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Jimmie Johnson to Present “The World’s Fastest Award”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 6, 2012) – Carl Edwards and Trevor Bayne, known to most sports fans as winners in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, could soon add “Dance Machine” and “Gnarliest Newb” to their respective resumes.

Edwards and Bayne have been nominated as part of Cartoon Network’s second annual Hall of Game Awards, airing Monday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. ET. Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and 2011 “Dance Machine” nominee Jimmie Johnson will also present “The World’s Fastest Award” with a special cameo appearance.

The show, hosted by Shaquille O’Neal, is a high-energy, off-the-wall, multi-platform experience that lets viewers vote and honor their favorite sports stars and sports moments of the year.

Edwards and Bayne have been nominated – and deservedly so – to compete in the “Dance Machine” and “Gnarliest Newb” categories. Edwards’ signature victory celebration, a backflip from his car, catapulted him to be a finalist in the “Dance Machine” category. Bayne’s improbable Daytona 500 victory as a 20-year-old in only his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start last season propelled him to compete in what is essentially the “Rookie of the Year” category in this year’s awards.

Fans can vote for Edwards and Bayne on www.hallofgame.com now through Friday, Feb. 17. The site has already received over 64 million votes.

Edwards is gunning for his second straight Hall of Game award after taking home the “In It To Win It” title last year. Other NASCAR nominees from last year’s inaugural show include: Danica Patrick, “She’s Got Game” winner; Kurt and Kyle Busch, “Super Siblings” nominees; and Travis Pastrana, “Alti-tude” nominee.

This year’s Hall of Game features musical performances by Flo Rida and Hot Chelle Rae, and appearances by New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, pro and World Cup soccer goalie Hope Solo and Los Angeles Angels right fielder Torii Hunter.

Be sure to tune in and watch Edwards, Johnson, Bayne and the rest of NASCAR’s stars in the 54th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26 on FOX at 1 p.m. ET.

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet addresses the media, - Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

An Interview With:

JIMMIE JOHNSON

KRISTI KING: We’ll start off our media availability today with Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet. Just talk a little bit about the day and a half you’ve had of testing here so far at Daytona.

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, we’ve been really just focused on our single-car runs. We brought down a really fast race car, and I’m proud of all of HMS and engine shop included, 48 guys. They really brought down a nice race car. We haven’t really showed our hand, and we’re right there with the top cars in single-car speed. I’m proud of the work that’s gone on over the off-season with our plate program, and our plate stuff has been real strong, especially from a qualifying standpoint through the last few plate races last year. We’re still maintaining pretty well, and excited about the speed that the car has.

KRISTI KING: Also, too, looking at the trophy here right beside you, what would it mean to you to win the Daytona 500 here next month?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: It’s such a special race, and I feel very fortunate to have won that race. At that point I didn’t have a championship, and it’s one of two races that you get a title when you win this race, this one and the Brickyard. It can make a career, and it was a huge, huge thing for myself when I won it in 2006.

Audio: 2012 NSCS Preseason Thunder at Daytona Press Conference with Driver Jimmie Johnson

Q. Jimmie, can you talk a little bit about the drivers’ meeting that NASCAR just held? What did they tell you and what do you expect out of the pack drafting this afternoon?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: I missed it. I was over taking my drug test and missed it. It ran a little longer. There was a long line of guys waiting to use the restroom. But what I did hear is that they want to get everybody into a big draft and collect data without the pushing, just to see how stable the cars are, what the cars do. So they’re just trying to encourage everybody to get out there in a big group and use the old style of drafting to see what the cars do.
I’m not sure we’ll participate in it. We don’t want to take any chances with this car. It’s way too fast. We don’t need it on a hook.

Q. I wanted to ask you a little bit about having Kasey Kahne a part of the team, and since you had known for so long that he was going to join the team, did you guys kind of have a bonding session or get to know each other coming in, and just how do you see him fitting in?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: I’ve been real fortunate that Kasey and I have been friends really since we met, since he came into the series and was a part of the Cup Series. He and I have always had a great relationship and friendship. It’s really been the same since he’s come on board and even through when the announcement was made until now, we’re great friends.
The relationship that has grown, and I’ve spent some more time getting accustomed to Kenny. I didn’t know Kenny other than just some casual passings in the garage area. And I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve spent with him and picking his brain and understanding what he’s about. Two big assets that Hendrick Motorsports picked up, and I look forward to what they can do.

Q. Obviously you knew Chad wasn’t going to be here, but did you almost still expect him to be here when you got here, and have you heard from him at all, and what’s it like to be at a test when he’s not around?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: He’s been texting and emailing, so there still is that communication taking place. But we’ve got a very confident race team, and everybody is following the test plan, and we’re going through the motions. Truthfully a lot of the work for this test was done at the shop getting prepared, and now we’re just following a test plan. It’s worked out well for Chad to take some time for himself, and I’m really happy that he has decided to do this. As we all know, he doesn’t give himself much personal time, and I’ve been on a similar trip to the one he’s on now and know how special it was to Chandy and I. I can’t wait to hear the stories when he gets back and what he goes through. It’s been a nice calm test so far.

Q. With all these rule changes for the 500, plus the introduction of fuel injection, being at a team like Hendrick, which always seems to be a step ahead of everybody else, what kind of comfort is that to you?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: I have to believe that all the teams and engine shops feel pretty comfortable with all the testing. In the time to prepare for this race and what we’re doing now, we’ve worked through a lot of the gremlins, so I think NASCAR has handled this really well, and we’ve had a lot of time to develop the systems and get things going.
I don’t have any fear, and I don’t really sense any throughout the garage area. But we’re still learning the rules packages as we go, and with a day and a half left to go, I’m not sure NASCAR has settled in on the package that they want just yet, and we’ll keep fine tuning.

From an overall aero package and plate package, there’s still probably some adjusting that would take place I would guess. I don’t really know, but from a reliability standpoint of the EFI, I don’t see any issues for anybody.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the psyche, if you will, entering this season because it’s, as you well know, obviously very different than it has been the last five years?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, I’ve spent a lot of time through the off-season thinking about the way I’m involved with the race team, the responsibilities I have, the — just the way I’ve gone about work for the last five years, and it’s hard to argue with the last five years and what had happened. Last year was the sixth year and we didn’t get the results that we wanted. But I really felt like we were competitive in a lot of areas. Chad and I made some mistakes in the Chase and took ourselves out of it.

It’s been a very good off-season for me to internalize some things and to really evaluate what goes on from my standpoint and my involvement with the team and how good of a teammate and team member I can be for the 48 car, and I’m making changes. I feel like even though I tried to over the five-year run not stall out and tried to continue to evolve and challenge myself and recreate myself. It’s hard to do it. You have a roadmap that’s working and it’s hard to get too far from it. This winter has been really good for me to really dive down and understand the areas where I feel like I can do a better job and be a better member of the 48 team.

So I know I’m stronger and better today than I was leaving Homestead, so I’m looking forward to 2012.

Q. I know this isn’t an official race weekend and the trailers aren’t parked on points, but is this still one of those times when you walk out of your transporters in the middle of a pack, and you’re like, damn, I’m not the champion anymore? Has that hit you?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I’ve made more mistakes walking to the wrong end of the garage. I’ve been programmed for so many years to walk to a certain stall that it’s been tough, and even driving into the pits the first three or four times, I didn’t know where to pull in. It’s not going to end. That’s a good thing, too, that reminder every week that I had it really good over there as the champion in that first spot.

