you came to pick him over the other drivers who are out there and what you think he brings to your team.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:  Well, I thought that, no disrespect to any of the guys that we didn’t choose, they know who they are, but we considered a lot of different people.  I just felt like Cole had some potential that was untapped, that we hadn’t    he had potential and ability that we hadn’t been able to    he hadn’t even discovered yet, and I feel like in the guys that we looked at, we sort of know what kind of hand and cars they had and what kind of talent they had and where they would take us.

And I think it’s more exciting, a lot more risky but more exciting to go with a guy who you don’t really know what he’s capable of and could be big things, but you’ve just got to take that risk.  And that’s really why I do it.  I don’t do it to make money.  I don’t have a whole lot of other reasons to be in the Nationwide Series other than just to help somebody.  When I’m able to do that    I enjoy seeing what happened to Brad and seeing Eric get a deal like he’s got now.  That’s why I do it, you know.

It’s funner to help the new guy than it is to help the guy that’s kind of been through the ringer a few times.  Everybody deserves their opportunity, and I just feel like that was going to be Cole’s only shot.

Q.  You had watched Keselowski and seen him on the track and kind of had him on the radar screen.  Did you have that same kind of interest with Cole because this really came together very quickly with Eric leaving.  Was he somebody that you said, my goodness, if we could give this kid a shot somewhere down the road    because you also have Josh under roof, too.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:  Well, Josh did a good job for us.  I didn’t really watch Cole like I did Brad.  I knew Brad before I even thought about hiring him as a driver.  I just knew him, knew his family and stuff and would see him and watch him drive and watch him do stuff.

And he impressed me, but I didn’t have the opportunity to sort of    I didn’t have the opportunity to watch Cole.  The only time I really got to see Cole race was at Phoenix in the Cup car when I was out on the track with him.  I never watched any of his truck races, never seen him drive before then.  But everybody who works in that garage in there that has my phone number called me and told me Cole was the guy.  Every  one of them.  People I don’t even talk to, people that I don’t really have relationships with took time out of their day to call me and say, that’s the guy you need to hire.  They had no other interest, other than interest in seeing Cole do well and get an opportunity.  I thought it said a lot for people to do that.

And the ones that I reached out to, that was the first guy on their list.  I trusted all these people, and I feel like the guy    from what I can tell, what I can see, that he deserves an opportunity.  This might be his only opportunity, so I wanted to be the one to give it to him.

Q.  How did your ’70s themed New Year’s Eve party go, and who did you end up dressing up as?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:  I’m glad you asked.  I was Evel Knievel, of course.  Has Matt Kenseth been in here today?  Is he coming in?

KERRY THARP:  He’s coming in in about 30 minutes.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:  Y’all can remind him that he owes me $2,500 because he had a beard that night and I bet him he couldn’t keep it through the test, and we actually sent a few texts back and forth to confirm the bet, and he shaved his beard.  You guys can remind him    I told him to go to the bank, but maybe he forgot.  I want my $2,500.

KERRY THARP:  Thank you, Dale.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Host Jamie Little talks with six of the 12 drivers during NASCAR After the Lap at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Dec. 1, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nev. - Photo Credit:Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

Top-12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Drivers Hold Nothing Back

LAS VEGAS (Dec. 1, 2011) – The 2011 top-12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series^TM drivers held nothing back today at the third annual, fan-favorite NASCAR After The Lap held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas and sponsored by Coca-Cola and Ford. ESPN pit road reporter Jamie Little hosted the event along with co-host Miss Sprint Cup Monica Palumbo.

A list of the top-10 unfiltered, driver “tell-all” comments are outlined below. 

Top-10 List

Number 1

• · Ryan Newman was asked if he purchased his boss (2011 Champion Tony Stewart) anything special after winning the championship.
• · “No!”
• · Jamie Little followed with “Ryan, you told me earlier there was a waxing appointment but that no appointment was long enough to cover Tony’s needs.”

Number 2

• · Question for Kyle Busch: “Kyle, we hear your wife cooked her first Thanksgiving this year…How did she do?”
• · Response: “It was good. That’s what she said.”

Number 3

• · Comment from host Little: “There are a lot of single women in Vegas.”
• · Response from Stewart: “Why do you think I’m just happy to be here?”

Number 4

After comments about brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch dressing alike and being confused for each other, Kurt Busch responded:

• · “When the fine comes in the mail, they know how to spell our name right.”

Number 5

• · Question: What if Delana Harvick (wife of Kevin Harvick) showed up (to the race) without a fire suit?
• · Special guest and Blue Comedy Tour comedian Bill Engvall responded: “We talking no suit at all? Cus, that would be awesome.”
• · Harvick followed with “If she walked out without a fire suit and I missed the race, you’d know why.”
• · “At least for the first 10 laps…” said Matt Kenseth.

Number 6

• · Earnhardt Jr. was asked about his future wife…
• · “Yea, she’s real,” said Earnhardt Jr.
• · “Not real’s a blow-up doll.” Engvall
• · Little asked if she was a blonde.
• · “She’s like Snooki … he hasn’t noticed,” said Gordon. Earlier in the show, Stewart had commented that “For the first three episodes, I didn’t even know Snooki had a head.”

Number 7

• · Stewart was positioned in a chair next to Little who was standing nearby. “Why do you think she sat me next to her? Always sit the fat kid next to the tall girl.”

Number 8

• · Kurt Busch noted that he was “camera shy. I think the best form of communication is cussing.”

Number 9

• · “I felt uncomfortable today for the first time in a long time because I was changing next to Carl.” Stewart
• · “You’ll always have me beat with that back hair.” Carl Edwards
• · “Hey, I’m out here working hard to represent all fat kids.” Stewart

Number 10

• · Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Gordon break dancing for fans at NASCAR After The Lap.

- ASPIRE Communications, Press Release 

Nathan Tuggle (Wheaties FUEL) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (HHP Photo)

Wheaties FUEL Presents Trophy at NASCAR Post-Season Ceremony

Minneapolis, Minn. (December 1, 2011) - Junior Nation has spoken once again. Fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr. voted the Sprint Cup Series driver the NASCAR® NMPA Most Popular Driver for the ninth straight year. Earnhardt Jr. earned the award after receiving the most online fan votes among all eligible drivers throughout the 2011 racing season.

The trophy was presented by award sponsor Wheaties FUEL to Earnhardt Jr. at the National Motorsports Press Association’s Myers Brothers ceremony Thursday in Las Vegas, Nev.

Fans cast nearly 1.5 million total votes throughout the 2011 campaign, voting up to once per day for their favorite driver at www.WheatiesFuelMostPopularDriver.com. The field was narrowed to 10 finalists and the vote counts were reset to zero for the final 10 races of the season. The nine other finalists were (in alphabetical order): Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart.

“It’s a big honor. My fans have been real supportive throughout my career,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “This has been a little bit of a turnaround year from the last couple of years, and we want to keep getting better on the racetrack and give our fans what they expect. We’ve got a lot of momentum going into 2012, and I’m proud to accept this award on behalf of all the fans who voted.”

Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive Most Popular Driver wins with 10, and he also holds the record for total wins with 16. He removed himself from voting after earning the honor the 16th time.

“Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s fans showcase the passion NASCAR drivers can instill,” said Rea White, president of the National Motorsports Press Association. “The NMPA appreciates all the fans who vote to make this award an important part of NASCAR.”

Since 1956, the NASCAR NMPA Most Popular Driver Award, now sponsored by Wheaties FUEL, has recognized NASCAR’s most beloved Sprint Cup driver. The award has been won by champions such as Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip. It is still the only NASCAR award determined solely by the fans.

The contest once was decided by a poll among the drivers taken at the end of the season. Later, only the press was able to vote for the winner. Today, race fans from all over the world make the ultimate decision. General Mills became involved with the award in 2001 and today the Wheaties FUEL brand is the presenting sponsor.

By Champions. For Champions. Wheaties FUEL was developed in 2009 with the help of Peyton Manning, triathlete Hunter Kemper, Kevin Garnett, gold medal-winning decathlete Bryan Clay, Albert Pujols and sports nutritionist Dr. John Ivy. After a year-long development process, the result is a delicious honey cinnamon crunch that helps meet the nutritional needs of today’s champion athletes and delivers long-lasting energy from complex carbohydrates, includes b-vitamins to help your body release energy provided by food, and provides an excellent source of fiber to help you feel full.

For more information about the NASCAR NMPA Wheaties FUEL Most Popular Driver Award, including a list of past winners, visit www.WheatiesFuelMostPopularDriver.com.

- Breaking Limits Marketing for General Mills, Press Release

Dale Earnhardt Jr (Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)

The current series points leader, Carl Edwards, was second quickest with a lap speed of 172.678 mph, while second in the points, Tony Stewart, was 15th quickest with a lap speed of 171.249 mph.

Rounding out the top-ten quickest during practice were Matt Kenseth (172.298) who was third quickest, Ryan Newman (172.068) fourth, Jimmie Johnson (172.013) fifth, Kasey Kahne (171.920) sixth, Landon Cassill (171.887) seventh, Jeff Gordon (171.674) eighth, Kevin Harvick (171.652) ninth and Juan Pablo Montoya (171.581) posting the tenth quickest lap speed.

Following shortly after this session, the teams “Happy Hour” (final) practice session (the last series practice session of 2011)  is scheduled to run from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM (ET) with qualifying set to get underway at 2:40 PM (ET).

The Ford 400 is scheduled to start around 3:20 PM (ET) on Sunday afternoon, and ESPN will begin their (pre-race) television coverage at 2:00 PM (ET).

2011 NSCS Ford 400 First Practice Session Speeds

(i) Ineligible for Points in this Series
# Denotes Rookie
* Required to Qualify on Time

NASCAR HotPass on DIRECTV

Event: Ford 400
Previous Winner: Carl Edwards (beat Jimmie Johnson by 1.608 seconds on Nov. 21, 2010)
Date / Time: Sunday, Nov. 20, at 3 p.m. EST
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Configuration: 1.5-mile oval (267 laps = 400.5 miles)
Banking in Turns: 18-20 degrees (variable)
Banking on Straightaways: 4 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,760 feet
Backstretch: 1,760 feet
First Sprint Cup Series Race: November 14, 1999 – Pennzoil 400 (Winner – Tony Stewart)
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 65,000

NASCAR HOTPASS™ on DIRECTV is back, and it’s FREE to all DIRECTV customers. Four dedicated driver channels offering viewers multiple camera angles, real-time statistics and audio of the network broadcast augmented by live communication between the drivers and their pit crews are available for all 36 points-paying races during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

The NASCAR HOTPASS lineup for the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway is as follows:

DIRECTV Channel 795:

Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet team of Stewart-Haas Racing

Tony Stewart will make his 464^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 13^th at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Has two wins (1999 and 2000) and six top-10 finishes in 12 Sprint Cup starts at Homestead … The 40-year-old Columbus, Ind., native has won 43 races and has 265 top-10 finishes in 463 Sprint Cup starts … 2011 marks Stewart’s 13^th full year in Sprint Cup and he won the points championship in 2002 and 2005 … Started eighth and finished third last week at Phoenix International Raceway … Ranks second in Sprint Cup Series points with four wins and 18 top-10 finishes.

DIRECTV Channel 796:

Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team of Richard Childress Racing

Kevin Harvick will make his 394^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 11^th at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Has eight top-10 finishes in 10 starts at Homestead … The 35-year-old Bakersfield, Calif., native has 18 wins and 173 top-10 finishes in 393 Sprint Cup starts … 2011 marks Harvick’s 11^th full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best points finish of third in 2010 … Won 2001 and 2006 NASCAR Nationwide Series championships … Started 27^th and finished 19^th last week at Phoenix International Raceway … Ranks third in Sprint Cup Series points with four wins and 18 top-10 finishes.

DIRECTV Channel 797:

Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the No. 88 National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports

Dale Earnhardt Jr., will make his 435^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 12^th at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Has two top-15 finishes in 11 Sprint Cup starts at Homestead … The 37-year-old Kannapolis, N.C., native has won 18 races and has 162 top-10 finishes in 434 Sprint Cup starts … 2011 marks Earnhardt’s 12^th full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best points finish of third in 2003 … Won 1998 and 1999 NASCAR Nationwide Series championships … Started 22^nd and finished 24^th last week at Phoenix International Raceway … Ranks seventh in Sprint Cup Series points with 12 top-10 finishes.

