DALE EARNHARDT, JR. SWEEPS POCONO

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., driver of the #88 Michael Baker International Chevrolet SS, celebrates his victory Sunday, August 3, 2014 after winning Sunday’s Nascar Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/HHP for Chevy Racing)

Fifth Consecutive Win for Chevrolet at the ‘Tricky Triangle’

LONG POND, Pa. – August 04, 2014 – On the final restart with only three laps remaining, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took the lead in his No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet SS to win the GoBowling.com 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race, and complete a season sweep at Pocono Raceway.

This was Earnhardt’s third victory of 2014 and 22nd career trip to Victory Lane.  The win marked the fifth consecutive victory at Pocono for Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports. It was the first time a driver has swept at Pocono since Denny Hamlin’s pair of wins in 2006. This is also the second time in Earnhardt, Jr.’s career to complete a season track sweep and first since 2002 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Earnhardt was able to hold off a hard-charging Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Mobil 1 Chevy SS.  Harvick rebounded from a midrace speeding penalty and a multi-car crash to finish second, giving Chevrolet a 1-2 finish at the ‘Tricky Triangle’. Harvick’s runner-up performance also secured him a berth in the final 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

“They (Kevin Harvick) were faster than my car,” said Earnhardt Jr. in Victory Lane. “I was over-driving it; not rolling the center very good and Kevin was getting me in between turns one and two. I couldn’t back-it-down, and I was just way over-driving the car.   I could get him through the tunnel in (Turn) three and I was fine, but man he could come through (Turns) one and two, and I wasn’t driving the car right.   We had a fast car all day.

“Steve’s (Letarte, crew chief) strategy was perfect at the end,” Earnhardt, Jr. continued.  “I don’t know if anybody knew what was going on but that was pretty awesome.  It takes a really, really smart guy to understand what to do to take those gambles.  Sometimes they pay off and sometimes they don’t.  I can’t believe we swept Pocono.  We definitely went home from the last race and made our car better.  So, that is what I am proudest of this team for.  They went back and didn’t sit on what we had, they wanted to get better, faster car so we didn’t have to rely on luck to win.”

Jeff Gordon, who led a race-high 63 of the 160-lap race in his No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS finished sixth, and also reached two laps-led milestones: 24,000 career laps led in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition and 1,000 laps led at Pocono Raceway.

Jamie McMurray was seventh in the No. 1 Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet SS, Ryan Newman was eighth in the No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevy SS, and Kasey Kahne finished 10th in his No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS. To complete a strong contingent of six Chevrolet SS race cars finishing in the top 10.

Rounding out the top five finishing positions were Joey Logano (Ford) in third, Clint Bowyer (Toyota) in fourth, and Greg Biffle (Ford) in fifth.

The series moves next to New York for road course racing at Watkins Glen International on August 10th.

 

 

DATES SET FOR NASCAR’S: NSCS, NNS AND NCWTS AWARDS

Trump National Doral Miami

NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Awards Move to Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. July 03, 2014 – NASCAR announced that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards – the annual culmination of Champion’s Week – will be held on Friday, Dec. 5, at Wynn Las Vegas. This is the sixth year that NASCAR has celebrated Champion’s Week in the city of Las Vegas, a tradition that has featured a bevy of A-list entertainers and fan-friendly activities involving the sport’s biggest stars.

Last year’s show, which honored six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, featured many memorable moments from host Jay Mohr and entertainers John Mellencamp, Dierks Bentley and Sara Bareilles.

“Two of the world’s most recognizable brands, NASCAR and Las Vegas, have developed a strong and successful partnership that delivers unrivaled excitement to the sport’s loyal fans,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, president/CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “We’re proud to celebrate this milestone as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards and its Champion’s Week return for the sixth year, proving that no destination matches the passion and energy of NASCAR like Las Vegas.”