Q. Competition is coming from NASCAR up on the podium after you. What would the perfect Daytona 500 look like to you, number of laps where you could do tandem drafting or how much people may lay back because they don’t want to blow water out so they’re going to save and maybe it’ll create people going to the back? What would the perfect Daytona 500 mix be like to you?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: I’m not sure of the mix but I know what I want the results to be. I want the 48 car in victory lane. There’s a fine balance as a competitor with the tandem racing does give the driver some control to race. But at the same point, the fans aren’t into that style of racing. That’s what we need to pay attention to.

I think we’re all learning. These three days are going to be very useful for teams, for NASCAR to find the right package and right balance. So I’m just not getting attached to anything yet and just waiting to get through these three days and see where we’re at then.

Q. The same question I asked Jeff Gordon about, he’s got a charity now as a sponsor, but did you think when you first got into racing that you would be giving back as much as you do both in time and money to charity?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: No, I didn’t. I mean, I spent a lot of time being involved with different charities and supporting them and donating my time and funds when I could. But until Kyle and Pattie Petty sat me down and really explained what I could do and what the NASCAR fan base and my fan base would get behind, also my sponsors — at some point I guess I would have figured it out, but I’m so grateful that they sat me down, and my wife, sat us both down and said this is what you’re doing, which is great, but this could happen. It’s been far more money donated, impacting more lives.

I never thought that our foundation would be on a race car at a racetrack, and it’s been there for a few years now at the California races. It’s far more than I ever expected.

Q. Just to kind of touch on something earlier that was brought up, for a guy who’s won five championships, you’ve won the Daytona 500, going forward, what motivates Jimmie Johnson? Is it something as simple as winning the next race, or is there kind of a NASCAR bucket list that you still have something left unchecked?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: You know, there are some events that fit into that and some stats and some goals. But really the thing that motivates me is the fire hasn’t gone out in me to compete, and as long as that fire is burning, who I am as a person, I’m going to give 100 percent. I know when I do a good job, what my responsibilities are. That’s the thing that keeps motivating me and that’s what I’m reflecting on from last year is at times we did a good job, and when we put up 100 percent we got the results that we wanted. But some other time things just didn’t work out as they should and weren’t handled correctly from my side and the way I went about things. So that’s my motivation for this coming season is to not make those mistakes and to do the best job that I can and be the best member of this 48 team that I can be.

Q. This question is about there’s definitely pressure during the last few races of the season; can you talk about pressure when you actually start the season, especially the back and forth that you have to do between the East Coast and West Coast in the first few races?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, the start of the season with the 500 as our first event, we walk into a pressure cooker right away. Leaving there with the limited testing that we have, you go to the first couple fast racetracks, downforce tracks, wondering if everything you worked on in the shop is going to pay off or not. So there is a lot of pressure for the first, I don’t know, four or five races just to find out where you’re at. And then from there you can address some problems and try to correct any issues that you have or sit there on top of the pile and be real happy with the work that took place over the off-season.

Coming out of the gate, there is a lot of pressure for the first few weeks.

KRISTI KING: Jimmie, thank you for your time, and thanks to everyone who joined us on the teleconference today.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

Source: NASCAR, Press Release

Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament

“The support that we got this year meant a lot. I am so glad to be able to provide more for the kids at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley,” Lofton said. “I can’t thank everyone enough for their involvement. Whether it was playing in the tournament, sponsoring a tee, bidding on an auction item – it all means more for those kids, and to be able to help them is a great thing.”

Lofton, who is from nearby Westmorland, California, chose to host the event near his hometown so that the community could be more involved. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley was his charity of choice for the event, and is located just miles from the golf course.

Currently, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley serve over 600 Imperial Valley youth, providing kids a safe, supervised, and affordable place to go every day after school. Nearly 200 kids are greeted daily by caring adult staff and participate in character-building, educational and recreational programs all while making friends and having fun. Concentrating on youth who need the most support, the Club provides programs in four key areas: health and fitness, education, the arts, and most importantly, in character development.

Justin Lofton With The Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley

Activities began for Lofton on Friday afternoon when he made a stop to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley. Lofton talked with the kids, took photos, signed autographs, passed around his fire suit, and let them get an up close look at his No. 6 College Complete (www.collegecomplete.comTo) Chevrolet.

On Saturday, the golfers split into teams and teed off for the tournament at the Del Rio Country Club. Trevor Tagg, Garret Fargo, and Joe Iten made up the winning team.

That evening, the fun moved to the Stockmen’s Club for the awards ceremony, dinner, auctions, and concert with Curb Records recording artist Tim Dugger. The event included a silent auction, and a live auction consisting of donated items from fellow drivers and teams from off road, drag racing, and NASCAR. The highest items during the live auction included a race worn fire suit, donated by two-time NCWTS champion Todd Bodine, an electric bike, space on Lofton’s truck during the season-opener at Daytona, and a Lofton race worn helmet signed by Lofton, five-time Sprint Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson, four-time NSCS champ Jeff Gordon, three-time NSCS champ Tony Stewart, and many others. The helmet was the highest bid upon item of the evening, which went for $3,100.00.

The total amount raised for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley will be determined over the next few weeks, as final auction items are picked up and donations are counted.

Thank you to tournament patron and tee sponsors: Accelerex, Accu Data Corp., AdMax, Advanced Payment Services, All American Grain, BackToLearn.com, Benson Farms, Brandt Company, Burnett Farms, Butterspur Cattle Feeders, Cal Energy Operating Corporation, Cameiro Heifer Ranch, Debbie and Paul Cameron, Community Valley Bank, Coni Stokely Insurance, Consuasor Insurance Advisors, Cosmetic Gasket, Crusader Staffing Associates, Curl Up ‘N Dye, Debbie Davis, El Toro Land and Cattle, El Toro Export, Equine Veterinary Services, Farmer’s Insurance, Farmer’s Land Leveling, Fred Eady Insurance, Higher Ed Growth, Hutchinson & Bloodgood, Patrick Hutchinson, Lidco, McDaniel’s Accounting, McNeece Brothers Oil Company, Mesquite Cattle, Jill Newcomb, Phillips Cattle Company, Primo Construction, Rabobank, Richard Laughrin, Spreadco, Superior Cattle Feeders, Superior Export, Steve Dahm Ranches, Stiff Equipment, Team Onion, The Elmore Company, Troy Caston Farms, VHM Network/JobDiagnosis, Viejas Casino, Wells Fargo Commercial Bank, Westway Feed Products.

A special thank you to our presenting sponsors for their support: CollegeComplete.com, J.D. Heiskell & Co., Rogers and Rogers Toyota, and Eddie and Theresa Wiest.

About Eddie Sharp Racing:

Eddie Sharp Racing (TeamESR.com) is a 40,000 square foot championship winning race team based in Denver, NC. After just four short years of competition within the ARCA Racing Series, the team impressively accumulated upwards of 20 race wins. 2009 was a pivotal year for ESR, as they dominated the series with six race wins, 15 top-fives and 19 top-10s en route to the series championship with driver Justin Lofton. In 2010, ESR made the transition to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In 2011, owner Sharp and Lofton were reunited within truck competition. In 2012, ESR will expand to three teams, with Lofton set to return to the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet Silverado, Cale Gale set to join the team behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado, and a third driver to be named later.