DIRECTV Channel 798:

Carl Edwards and the No. 99 Aflac Ford team of Roush Fenway Racing

Carl Edwards will make his 265^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his eighth at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Has two wins (2008 and 2010), one pole (2005) and six top-10 finishes in seven Sprint Cup starts at Homestead … The 32-year-old Columbia, Mo., native has won 19 races and has 143 top-10 finishes in 264 Sprint Cup starts … Won 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series title … 2011 marks Edwards’ seventh full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best points finish of second in 2008 … Started ninth and finished second last week at Phoenix International Raceway … Ranks first in Sprint Cup Series points with one win and 25 top-10 finishes.

About NASCAR HOTPASS on DIRECTV:

NASCAR HOTPASS is available free to all DIRECTV customers. More information is available at www.directv.com/hotpass.

- True Speed Communication for NASCAR HotPass on DIRECTV

John Darby (L), NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director talks with Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet in the garage during the NASCAR Aerodynamic and Fuel Injection Test at Daytona International Speedway. - Photo Credit: Jerry Markland, Getty Images for NASCAR

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD/DIET MOUNTAIN DEW CHEVROLET, met with the media during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Test at Daytona International Raceway.

An interview with DALE EARNHARDT, JR.

Q. Did you find the secret?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: We’re still working.

Q. What were some of the things out there you saw the car maybe doing a little bit different in the draft? Anything in particular?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: We have tried smaller spoilers at half-inch increments down to a three-inch blade. We have went down a hundred or more pounds in the rear springs, and the cars drive and draft the same. They just go faster.

Q. So that’s not the answer?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: We haven’t found it.

Q. You haven’t found the answer?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: No.

Q. Anything else you can do before the day is over?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I’m sure there are some creative minds around here. There’s all kinds of options and ideas. I still feel positive about finding a solution. I felt like when we came down here, it was going to take more than one day of testing to get there.

This is part of the work. This is part of the work that’s got to get done. Whether we find a solution or not today, we know a lot of things about what we learned today. We’re better off than we were yesterday.

Q. Does what you saw today make you think it’s going to take something out of the box, something radical?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: No, no, no. The answer is in the past. The answer is in the history of the sport. I’ve heard people comment that, The tandem drafting was always there, it just took this long for people to figure this out. That’s not true. You couldn’t tandem draft in 1998 or in 2004. You bump-drafted, but when you went in the corner, you would spin somebody out if you stayed on their bumper.

We have to get to that point, however that is. It’s going to be difficult with the surface of the racetrack being as grippy as it is. That’s not helping us at all. We got to figure out a way to take a little bit of grip out of the cars where it’s back in the drivers’ hands and the lead guy doesn’t want anybody pushing. That’s what you want to do.

I didn’t anticipate coming down here and finding the magical solution. I just knew we needed to come down here, put in some work, figure out what we can while we’re here. This is an important thing to do. We also get an opportunity to work on our fuel injection. That’s all going really well.

Like I said, we’ll be better off and smarter than we were before we got here today, and hopefully that helps us and gives us an opportunity going forward with NASCAR and their engineering staff to come up with a solution eventually.

Q. About an hour ago you were running in a three-car group with Joey and Marcos. Two cars were trying to catch you and couldn’t. Is that the direction you’re trying to go, where a group can outrun a tandem?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I don’t think you’ll ever have it to where a group can outrun a tandem. Just the physics of that won’t work.

What we want is to make the car become controllable to drive when you’re being pushed through the corner. Definitely your going down to the smaller spoiler takes away some rear downforce back in the back of the car. Those are some steps in the right direction. From the looks of it today, that’s not the entire answer to it.

There’s definitely some other things we need to look at, and we will look at. I’m speaking out of turn because I don’t know where NASCAR is today after what we’ve learned at this point. But I feel positive and confident that what we’re doing here is important.

Q. So you expressed you might have some concern about how this went, but at no point today where you uncomfortable in the car?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Not really at all. We’ve tuned the cars up 10 mile an hour. By themselves I assume they were going about 12 mile an hour faster than what they were when we showed up this morning. That tandem draft we were able to achieve, we’re going anywhere from 6 to 10 mile an hour faster and the cars are just as comfortable.

You know, I didn’t expect a big difference between 190 to 205. Those are both large numbers. 15 miles an hour, I didn’t expect really to shake things up at all, and it didn’t. But I feel positive that we’re learning things and we’re learning what we need to know to try to do whatever NASCAR is trying to achieve.

I’m not exactly sure exactly what they’re trying to achieve to the point. I know that they would like to have the pack racing we used to have. I will say, too, that NASCAR and the drivers are all in agreement that there is no way possible to get rid of the tandem drafting. But what we would like to do is make it possible to race without having to tandem draft the entire day, get back to where we’re having passing, racing amongst the leaders, guys jostling around, moving in and out of packs and lines, and then at the end if it comes down to a one- or two-lap tandem draft that wins the race, that would be expected by everyone here, NASCAR and the drives as well. The bumpers match up so perfectly. We’re so comfortable even at 206 miles an hour getting into the corner that I don’t think you’ll ever be able to get rid of it, but you can make it to where it’s not the norm as much as it is now. We’re doing it every single lap to stay in these races at this point. We’d like to get away from that a little bit. Have it as a tool, but not something that’s a necessity.

Q. Have it in your playbook?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Right, exactly.

Q. Is it possible that Daytona and Talladega could see a template change on the car?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: No, I don’t think they’ll go that far.

Q. Can you talk about the EFI? Learn anything there today?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I haven’t. That stuff is way above my head. I know the guys on the computer over there seem to be real happy with what’s going on with our cars. They’re really smooth.

Ever since I’ve been testing any of the fuel injection cars with Hendrick, with HMS, they have felt exactly, if not better, than the carburetor engines we’ve been running. I’m extremely pleased with the efforts.

Q. As we look down the road to Homestead, a two-man championship, who do you like?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I’m pulling for the Chevy, Tony Stewart. I want a Chevrolet to be on top.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

FORD 400

HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

HOMESTEAD, FL

NOVEMBER 20, 2011

DID YOU KNOW? The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Coupe accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of 184 mph. Starting at $54,995, including Performance Traction Management and Magnetic Ride suspension, the ZL1 delivers supercar levels of performance and technology for the price of a sports car.

TEAM CHEVY SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow Team Chevy on Facebook and @TeamChevy on Twitter to receive the latest news as well as updates with times and locations of events.

CELEBRATING CHEVROLET CENTENNIAL WITH GREATEST TEAM CHEVY NASCAR RACING MOMENTS: Chevrolet celebrated its 100th anniversary on November 3, 2011. To commemorate Chevy’s centennial, we are highlighting some of Chevy’s greatest NASCAR racing moments. In 2011, Chevrolet captured its unprecedented 35^th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Manufacturers’ Cup. In October at Talladega Superspeedway, Richard Childress Racing collected its 100^th NSCS win as Clint Bowyer took the No. 33 Chevrolet 100^th Year Chevrolet to Victory Lane.

TEAM CHEVY RACING FOR THE FANS AT LUMMUS PARK-MIAMI BEACH:

• · Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display at the NASCAR Championship Drive in Lummus Park, located along Ocean Drive in Miami Beach between 7th and 9th Streets
• · At Team Chevy Racing Display fans can check out Sonic, Camaro, Corvette Grand Sport and Cruze.
• · For registering at the Team Chevy Racing Display, fans receive a free Team Chevy T-Shirt.
• · Display hours at Lummus Park will be: Thursday and Friday November 17 & 18 – Noon to 8:00 p.m.
• · Activities at the Chevy Racing Display includes NASCAR Show Cars with photo opportunities for fans

TEAM CHEVY IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NSCS) COMPETITION:

• · Chevrolet has won 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Manufacturers’ Championships
• · Team Chevy drivers have scored 686 wins AND 620 poles in NSCS competition
  • o 2011 wins – 17
  • o 2011 poles – 11

TEAM CHEVY IN THE 2011 CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP:

Team Chevy has six drivers in the standings of the 10- race 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Standings after Race 9 of 10:

• · Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, sits 2^nd in the standings, 3 points behind leader
• · Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, is 3^rd in the points order
• · Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, is 5^th in points
• · Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, sits 7^th in points,
• · Ryan Newman, No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, is 9^th in standings
• · Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet, is 11^th in points

TEAM CHEVY AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY: PAT SUHY, NASCAR GROUP MANAGER, GM RACING: “It’s been a great 2011 season for Team Chevy in NASCAR. With just one race to go in each NASCAR Touring Series, we’ve dominated the on-track show. Chevrolet teams have won 35 out of 92 races run so far. We have captured our 35th Sprint Cup Series Manufacturers’ Cup title and our seventh Camping World Truck Series Manufacturers’ Championship. One of three Chevy drivers will be crowned the Camping World Truck Series champion this Friday, and Tony Stewart will be a strong contender on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Driver’s Championship in the Sprint Cup Series. It doesn’t get a whole lot better than this!

“For the Manufacturers’ Championships, a lot of what has brought Team Chevy the multiple years of success that we have enjoyed is teamwork. And that teamwork isn’t just within each team that contributed; it extends to teamwork among our teams, and also between the teams and our own talented group of racing engineers and program managers here at General Motors. Teamwork is the basis for our ‘Key Partners’ approach in all three series, the results speak for themselves.

“Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup finale at Homestead should prove to be very exciting. With just three points separating the top two championship contenders, it’s possible that the Driver’s title could be decided on the last turn of the last lap of the season. Success in terms of wins at Homestead has been hard to come by for Team Chevy. Even though wins have been few and far between, our teams have captured 37% of the top-five finishing positions, meaning that our teams have the speed to run up-front and contend for wins.

“Given the importance of this particular race, I’m confident that we’ll see a Chevy driver competing for the win and will get to celebrate on the champion’s stage with our own Tony Stewart.”

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY:

• · A Chevrolet driver has won 1 of the 12 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway
• · Chevy has 4 poles at Homestead
• · Team Chevy drivers have scored 22 top-five finishes and 51 top-10 finishes at Homestead
• · A Chevrolet has led 674 laps (21.0% of 3,209 possible) at Homestead
• · Current Team Chevy drivers with wins at Homestead:

o Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet has two (2) wins (both of his wins were in a Pontiac)

TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY:

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET – 2^ND IN STANDINGS: “You go off into turn one (at Homestead-Miami Speedway), and when you get into the banking, you lift. If your car is good, you can go and not use any brake, or very, very little brake. You stay one lane off the bottom, past the transition – it’s a little less banking on the lower level toward the apron – so you stay one level above that. As soon as your car settles in you can really just mash right back in the gas and just ride that second level around down onto the backstretch. And then you do exactly the same thing going into turn three. A lot of times in turn three, because of the wind direction there, you can actually go into the corner a lot harder and a lot further, actually turning into the corner before you get off the gas. And it’s the same thing, once that car settles in, you get on the gas and ride it around to the front stretch. It’s a pretty smooth racetrack.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET – 3^RD IN STANDINGS: “Homestead is one of those race tracks that you don’t know when it is going to stop aging. It seems like every time we return to the track it loses a little grip, which is a good thing. Since they repaved the track a few years back it has become one of my favorites. You can move all around trying to find a groove that works for you. There are a lot of different places where you can make your car work. For me it has been a lot of fun to race on. It’s just unique. You can charge turn one a little bit more than you can at most places, because as you get through the corner, the banking seems to get steeper all the way through, and you have options. You can run the top, you can run the bottom, you can run the middle, or you can split the middle-top or middle-bottom and make your car turn. It’s just a unique race track, and it seems to fit the guys that like to move around and make their cars work in different spots.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – 5^TH IN STANDINGS: “I’m definitely disappointed that we won’t be able to go to Homestead and race for our sixth (consecutive driver’s championship) but that’s motorsports. It’s a very tough business. What we did over the last five years was absolutely spectacular and I’ve just got to thank Lowe’s. I’ve got to thank Hendrick Motorsports, Chad Knaus (crew chief), and this whole race team for giving me everything they’ve had these 10 years. Even though we’re not in position to win the championship now, we’re going to go to Homestead and try to have our best race down there that we can and finish as high as we can in the points. I’ll definitely have more fun and get a lot of sleep going in there. I’ll bet you the No. 99 (Carl Edwards) and the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) won’t. I’ll have fun watching from the sidelines.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET – 7^TH IN STANDINGS: “The way they ditched the banking has made it a real challenge for me. I can’t really get a car to roll through the center and turn well. I haven’t had a car that was quite free enough in all the times being there. As I drive into the banking, it gets tighter and tighter as it loads the right front into the banking. It just doesn’t suit my style. I’m going there with a new crew chief this year and he prepares a car completely different than the guys I’ve worked with in the past. Maybe that will be the difference.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET – 9^TH IN STANDINGS: “We’re feeling a lot better after our fifth-place come-from-behind performance in Phoenix. It hasn’t been the kind of Chase that we had anticipated back in Chicago (beginning of Chase), but if we can end the season with a performance like we had in Phoenix it would make things better for our U.S. Army team during the offseason. You always want to end the season with a feel-good performance. There’s a lot of buzz at our Stewart-Haas Racing shop about Tony (Stewart) and the No. 14 team. The spirit is high, knowing that Tony has a shot at winning the Sprint Cup championship. The (No. 14) team has done a remarkable job in the Chase and the battle between Tony and Carl (Edwards) is great for the sport. I know I’m excited about it and I am sure the fans feel the same way.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET – 11^TH IN STANDINGS: “I like the South Florida area and the track. The variable banking allows us to really search around for a line or a groove that will work, and I think good side-by-side racing comes along with that. We’ve had some good runs here; we just haven’t been able to win. Yet. You have to kind of take that [championship battle] into account. You don’t want to be the individual that costs somebody the championship because you did something dumb racing way back in the pack. But, for me, I don’t care who it is if I’m racing for the win. I’m going to race them hard – just like any other race – if a victory is on the line. We tried some things in Texas that seemed to have us moving in the right direction. We’ll see if we can improve on that this weekend. A solid run can give us confidence and momentum as we go into the off-season and 2012.”

CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 CHEERIOS/HAMBURGER HELPER CHEVROLET – 13^TH IN STANDINGS: “Homestead-Miami Speedway is a fun race track. Our finishes don’t reflect how well we’ve run there. I think we’ve actually broke twice there. It’s a fun race track and a very important race because we get to crown another champion. It’s going to be really tough (to climb out of the car for the last time for Richard Childress Racing). It’s going to be awkward to be honest. It’s the only thing I’ve ever drove and always been one of Richard’s cars or one associated with him. It’s bittersweet. I owe everything in my career to Richard and it’s going to be tough, but change isn’t always a bad thing. I’m ready for the challenge. I really am ready for this.”

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 DURACELL/MENARDS CHEVROLET – 18^TH IN STANDINGS: “There’s always mixed feels whether you want the season to end or not at Homestead. You kind of want to get going onto next year and get a fresh start but on the other hand, you feel like you have some unfinished business and want to keep working on what you’ve been working on all season. It’s always kind of bittersweet in Miami. It’s been up and down emotionally for our team, but the season itself has gone by pretty fast. It’s hard to believe we’re at the last race already.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET – 19^TH IN STANDINGS: “We are always really busy Homestead-Miami weekend. It’s considered my “home track” so we have a ton of guests and events going on. We have our gala with our foundation (Formula Smiles), and it is the fifth year we have done it. It is a really cool event that raises a lot of money, and we always do something different, something cool. On top of that we have the ticket promotion with the track, so I think that is pretty exciting as well. So it is a lot of fun, but there are a lot of things to be done. Plus they even give me time to get in the Target Chevrolet and race (laughing).”

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET – 20^TH IN STANDINGS: “Hendrick Motorsports is just an amazing, amazing race team. And what makes it that way are the people who are there. These last three years of my career have been incredible. It was so flattering to me when Rick (Hendrick, team owner) hired me and made me a part of this group of drivers. Jeff (Gordon), Jimmie (Johnson) and Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) have been great teammates and friends of mine. Working with Rick – I’ve gotten the chance to know him on a more personal side. His people skills are incredible and what he’s built with this race team is something he should be very proud of. The fact that, when I look back on the wins in my career, that I had the opportunity to earn five of them with Hendrick Motorsports, is something I’ll always treasure.”

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET – 22^ND IN STANDINGS: “It’s always important to run well at all of the tracks we go to no matter if it’s the first or the last race. It doesn’t matter if we win or finish last. I won’t leave Homestead thinking our finish is how our season will be next year. It’s always better to have a good finish because you feel good leaving the track, but three or four days later you’ve forgotten about it and gone onto the next thing. Homestead doesn’t have a lingering affect. Just because you win at Homestead doesn’t mean you’re going to a great season the next year. The way we ran (at Homestead) last year doesn’t mean we would have a better or worse chance to win the Daytona 500 this year. You’ll know how you’re going to do the following season by the preparation between now and the (Daytona) 500.”

REGAN SMITH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING CHEVROLET – 26^TH IN STANDINGS: “After what happened in Phoenix – being involved in an accident on the second lap – I can’t wait to get back into the Furniture Row Chevrolet. Based on practice and qualifying we were looking for a good run in Phoenix. But it didn’t turn out that way so we have one more race to show our mettle before we head into the offseason. It’s been a breakthrough season for Furniture Row Racing, but we need to get to another level. And a good place to start reaching that goal is to end the season with a strong finish. Having a good result at Homestead will do plenty for team morale during the offseason. No doubt, it’s an important race for many reasons.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER BOATS CHEVROLET – 27^TH IN STANDINGS: “It is hard to believe that the end of the season is here. I enjoy Homestead-Miami, not only because it means we will have some time off soon, but it is a fun track to race at. We had a really strong car this past weekend at Phoenix, so I hope we can bring that speed with us to Homestead this weekend and end the 2011 season on a high note with our Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. It would really mean a lot to everyone on our team to finish strong and carry that momentum into 2012.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships

Total (1949 – 2011): 35

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 9 twice (1983 – 1991) (2003-2011)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Drivers Championships

Total (1949 – 2010): 27

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 6 (1993 – 98) & (2005 – ’10)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Event Victories

2010 Race Wins: 18

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 – 2007

2011 YEAR-TO-DATE STATISTICS:

Wins: 17

Poles: 11

Laps led: 4,627

Top-five finishes: 75

Top-10 finishes: 158

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 686 (1949 – to date) (2,317 possible = 29.6%)

Poles Won to Date: 620

Laps Lead to Date: 204,863

Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,442

Top-10 Finishes to Date: 7,040

Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date 

GM: 1,021

Chevrolet: 686

Pontiac: 155

Oldsmobile: 115

Buick: 65

Ford: 706

Ford: 606

Mercury: 96

Lincoln: 4

Chrysler: 461

Dodge: 212

Plymouth: 190

Chrysler: 59

Toyota: 39

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

 - Team Chevy, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1/OFFICE DEPOT CHEVROLET – FINISHED 3^RD:

YOUR CREW CHIEF, DARIAN GRUBB, APOLOGIZED FOR AN ADJUSTMENT; WHAT HAPPENED?

“Well, he shouldn’t apologize for it. We just made another air pressure change and we finally got too far on it. So, we had an awesome Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevy today and the Coca-Cola program, we’re proud of that; and Sprint and everybody; it was just an awesome day. We did almost everything we needed to do. We led a lap; led the most laps, and just came up two spots shy. But it was just a little bit too loose on entry the last two runs there. I thought Darian made a really good call there with just gas only at the end and we were able to run Jeff (Burton) down there and get back to third. So, we’re keeping him (Carl Edwards, point leader) honest.”

TALK ABOUT THAT FINAL PASS WITH NINE LAPS TO GO WHEN YOU RAN JEFF BURTON DOWN AND MADE THE PASS. HOW IMPORTANT WAS THAT?

“Well, we’ll see next week. It could come down to that. Every point counts right now. That’s why we raced Carl (Edwards) so hard and Kasey (Kahne) so hard. We led enough laps to lead the most laps today so we’re going for every single point we can get right now.”

THREE POINTS AWAY, HOW DO YOU WIN IT AT HOMESTEAD NEXT WEEK?

“We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing. We have a third and two wins in the last three races so we’re going to keep the pressure on him (Carl Edwards) and we’ll make him sweat it out.”

ON THE RACE:

“Oh, we had a great day. We led the most laps and did everything we could do. So, we missed it by two spots but it was still an awesome day for the Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevy.”

HOW HARD DID YOU WORK TO MAKE THAT LAST LAP PASS ON JEFF BURTON?

“I over-drove it in two corners before that but it just looked like he got a little tight and I was able to get rotated in the center and get underneath him. But I don’t think he pushed the issue really hard; I think he raced us with respect there and so I appreciate that.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET – FINISHED 14^TH:

YOU HAVE BEEN MATHEMATICALLY ELIMINATED FROM THE DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISHED THIS YEAR?

“Yeah, I’m definitely disappointed that we won’t be able to go to Homestead and race for our sixth (consecutive driver’s championship) but that’s motorsports. It’s a very tough business. What we did over the last five years was absolutely spectacular and I’ve just got to thank Lowe’s. I’ve got to thank Hendrick Motorsports, Chad Knaus (crew chief), and this whole race team for giving me everything they’ve had these 10 years. Even though we’re not in position to win the championship now, we’re going to go to Homestead and try to have our best race down there that we can and finish as high as we can in the points.”

A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY YOU ARE GOING TO COME BACK EVEN STRONGER NEXT YEAR. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE ONE THING YOU WANT TO TAKE FROM THIS AS YOU MOVE FORWARD?

“We’ll definitely learn. To a certain degree being on top for as long as we have been takes a lot of effort to maintain that. It just takes a lot out of you. So this winter will be a nice winter to unplug and relax and really look internally and dissect the different areas of the race team and what we do and come back stronger. I’ve always learned more from tougher moments and by no means is this a tough moment. Yes, the streak is gone but we’ve still got a shot at a top-five in points and that would be a big year still.”

WILL YOU HAVE A LITTLE MORE FUN AT HOMESTEAD THIS TIME THAN YOU’VE HAD IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS?

“Yeah, I’ll definitely have more fun and get a lot of sleep going in there. I’ll bet you the No. 99 (Carl Edwards) and the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) won’t. I’ll have fun watching from the sidelines.”

WAS THIS A CHALLENGING RACE LIKE EVERYONE THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE?

“Yeah, we were really, really far off. We kind of had that in practice and throughout different points of the weekend. Unfortunately we just couldn’t get the car balanced right. As a whole, if you look at our Hendrick cars, unfortunately we all struggled. The only Hendrick affiliated car that did any good was the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) and the rest of us looked like mid-packers all weekend long.”

WILL TONIGHT BE THE NIGHT YOU REFLECT ON WHAT YOU’VE ACCOMPLISHED?

“It might be. There’s definitely disappointment. I think that will be the emotion I deal with first. And then over the off-season, I’m sure it will kick-in some and reflect. I’ll reflect then, but still; in order for us to be where we want to be next year, we’ve got to work very, very hard during this off-season to understand what’s up and that’s not going to make it all that relaxed. So, I’m up for the challenge. This team is. My guys work so hard and we’ll learn and grow from this.”

IS IT GOING TO SEEM WEIRD THAT YOU’RE NOT THE CHAMPION?

“”I’ve been racing 30 years; shoot, 31 years and I’ve won probably two other big championship along the way. So, seven out of 31 years; this is normal. What we did over the last five years is abnormal. And then now we’ll get a taste of normalcy.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 U.S. ARMY VETERANS DAY CHEVROLET – FINISHED 5^TH:

“The guys on the U.S. Army Chevrolet with the Veteran’s Day special paint scheme; that was an amazing comeback for us to come from 30^th to fifth. I’m really proud of that. Tony (Stewart) kept himself in the hunt and we’re just doing all we can. That was a good run for us today. We had a good day on pit road. We’ve had some struggles here during the championship Chase on pit road, but to come back from what we did and start from where we did and end up talking to you (media) now is a good day.”

FROM 30TH TO 5TH ON THE TRACK, GOOD RUN: “It was interesting. The back stretch was the most interesting part the race track today. The guys did a good job on the US Army Chevrolet and this special Veteran’s Day paint scheme. I don’t think we hurt anybody on the car (smiles). Just proud of the No. 14 to do what they did. Thanks to all the fans for coming out. Hope it was an interesting race. For us to come from 30th to fifth, I’m proud of the effort. Wish we could have picked up four more.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 RETRO DIET MOUNTAIN DEW/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET, FINISHED 24^TH: NOT THE DAY YOU WERE HOPING FOR TODAY: “No. We pitted there and got caught with the caution out there and lost a couple of laps and just never got a chance to get it back. We had an ok car. Maybe a top-20 car. But, we changed the whole set-up last night. We put the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) setup in; we didn’t even practice it and we missed it. We didn’t hit it. The car was laying all over the race track. We just spent all day long trying to fix that. We should have just stuck with what we working with in practice and made the best of that and I think we could have done ok.”