NASCAR also announced that the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Awards will hold a joint celebration on Monday, Nov. 17, at Trump National Doral Miami. The event will honor the series driver and owner champions, as well as the top-five drivers in each series.

This is the first year the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Awards will have been held at Trump National Doral Miami. The property was recently purchased by the Trump Organization with plans for a $250 million resort-wide restoration.

“We are honored to host our first-ever joint celebration of these superb events at Trump National Doral Miami,” said Donald Trump Jr., executive vice president of Development and Acquisitions at The Trump Organization. “Our vision for the expansive transformation has been to create an unparalleled event experience and welcome these awards to our newly restored resort.”

“NASCAR’s postseason celebrations continue to be highly anticipated, can’t-miss events on the season’s calendar,” said NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Brent Dewar. “Las Vegas was built on world-class entertainment, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards and Champion’s Week fit perfectly. In addition, we’re thrilled to shift the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Awards to Trump National Doral Miami. It’s a first-class property that will certainly provide an elevated experience for our industry and our championship teams.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards will air on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 9 p.m. ET. MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the awards show live.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Awards will be broadcast via tape delay on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

Source: NASCAR

 

 

SEBASTIEN BUEMI SETS THE PACE IN FIRST FORMULA E TEST

LEICESTERSHIRE, UK July 3 2014 – E.dams-Renault’s Sebastien Buemi set the fastest time during today’s maiden official test for the new FIA Formula E Championship at Donington Park, as fans got their first glimpse of the new all-electric series.

The first of five public tests took place at the Leicestershire circuit in dry, bright conditions and saw all 10 teams and drivers use the full Donington Park GP circuit, modified to include an additional chicane at the exit to the Old Hairpin.

Being the first outing for many of the drivers, the day focused on getting to grips with the Spark-Renault SRT_01E cars with German driver Daniel Abt, driving for Audi Sport Abt, laying down the early benchmark for the morning session. The German, who ended the day eighth overall after missing the afternoon session due to other commitments, lapped in the low 1:37s, closely followed by Buemi and Andretti’s Franck Montagny.

Times began to tumble in the afternoon session with Buemi once again on the pace, posting a 1:35.475s with under an hour to go and holding on to the top spot until the end of the day. Abt’s Lucas di Grassi finished over a half a second shy of the Swiss despite only running during the afternoon session with Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird a further three-tenths back in third. Mahindra Racing’s Bruno Senna ran well all day to finish fourth with Venturi’s new signing and ex-Le Mans driver Stephane Sarrazin rounding out the top-five during his first outing in a fully-electric single-seater.

Nicolas Prost (e.dams-Renault), son of four-time Formula One World Champion Alain, finished sixth to edge out Jarno Trulli with Virgin Racing’s Jaime Alguersuari and Mahindra Racing’s Karun Chandhok completing the top-10.

The day also saw outings for several of the championship’s new signings including Amlin Aguri duo Katherine Legge and Antonio Felix da Costa, Venturi’s Nick Heidfeld, Trulli’s Michela Cerruti and Dragon Racing’s Mike Conway.

Former F1 racer Jerome d’Ambrosio and Spain’s Antonio Garcia tested for China Racing with Scott Speed making his test debut for Andretti – sharing the car with IndyCar legend and Formula E ambassador Gil de Ferran.

Sebastien Buemi said: “I’m more than happy to be honest. I didn’t have any problems with the car at all and that meant we were able to learn quite a lot about it. It’s always nice to be P1 so let’s hope it continues tomorrow.”

Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E, added: “Today’s first test has been a special occasion for everyone involved with the FIA Formula E Championship. This project has been a long time coming but to see all the cars and drivers taking part is a very proud moment and my thanks goes to all our investors, partners, teams and Formula E personnel for transforming the FIA’s dream into a reality.”

Day two of testing gets underway tomorrow at 9am with free access to fans, including a pitlane walk.

