Pat Suhy
Nov. 18, 2015 – “Congratulations to Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Greg Ives, the whole No. 88 Nationwide Chevy SS crew along with everyone at Hendrick Motorsports on the win at Phoenix International Raceway. Their finish, along with wins and strong performances all year long from several drivers and organizations brought Team Chevy its 39th Sprint Cup Manufacturers’ Championship. A big thanks to all the drivers and organizations that contributed!
“Homestead Miami Speedway is up next, and we won’t know until the end of the race who is the new Sprint Cup Drivers Champion. Team Chevy is well represented by Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex, Jr. and they, along with Hendrick Motorsports, Stewart Haas Racing and Furniture Row Racing all get a big ‘thank you’ from us at Chevrolet. They never gave up, and proved that they deserved to be part of the Championship 4 round. The rules are simple – the first driver of the four to cross the finish line is the new champ, but there’s nothing simple about being that driver or team.
“Preparing for the championship race at Homestead means using all the tools we’ve been using all year long, and looking for something a little extra without adding too much risk. Many of our tools, and our teams’ tools are geared toward quantifying the improvements of what a particular chassis setup, engine power level, component, or aero choice will mean on the race track. With limited track testing, vehicle performance simulations have become key tools. Chevrolet and our teams perform simulations on many levels, from simple desktop models to complex dynamic systems that provide some feedback to the driver. Over time, they all get better and better; but Friday’s practice sessions are still critical for the drivers and crew chiefs to validate the output of those simulations. Speed on Sunday often tracks speed on Friday, so all eyes will be on the championship contenders to see how they run when they unload and hit the track for first practice.
“Sunday is sure to be exciting, with the dual storylines of seeing who wins the race, and who brings home the championship trophy. With all of the hard work that we and our teams have put in throughout the season, I wouldn’t bet against us having a contender for both; and having an opportunity to visit both celebrations.”
AUTO AND TRACK NEWS 