HOW WAS THE TRACK? “It was alright. It’s too smooth. There’s not enough rocks in the asphalt, it’s too smooth. It’s all tar. It is really smooth. Hopefully it will age pretty quick though. But they need more rocks in the race track.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET, FINISHED 32^ND: PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR DAY, THIS PLACE ON BRAKES IS SO CRITICAL: “Yes. You know, I’m questioning what we had going on there because it seems like something contributed to that. I don’t know. Disappointing day. Disappointing weekend. We weren’t good here in the test. We weren’t good when we got here. We made a little of gains there and worked our way up there a little bit, but the restarts were hurting us really bad. It’s really slick out there and we were fighting and battling but then the brake problem happening and that pretty much ruined our day.”

DID YOU SEE ANYTHING PHYSICALLY WRONG WITH THE BRAKES? “Nope.”

YOU HAD SUCH HIGH HOPES COMING INTO THIS CHASE; THIS HAS TO BE DISAPPOINTING THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. “We knew we were out of it, but you want to close the season out on a positive note and carry some momentum into the off season as well as more as high in the points as you can. It hasn’t been our Chase at all and not the kind of year we wanted or the way we wanted to close out the year. This is a very good team and we’ve got a lot to look forward to in the future.”

CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO RUN THIS TRACK WITHOUT BRAKES? “I had brakes, I just didn’t’ have enough to go fast. Every time I tried a little faster and use a little more brakes, then all of a sudden the pedal would start going to the floor and then I’d just have to back off and cool them back down. Just something we have to look into because we had a lot of opening to cool them. It shouldn’t have gotten hot.”

CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE TRACK? “I think the corners are not bad; but that dogleg in the back is ridiculous. It’s almost dangerous. I’m not a fan of that. But I think they are going to have a really nice race track here. The surface I liked as it moved into a wider groove. As it wears, Goodyear will be able to build a tire than can wear and have a little more grip so that we can race a little bit better.”

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR GLOBAL MINING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 4^TH: “We got really tight there at the end and he (Tony Stewart) had a lot of momentum. I didn’t slam into him or anything, but I wasn’t going to give him the spot. He earned it and he got it. The Caterpillar Chevrolet was good, really, all day. Real proud of everybody. When things are tough, you find out what people are made. My group has just kept digging and kept their heads up. Real proud of everybody. Nobody has quit on this team, not once. I’m real proud of that.”

WHAT HAS TURNED IT AROUND FOR YOU GUYS? “We have always worked hard and we didn’t get in this hole because of one person. We were just looking at things wrong. We’ve started changing how we are looking at things. I’ve gotten a little more involved in trying to understand exactly what is in the cars because that is really a departure for me not to be involved. So, I’ve become a little more involved. But that hasn’t had much to do with it other than me understanding what is in the car. I think that does matter. So, just a lot of work; a lot of effort and just everybody is just hitting the right buttons right now.”

VERY SOLID DAY: “We ran well all day. This is just a difficult race track. It is hard to pass and we did a nice job today. We played our cards right. You can always look back and think you could have done something different. We weren’t quite as good as one or two cars on the average of the total run, it would get a little tighter than we wanted. It was a good day for us. It was what we needed and what makes me comfortable. We’ve run really well the last month and hopefully we will build some momentum going into next year.”

CAN YOU CARRY THAT MOMENTUM OVER TO NEXT YEAR? “Well I hope so. I think we are learning. I know this sounds silly but we learned an awful lot of what not to do about what not to do earlier in the year and it just took us forever to recover from it. We started working on things that just weren’t the right things to work on and not we’re starting to work on stuff that is making a difference. This sport is hard. It wasn’t one person’s fault. We collectively weren’t doing a good job as a team but real proud of everybody with the Caterpillar Chevrolet and real proud of all of sponsors. Caterpillar, Chevrolet, SKF, Menards…everybody…Coca Cola for sticking with us. This has been very difficult for us and them too. But they’ve all stuck with us and real excited and proud of that. Makes me want to work harder for them.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET, FINISHED 19^TH: ON HIS DAY: “It was a tough day for the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team. We didn’t quite know what to expect with the new surface and the weather this weekend. We took some gambles today and it didn’t work out in the end. We’ll head to Homestead next weekend and try to end the season on a better note.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

AVONDALE, AZ – (November 12, 2011)

Jamie McMurray put the No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet in the sixth starting position and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) champion Tony Stewart behind the wheel of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet will roll off eighth for the 312-lap/312-mile/500K race.

Matt Kenseth (Ford) was the pole winner. A.J. Allmendinger (Ford), Marcos Ambrose (Ford) and Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota) complete the top-five qualifiers.

A total of 16 Team Chevy drivers will take the green flag at 3:00 p.m. ET with live coverage on ESPN TV, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 4^TH: ON HIS LAP: “I got a really good one and two and was really surprised how good it was, I thought three and four was going to be really good for grip, I thought all the guys were having trouble in one and two, so I went after it a little too much down there, got the car up in the high groove and lost a ton of time there. It is too bad, we had half the track right anyway, just big complement to everybody on the GoDaddy.com team, did an awesome job, just guessing what we might need for this condition and just wish I would have gotten all of it on both ends. At least got one end right.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 6^TH: ON HIS LAP: “Not a very good lap, you stand down there and you watch everybody drive in turn one and you see them all get loose and chase the car, but when it comes to qualifying, you kind of have to go for it and give it a shot. I drove in there the first lap and thought I was going to make it initially before I got on the brakes but, as the car got down towards the corner, it just got out from underneath me. It is really hard to explain to people that are watching us on TV that when you get out of that black zone, it goes from being able to run like a 26 second lap to a 50 second lap, it is just really slick. That was a good recovery; I am disappointed because I really thought we had a shot at the pole. We have had a really good car all weekend, so that is disappointing, but the McDonald’s Chevy has been good and there will be some big pit strategies happen I think.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1/OFFICE DEPOT CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 8^TH: ON HIS QUALIFYING LAP: “I thought it was alright, we did not get on the pole, but we had a nice solid lap and that is what we needed to do.”

HOW IS THE TRACK? “I didn’t think it was a big drama, I mean it is slower obviously, it lost grip but it is the same as what we had when we tested here. I am alright if it stays like this for the whole day.”

YOU LIKE THE SLICK TRACKS: “Yea, I love it.”

DO YOU THINK THE SECOND GROOVE WILL COME IN, ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT IT? “You got a whole Nationwide race to watch to figure that out, you will know as soon as we know, because you are going to watch the same race we are going to watch here in about an hour, so we will know here in a little while.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED BY ANYTHING OUT THERE? “I wasn’t, this track was real temperature sensitive at the test, so this is what we anticipated once we saw the day and what kind of conditions we were going to have, this was not a shock by any means.”

IS THIS TRACK LIKE INDY AND CHARLOTTE? “Yea, the way the temperature sensitivity is, absolutely, it is very, very similar to those two.”

I GUESS THE FIRST BATTLE WAS A TOP-TEN STARTING SPOT FOR THE WEEKEND, ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THAT STARTING SPOT? “Yea, I would like to have been a little better; I think our car is a little better than that. I was a little too free to run a faster lap than that. It was a solid run and we are in good shape right now.”

DID YOU DO A QUALIFYING RUN IN THAT SESSION OF PRACTICE YESTERDAY? “We only did one qualifying run for the two sessions, so pretty happy with the way we ran.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 16^TH

ON HIS LAP “I got an ‘okay’ second lap but it’s just unclear what type of lap it’s going to take right now. It’s early in the session and we’re sitting in second. I’d love to stay there; but I just don’t know right now. I hope the sun comes out and it gets hot and more slick and then that would guarantee us a better starting spot. But that was an exciting lap to say the least.”

WHAT MADE IT EXCITING? “Well, I went into Turn 1 and anticipated what I thought the grip level would be and as I got there, it wasn’t the case (laughs) and I ended up by the wall in the center of the turn. Luckily I didn’t tear the car up.”

THESE ARE THE ONLY TWO LAPS YOU’LL HAVE ON THE TRACK FROM FRIDAY UNTIL SUNDAY, SO HOW DO YOU PREPARE; ESPECIALLY WITH THE WEATHER CONDITIONS? “We’re really learning. The track changed so much from the first two test sessions I was a part of with the tire test to where we were yesterday; and yesterday was like we’d never been here before just because the track changed so much. I think at the end of the day you just need to have a lot of adjustability built in your car. We’ll learn a little today but the race is a whole other game. So it’s going to be a crapshoot.”

DO YOU WISH YOU WERE IN THE NATIONWIDE RACE, OR WOULD THAT MESS YOU UP EVEN FURTHER? “I haven’t spent enough time between the two cars to help or have it work. I commend Carl (Edwards) and (Kevin) Harvick and (Clint) Bowyer and a lot of these guys but it takes a lot of time in both series to get it right. I would probably just screw myself up if I just came in and did a one-off.”

WOULD YOU BE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE LINE ON THE DOUBLE-FILE RESTARTS? “Every Cup driver will be glued to the television and making sure that they see what’s going on. With it being so new, you can’t fall off of past experience; it’s a whole new race track and a whole new world.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 23^RD: ON HIS QUALIFYING LAP: “Yea, we will see that track is treacherous right now. Last night we were able to really get after it, and go hard right from pit-road and a lot of grip, but boy the conditions have changed dramatically here today and I mean that is a good lap but let me tell you, it was not pretty and I could not be aggressive at all. It is a little frustrating, but we will see where it ends up.”

WE HAD A SPIN EARLY IN QUALIFYING AND ONE IN NATIONWIDE AS WELL, HOW MUCH ARE YOU DECIDING YOU HAVE TO HOLD BACK? “Well, it is obvious when you see what is going on out there and that the grip level is low and so it plays a factor of what your decision making is and I just tried to come off pit-road as hard as I could, get as much heat in the tires as I could, and came to the green decent but I could tell the grip was not quite there but I was not expecting what I had in turn one it was just completely sideways going in there, which I had never had any of that throughout practice, so it is going to be interesting to watch and see what happens.”

LANDON CASSILL, NO. 51 PHOENIX CONSTRUCTION CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 21^ST: ON HIS QUALIFYING LAP: “It was fun, I want to do it again, this track is nice and smooth and fresh pavement always does funny things with these race cars so, it is kind of a man’s-man’s lap out there right now, so it will be cool to see who is up top.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR, NO. 88 RETRO MOUNTAIN DEW/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 22^ND: ON HIS LAP: “The track is real slick, we just tried to go out there and do the best we could. I think the track is going to keep improving, which is a little bit disappointing, and guys are going to get faster and faster. We struggled yesterday in practice and felt like we improved a little bit. It is real slick and you just kind of go out there and take care of yourself.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Dale Earnhardt Jr Diet Mt Dew - Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 RETRO DIET MOUNTAIN DEW/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Phoenix International Raceway and discussed the new track surface, Kyle Busch’s penalty, Homestead and other topics. 

TALK ABOUT THE NEW SURFACE AT PIR: “I think it is time to do it whenever they want to do it. The sooner they get it done, the sooner we can start aging the track and time can start taking its toll and it can get to where they want it to go. They did a great job.”

ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING OUT THERE? “Yes, I’m ready. The cars are here, everybody’s here ready to go, ready to start practicing when it is time.”

WITH JR MOTORSPORTS, YOU’VE BEEN OUT THERE TRYING TO GAIN SPONSORS, HOW TOUGH IS THAT TO DEAL WITH A POTENTIAL SITUATION THAT M & Ms and JGR HAVE GONE THROUGH AND WHAT KIND OF MESSAGE DOES THAT SEND? “I don’t know what kind of message that sends because nobody really knows what’s going on. Only the people within the organization. Kyle (Busch) himself and the sponsors know what is going on. It is tough to make any comment or have an opinion about it when you don’t know the details.”

TALK ABOUT HOMESTEAD AND GOING THERE NEXT WEEK: “I’m looking forward to Homestead. I haven’t ran as well as I would like to have run there and I’m going to Homestead with Steve Letarte as my crew chief for the first time so I’m a little excited about that. I’m looking forward to driving a car that’s going to feel different to me and hopefully have a lot of good qualities about it. I hope we’ll end the season on a good note.”

AS WE GET INTO THE LAST TWO RACES, IS THERE ANY SORT OF DISAPPOINTMENT THAT YOU AREN’T HIGHER UP IN THE STANDINGS? “I didn’t know where I thought we would be. I think there’s pluses and minuses about the season. We would definitely liked to have won a race and opportunities to do that are running low. As far as the points go I think we made a decent account of ourselves but I do feel like and I think our team understands that we’re better than even where we are now in the points standings. We feel confident that we can improve.”

WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO M&M’S DECISION ON KYLE AND CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS WHEN YOU’RE REPRESENTING A SPONSOR THAT YOU’VE GOT TO KEEP YOUR HEAD NO MATTER WHAT? “I really don’t know what happened or who said what. The only people that know the truth about that situation are the three sides, Kyle, Joe and J.D. (Gibbs) and the sponsor. I don’t know what was said and who said what about anything.”