For more information visit www.fiaformulae.com

 

CORVETTE RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: THIRD STRAIGHT VICTORY FOR GARCIA, MAGNUSSEN

Win equals GT Le Mans championship leads; Gavin and Milner fourth after penalty

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. June 30, 2014 – In its 15 years of existence, Sunday marked Corvette Racing’s first event at Watkins Glen International. The team made its debut one to remember with a dominating GT Le Mans (GTLM) victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen for Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.

The duo led most of the day to earn their third straight class victory in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. In the process, Garcia and Magnussen moved into the lead of the GTLM driver’s championship, as did Chevrolet in the manufacturer standings and the No. 3 Corvette C7.R in team points.

“The Corvette C7.R team’s first race at Watkins Glen was exciting given the challenging track and intense competition that kept the pressure on all race,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Antonio and Jan drove a great race and the crew executed quick pit stops. We are thankful to come out of The Glen with a GTLM class win and the class championship lead.”

Garcia and Magnussen also won the third round of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup – a four-race championship made of the TUDOR series’ four endurance events.

The Garcia/Magnussen combination led 154 of the 185 GTLM laps. Magnussen drove the opening stint and took the lead from the pole-sitting BMW on the first lap. Despite holding as much as a 30-second lead at various points, the final minutes were tense ones. A full-course caution with 25 minutes left brought the Corvette inside its fuel window for the rest of the race. A final yellow period just after the restart meant a final-lap dash that saw Garcia hold off the second-place Viper by 0.185 seconds.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner finished fourth in their No. 4 Corvette C7.R after running second to their teammates for most of the day. A stop-and-go penalty inside the last hour for what race officials judged to be avoidable contact halted their podium charge.

The day wasn’t a complete loss. Gavin and Milner moved into the lead of the Patrón Endurance Challenge with just the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans remaining at the end of the season.

The next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The race, which Gavin and Milner won last year as part of the American Le Mans Series, is set for 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 13.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“The car was really good. I was running perfect. Jan (Magnussen) made perfect start and pulled a gap. Then we got a caution but we made the gap back up from zero to almost 20 seconds. Whenever I was able to go full-on we went up to almost a 30-second lead. Strategy-wise we were like two or three laps short (on fuel) I believe. We decided because the Viper … maybe they gambled a little bit more at the beginning so they were out of sequence to stretch their fuel to start with; they were good to go to the end. We decided to go too, and it was hard. To go through traffic, it was really difficult to save fuel. At the end we would have been OK to the end (without the last caution). That yellow obviously helped us a little bit more just in case. We weren’t really on it, but I believe Corvette Racing again did a perfect race. I think we led everything but qualifying.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“I have to say I am so pleased for how things have gone for the team this year, with the No. 3 car especially, but how we have developed a new car and we keep finding better things to do with it. We are finding better race speed over one lap over the whole distance and making the Michelin tires last for the whole stint. We have a fantastic race car. It’s a very competitive category and you have to be on your game with everything you do. There is no room for any mistakes otherwise you lose it.”

(First race in the Corvette C7.R at The Glen) “I have been here before in other categories, the GRAND-AM GT and also the GRAND-AM DPs earlier. Driving the Corvette C7.R around here is just a fantastic feeling. It’s such a fast race track. It’s almost like there is a part missing of the corner – normally you would have a big braking zone downshifts and everything getting the car ready to rotate and then shoot out the corner. Here that little bit is gone so basically for every corner you barely touch the brake, downshift, back to full throttle. It’s all about the momentum here to build the speed, and that is where dealing with all the traffic was very important; you didn’t get bogged down too much because it would kind of ruin your rhythm. I think both of us did that really well today.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“Certainly we made a step forward with the car after yesterday morning. We went back to basics with stuff, we changed a lot chassis-wise with the car. So was it the perfect setup? No because it was just really a bit of a stab at it, but it was good enough to race and be in the hunt. I genuinely think we should have had a second-place. Tommy (Milner) did a great job at the start and really got us in a fantastic position. It looked like we were going to be able to race cleanly for second.