About College Complete:

CollegeComplete.com helps the public navigate the ever-changing and highly complex landscape of higher education, connecting students with the institutions whose offering maximizes the likelihood of success. Partnered with hundreds of educational institutions and across all types of education goals, including traditional college degrees, trade and vocational certifications, and professional licensure, College Complete helps students assess all of the information that exists in the public domain, allowing them to understand and make sense of their educational opportunities. CollegeComplete.com is the student facing subsidiary of Ed Ideas, Inc.

About JoinAPS:

At APS, we find the best processing solution for your business. We are your first stop for Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover along with other value-added merchant services like your own gift card program. We also work with check services; cash advance options and other value-added services to help your business succeed. APS can provide many of the services needed to help you build your business. APS understands that running a business requires various aspects such as supply vendors, day-to-day operations, and customers to succeed. Acceptance of credit card, debit, gift cards, and check payment options is essential in any business. APS provides tailored merchant solutions specific to different types of businesses. With APS, we show you the best options by industry type to handle your payment needs from beginning to end. Visa/MasterCard, Amex, Discover, EBT services along with terminals that handle multiple other services including your gift cards and check payment solutions needs. All of these services can be customized to fit your business. APS offers a complete solution for all types of businesses that need to process credit card related transactions. Our “INDUSTRY SPECIFIC SOLUTIONS” provide the best options for your business model. We have experienced client service representative who understand what your processing needs are.

- Justin Lofton Media Relations Press Release

Tony Stewart, right, jokes around with teammate Ryan Newman during the Newlywed Game at the Fan Festival presented by Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week at the Fremont Street Experience on Nov. 30, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nev. - Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

Stewart, Teammate Ryan Newman, Winners of Humorous Newlywed Game Parody

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 30, 2011) — Tony Stewart’s on a roll. And that’s a good feeling when you’re in Las Vegas.

Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman won Wednesday’s “This Ain’t the Newlywed Game,” a riff on the television original hosted by Bob Eubanks. Stewart and Newman edged the team of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch by most accurately recalling the estimated attendance of March’s Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The game had a myriad of humorous moments – some broad, others ribald – and in some cases more resembled a roast of the top 12 finishers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™.

Stewart, who suggested engineering graduate Newman would be a better driver “if he didn’t think all the time,” got in the final zinger to his teammate’s incorrect answer that he would be the driver the champion most likely would bump out of the way on the final lap to win the race.

“I figured you’d pick me,” said a disappointed Newman. Stewart answered, “There you go thinking again.” Stewart thought Newman’s answer would’ve been “Brian Vickers.”

Carl Edwards said Roush Fenway Racing partner Matt Kenseth would be a better driver “if he didn’t qualify in the back.” Kenseth responded, “Are you kidding me? I beat Ryan Newman for poles this year.” Actually, they both won three Coors Light Poles during the 2011 season.

Kenseth set up Eubanks by telling Edwards his most annoying habit was always being late. Eubanks said, “Even late crossing the finish line” in reference to Edwards’ second-place finish to Stewart in the championship deciding race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“This could be the end of my career,” said Eubanks. “I’m not sure I’ll ever do it again but it’s been fun.”

The Newlywed-style event, held on downtown Las Vegas’ historic Fremont Street Experience, drew several thousand fans. Some carried signs welcoming their favorite drivers.

The six teams were comprised of Stewart/Newman, Hamlin/Kyle Busch, Edwards/Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr./Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski/Kurt Busch.

There were other activities as well, as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week rolled into its second day working toward Friday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet at Wynn Las Vegas, a signature event that will feature same day coverage (9 p.m. ET) by SPEED, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio.

Travis Pastrana sat for a featured one-on-one interview during Wednesday’s second and final day of the Motorsports Marketing Forum at Caesars Palace. Pastrana noted his recovery process from a broken ankle, which delayed his NASCAR Nationwide Series career, saying, “I actually became a bigger fan and feel like I learned a lot by watching on television.”

Pastrana said the biggest challenge he faces in 2012 is working with crew chief and crew to make the optimum adjustments. “In Rally, if you want to make up time, you can take chances to jump up further,” he said. “In NASCAR, you really have to not only know what the car is doing, but how to relate that.”

Stewart hosts the popular 5th Annual “Stewie Awards” with co-host Matt Yocum at 9:30 p.m. ET Thursday on the

Matt Kenseth, center, teamed up with Carl Edwards, gestures during the Newlywed Game at the Fan Festival presented by Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week at the Fremont Street Experience on Nov. 30, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nev. - Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. The Stewies honor the best, boldest and funniest moments from the NASCAR season.

Thursday is Champion’s Week longest day with the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon, NASCAR Victory Lap and NASCAR After the Lap on the schedule. Details can be found below.

Media members still have the opportunity to vote on the greatest moments during the 2011 NASCAR national series season. Among the nominations are Stewart’s come-from-behind championship run and Trevor Bayne’s surprising and dramatic Daytona 500 victory. Results will be announced beginning early next week. To vote: http://bit.ly/2011topstories.

Thursday, Dec. 1

· NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon: Beginning at 11 a.m. in the Bellagio Ballroom at the Bellagio, this annual industry/media gathering includes the presentation of awards to the Champion Crew Chief (Darian Grubb), Champion Sponsor (Office Depot and Mobil 1), Sunoco Rookie of the Year (Andy Lally) and Most Popular Driver (to be announced). Co-hosted by NASCAR and the National Motor Sports Press Association, fans can attend this exclusive event for the second-consecutive year. Fans can watch the event on NASCAR.COM via this link: http://www.nascar.com/Myers_Brothers_Luncheon.

· NASCAR Victory Lap: Set for 3 p.m., the fan-favorite NASCAR Victory Lap will feature the top 12 drivers parading – with engines growling – down the famed Las Vegas strip in their teams’ respective race cars. NASCAR Victory Lap will feature an authentic pit stop along the route and two burn-out sections for drivers. NASCAR Victory Lap will start in front of Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard and end at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Fans can watch the event on NASCAR.COM via this link: http://www.nascar.com/Victory_Lap.

· Coca-Cola Fan Zone: Fans can get a front-row seat for the conclusion of NASCAR Victory Lap at the Coca-Cola Fan Zone, a free event located at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. Beginning at noon, the Coca-Cola Fan Zone offers interactive displays from The Sprint Experience, Game Show Network, Ford, Coca-Cola, and is a prelude to NASCAR After the Lap.

· NASCAR After the Lap: Starting at 4:30 p.m., NASCAR After The Lap is one of the highlights of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week. Tickets for the third-annual event will be available for purchase at www.NASCARAfterTheLap.com for $20 each, with proceeds benefitting The NASCAR Foundation, a non-profit organization which raises funds that support children’s charities and important causes throughout the nation. Sponsored by Ford Motor Company and Coca-Cola, the event is renowned for its unfiltered, “tell-all” format featuring the 2011 top-12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Fans can watch the event on NASCAR.COM via this link: http://www.nascar.com/After_The_Lap.

· The 5th Annual Stewie Awards: A champion’s week tradition, 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart and co-host Matt Yocum return to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for the 5th Annual Stewie Awards, broadcast live on the SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90 at 9:30 p.m. ET. The annual highlight of NASCAR Champion’s Week honors the best, boldest and funniest moments from the NASCAR season. Here’s the link for the list of awards: http://www.siriusxm.com/stewieawards.