JUST GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE LINE BETWEEN USING YOUR HEAD AND ALSO REMEMBERING YOU REPRESENT A SPONSOR. “It’s tough. When you’re driving a race car you just think about winning races and what you’ve got to do to win races and sometimes you get ticked off at people and you forget about sponsors relationships, you forget about whether you are going to do something your mom is not going to be proud of, all kinds of things. I did that when I was younger, I think at this age I don’t do those things at all but it took a while. I did a few things early in my career that I regret, that I shouldn’t have done in certain instances with drivers. I did things where I put my relationship with my sponsor at risk but I was fortunate and lucky to come out of those deals unscathed. I did have Budweiser as a sponsor who liked for me to be a little rash and out of the norm. I could cut up a little bit and that was kind of what they wanted. I was friends with Elliott (Sadler) and I did read an article where he had several comments and I was friends with him and I recall when he was with M&M’s him commenting several times how his situation was different than mine being with Budweiser and I agree with that. He had to take extra careful steps to make sure that he was on the up and up and that he didn’t do anything they wouldn’t approve of. I think certain drivers have it differently depending on what sponsor you are showcasing and what your demographic is. I would say the M&M and Mars brand is one of the more difficult ones because you are gearing directly toward kids in a manner where several other sponsors that’s not their demographic and you get a lot more breaks. Not to say what Kyle did was okay, but with that type of sponsor you’re going to be held to a little bit different standard.”

AS FAR AS THE WEATHER GOES, IF IT RAINS HOW DO YOU THINK THAT’S GOING TO AFFECT THE NEW SURFACE? “I don’t think it will bother it too bad. It’s probably got very little rubber on it already so if it rains it’s probably not going to change the track too much.”

FOR NEXT YEAR WHO DO YOU THINK YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON THAT IS IN THE NON-CHASERS? “That’s tough. I don’t know. Anybody in the top 20 has an opportunity to have a good year and rebound and make the Chase. It’s a very competitive field. Juan Montoya I think has a good opportunity next year to run well.”

DO YOU THINK THE FUEL MILEAGE OR THE FUEL INJECTION IS GOING TO BE A BIGGER STORY NEXT YEAR? “Fuel mileage is always going to be a part of racing. People think that’s a big story but that’s just always been a part of racing and always will be. I think the fuel injection will be the biggest story because it’s such an unknown to a lot of teams and nobody really knows where everyone stands individually with their development.”

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO MOST LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE OFF SEASON? “Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas morning and New Year’s Eve. All the good things in the holiday’s.”

WHAT ABOUT HUNTING? “I might go once. I’m not a big hunter like Truex, he goes every day but I like to go maybe once or twice. I’d just like to get me a good trophy and call it a season.”

FROM A DRIVER’S PERSPECTIVE WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE FAST AT HOMESTEAD? “It’s really unique because that track is so different. The progressive banking and the way the two corners are different from each other. There’s a million different ways to go through the corners so it’s a real challenge. I haven’t really been happy with how I’ve run there and I’m going to that race track with Steve Letarte as my crew chief for the first time so I’m optimistic I’ll have one of my better runs this year at Homestead and end the season on a really good note.”

THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL TRACKS THAT HAVE HAD NEW PAVEMENT PUT ON THEM IN THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, NEXT YEAR YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE POCONO, MICHIGAN AND ONE OTHER IS GOING TO BE REPAVED, THE FOLLOWING YEAR YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE THE NEW CAR COMING IN, HOW DIFFICULT DOES ALL THOSE CHANGES MAKE IT FOR A TEAM AND A DRIVER TO ADAPT EVERYTHING AND FIND SOMETHING THAT IS COMFORTABLE THAT YOU CAN RUN FAST WITH? “We used to have set ups that would sort of mimic six or eight different race tracks, you could take that and pretty much be right in the ballpark. That is what you were using the rest of the year. You don’t do that quite as much, it’s such a moving target like you said with the new pavement on several tracks. Goodyear is in a position right now where they are developing new technology for the tires so the tires are a little bit of a moving target as well. There are a lot of times you will go to Texas and run a race, come back the next time and the left side tire will be different or the right side tire, that really changes a lot of things and you can’t run the same set up. You see Denny Hamlin win two Texas races in a row and he was very good last time we ran there. It’s just always a moving target. So the same set up or the same terminology and ideas don’t always repeat themselves for some reason as they used to six years ago.”

DO YOU ENJOY THAT ASPECT OF IT, THE CHALLENGE OF HAVING TO FIGURE IT OUT? “I don’t really enjoy that. It’s a little frustrating and it presents a challenge with you and your team but that’s what the sport is about I guess. It’s not something I enjoy but it’s part of the playing field, part of what you’ve got to encounter while you are out there trying to get your car going.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

NASCAR HotPass on DIRECTV

Event: Kobalt Tools 500k
Previous Winner: Carl Edwards (beat Ryan Newman by 4.770 on Nov. 14, 2010)
Date / Time: Sunday, Nov. 13, at 3 p.m. EST
Track: Phoenix International Raceway
Configuration: 1-mile oval (312 laps = 312 miles/500 kilometers)
Banking in Turns 1 and 2: Varies from 10-11 degrees
Banking in Turns 3 and 4: Varies from 8-9 degrees
Banking on Frontstretch: 3 degrees
Banking on Backstretch: 11 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,179 feet
Backstretch: 1,551 feet
First Sprint Cup Series Race: November 6, 1988 – Checker 500 (Winner – Alan Kulwicki)
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 76,800

NASCAR HOTPASS™ on DIRECTV is back, and it’s FREE to all DIRECTV customers. Four dedicated driver channels offering viewers multiple camera angles, real-time statistics and audio of the network broadcast augmented by live communication between the drivers and their pit crews are available for all 36 points-paying races during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

The NASCAR HOTPASS lineup for the Kobalt Tools 500k at Phoenix International Raceway is as follows:

DIRECTV Channel 795:

Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet team of Stewart-Haas Racing

Tony Stewart will make his 463^rd career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 20^th at Phoenix International Raceway … Has one win (November 1999) and 10 top-10 finishes in 19 Sprint Cup starts at Phoenix … The 40-year-old Columbus, Ind., native has won 43 races and has 264 top-10 finishes in 462 Sprint Cup starts … 2011 marks Stewart’s 13^th full year in Sprint Cup and he won the points championship in 2002 and 2005 … Started fifth and won last week at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth … Ranks second in Sprint Cup Series points with four wins and 17 top-10 finishes.

DIRECTV Channel 796:

Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team of Richard Childress Racing

Kevin Harvick will make his 393^rd career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 18^th at Phoenix International Raceway … Has two wins (April and November 2006) and eight top-10 finishes in 17 starts at Phoenix … The 35-year-old Bakersfield, Calif., native has 18 wins and 173 top-10 finishes in 392 Sprint Cup starts … 2011 marks Harvick’s 11^th full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best points finish of third in 2010 … Won 2001 and 2006 NASCAR Nationwide Series championships … Started 21^st and finished 13^th last week at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth … Ranks third in Sprint Cup Series points with four wins and 18 top-10 finishes.

DIRECTV Channel 797:

Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the No. 88 Retro Mountain Dew / National Guard Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports

Dale Earnhardt Jr., will make his 434^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 19^th at Phoenix International Raceway … Has two wins (November 2004 and 2005) and eight top-10 finishes in 18 Sprint Cup starts at Phoenix … The 37-year-old Kannapolis, N.C., native has won 18 races and has 162 top-10 finishes in 433 Sprint Cup starts … 2011 marks Earnhardt’s 12^th full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best points finish of third in 2003 … Won 1998 and 1999 NASCAR Nationwide Series championships … Started 16^th and finished seventh last week at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth … Ranks seventh in Sprint Cup Series points with 12 top-10 finishes.

DIRECTV Channel 798:

Carl Edwards and the No. 99 Aflac Ford team of Roush Fenway Racing

Carl Edwards will make his 264^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 15^th at Phoenix International Raceway … Has one win (November 2010), three poles (November 2007 and 2010, February 2011) and nine top-10 finishes in 14 starts at Phoenix … The 32-year-old Columbia, Mo., native has won 19 races and has 142 top-10 finishes in 263 Sprint Cup starts … Won 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series title … 2011 marks Edwards’ seventh full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best points finish of second in 2008 … Started seventh and finished second last week at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth … Ranks first in Sprint Cup Series points with one win and 24 top-10 finishes.

About NASCAR HOTPASS on DIRECTV:

NASCAR HOTPASS is available free to all DIRECTV customers. More information is available at www.directv.com/hotpass.

-  True Speed Communication for NASCAR HotPass on DIRECTV

]]> http://www.catchfence.com/2011/sprintcup/11/10/kobalt-tools-500k-nascar-hotpass-on-directv-lineup/feed/ 0 http://www.catchfence.com/2011/sprintcup/11/08/2011-nscs-kobalt-tools-500k-press-conference-with-team-chevy-driver-dale-earnhardt-jr/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2011-nscs-kobalt-tools-500k-press-conference-with-team-chevy-driver-dale-earnhardt-jr http://www.catchfence.com/2011/sprintcup/11/08/2011-nscs-kobalt-tools-500k-press-conference-with-team-chevy-driver-dale-earnhardt-jr/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 01:35:24 +0000 Press Release http://www.catchfence.com/?p=90797 more»]]>

Dale Earnhardt Jr (Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)

An interview with DALE EARNHARDT, JR.

THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Dale is coming off of two consecutive top-10 finishes and he has two wins at Phoenix International Raceway.

Our Twitter question today is: How do you feel about Kasey Kahne being your new teammate next season?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I’m looking forward to Kasey becoming a driver over at Hendrick Motorsports. He’s been a pretty good friend of mine for a long time. I think he’s a good talent.

Even more importantly than that, I’m excited about Kenny Francis coming as his crew chief. Anytime you can sort of infuse new ideas of thinking, new ways of putting cars together, bring those ideas in, let them sort of play themselves out, that’s a lot of fun for a driver.

So looking forward to seeing what Kenny can bring into the fold. Kasey is going to be a lot of fun to hang out with.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll go to the media for questions for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Q. How do you feel about being comfortable at Hendrick Motorsports, understanding how things work and the progress you’ve made this year?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I think it could always come along a little faster. We could always be winning races, running up front a little more often. I’m pretty happy with seeing some improvement. It does give me confidence that we’ll be better next year.

Just look forward to continue working with Steve Letarte and the whole team and trying to improve. Just keep working away at it and seeing how much better we can get.

We definitely have shown some signs that we can get it done. We just need to keep working and trying to become better.

Q. Have you ever seen video of the Kyle Busch/Ron Hornaday incident from Friday and what you thought of NASCAR’s reaction to it?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Like everybody else, I was kind of shocked that it happened. I know as a racecar driver you forget really how many people are watching and what’s going on. I’ve made similar mistakes, done things that I regret.

I know Kyle probably wishes to move past it. I’m sure he’s going to learn a lesson from it one way or another. He’ll be a better driver and a better person for it in the end.

I thought that the punishment fit the crime. NASCAR has done similar things in the past when the same situation has happened. I like the mentality that they’ve had over the last year or two with letting us sort of settle things on the racetrack, but there’s a line you can’t cross. NASCAR knows where that is. I’m glad that that’s there. I’m glad there’s some things that just aren’t going to be put up with.

So it was good to see some good reaction from NASCAR.

Q. There’s been a question of what is the line. When you saw that, did you feel that was over the line?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I thought it was the wrong thing to do, definitely. I don’t really care where the line is. I don’t need a firm understanding of what’s right, what’s wrong, where everything lies. I just want NASCAR to be a sanctioning body that’s fair. I want them to punish wrongdoing and award people for doing things the right way and just continue to go down that path.

Q. To what degree is your confidence better this year as opposed to the last two seasons? Was it a big boost in your psyche to have the year like you had?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I was struggling pretty bad to be competitive, to feel competitive in the last couple years. I felt like I was in good enough equipment. I felt like that the crew chiefs I was working with, the team that was around me, was good enough. It was very frustrating to not know why I wasn’t able to do what I thought my potential was.

I was worried when I was paired with Steve, whether I would continue along those same lines. Would I eventually have to sort of look within myself for the problem.

Having seen some improvement, having seen how close we came to winning a few races this year, how consistently we’re running, overall the statistics, my position in points, just being relevant and visible has been a big deal to me.

Q. You have had success at Phoenix. Totally different track now. Do you suspect you might have a good race this weekend or too many unknowns?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: There are a lot of unknowns. But I expect to have a good race every time we go to the racetrack. This weekend will be no different.