(Race impressions) “On the double stint that I did, the first on the medium tire was good and I hung with Jan (Magnussen) pretty much. And then on the harder tire it was trickier. It made it a lot more difficult. But we were still there still in second-place looking like we were going to be able to fight for that and then Tommy (Milner) just got a crazy decision with the penalty. We went back and forth for a long time and it’s a great shame that it ruined our race. We went from second to fourth and I think we should have really had a second. That would have been a great result for the team and the guys. They worked so hard over the whole weekend.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“First and foremost, I’m very proud of our guys. After Oliver (Gavin) and I were not very happy with the car in practice they put a lot of work into trying to fix the car and it seems like that we have done that. The car was certainly quite a bit better in the race. We were just kind of behind the eight ball – just needed some more practice time to kind of fine tune it, but I think we are back in the ballpark again. That is obviously really encouraging for going forward.

(Race impressions) The race was pretty good. I had a really fun start there. It was just a shame that I got a penalty for something that I don’t believe should have been a penalty. Obviously the race control saw it differently. We can only just move on and kind of put that behind us and be proud of what we achieved. Obviously a great job by the No. 3 car guys; they executed very well. Our guys did as well. We had great pit stops, great strategy calls… they did everything right.  We deserved a podium today, but we had it taken away.”

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER

“Today was emblematic of one of my key racing axioms – 25 percent great car, 25 percent great team and 50 percent good fortune. We had all those in our corner today, backed up by flawless pit stops and a great strategy by our engineers. With plenty of power from GM Powertrain, you add all that up and it’s a victory in our first visit to Watkins Glen International in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys for standing on that top step. Everyone worked very hard to earn this one.”

 

 

SCHMIDT PETERSON TEAMMATES POST 1-2 FINISH

HOUSTON – June 30, 2014 – Simon Pagenaud and Mikhail Aleshin turned heartbreak in Race 1 of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston presented by the Greater Houston Honda Dealers into celebration in Victory Circle following an exhausting 90-lap battle in Race 2.

The Schmidt Peterson Motorsports teammates finished 1-2 on the 1.634-mile, 10-turn temporary street circuit in the second of three doubleheader events this season.

Jack Hawksworth, a Verizon IndyCar Series rookie like Aleshin, leaped from qualifying last to finishing a season-high third. Charlie Kimball finished fourth and Sebastien Bourdais, who overcame a broken front wing sustained in contact on Lap 49 with the car of Helio Castroneves, recovered to finish fifth.

It was the first 1-2 finish for the Indianapolis-based team co-owned by Ric Peterson and former Indy car drivers Sam Schmidt and Davey Hamilton.

“We thought we had the class of the field (in Race 1), but it didn’t work out that way,” team manager Rob Edwards said. “This is much better.”

Pagenaud earned his first Verizon P1 Award for Race 1, but the Frenchman was relegated to a 16th-place finish after struggling on the rain-soaked track at NRG Park. Aleshin’s Race 1 ended on Lap 33 after contact with Takuma Sato in Turn 6 after starting a then-best 10th. He started on the front row for Race 2.

“Awesome race. The car was just beautiful,” said Pagenaud, who earned his second victory of the season. “That’s why I was so disappointed yesterday. We had such a fast car this weekend. We regrouped after Detroit (22nd and 6th-place finishes) and then came up with this package.”

Following the Lap 49 caution, Pagenaud found clear sailing through a Lap 63 pit stop and three more full-course cautions. Aleshin, who drove 40 laps on one set of Firestone primary tires and 18.5 gallons of E85, slid into second on the pit stop.

All four full-season rookies posted podium results this weekend (Carlos Huertas winning and Carlos Munoz placing third in Race 1). Four different teams were represented in the top five.