Jeff Gordon, left, and Jimmie Johnson team up for the Newlywed Game at the Fan Festival presented by Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week at the Fremont Street Experience on Nov. 30, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nev. - Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony: The big show starts at 6 p.m. (9 p.m. ET), crowning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion driver and owner and honoring the other drivers who finished in the top 10 in the final series standings. The star-studded entertainment lineup for the ceremony includes country music icon Reba as host, a performance by Grammy-award winning rocker Kid Rock, as well as performances by two recent additions: up-and-coming country artist Ella Mae Bowen and Broadway sensation Jersey Boys.

• Sixteen-year-old Ella Mae Bowen is an emerging country singer-songwriter who is featured on the new “Footloose” soundtrack with her enthralling remake of “Holding Out For a Hero”. Bowen is originally from Walhalla, South Carolina, and is currently signed with Big Machine Label Group, which is the record label home to country superstars like Reba, Taylor Swift and Martina McBride.

• “Jersey Boys” is the smash-hit musical winner of the 2006 Tony Award on Broadway and Best Musical accolades in both London and Australia. This critically-acclaimed musical tells the tale of four blue-collar boys working their way from the streets of Newark to the top of the charts taking audiences behind the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Jersey Boys, voted #1 show in Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Review Journal, is currently performing at The Palazzo and is coming to Paris Las Vegas in March 2012.

SPEED, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio provide same-day coverage, starting at 9 p.m. ET.

- NASCAR, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

Also nailing down a top-10 starting position was five-time defending NSCS champion Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, who will start ninth in the 43-car field.

Championship contender Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, will roll off 15^th in Sunday’s 267-lap/400.5 mile race in his bid for a third NSCS driver’s crown.

Carl Edwards (Ford) was the pole winner. Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota), Kasey Kahne (Toyota), Kurt Busch (Dodge) and Brad Keselowski (Dodge) completed the top-five qualifiers.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 11^TH: ON HIS QUALIFYING: “It was pretty decent. We had a car and a good opportunity at qualifying well. We haven’t all year long. This weekend the car has been pretty good. Had good speed. I probably could have done a little bit better on the line and the car was a little bit loose on the throttle off the corner that just cost us a little bit of time here and there. But, I was pretty pleased.”

WAS THE WIND A FACTOR AT ALL DURING QUALIFYING? “No. It will be a factor in race trim, when you put the car in race trim it is a little bit of a factor on older tires.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 15^TH: ON QUALIFYING AND GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND’S RACE: “Well, the qualifying deal isn’t how our race is going to play out. So, this is one lap of how many hundred miles we’ve got to go. I don’t know where we’re going to end up here, but it looks like we’re going to be solid. That’s the main thing. We didn’t have a pole-winning car today, but our Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy is pretty good in race trim. I’m glad we spent more time working on race trim than qualifying trim. So, we’ll see how it plays out.”

YOU’VE GOT QUALIFYING DONE AND YOUR PRACTICES ARE DONE. YOU’VE JUST GOT ONE THING LEFT. DO YOU HAVE A CAR GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP HERE IN 2011? “We’ll know in 399 miles. I’ll let you know after that.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 9^TH: ON HIS LAP: “It wasn’t bad. It was decent. It wasn’t bad at all. We felt better about our qualifying than our race trim. So I think we have a little bit of work to do yet on our set-up for the race. But the qualifying aspect has gone well today.”

WAS THE WIND A FACTOR IN QUALIFYING TODAY? “No, it’s definitely been there; but fortunately it’s been the same all day. So I kind of knew what I had to do. But it is gusty, for sure.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 7^TH: HOW WAS YOUR RUN? “I’m really happy with it. We had a good day today and I felt like going out late certainly helped and I thought the Drive to End Hunger team did a great job tuning for qualifying. The car was really close.”

WAS THE WIND A FACTOR? “I didn’t feel it to be a big factor in qualifying; I thought it would be a bigger factor with the tire started to fall off.”

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

JR Motorsports

EVENT – Ford 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)

TRACK – Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval)

DATE – Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011

TV / RADIO – ESPN2 (coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 4 p.m. EST)

Aric Almirola

No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet

“Homestead is a track that’s a lot of fun to race on. It has progressive banking through the corners. That’s why you see drivers go into the corner and move around a lot. Anytime you go somewhere that you can move around, it’s good. As a racecar driver, you want options on where you can run.

“I’m looking forward to a bit of a break following Homestead. But at the same time, when you’re running well and things are going your way, you can’t wait to get back to the racetrack. So at times, the few weeks we have off seem a lot longer.”

Danica Patrick

No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

“I remember the car feeling really loose most of the time last year at Homestead. It’s a challenging track, even in IndyCar. I think we wasted a lot of good time during practice, because I was unfamiliar with how to drive the corners. Aric (Almirola, teammate) told me, ‘you’ve got to drive it in the corner, and you’ve got to get it on the right front.’ The corners are very tight compared to a lot of other mile-and-a-halfs. Toward the end of practice we got it better.

“I went into qualifying and surprised myself by qualifying fifth. I feel like I’m getting into the swing of qualifying a little bit more. More than anything, it will be nice to start off the weekend driving the track as it needs to be driven so we can work on the car, as opposed to figuring it out during the last part of practice.”

JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –

PATRICK SEES IMPROVEMENT THROUGH SOPHOMORE CAMPAIGN – Danica Patrick will put an end to an eventful and noteworthy sophomore season this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In 11 starts this year, Patrick earned one top-five and three top-10 finishes. Her fourth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway rewrote the history books, making Patrick the highest finishing female in any NASCAR national touring series race. The effort bested the 62-year-old record of Sara Christian, who finished fifth at Heidlberg, Pa. on Oct. 2, 1949 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Patrick also has led a career-high 14 laps, 13 of which came in a dramatic finish at Daytona in July when she took the lead with two laps to go. Her victory chances were ruined by a multi-car accident within sight of the checkered flag. Patrick’s average finish this year is 16.1 as compared to 28.0 in her 13-race rookie season in 2010.

PATRICK’S MEDIA AVAILABILITY – Danica Patrick will be available to members of the NASCAR media at 10:45 a.m. local time on Friday, Nov. 18 in the Homestead-Miami Speedway media center deadline room.

MILE-AND-A-HALF STRENGTH – Patrick has not finished outside the top-15 in the four 1.5-mile races she’s competed in this season (Las Vegas, Chicago, Kansas and Texas). The 29-year-old holds one top-five and two top-10s with an average finish of 10.0 at those facilities.

PATRICK AT HOMESTEAD – Patrick’s second-best qualifying effort of her short career came at Homestead last year with a fifth-place start. The mark was eclipsed only by a fourth-place starting spot at Daytona in February. She also led the first laps of her Nationwide Series career at Homestead in 2010, leading once for four laps.

NO. 7 SEASON STATS – Every driver of the No. 7 this season has scored a top-10 finish. The list includes Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ron Fellows, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Patrick and Josh Wise. The No. 7 team holds six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 2011. The team occupies the 11th position in owner points.

ALMIROLA WRAPS UP FIRST FULL SEASON WITH JRM – Despite owning 72 starts in Nationwide Series competition over the span of five years, the Homestead event concludes Almirola’s first full season with JR Motorsports. His season totals feature one pole (Phoenix 11/12), seven top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, including a string of nine top-10s in a 10-week mid-summer stretch. Almirola has led 101 laps in 2011. He led 66 last week at Phoenix International Raceway. He has earned an average finish of 12.2. He enters the weekend fourth in championship points, trailing third-place Justin Allgaier by 15 points. The No. 88 Chevrolet is ninth in owner points.