Q. Are you going to be here in Daytona for the test next week?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yes, sir.

Q. What is the biggest goal that you have in terms of your team and that racecar at Daytona?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: My big goal is to help NASCAR accomplish what their goals are in the test. Apparently they put this test together last minute for a reason. We’ll go down there and they’ll let us know exactly what they’re wanting to do, what they’re trying to accomplish, what they’re trying to try.

I want to be able to give them the best feedback I can to give them the solutions they’re looking for so that we can, with confidence, go into Daytona in February and expect to put together a great show for the fans that will be there and that will be watching on TV.

It’s a little bit different than what your typical goals are when you go testing. Most of the time they’re a little more personal, like you’re trying to do whatever you can to make your car fast, work with your team, learn, put together notes. This test here will be a little different where you’re working with NASCAR and the goals will be a little different. You’ll have to open your mind up a little bit to try new things and try to give the best feedback you can. It’s really important.

Q. Are you waiting to see what they bring to the table or do you have some definite ideas of what you’d like to see them try?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I think that the ideas that I have that I hope that we’ll try are very similar to theirs. I’m sure they’re going to bring every feasible option and we’ll try to get that out on the racetrack.

The difficult part is going to be simulating race conditions. Say they bring out a small spoiler, this, that and the other, we got to go out there and try to push each other around the racetrack with it, hope that that doesn’t work. It could be potentially a dangerous situation. You got to be careful and you hope to have a safe test.

You want to help NASCAR. I want to help NASCAR. I want to be an ambassador for the sport, do my part, make the sport better. That’s what that day will be about.

Q. Dale, for all the years you’ve raced with and against Tony, can you discuss a little bit what makes him so tough and what attribute of his you still aspire to match, that you feel you might be short on? What makes him so tough?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Well, I think Tony has a lot of ingredients that makes up the talent he is. Just trying to pull something up, he has his background, his experience, where he raced, where he learned to race, how much he raced when he was younger I think molded him to the type of driver he is today.

He’s very hot-tempered at times. That I think adds to his personality, adds to what his fans appreciate about him, make him the driver and the talent that he is.

I don’t really know what particular attribute he might have that I wish I had. Everybody’s different. Everybody’s personality is different. I can appreciate Tony for who he is, how he is. He’s been a pretty good friend to me. He’s been great for the sport, been great for the sport. I like the fact he loses his cool every once in a while and puts his foot down. You like to hear honesty from people. You always know where you stand with him. I think that’s a great attribute of his, is he’s very forward and up front. That’s how you want people to be.

Q. Now that Danica has finally made the announcement she’s going with Tony Stewart Racing, can you talk about what her greatest challenges will be when she makes her debut at NASCAR’s top level?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I haven’t drove a lot of Nationwide races in the last couple of years. But the ones that I have drove, I find that that car is a lot easier to drive than the COT at the Cup level, a great amount easier. I feel like that her biggest challenge will be the frustrations with how the COT drives and how you’re trying to get it to handle and do different things. There’s just some things this car is not going to do. There’s some things that no matter what your crew chief tries to change, there’s gains you cannot make. It’s going to do some things you don’t like and you’re going to just have to put up with it and learn how to drive it that way. That’s one of the things that I think probably will be difficult.

But I think she can achieve anything she wants. I think she’ll be able to get where she wants at the Cup level. The difference between how the two cars drive is definitely going to be the biggest hurdle.

Q. You know what it’s like to have an iconic brand. She does, as well. Is she going to be more of a (indiscernible) in the early stages, having a female racing at that level?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I think there will be a lot of attention. There will be a lot of attention and pressure. But she knows all about that. She’s been aware of that her entire career and dealt with it her entire career. I don’t see how that could be a problem.

Q. Did you talk to Rick Hendrick recently, and if so how he’s doing?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I don’t know when he’ll come to the racetrack. If I was him, I’d probably take the rest of the year off. He got out of the hospital today. He texted me. I texted him about this weekend, how the race went, how I thought Steve did a good job to get the car running good on the last run. He texted me back that he was happy. He wants to see continued improvement.

I talked to him on the phone a couple days ago before I went to Texas. He’s in good spirits. He’s very sore. He will have a little bit of recovery on his injuries, but for the most part he feels very fortunate.

Q. Dale, a lot of people don’t understand, we’ve tried to explain this with other drivers, you have two races to go, you’re in the Chase, but all those other 43 cars out there on the track, they’re going for the big purse also. It makes it kind of different, doesn’t it, when a guy is not in the Chase and he’s going for the flag to win?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yeah, but that’s what you expect from everybody. Everybody shows up to the race to win. Everybody shows up to the race to run hard. Everybody’s style is pretty much the same, even though there is a Chase, there are 10 drivers racing for a championship. Getting further into the season, there’s two guys legitimately going after the title. You realize that when you’re on the racetrack in the car, but you don’t change what you’re doing, do things differently. You’re out there driving your car the best you can do, as fast as you can go, working on your car, thinking about your car. You’re so consumed with that that you quickly forget about other things like the championship battle.

The only thing that really matters is that next corner, what the car’s going to do, what you think it should do, how you can help your crew chief get to that point. That’s all you’re worried about.

Q. Earlier we had Brad Keselowski on. I asked him about him starting his Truck team. He basically said he was following in your footsteps by paying it forward. He’s trying to build a team to give a young guy a chance. What do you think about that?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I think that’s a great way to look at it. I appreciate him giving any kind of credit toward us for molding who he is today in the decisions and the choices he’s making now.

It’s not an easy task being an owner. I don’t implore every driver with an opportunity to start a race team. It’s good to see someone successful, like Brad, to turn around and begin building a program like that, and that program has potential not only to be a Cup team but maybe into the Nationwide Series one day, eventually into the Cup Series one day. I’m sure more drivers down the line in history going forward will do a lot of similar things, as well.

It’s fun knowing that – for me – I feel like I gave to the sport as a driver. But it’s great to have an avenue to give more and to do more and to leave your fingerprint or your mark on the sport in other ways other than just statistically as a driver. I think Brad’s enjoying that.

Q. Tony Stewart basically drives a car that’s prepared at Hendrick. He uses Hendrick bodies and motors, gets technical assistance. When they bring it over to his shop, are they just sprinkling pixie dust on it or what?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Actually, it’s not prepared at Hendrick. They get the chassis and the motors and everything completely separate and they prepare the car themselves. I’m sure that they have different theories and ideas on geometry, rayon links, what ball joints to use, how to bump steer the car, lower A-frame mounts, things like that.

I’m sure that they are not identical and all six of us, counting the Haas team, are not putting identical cars on the racetrack. There’s different variables throughout the entire car even within Hendrick between the teams. Every crew chief has an opinion on what’s best, and not everyone is handcuffed to one ideology about building cars, setting up cars.

You have to give Darian Grubb a lot of credit. You have to give Tony Stewart a lot of credit. He’s not only a great driver, but he puts a lot great people around in the right places to be able to manage and be a solid owner in the sport. Darian Grubb has done a great job of managing the team, putting the right setup in it, making Tony happy as a driver.

It comes down to individuals and also how those individuals interact with the vehicle. They definitely have a big role in preparing their own car and developing their own success.

Q. Do you think the Skins’ defense is going to handle Miami this weekend?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Miami is not one of the tougher teams in the NFL. I hope that they can get a win. They need a win. They need some good quarterback play. That’s all I’m worried about right now.

Q. If you had to start a guy, would you start Fred Davis or Tony Gonzalez?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I’m not allowed to talk about Fantasy Football anymore. Jimmy Spencer jumped on my ass for even mentioning it.

Q. You’re saying I should call him up?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yeah, call him up (laughter).

Q. Dale, in the wake of all that’s going on with the Kyle Busch situation, fans are trying to draw lines between his driving style and your dad’s driving style. Is there any similarity there?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yeah, I mean, I think you’ll find a lot of similarities in my father with a lot of drivers in the sport. Everybody sort of takes different things and different attributes from different drivers as they’re growing up, maybe appreciate certain parts and certain ways people handle things and try to emulate them.

My father was quite aggressiveness, especially in the ’80s. I don’t know why, but when he went to the black car, which we thought he would be more aggressive, he just became intimidating and not quite as aggressive. He wasn’t running over people quite as much.

I think you appreciate things about people and you try to make that part of you, part of what you want to convey, who you want to be.

I think that changes, too. As you grow up, get older, you sort of let go of certain things and pick up new things, change as a person.

Q. You and Steve Letarte have a great chemistry this year. Is there one thing that you have worked on together or is it just a combined kind of meeting of the minds that you have to hit on a great stride this year?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yeah, I was thinking about it after the Texas race. Me and Steve haven’t had one argument the entire year. I’ve had some choice words for the racecar, but we’ve never had a disagreement. I can’t think of one year in my entire career where I went an entire season without some sort of disagreement at some point with my crew chief.

I’m happy to give him all the credit. I’m not sure exactly where the credit lies, but I’m happy to give it to him because he has such responsibility and he has a heck of a workload and he works very hard at what he’s done. He’s very observant and thinks really hard about what he’s doing, how he’s doing it, how it’s going to affect everything around him. I can really appreciate him.

I think that in turn, the way he operates, makes me and everyone else on the team sort of jump on the wagon with him and want to help, want to push it along and help. So he’s good at that. He’s good at his position.

I was telling him after Texas, I really hated the car in the middle part of the race. He made some changes. They worked hard. We ended up with a good finish. I thought the car was quite competitive at the end. I told him, That’s why you’re a Cup-level crew chief because of what you did today. I thought he should be really proud of himself and what he’s been able to do with this team.

Q. Is he a calming force when you’re complaining at the car, does he help to calm you down and refocus you?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I think I open the door a lot of times for things to go negatively in our communication. I’ve been working really hard at that, to try to change that. But I do open the door a lot of times to sort of invite him into disagreement. He’s pretty good at avoiding it. He’s really good at it.

Q. During the Kurt Busch-Jimmie Johnson conflict this summer, Kurt talked about getting into Jimmie’s head. Do you think that type of mental interference on focus, mind game type thing, is that common in NASCAR? If so, what’s the best way for a driver like you and others to handle that?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I think it’s common all the time in everything, not just NASCAR. Something gets in your head, something ticks you off, bothers you. People always say, Don’t take it out on me. Well, you sort of get mad about one thing, maybe somebody did something to you, maybe something didn’t go the way you wanted, the next person you have communication with sort of takes the brunt of that blow. So something got in your head and in turn disrupted a totally separate part of your day or something else going on in your life. That happens all the time, in sports, too. I don’t think drivers are any better or worse at it.

But some guys are easily intimidated and some guys are not. It just depends on the character.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, everyone, for your participation. Dale, best of luck this weekend in Phoenix.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Thank you, appreciate it.

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

KOBALT TOOLS 500

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

AVONDALE, AZ

NOVEMBER 13, 2011

DID YOU KNOW? Chevrolet Performance has released its latest factory-engineered LS high-performance engine – the LS376/525. It blends the racing-derived ASA camshaft with the LS3 6.2L production engine to create the most powerful production-based crate engine in Chevrolet Performance’s portfolio – delivering 525 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 489 lb.-ft. at 4,400 rpm.

TEAM CHEVY SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow Team Chevy on Facebook and @TeamChevy on Twitter to receive the latest news as well as updates with times and locations of events.

CELEBRATING CHEVROLET CENTENNIAL WITH GREATEST TEAM CHEVY NASCAR RACING MOMENTS: Chevrolet will celebrated its 100th anniversary on November 3, 2011. To commemorate Chevy’s centennial, we are highlighting some of Chevy’s greatest NASCAR racing moments. In 2010, Jimmie Johnson becomes the first driver in National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) history to win five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (formerly NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and NASCAR Winston Cup Series) driver’s championships, all behind the wheel of a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet race car.

CHEVY RACING AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY – JEFF CHEW, MARKETING MANAGER, CHEVY RACING: “The Team Chevy Racing Tour has something for everyone We’re looking forward to bringing the Tour back to Phoenix International Raceway, where the fans were very receptive when we visited earlier this year. Fans can see the latest GM Performance parts crate engines and Chevy accessories and performance parts that they can purchase from their local Chevy dealer, in addition to interactive games, digital photography and other activities for fans of all ages. Plus, racing is such a very important part of Chevy’s long history – a history, by the way, that celebrated its 100-year anniversary earlier this month – and sharing that heritage with our fans is very important to us.”