“I can’t really explain my feeling. I just have so much emotion,” said Aleshin, the first Verizon IndyCar Series driver from Russia. “We had a great qualifying today and had a great race. I had contact with Graham (Rahal) after his pit stop and at this moment I felt like, ‘That’s it.’ But I had a great strategy and had the same pace as the leaders. I was able to catch up and overtake some of them. Because of the strategy we were up there. And then can you imagine? In the end, I (was losing tire pressure). I was really lucky to finish, actually. The team did an amazing job. I don’t have enough English words to thank the team.”

Castroneves, the Verizon P1 Award winner, lost an opportunity to slice into Team Penske teammate Will Power’s championship points advantage in the incident with Bourdais. The No. 3 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Team Penske was overtaken for the lead in Turn 3 by Pagenaud and then made contact with Bourdais’ No. 11 Mistic KVSH Racing car on the high-speed run-up to Turn 6.

“I had no idea that he was there,” said Castroneves, who tied Rick Mears for fourth all-time with 40 P1 starts. “When I’m attacking I can’t have eyes in the back of my head. I am upset because we had a great car and there were 40 laps to go and I wasn’t panicking to get the lead back.”

Castroneves led a field-high 47 laps to pick up two bonus points, but they were too few. Power, who made contact with a tire barrier on the white flag lap to fall from running third to finish 11th, takes a 39-point lead into the Pocono INDYCAR 500 fueled by Sunoco on July 7. That’s the margin he enjoyed entering the Houston doubleheader. Ryan Hunter-Reay, who finished seventh and sixth on the weekend, closed to 41 points behind. Pagenaud is 59 points back in fourth.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who was runner-up to fellow Columbian Huertas in Race 1, was overtaken by Hunter-Reay for sixth and Ryan Briscoe gained seven positions to finish eighth. Marco Andretti and Tony Kanaan completed the top 10.

“It feels good to come out of this doubleheader in Houston with a top-10 finish,” said Briscoe, who secured his third consecutive top 10 and fifth of the season. “This series is just so competitive and it’s a fight to the finish at every race.”

 

 

CHARLIE KIMBALL LEADS CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6 CONTINGENT IN RACE NO. 2 AT GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON

HOUSTON, Texas – June 30, 2014 – Under blistering hot conditions at the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston, Charlie Kimball carried the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 banner by fighting his way to his third top-five finish of the Verizon IndyCar season in his No. Levemir Flex Touch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

His fourth-place finish in enabled him to move up one position in the overall standings to 15th.

Sebastien Bourdais, No. 11 Team Mistic KVSH Racing Chevrolet, also notched his third 2014 top-five finish in Sunday’s race coming home fifth. His performance elevated Bourdais up two spots in the standings from 10th to eighth.

Team Penske driver Juan Pablo Montoya was looking to put his No. 2 Verizon Chevrolet into victory lane after coming close in Saturday’s race #1.   Montoya battled from 14th to the top-five but was shuffled out in heavy traffic late in the race. He finished 7th in the event, and remains fifth in points.

His Team Penske teammate and series point leader Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, suffered a suspension failure with just a few laps remaining and came away with a disappointing 11th place finish after making a valiant run to third place.  Power still holds the overall point standings by 39 markers over Helio Castroneves.

Castroneves, who placed No. 3 Pennzoil Ultra Premium Team Penske Chevrolet on the pole, led twice for race-high 47 laps. His dominating run ended on lap 48 when on-track contract damaged his car beyond repair.