ALMIROLA AT HOMESTEAD – Almirola has seven starts at Homestead across NASCAR’s top-three series, earning two top-five and two top-10 finishes. His best finish of fourth came during the Sprint Cup Series season finale last year. Almirola’s best finish in Nationwide Series competition is 18th.

QUALIFYING EFFORTS – JR Motorsports competed in its first Nationwide Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2005 with driver Mark McFarland. Statistically it is one of the organization’s best qualifying tracks. In nine starts there a JRM Chevrolet has qualified in top-10 six times.

ALMIROLA’S APPEARANCES IN HOMESTEAD – Almirola will attend the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ Championship Drive event on Thursday, Nov. 17th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST located at Lummus Park, Miami Beach, Fla. Almirola, a Florida native, will be featured in a fan Q & A and then will sign autographs. On Saturday, Nov. 19 from 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST, Almirola will sign autographs at the JR Nation merchandise hauler, located in the fan concourse area.

WATCH JRM RACING.COM’s VIDEO SERIES – In a continued effort to be at the forefront of web-based content through its website www.jrmracing.com, the team has added a multitude of videos into its video gallery. Click here to view race preview videos, the “JRM 360” series and more.

- JR Motorsports 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

Jimmie Johnson in Garage - Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

STARTS: 35 WINS: 2 TOP 5: 14 TOP 10: 21
CURRENT DRIVER POINT STANDINGS: 5th (-68)
FINISH IN PHOENIX: 14th 2010 FALL FINISH AT HOMESTEAD: 2nd

RACE NOTES
Homestead-Miami Speedway

Chassis

Primary Car History – Chassis No. 689

Backup Car History – Chassis No. 669

Career Poles

Career Starts

Career Recognition

Jimmie Johnson – Homestead-Miami Speedway

Race 10 of 10 – Chase Stats

Jimmie Johnson – 2011 Results

Jimmie Johnson – Year-by-Year Cup Statistics

- GMR Marketing for Team Lowe’s Racing, 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

Jimmie Johnson in car - Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT CHEVROLET met with members of the media today at Phoenix International Raceway and discussed the new surface at Phoenix, Kyle Busch’s penalty and other topics.

WHAT DO THE CHANGES AT PHOENIX MEAN TO YOU WITH ONLY TWO RACES REMAINING?: “There’s obviously a big difference here with the race track. I was out here for the tire test and then the open test so we got a lot of laps on the race track and eager to get on track and see where the groove has evolved to. Unfortunately, it’s been tough to really get a wide race track out there. There’s been some huge efforts made to put rubber down and then obviously a lot of traffic with all the different series here. Hopefully it widens out and hopefully we can go out there and win this Kobalt Tools race. I’m happy to hear that we are near or at capacity with the crowd and we have a new paint scheme that we have on the race car that we’re debuting here. Hoping for a strong performance.”

WHAT ARE THE ODDS YOU CAN STILL WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND WHAT DOES YOUR FIVE YEAR REIGN MEAN TO YOU?: “Where we are in the points, we’re over a race out so we’re going to need a lot of help and it probably would involve help here and at Homestead. I’m not necessarily counting on that, but I’m an optimist and myself and this race team, we’re not ready or willing to give up. We’re going to try to win these next two races and still be in a position to win the championship if there are some big mistakes made. If not, it’s very important to me to finish as high as I can in the points. I have a thing going where I have been in the top-five every year so far and at a minimum I want to try to keep that alive and I still need to get one more spot to do that. I guess I’m not really ready to reflect yet. When I’m mathematically eliminated I’ll be willing to go down that road emotionally and talk about it. I’m still trying to keep some hope.”

HOW DO YOU VIEW KYLE BUSCH FOLLOWING LAST WEEK’S INCIDENT AND HOW HAS HE CHANGED SINCE HE WAS YOUR TEAMMATE?: “When you’re a teammate with someone you spend a lot more time with them and understand them. I am friendly with Kyle (Busch) in the garage area and we talk. I personally haven’t had any real big run-ins with him so my interaction with him on the track has been fine and all of that. I guess I can’t really answer your question about big differences in who he is and what he is because I’m not in the same shop with him any longer.

“I was real disappointed to see what took place and what happened to (Ron) Hornaday and his championship hopes and then clearly from there it’s been a crazy week for he and his team and his sponsors with everything that’s been going on.”

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO HAVE ANOTHER OWNER-DRIVER WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP?: “I didn’t think it was possible. Certainly would love to see Tony (Stewart) win this championship. I don’t think any of us felt that we would see it take place again or even get close to it. Tony has done an amazing job as an owner and as a driver and we’ll see where things turn out for him, but it would be a huge feat that I think everybody wrote off and said would never happen again.”

DO YOU THINK IT IS REMARKABLE THAT YOU DIDN’T REALLY HAVE AS MUCH BAD LUCK IN WINNING YOUR PREVIOUS FIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS?: “I think we did have some challenging moments — the (Sam) Hornish thing at Texas, I think about the 2006 championship, I think about last year and how dominant Denny (Hamlin) was in this race and looked like things were going his way. Then it all turned around so there certainly has been challenging points through each championship. I guess that’s why I’ve always been in the mindset that it isn’t going to last forever because I know how difficult it is. It is really, really remarkable what we’ve done with this race team and to win five in a row.

“There’s a reason why no one had won five in a row before and it just doesn’t happen, in any sport. I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished this year and the mistakes that have happened in the Chase. I hate that they did and I have to take responsibility for a lot of them. I was the guy behind the wheel in the crashes that took place and a bunch of the strategy for Talladega and a lot of different aspects of it. That stuff happens and you can’t win them all. We certainly want to and are going to try and not giving up hope yet. If it doesn’t happen, we’ll come back next year and try it again.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE NEW SURFACE AT PHOENIX?: “For some reason we’ve had a hard time finding grip, which is odd with brand new asphalt. We’ve seen it before at Charlotte, Las Vegas — there has been a couple instances, we don’t know why, but it just happens that way. There’s been a lot of effort made to get it right with the tire test, the open test, laying rubber has been a concern and the track has gone to great lengths to get rubber down all last week. The effort has been there and it might just take a while before the track ages in the right manner for our cars to be real comfortable here and widen out and use all of the new areas they created for us.

“The reconfiguration down here in one and two, I don’t know how that’s going to evolve. I don’t think you’re really in the corner long enough and I call that turn one and then the dog leg turn two. They built all that banking and all that extra space to run, but I don’t think you’re really in the turn long enough to work an outside lane. At least as of now. We’ll see as things evolve with the race track and how it goes. Passing may be a bit difficult. The good thing about it is that it is a fun lap to drive. I’ve said that from the beginning. I really had never been through a combination of turns that we have at this end of the race track and then we show up and turn three is going a lot faster than we ever have before and there is a downhill, flat entry that makes turn three very exciting.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR EVENT LAST NIGHT?: “It was a good night. We had a lot of fun. It was great to see Adrian (Fernandez) — I hadn’t seen him in a few years. I talk to him from time to time, but it was great to catch up with Adrian. Great concert, great turnout. Adrian is also going to be a part of everything that takes place on Sunday. Lowe’s has a large presence in Mexico and the fit and tie all plays in really well.”