TEAM CHEVY RACING FOR THE FANS AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY:

• · Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the PIR Fan Midway behind the Turn One Grandstands
• · At Team Chevy Racing Display fans can check out Sonic; Cruze, Volt, Camaro, Camaro 45^th Anniversary, Corvette, Equinox, Traverse and Silverado HD. For registering at the Team Chevy Racing Display, fans receive a free Team Chevy T-Shirt. Display hours at PIR will be: Friday 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Saturday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
• · Activities at the Chevy Racing Display includes a variety of interactive activities for adults and kids plus NASCAR Show Cars
• · New this year is the GM Performance Parts display including crate engines and an assortment of GM accessories and performance parts available at any Chevy dealer.
• · Pit box games including NASCAR 2011 & Jimmie Johnson Anything With An Engine will be on-site for fans to enjoy
• · Fans can have a digital photo taken at the Team Chevy Racing Display
• · DRIVER APPEARANCES FOR FAN Q & A ON THE CHEVY STAGE:
  • o SATURDAY FAN Q&A: Jeff Gordon – 10:15 a.m.
  • o SUNDAY FAN Q&A: Paul Menard – 9:15 a.m.; Juan Pablo Montoya – 9:30 a.m.
  • o CREW AUTOGRAPH SESSION: SUNDAY- The No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet over-the-wall pit crew will sign – time TBA

TEAM CHEVY IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NSCS) COMPETITION:

• · Chevrolet has won 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Manufacturers’ Championships
• · Team Chevy drivers have scored 686 wins AND 620 poles in NSCS competition
  • o 2011 wins – 17
  • o 2011 poles – 11

TEAM CHEVY IN THE 2011 CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP:

Team Chevy has six drivers competing in the 10 race 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Standings after Race 7 of 10:

• · Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, sits 2^nd in the standings, 3 points behind leader
• · Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, is 3^rd in the points order, 33 points behind leader
• · Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet, is 6^th in points, 55 points behind leader
• · Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Retro Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet, sits 7^th in points, 79 points behind leader
• · Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, is 8^th in points, 81 points behind leader
• · Ryan Newman, No. 39 U.S. Army Veterans Day Chevrolet, is 12^th in standings, 103 points behind leader

TEAM CHEVY AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: PAT SUHY, NASCAR GROUP MANAGER, GM RACING:

“Congratulations to Tony Stewart, and everyone at Stewart Haas Racing on the Sprint Cup win at Texas. It was a dominating performance. Congratulations also, to Kevin Harvick and KHI on the win and for clinching the Owner’s Championship on Friday in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in the Lone Star State. That win also locked up Chevrolet’s seventh Manufacturers’ Championship in the Truck Series. It’s been a great season for Team Chevy in both series, and there’s more to come!

“Heading into the newly-paved and reconfigured Phoenix International Raceway this weekend should be exciting. Team Chevy was well represented at the recent Goodyear tire test there, which allowed them to get a feel for the new track layout and an early look at the tires. It also enabled them to generate data needed for their in-house chassis simulation programs as well as the ‘drive file’ that’s used in seven post testing to work through shock and chassis settings specific to the track.

“That, in turn, made the open test, held in early October, more productive for those teams than the others, who were seeing the track and tire for the first time. By using General Motors engineering tools and processes along with their own, our teams are well positioned to show up this weekend with enough information in hand to make it seem like they’ve been racing on the new track for years.

“With momentum on our side and the clock winding down on the 2011 season, I’m looking forward to this race at Phoenix, and the NASCAR finale next week at Homestead. I expect to see at least a few Chevy drivers in contention for the final wins, and ultimately the Sprint Cup Driver’s Championship. It would be a perfect way to close out a great season for Team Chevy.”

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY:

• · A Chevrolet driver has won 15 of the 30 total races and 13 of the last 15 NSCS races at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR)
• · Chevy has 15 poles at PIR
• · Team Chevy drivers have scored 70 top-five finishes and 135 top-10 finishes at PIR
• · A Chevrolet has led 3,758 laps (40% of 9,375 possible) at PIR

o Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet had four (4) PIR wins

o Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, has won twice (2) at PIR

o Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Retro Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet captured two (2) PIR wins

o Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, has won twice (2) at PIR

o Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, has won two (2) times at PIR

o Mark Martin, No. 5 GoDaddy.Com Chevrolet, has two (2) PIR wins

• o Ryan Newman, No. 39 US Army Veterans Day Chevrolet, has one PIR win
• o Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, has won once (PIR)

TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY:

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET – 2^ND IN STANDINGS: “The exit of turn two is a lot more open. You definitely make the apex of the corner a lot sooner, and it leads you out off the corner – it’s a lot easier to get off of turn two than it used to be. With the dogleg, it’s a little different. It’s somewhat like a roller-coaster with how it’s got an elevation change, going from the banking on the outside to down on the bottom and then back to the outside. After that, the rest of the track is pretty similar to the way it was. They did a really good job in laying the pavement down. It’s really smooth.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET – 3^RD IN STANDINGS: “If the second groove doesn’t come in it’s going to be a track position game and probably somewhat physical because it’s going to be hard to pass (at PIR). If the second groove comes in, it’s going to be a very entertaining race because there’s going to be a lot of room to race and the track is fun to drive. I think it has the potential to be an awesome race and it has the potential to be a disaster, but either way, we’re going there to race. As the test went on out there, the cars seemed to move up a little bit higher and they gained a little bit of speed. If the groove keeps moving up, I predict the cars will probably move up and hopefully that’ll help the racing.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET – 6^TH IN STANDINGS: “From my experience there (at Phoenix); I was a part of that first tire test and then the open test. For whatever reason, if it is the asphalt or the tire, or both, and obviously the dirty air, the wind blowing dirt and being out in the middle of the desert, it takes a long time to burn in a lane that you can adjust to. My two times being there, you are chasing one balance of the race car and then finally the track rubbers up and you have to back all of that out and then you are finally on the path that you need to be on. I think we are going to be struggling when we unload, what do you unload with? When does the track show up and where do you build faith in your set up and what direction to go in. From there the second lane, even at the open test, it was really a grove and a half at the most width wise, and hopefully the races leading up to ours will clean up a second lane so that we can have good restarts and somewhere to race side by side but for whatever reason it just takes so long to burn a lane in and then you are afraid to move out and push it any wider, so it is going to be a guessing game to say the least. It is a fun lap to drive. I don’t know if, we are really going to be able to race in all the areas on the track yet. I think from a drivers stand point you can’t make mistakes, that is how people are going to overtake you. If you make a mistake, you are going to open a door and maybe loose five or six spots because you just can’t get back down in line.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR, NO. 88 RETRO DIET MOUNTAIN DEW/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET – 7^TH IN STANDINGS: “It should be interesting. I would not be too critical on the (Phoenix) track, the first go round. If it is a great race, then fine, if it is less than stellar race I would not be too critical about it. It is a new surface, and it is going to take a little bit of work. The great thing about that area is, it is so hot, and it is really hot. The track will get sand blown, throughout the year, all year long, so of any track in the series, it will weather and wear the quickest. This surface will improve more dramatically than others. I would just caution everybody to be patient and not be too critical of the place when they see the first race there. They did an awesome job on the surface and I thought it was a great improvement of what we had, once the surface ages a little bit the tracks will become a lot more racier, and that should happen sooner than most tracks. It was weird (the tire test at Phoenix); we laid down some rubber but it was in tracks, like you could see where the right rear tires ran and where the left side tires ran around the racetrack and there was no rubber where the middle of the car was and there was no rubber on the outside or inside and everybody had to follow that track, it was like wagon wheel trail and if you got out of that little spot, you would spin out or push or almost wreck, so I don’t know how the race is going to be. If you are not in those little tracks man, you might be in trouble.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET – 8^TH IN STANDINGS: “The way I look at it is (Turns) three and four really did not change a whole lot, other than the surface and the tires. It is going to be tricky conditions. It is dusty and sandy out there in that part of the country. It is hard to get the track cleaned off and get the rubber laid down but one and two has changed quite a bit, as you exit turn two. The back straightaway is completely different, there is definitely no comparison to what goes on back there to any other track. It is going to be challenging, there is no doubt about it. These conditions, I am interested to see, not what it does for all for all the competitors in the race, but what it does for the championship, because it could shake things up in a big way. It is going to be important for the track, for NASCAR, everybody to work together to try to create a second grove. I am hoping they take some measures that we talked about at the test to help clean off that second grove before we get there. I think that is going to be very important, because it is not just that there was not a second grove, it was if you got a foot outside of that groove, you were either in the wall or you were going to lose a lap, it took that long to get back in the groove and clean the tires off and get back up to speed. That is the part where I say things could be very interesting and challenging. Once we get out there and get a couple of different series running at the same time, I think that groove is going to widen out and it won’t be quite as treacherous as it was in the test, hopefully.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 U.S. ARMY VETERANS DAY CHEVROLET – 12^TH IN STANDINGS: “From what I experienced in the test the performance of the race and the function of the race is going to be a derivative of how wide the race track gets. It took us the better part of two days to get it just from sliding around a little bit and I actually spun the car out and tapped the wall a little bit down in (turns) three and four just because I got up in the dust basically. Whatever chemical or physical reaction there is between the tires and the race track it turns into a dust. We moved it up and I know they took some school cars out there and trying to do everything they can, but having the cars, trucks and everybody else out there is going to help. I think the race track will be its best when the checkered flag falls on the Cup race. The racing itself I think will be good, the track I don’t think is a huge difference. After the first test when it was 110 degrees out there and all the grumblings that went around in the middle of the summer, I was pleasantly surprised with how good it drove out there.”

CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 CHEERIOS/HAMBURGER HELPER CHEVROLET – 13^TH IN STANDINGS: “I’m looking forward to going back to Phoenix (International Raceway). I was pleasantly surprised. I heard some negative feedback from the tire test, but I think the biggest thing is the track. It’s just dirty from all of the construction. Once we were able to burn a groove in the track, it was pretty good. I think it’s going to be good for a long time and put on the same great racing that it always has. It could even enhance the racing a little bit. I like how they raised the banking on the backstretch. For a fan, it’s going to make watching the race better in the grandstands because it was one of the tracks where you kind of lost sight of the cars a little bit. But now, with the banking on the backstretch fans will be able to see a lot more. The dogleg on the backstretch I think is a little sharper now. I think it will actually create more racing. It kind of goes down and then comes back up. With adding banking to the dogleg the bottom of the corner is actually higher than the top of the corner. It’s going to be interesting to see how that’s going to play out as far as the racing goes there.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET – 19^TH IN STANDINGS: “The Target team was actually pretty good at Phoenix when we tested there awhile back. We had slick, hard tires. I mean, I think you could probably run the left sides the whole day. I think Goodyear went a little bit conservative with the tire, but it is always difficult because it is a track you don’t know. I think if they can rubber it up it will be pretty good. Hopefully by the end of the weekend it should have two grooves. I think the progressive banking at a fast place like that needed to be more aggressive. The second groove needed a lot more banking, and if you wanted a third groove you need a heck of a lot more banking. I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 PEAK/MENARD’S CHEVROLET – 20^TH IN STANDINGS: “I have no idea what it’s going to be like when we go back. It took about a half of a day for the track to come finally come in when we were testing. We definitely learned some things. It’s mainly a one-groove race track, but at the end of the test, the middle groove in the corner started to come in where the cars were washing up. No one really knows what to expect. It’s going to be interesting. They did a great job paving it. It’s a beautiful facility. It almost looks like a track you would see in a video game. Everything is almost perfect. Whether it will leave for better racing, I hope so. With the progressive banking, it should eventually make racing better. It’s going to be interesting for the first race. It changes in the amount of banking for the exit of turn two into turn three. Now you have to dogleg there, which you go down then back up because of the new banking. It’s a pretty substantial corner. You can run it wide open, but two-wide is going to be a little hairy.”

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET – 21^ST IN STANDINGS: “I’m really excited to get out to Phoenix. It’s going to be an interesting weekend because the track is new to everyone. Throw out the old notes and setups. When we tested there earlier this year, our GoDaddy.com Chevrolet was really, really good. I wish we would’ve raced that day, that’s how good it was. I’m anxious to get there, get a few more laps on the track and see what we can get at race time. I’ve got two races left with this Hendrick team and I really want to go for a win and show everyone what a good group of guys I’ve been working with.”