HOW WILL YOU RACE AGAINST KYLE BUSCH MOVING FORWARD?: “It doesn’t really affect me on track I don’t think any differently as to what took place. I’ve seen a lot of stuff go on under caution and you kind of know when you’ve either been in an incident and that guy is limping his way back to pit road that you need to look out. Or once that car returns to the race track that something can happen.

“Speaking of a car limping to pit road, at Martinsville, (Jamie) McMurray and (Brian) Vickers had their thing and Jamie was down to like two miles an hour waiting for Brian to drive by on the outside and Brian took it and I’m like, ‘Don’t drive by, don’t drive by.’ Pow, he gets nailed. I’m like, ‘Man, why did you drive by him?’ That’s there. There are a lot of factors that played into Kyle’s (Busch) penalties and what took place. You know when you’re in that situation what’s possibly going to happen and then at that point you start worrying, but until then you just try to keep your eyes open so you don’t get caught up in something.”

HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF ANYTHING YOU WANT TO IMPROVE ON IN THE OFF SEASON?: “We’re always trying to become a better race team. I think through this year we developed a better race car and a better crew over the wall. We had some issues early in the year in those areas that we had to overcome. That’s kind of the disappointing thing is to be where we are in the points right now is we made so much progress over the course of the season and I feel like I had the speed to be competitive in this Chase and be a part of it. That’s kind of disappointing to have the issues that we’ve had. We’ve got to learn from them and move on.”

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A SURPRISE ATTACK FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP LIKE TONY STEWART IS DOING TO CARL EDWARDS THIS YEAR?: “You try to look at the tracks on the Chase and know you are going to be strong at one and form some opinions, but truthfully all that thinking that goes on between the races or before we ever get to the Chase, it goes out the window when you hit the track. You unload and you go on track and you’re dealing with whatever handling conditions you are and you’re going to get involved in the moment and making your car as fast as you can. You look around and see where the 14 (Tony Stewart) and the 99 (Carl Edwards) are and they are going to be worried about each other on speed and lap tracker and all that kind of stuff. Each weekend takes on its own dynamic to be honest with you is what I guess I’m getting at. All the worrying and thinking you do prior to the Chase or that particular race goes out the window when you hit the track and then you deal with those circumstances that day. Over thinking is certainly something I’ve been through and keeping it simple is something I have found helps in that department. Experience in the sport, experience racing for championships helps you kind of understand where to worry. Before you win a championship I think you worry about everything. You don’t really have a road map yet. Once you have some success and win a championship, you are like, ‘Okay, this is what’s important.”

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE AT DAYTONA IN REGARD TO RULES?: “I haven’t thought a thing about it. Not concerned. Plate racing in a big pack or in a tandem — it’s not my favorite kind of racing period. Whatever it is it is and I will just go down there and try to do my best job.”

HOW IS WHAT KYLE BUSCH DID IN TEXAS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME OTHER THAN IT WAS UNDER CAUTION?: “I think the championship implications had something to do with it. I think he was on probation — no. I don’t have a clue. Under caution, but as you pointed out there were other instances there. I don’t know — I really don’t know. I just don’t. I thought it was between those two things and I guess it’s not.”

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

JR Motorsports

EVENT – Wypall 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)

TRACK – Phoenix International Raceway (1-mile tri-oval)

DATE – Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011

TV / RADIO – ESPN2 (coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 3 p.m. EST)

Aric Almirola

No. 88 Suave Men Chevrolet

“Phoenix is going be a challenge, but it’s going to be a challenge for everybody. We’re going to show up to a new racetrack. It’s newly repaved and reconfigured. They’ve made a lot of adjustments to the racing surface. I’m sure it’s going to be exciting for the drivers and for the fans.

“The plan for our 88 team is just to continue to improve over these final two races. It would be great to finish in the top-three in points, but right now the team’s focus is to get better. We’re not happy running where we’ve been running the past couple weeks. It’s important to this entire Suave Men team to finish the season on a strong note in preparation for 2012.”

Danica Patrick

No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

“I’ve said all along how much fun it is to drive in NASCAR. I have the most fun racing these cars and I have high hopes heading into this race. We’ve ran well at mile-and-a-halfs this year, but short track racing is a different animal. I need to make sure that I still keep expectation levels in check, so I’m not disappointed. This isn’t a time for me to start creating false expectations for myself and feeling like I haven’t lived up to it. This is the time to continue on the path I’ve been going and to set goals for myself.

“Phoenix is a little bit different for everybody now. For me, it’s probably not the worst thing in the world that everyone will have to start relearning the track. It will be my third time there. That’s always a comforting feeling. I think the short track stuff is coming along. I feel like I’ve had the most trouble with it, and struggled with it. I think it’s gone a lot better this year.”

JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –

SHORT TRACK MUSCLE – Almirola flexed his short track muscle this season in the form of three top-five and six top-10 finishes at the 10 short track races to date. He is averaging a finish of 9.9 in those events. In short track races from July through September this season (Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Iowa Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway), Almirola never finished worse than seventh.

ALMIROLA AT PHOENIX – In four Nationwide Series starts at the facility, Almirola’s best finish is sixth, coming last fall in the No. 88 Chevrolet. He also owns three starts in the Camping World Truck Series, securing two top-five finishes and leading 52 laps in those events.

PATRICK’S MEDIA AVAILABILITY – Danica Patrick will be available to members of the NASCAR media at 1 p.m. local time on Friday, Nov. 11 in the Phoenix International Raceway media center deadline room.

PATRICK AND SHORT TRACKS – Patrick owns two starts at Phoenix, finishing a best of 17th in this season’s spring event, marking the best short track finish of her Nationwide Series career. Her sixth-place effort at Dover International Speedway in the fall of 2010 became her top stock car finish at a short track. Additionally, she finished 15th in her only start at Phoenix in the IndyCar Series.

NO. 7 SEASON STATS – Every driver of the No. 7 this season has scored a top-10 finish. The list includes Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ron Fellows, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Patrick and Josh Wise. The No. 7 team holds six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 2011. The team occupies the 11th position in owner points, sitting 36 points outside the top-10.

NO. 88 SEASON STATS - The No. 88 team’s season tally now stands at seven top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. The No. 88 Chevrolet is tied for eighth in owner points. Almirola is currently tied for third in championship points with Justin Allgaier. The pair sits 82 points behind second place, Elliott Sadler.

ALMIROLA AUTOGRAPH SIGNINGS – Fans will have three opportunities to meet JR Motorsports driver Aric Almirola this weekend at Phoenix.

· Wed. Nov. 9 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time, Almirola will sign autographs at the Bashas’ grocery store #120 located 7586 W. Thunderbird Road in Peoria, Ariz.

· Sat. Nov. 12 from 9:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. local time he’ll sign autographs at the Bashas’ grocery store at Phoenix International Raceway (located in the Cotton 2 RV section right outside Gate 4 and Gate 3).

· Sat. Nov. 12 from 11:30 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. local time, Almirola will sign autograph at the JR Nation merchandise hauler located the fan concourse area.

WATCH JRM RACING.COM’s VIDEO SERIES – In a continued effort to be at the forefront of web-based content through its website www.jrmracing.com, the team has added a multitude of videos into its video gallery. Click here to view race preview videos, the “JRM 360” series and more.

- JR Motorsports Press Release

2011 NSCS Jimmie Johnson Standing on Pit Wall - Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR

JIMMIE JOHNSON 2011

STARTS: 34 WINS: 2 TOP 5: 14 TOP 10: 21
CURRENT DRIVER POINT STANDINGS: 6th (-55)
FINISH IN TEXAS: 14th 2010 FALL FINISH AT PHOENIX: 5th

NEWS

Jimmie Johnson will drive the newly designed 2012 Kobalt Tools paint scheme in this weekend’s Kobalt Tools 500.

RACE NOTES

Phoenix International Raceway

Chassis

Primary Car History – Chassis No. 689

Backup Car History – Chassis No. 590

Career Poles

Career Starts

Career Recognition

Jimmie Johnson – Phoenix International Raceway

Race 9 of 10 – Chase Stats

Jimmie Johnson – 2011 Results

Jimmie Johnson – Year-by-Year Cup Statistics

- GMR Marketing for Team Lowe’s Racing, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

DARIN GRUBB CREW CHIEF NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET ON THEIR RACE WIN:

“Everybody, the whole crew just did an awesome job. This Office Depot/Mobil 1 team is a great group of guys there is no quit in them. That is four out of eight, let’s go for two more!”

TONY STEWART NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT /MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET RACE WINNER: YOU MADE UP YOUR MIND YOU ARE GOING TO WIN THIS CHAMPIONSHIP, HOW MUCH OF IT IS MIND OVER MATTER AT THIS POINT? “I told you guys that last week, nobody listens to me when I talk anymore. No, I mean we are set on it man, this is just the way it is going to be. This is for the Wallace family, Mr. Hendrick and his wife, after last week, they had a long week and I had a buddy that passed away when we were in Charlotte, Jim Duffer, real close friend of mine, forget him last week and I didn’t want to forget about him this week. Do not count us out of this thing; I can tell you that, we did everything we could do today. Got to thank Office Depot, Mobil 1, Coca-Cola and Chevy, Mac Tools, Burger King, Tornados, US Army, Haas Automations, I normally don’t make it that far down the list, so I did pretty good tonight.”

TAKE US INSIDE THAT RACE CAR: “Darin (Grubb, Crew Chief) did an awesome job, it is hard to do for the car and he has made the right calls the whole Chase. It was like we told DJ (Dale Jarrett) on that last restart, if I could get the restart on him (Carl Edwards) and get ahead of him; I thought we could stay there. That was the difference and the guys had an awesome pit-stop at the end. If they would not have had that pit-stop we would not be here.”

NOBODY HAS EVER GONE WINLESS IN THE REGULAR SEASON AND COME OUT AND WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP, YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY, THREE POINTS WITHIN CARL EDWARDS, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY TO YOUR COMPETITION THIS WEEK? “I don’t think we have to say anything, I think our performance today spoke for its self. He knows already, trust me!”

HOW DID YOU AND THIS TEAM PULL OFF YOUR FOURTH WIN IN THE CHASE? “We had a great Office Depot/ Mobil 1 Chevy today. It was pretty balanced yesterday; we just could not put that big lap up, up-front. The big key for us was hanging on for the first ten laps of a run and it seemed like we could start pulling away after that. Carl (Edwards) kept us honest today, but we did everything we could do. We got all the bonus points we could get and got the win. We gained more than we needed to gain on the average for the week, so we are doing good.”

THE MARGIN IS THREE, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE MATH HEADING INTO THE FINAL TWO RACES? “Well, if you can do simple math, you can figure out that we gained over half of it in one week and we have two weeks to go. It does not take much right now, it is one spot if a guy wins the race, we are doing exactly what we need to do, I am really confident right now.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET, FINISHED 6^TH: ON HIS RACE: “Great effort by the Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, real proud of everybody, did not qualify well, we had to start in the middle of the field and this place can be tough to move up there and we moved up right away and at times I thought we had a car that could compete for the win with those guys up-front there, got up to about fourth, but when that sun went down it changed for us and we just could not keep up with the track conditions and lost a little bit there at the end. Compared to the way we ran here earlier in the year, this is almost like a win for us.”

GREAT RUN HERE TONIGHT, YOU HAVE TO BE FAIRLY HAPPY WITH THAT I WOULD GUESS? “Yea, I am. If you look at our history here in Texas, it is not my best track and we struggled a little bit this weekend, so when they dropped the green and we were driving forward I was pretty happy, we made some adjustments to make it even better and at one point in the race I thought we had something that could compete with the guys up-front for the win. When the sun went down, we lost the handling a little bit and got real loose, so we fell back. Still sixth is a great day for our Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet.”

TALK ABOUT THE TIRE STRATEGY? “We took the two tires and we got a couple of good restarts and got up there into third and fourth which I was very happy with. But, we wore the left rear tire out and the car got extremely loose. So, we had to come in and pit. We were just loose in general on that last run and a lot of guys closed up on us. That is why we lost a couple of spots. We took four on that last stop. I thought Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) played the strategy perfectly. We made huge strides and this is really something to build on at this race track.”

ANY THOUGHTS ON THE POINTS BATTLE BETWEEN TONY STEWART AND CARL EDWARDS? “I’ll tell you, it’s incredible. It is kind of fun to watch those two battling. What these next two weeks are going to be like is going to be incredible. I don’t think anybody expected Tony to have a Chase like this, but, you know what, he’s a champion. He’s a great driver and when they get their setups in the cars to where they are right now, watch out for those cars. Carl’s not done yet. Those guys are solid and really strong. I’ll tell you, Phoenix is going to be interesting. To me Phoenix is the unknown with this new pavement and I think we are all going to be anxious to see not only how the race goes, but how this championship unfolds.”

GIL MARTIN, CREW CHIEF, NO. 29 RHEEM CHEVROLET DRIVEN BY KEVIN HARVICK, FINISHED 13TH: NOT THE RUN YOU IMAGINED: “No, not really. I mean, if we just ran it straight out, we probably could have run seventh or eighth if we didn’t take two tires under green. But we had to try something and hope the car would come around and maybe we could steal a top-five finish right there. We had about an eighth place car today which is not horrible, but it’s not what we needed. We gambled right there tryin to steal a top-five and it didn’t work so it probably cost us six or seven points. If it works we gained a few points. It is what it is.

“We just didn’t have the early speed. We were good after like 15 or 20 laps, but we just didn’t have any early speed. The pit crew did good. Everybody did good. It was good, we just didn’t have early speed and I just don’t know why. We had it on Saturday in practice and didn’t have it today.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 MYLOWES CHEVROLET, FINISHED 14^TH: ON TODAY’S RACE: “Just a loose car. I fought a loose race car all night long and I lost it off of four. And I think sliding thru the grass did some damage underneath the car. It may have been the rear-end or something because I didn’t really drive really good after that. We were loose, but fast beforehand and then after the spin that really hurt the car”

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

Jimmie Johnson in Car - Photo Credit: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images for NASCAR

JIMMIE JOHNSON NO. 48 LOWES/ MYLOWE’S CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Texas Motor Speedway and discussed Mark Martin, Mr. Hendrick’s condition, racing at Phoenix and other topics.

WHAT KIND OF OUT LOOK DO YOU HAVE THIS WEEKEND FOR THE MYLOWE’S CHEVROLET?

“I think we are going to have a great race this weekend. The efforts have been made through Hendrick Motorsports and the Mylowe’s race team to improve on the mile-and-a-half, which has been something; we have worked really hard on all year long. It is right, we have been able to prove that at Kansas, and not a lot of other mile-and-a-half tracks where we have competed up-front for the win. I am excited for our chances, we have to go out there and get everything we can every lap. From a championship perspective, it is out of our control to win the championship, in my opinion, doesn’t mean that we are out of it, but we are going to need help. If Tony (Stewart) and Carl (Edwards) would be so nice to let me back in, I would appreciate that, along with some of the other guys that are up there but, we are going to go race and try and take trophies home and see where this thing shakes out.”