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR GLOBAL MINING CHEVROLET – 23^RD IN STANDINGS: “There are still a lot of unknowns there even though we spent two days testing there (at Phoenix). The track changed a lot from the time we started the test to the time that we ended the test. I think that is to be expected. I think it changed more than most other times when a race track is repaved. The track picked up almost four seconds from the time we got there to the time that we left. That’s a big change. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the back straightaway. I think it’s going to be fun for the fans. The fans in the stands will be able to see the track better than they ever have before. It’s the first race track that I’ve ever been to where the straightaway has more banking than the corners. It’s very odd and unusual. The front straightaway, turns one, three and four are all the same, but the exit of two turn is very different from what it used to be like. I think different is okay. I think the biggest concern that every team has going there is double-file restarts, getting the track to have enough grip in the second groove to be able to have double-file restarts. It might take a few races to get it the way we want it, but it’s going to be a really exciting race track.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET – 27^TH IN STANDINGS: “I am looking forward to heading to Phoenix. With the new configuration it should be very interesting. We tested there a few weeks ago and felt that we had a pretty good car. We will have McDonald’s as the primary sponsor on the for the final time. Also I’ll be wearing a white firesuit and the roof of my car will feature a white snow-capped paint scheme help raise awareness and funds for polar bear conservation efforts on behalf of Coca-Cola. So we have lots to look forward to this weekend.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships

Total (1949 – 2011): 35

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 9 twice (1983 – 1991) (2003-2011)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Drivers Championships

Total (1949 – 2010): 27

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 6 (1993 – 98) & (2005 – ’10)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Event Victories

2010 Race Wins: 18

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 – 2007

2011 YEAR-TO-DATE STATISTICS:

Wins: 17

Poles: 11

Laps led: 4,476

Top-five finishes: 72

Top-10 finishes: 153

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 686 (1949 – to date) (2,316 possible = 29.6%)

Poles Won to Date: 620

Laps Lead to Date: 204,702

Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,439

Top-10 Finishes to Date: 7,035

Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date

GM: 1,021

Chevrolet: 686

Pontiac: 155

Oldsmobile: 115

Buick: 65

Ford: 706

Ford: 606

Mercury: 96

Lincoln: 4

Chrysler: 461

Dodge: 212

Plymouth: 190

Chrysler: 59

Toyota: 38

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

Regan Smith, No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet, grabbed the 10^th starting position.

A total of 16 Team Chevy drivers will take the green flag for the 34^th race of the season. ESPN TV, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 will provide live broadcast coverage of the 334-lap/501-mile race beginning at 2:00 p.m. CT.

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 QUAKER STATE/MENARDS CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 4^TH: ON HIS QUALIFYING: “Big improvement from where we were in practice, really not very happy with the car in practice, we made a couple of moderate changes and car drover really good, I probably gave up a little bit too much getting back to the gas back to wide open but overall big improvement and we will see how it shakes out.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 5^TH: ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT: “We got a little bit tight, but we still had a good pickup. How close qualifying was, I mean, seven-hundredths off and we were fifth, but still pretty happy with it.”

THERE IS AN IMPORTANCE ON QUALIFYING WELL FOR TRACK POSITION AND PIT BOX SELECTION ISN’T THERE? “Yes. Definitely it has been a good day. To be third in practice and top-five in qualifying, that is exactly the way you have to start the weekend off. We’ll get a pretty good pit spot out of this hopefully. The good thing is we get that and that is half the battle right there. We’re not having to fight through all the crowd to get up there. We’re going to be up there hopefully all day and just keep tweaking on it versus having to get there.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 MYLOWES CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED: ON HIS QUALIFYING 11TH: ON HIS QUALIFYING: “It was good, I feel like we have to be faster to have a shot at the pole, it if officially early, but not bad, not bad at all.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD TRAINED BY TRADITION/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 16^TH: ON HIS QUALIFYING: “Pretty disappointed, we have not been really great all day, and we came here with a new idea on the front-end on the car and it is so different that even when we didn’t like it at the start of practice we didn’t have time in the day to change it, so we had to go with it and make the best of it and I have not really been happy all day long but, we got a chance to work on the car tomorrow in race trim, we are going to try and do some things with it, make it better and hopefully we will get it a lot happier than it is.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 RHEEM CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 21^ST: ON HIS QUALIFYING: “I don’t think it is going to be great but it is better than we did in practice, but our Rheem Chevrolet has driven good it is just been a couple tenths off, but all in all that is not anything out of the ordinary for us, it is kind of like waiting on your producer (speaking to TV pit reporter), just a little bit slow.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER BOATS CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 22^nd: ON HIS QUALIFYING: “ It was really good, I was happy with the Bass Pro Shops Chevy, I don’t think that it is going to be a very good lap when qualifying is all said and done but balance wise our car was really good. Completely different set-up than what we have run in the past, it is something the No. 42 car has been working on, and we were very thankful to have teammates today, because we unloaded a long-ways off and we thought they were good and we have put there set-up in with a couple of small changes and pretty happy with the car.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 23RD: ON HIS QUALIFYING: “The car had decent grip, and balance. Hit the race track a little bit, so the time is not going to be great, doesn’t look too bad right now but we know how much faster some guys are going to go later. See where we end up but, it has been a frustrating day today. We just have not been very good, so we have got some work to do.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the NSCS Garage - Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images for NASCAR

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88

WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING THIS WEEKEND AT TEXAS? “Pushing in the middle in one and two and snap the back off at the exit of two and be really loose into three and try to just get around the rest of the track the best you can. Temperatures should be cool and the track should have a lot of grip, should have a lot of speed and starting the race at two and should end when the sun is going down or in the dark, with the time change, so it will be pretty quick.”

DOES EDDIE GOSSAGE JUST CRACK YOU UP? TONY STEWART SAYS CARL (EDWARDS) IS GOING TO HAVE A LONG THREE WEEKS AND EDDIE HE HAS MADE BANNERS, DON KING POSTERS, HE IS A PIECE OF WORK ISN’T HE? “He tries pretty hard, he does a lot of cool stuff to promote his race track and to set himself apart which you have to appreciate his energy there.”

HAVE YOU STARTED LOOKING AT THINGS TO IMPROVE YOUR CAR IN 2012 OVER THE NEXT THREE WEEKS? “We just go to every race track every week trying to find something, trying to find speed. It ain’t really about trying to prepare for any certain time or any certain thing you just go to the race track every week and you try what you can to get it as good as you can, be as good as you can. That might happen tomorrow, it might happen next year, you just never know.”

YOU AND STEVE LETARTE SEEM TO GET ALONG REALLY WELL, WHAT IS BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP THIS YEAR AND WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR NEXT YEAR OUT OF THAT RELATIONSHIP? “I just hope we can continue to improve, we have been getting better as a team and I just hope we can continue that. He has done a great job and he is a lot of fun to work with. We have gotten along really well; we have not had any problems, no arguments on the radio, no disagreements, so on that front it has been excellent. I think that has been a big change for me.”

WILL IT BE A BIG CHANGE HAVING KASEY KAHNE COMING TO THE GARAGE, WILL IT CHANGE THE DYNAMIC OF THE GARAGE ANY? “It definitely will. New ideas, new thoughts and new ways of doing things, they will introduce all those into the mix I’m sure, I have a lot of respect for Kenny Francis and his talent and his knowledge, and I fell certain he can make everybody in that company better just by being a part of it.”

WHAT, IF ANYTHING, HAVE YOU SEEN DIFFERENT DURING THIS CHASE WITH THE NO. 48 TEAM AS OPPOSED TO THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS? “Nothing really, they just had a little bit of bad luck, and we have not run as good as we would have liked to all year long. Obviously, as a group we have not been as competitive as we all wish we were. For the most part, I don’t think there is a group that works any harder than our shop and even now, they are in a bit of a hole on the championship side of it, they really put a lot of effort into it and are very professional on the way they carry themselves.”

ARE YOU SURPRISED ON MARK MARTIN’S ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY? “No, not really, I figured Mark, he is pretty resilient, and I knew he would find himself something to keep himself occupied. He is very fortunate that at his age, he has the opportunity, but he is really talented and he is very fast and can get in cars and do great things. As long as he wants to race, he should have that opportunity, based off his talent. I wish him well, I like Michael (Waltrip) as a person, and as an owner, I think he is probably a lot of fun, I think Mark will enjoy that experience.

ARE YOU GOING TO DO THE DAYTONA TEST IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS? “Yes”

IS THAT SOMETHING WHEN YOU HEARD ABOUT IT SAID THAT IS SOMETHING I WANT TO DO, AS PART OF FIGURING OUT WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO WITH THIS TWO CAR DRAFT? “Yes, absolutely, I was hoping to get the opportunity as soon as we could, I like going to Daytona, I like the area and I am glad that NASCAR is putting together the opportunity to try some things, and get innovative on improving the draft, improving the races at Daytona and Talladega.”

DO YOU THINK IT IS BETTER TO WORK ON IT NOW INSTEAD OF WAITING UNTIL JANUARY? “Well, if we can answer some questions now, it is going to give us a better opportunity to continue to improve when we get into January. If we can go ahead and knock some of the work out of the way, “X” off the things that don’t work, see some potential and take that back to the house and work on it, maybe when we go in January we can really, take those next several steps that are going to be essential to get in the drafting and racing more life we want I guess.”

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF MIND GAMES LATE IN THE YEAR, (JIMMIE) JOHNSON PLAYED THEM WITH (DENNY) HAMLIN BECAUSE HE WAS THE EXPERIENCED ONE, (TONY) STEWART IS PLAYING THEM NOW WITH (CARL) EDWARDS BECAUSE HE MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPERIENCE THAN CARL, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT? “I guess they are part of it. I guess there a way to psych-out your opponent. It has been around the sport for a long time, guys always talking trash back and forth and pushing each other’s buttons. You will get a guy so frustrated that he will do some things that he typically would not do and make some mistakes some mistakes on the race track he typically would not make.”

WHAT WAS THE FUNNIEST MIND GAME YOUR DAD EVER PLAYED DO YOU REMEMBER? “Naw, I don’t”

LSU OR BAMA? “Huh, oh, Bama probably because of Mike Davis, he is a big Bama fan and I have always considered that state my second home, so I always enjoy being down there and being around in that area, a lot of fun.”

IS THIS A TRACK YOU ALWAYS EXPECT TO DO WELL AT AND WILL BE DISAPPOINTED IF YOU WALK AWAY WITHOUT AT LEAST A TOP-FIVE? “Yea, I mean, that is what I expect to go out there and run in the top-five and lead laps and try to win the race. I think that I would be disappointed if we do not do that. Finishing in the top-ten is ok, but really not what we are after.”

WHAT ARE THE INDICATORS IN PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING THAT WILL LET YOU KNOW YOU CAN REACH THOSE GOALS? “We just look at your lap times versus everybody else, and if they are better than everyone else’s you feel pretty good, you get some confidence in your car. Once you get some confidence that is a big deal, it really takes you the rest of the weekend, helps you through the rest of the weekend. If you can put up consistently fast times throughout practice, you will be pretty happy and that is really more important tomorrow than today.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK WE WILL SEE IN PHOENIX? “I don’t know, it should be interesting, I would not be too critical on the track, the first go round. If it is a great race, then fine, if it is less than stellar race I would not be too critical about it. It is a new surface, and it is going to take a little bit of work. The great thing about that area is, it is so hot, and it is really hot. The track will get sand blown, throughout the year, all year long, so of any track in the series, it will weather and wear the quickest. This surface will improve more dramatically than others. I would just caution everybody to be patient and not be too critical of the place when they see the first race there. They did an awesome job on the surface and I thought it was a great improvement of what we had, once the surface ages a little bit the tracks will become a lot more racier, and that should happen sooner than most tracks.”

HOW DID THE TEST GO THERE? “It was weird, we laid down some rubber but it was in tracks, like you could see where the right rear tires ran and where the left side tires ran around the racetrack and there was no rubber where the middle of the car was and there was no rubber on the outside or inside and everybody had to follow that track, it was like wagon wheel trail and if you got out of that little spot, you would spin out or push or almost wreck, so I don’t know how the race is going to be. If you are not in those little tracks man, you might be in trouble.”

ARE YOU BEING MORE ANALYTICAL, MORE VOCAL AS A DRIVER NOW THAN YOU WERE IN THE PAST FEW YEARS? “I think that, I am more vocal now, because I am a lot less frustrated, when I get frustrated, I shut my mouth because I don’t want to say something that I am going to regret. A lot of times I will clam up a little it. I have not been that frustrated this year, I think I have been able to be real vocal with Steve (Letarte, crew chief) and my group. I think that is when you can express yourself. It is best when you do communicate, it is best when you have your intentions and ideas and thoughts out there on the table for everyone to understand.”

WHAT ARE YOUR EARLY THOUGHTS ON THE FUEL INJECTION CAR? “I don’t think I can tell a difference. We went to Charlotte and tested it and it felt exactly like the carbureted car, so I was really surprised and happy that it was like that. I ran it at Phoenix as well and it was very similar, I was real happy.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release