MARK MARTIN SIGNED A DEAL THAT HE WILL BE RACING FOR TWO MORE YEARS, IF THERE IS SOMEONE WHO IS AGELESS IN THIS SPORT IT IS HIM. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF HIM RACING AT HIS AGE AND DO YOU INTEND ON RACING WHEN YOU ARE 55? “(Laughs) I don’t know, and I respect Mark for continuing, there is something inside of him as a racer we all respect and at his age he can’t stop. I am proud of him. We know what he has done physically to be strong as or the strongest guys out there. That number doesn’t affect his reason of being in the race car. I know what he has done to Hendrick Motorsports and to myself for myself, the type of teammate he has been, the man he is and I know he will be a great asset over at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing). I don’t know many of the details, and saw a little bit of buzz about it, but I am happy that he has found a home and know that he will be a huge asset for MWR.”

HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO RICK HENDRICK IN THE LAST DAY OR TWO, HOW IS HE FEELING AND DOES HE EXPECT TO BE AT A RACETRACK FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF RACES? “Yea, I saw him, I guess Wednesday evening. I went by to see him and Linda and they are both doing well, really good, certainly sore and things of that nature. Their spirits are high, they still have a lot of questions themselves and the whole process is going through its emotions now, hopefully we will have some answers. I just like everyone else, I want to know what happened and they certainly do as well. They are doing well, their spirits are high, they are very thankful that things turned out the way that it did and that the runway had the extra distance and all that, it could have been bad, really could have.”

SINCE 2004, YOU HAVE BEEN ONE OF TWO IN THE POINTS COMING INTO THIS RACE. WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU RIGHT NOW, OBVIOUSLY NOT MATHEMATICALLY OUT BUT NOT IN THE THICK OF THIS CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE? “It is disappointing to say the least, it is easy to find an angle, if we didn’t have the speed and we had other issues going on from an on-track perspective, we didn’t have speed, we couldn’t compete, pit road problems, whatever it is, we do not have that this year. We did in the summer stretch, we needed speed on the mile-and-a-half’s and we had our issues on pit road, and even past Chases we can look at last year and say what we did here changing pit crews out was huge, and I admitted then that we didn’t have the speed to run with the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin), but we found a way to get it done. This year, in this Chase we have had the speed on pit road and on the race track and we just have not finished the races off like we needed to, to stay in contention. That responsibility ultimately lands on my shoulders and to a certain degree on Chad’s (Knaus, crew chief). That is where the disappointment comes from. There has been a handful of races where crashes, strategy, and different things just didn’t play out, that part stinks. It is sports, its racing and we have to learn from the outcome of this year and whatever happens and not let that happen again in the future.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY UPDATES ON THE PLANE? “Nothing yet, there are a lot of crews were scrambled to be there to take place in the process, but there is just no news unfortunately. They certainly do not want us or lead us to believe anything but the truth, so I would assume it will be really quite until we know what really went on.”

LAST SEASON WE SAY YOU RALLIED FROM BEHIND, WE SAW SOME DRAMATIC SWINGS IN THE LAST COUPLE OF RACES IN THE CHASE, IF YOU HAD TO GUESS, WHAT ARE WE MOST LIKELY TO SEE IN THE LAST THREE RACES, A COME FROM BEHIND WIN OR A LEADER DEFENDING HIS CHAMPIONSHIP? “I think we are going to see, with an eight point spread between first and second and I don’t know how far back Kevin (Harvick) is, um 21, it is hard to say. I don’t see Tony (Stewart) or Carl (Edwards) having any bad tracks moving forward. Tony has shown his strengths at the mile-and-a-half’s, he is great at Phoenix, granted Phoenix has changed and it is a crap shoot for anybody, but the No. 99 (Edwards) has been strong on the mile-and-a-half stuff, I think we are going to have a shoot out till the end. If something does happen with either one of them obviously, it opens the door for a bunch of other guys, but I just don’t see any big mistakes coming from those guys, but time will tell.”

HOW MUCH DIFFERENT IS PHOENIX GOING TO BE AND HOW MUCH ARE A LOT OF CREW CHIEFS AND ENGINEERS SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS GOING TO BE LIKE NEXT WEEK? “From my experience there, 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.”

INAUDIBLE:

“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.”

HOW DID YOU GET HERE? DID YOU JUST JUMP ON ANOTHER HENDRICK PLANE?

“Yea, we drove from Charlotte, No, we had our big day yesterday in Oklahoma, for our grants announcement for the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, so we took another Hendrick Plane to Oklahoma and it brought us here. We do have a fleet at Hendrick Aviation that we can pull from which is nice, and our plane was within that fleet so, and Rick (Hendirck) is not going anywhere right now, so his plane was available.”

IS HARD TO PUT IN PERSPECTIVE WHAT NOT WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR, WILL BE LIKE? CAN YOUR TEAM WALK AWAY FEELING LIKE HAD NOT LOST EVERYTHING? “We have high expectations for ourselves and so does this room and the fans because of what we have accomplished and after you win a championship, you want more and after you win five in a row, it just seems like you should be a contender at a minimum. We have a lot of pressure on ourselves and yes we are going to be disappointed if we are not the champion, but I look at this year and where we were at different points in the year and the new faces that we have going over the wall and the progress that they have all made, the progress we have made as a company with the speed in our cars from the start of the year until now, it has been a tougher year for us from a performance stand point than we expected to have, and I think we are understanding our equipment better now and 2012 will be a good year. Just like any competitor, if it is not your year this year, you learn from the low spots, you praise your crew for the high spots and you move on. I don’t want to see the streak end, nor does my team, but if it does, it does and we have to learn from it and go on.”

WAS THAT PLANE THE KEY WEST PLANE THE ONE YOU WOULD HAVE FLOWN IN NORMALLY? THERE WERE A LOT OF SHAKE UPS AT HENDRICK AT THE END OF LAST YEAR, THERE WILL BE NO BIG SHAKE UPS THIS YEAR CORRECT? “Yes, that is our plane that my family and I fly on week in and week out. Kasey (Kahne) coming in with Kenny (Francis, crew chief) and that whole duet, that would be the, not necessarily a shake-up but the only change. Everybody is really content and the performance is showing in the 24 (Jeff Gordon), 88 (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), and 48 that we will bring Kenny in and try to adapt him and Kasey into the fold.”

FOR A GUY WHO HAS NOT ONLY HELD OFF COMPETITORS TO KNOCK THEM OUT OF THAT TOP SPOT, AND ALSO HAVE KNOCKED GUYS OUT GOING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP, WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO CARL(EDWARDS) AND TONY( STEWART) RIGHT NOW? “Well, both have been in the thick of it before, Tony (Stewart) has won his two, I think that there is a bit of comfort that I have experienced over the years racing for my third and after you win one, a huge weight is lifted off your shoulders, so Carl (Edwards) has won championships in other forms and you are going to have to pull on all your experience to do your job to win at this level. I don’t want to advise them, I would like them both to let myself and others back into this, I don’t necessarily have advice, but I am going to be watching with excitement and certainly hoping that my Hendrick kind of teammate in a way if you will has some great success here these next few weeks.”

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