The next race on the Verizon IndyCar Series will be on Sunday, July 6th at Pocono Raceway.  Live television coverage will start at Noon on NBC Sports and can be heard live on IMS Radio Network XM 209/Sirius 213 as well as IndyCar.com

 

 

 

KIA MOTORS BECOMES OFFICIAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTNER OF SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Irvine-Based Automaker Joins with Orange County’s Largest Non-Profit Arts Organization to Showcase All-New K900 Flagship Luxury Sedan

• Multifaceted K900 launch extends with three custom-built vehicle displays throughout the Center’s campus and involvement with special events, including the Off-Center Festival, Movie Mondays and the annual Candlelight Concert
• The Center’s 600,000 annual visitors will have the opportunity to interact with and test drive Kia vehicles throughout the multi-year partnership

IRVINE, Calif., June 30, 2014 – Patrons visiting the Segerstrom Center for the Arts will experience a new side of luxury as Kia Motors America (KMA) proudly introduces the all-new K900 rear drive luxury sedan1 in collaboration with the Center, which presents a wide variety of the most significant national and international productions of music, dance and theater to the people of Southern California on multiple stages.  As Official Automotive Partner, Kia has built three custom K900 displays that will reside on the Segerstrom Center’s campus.  Kia will also provide a complimentary K900 to aid in transporting artists and the Center’s community education staff.

Praised by the automotive press for “elegant yet dynamic exterior styling” and “a dizzying array of luxury features,” a recent certification by AMCI Testing2 revealed the Kia K900 V8 is Quieter, Smoother, and Better Riding Overall than the Audi A8 4.0T, the BMW 750i and the Lexus LS460.

“The K900 offers a modern and different twist on luxury, and partnering with the Segerstrom Center for the Arts will allow people from all over Southern California with a passion for the performing arts to see and interact with our new flagship sedan,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president sales and marketing, Kia Motors America.  “At Kia, we are committed to supporting the communities we call home, and our involvement with the Center is the latest extension of our efforts to create opportunities for engagement with the K900 and allow people to see for themselves why it challenges everything they think they know about luxury – and Kia.”

In addition to the K900 displays, Kia also will have a significant presence at several of the Center’s hallmark events, including:  the Off Center Festival, Arts & Business Leadership Awards Dinner, Movie Mondays and the annual Candlelight Concert fundraiser.

On all fronts, the all-new K900 continues to challenge the conventional trappings of vehicular luxury with the recent introduction of the new K900 iPad®3 app.  Downloadable from iTunes®3, the free app takes viewers on an in-depth engagement into all the K900 has to offer.  From its advanced technology to its stunning design, users are immersed through a unique 720-degree augmented reality experience that uses the iPad’s® internal gyroscope to provide a virtual window into the heart of the K900.  Loaded with 12 computer-generated videos, customization tools and interactive features, the app also includes photo galleries, can help schedule a test-drive appointment and even allow users to receive a price quote from an authorized Kia K900 retailer.

 

 

BMW TEAM RLL DISAPPOINTED AT SAHLEN’S SIX HOURS OF THE GLEN

Edwards and Müller Finish 6th, Auberlen and Priaulx 10th

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – June 30, 2014 – The beginning of BMW Team RLL’s Sahlen’s Six Hour of the Glen story was better than the ending, as the team was unable to capitalize on its excellent starting positions (first and third) at Watkins Glen International Raceway. The day of struggle ultimately ended with sixth and tenth place finishes.

The No. 56 BMW Z4 GTLM of John Edwards and Dirk Müller finished sixth, with a relatively trouble-free race only marred by Edwards having to take evasive action due to a spinning competitor during the second hour and dropping from third to ninth. Müller moved up to sixth by the fourth hour and Edwards, back in the car at the end, crossed the finish line in sixth. They completed 185 laps of the 3.4-mile, 11-turn circuit during the six-hour contest. The race was won by the No. 3 Corvette.

Bill Auberlen and Andy Priaulx had an unfortunate day in the No. 55 BMW Z4 GTLM, having to make 10 pit stops to their teammates’ six, for a myriad of problems after starting from BMW Team RLL’s first pole position of the season. They worked hard to stay on the lead lap, but a stop-and-hold penalty for avoidable contact by Auberlen just before the third hour combined with three tire punctures to ultimately drop the car one lap to the leaders. Their tenth place finish was their poorest of the season and drops them out of the lead in driver points.

Separately, in the GTD class, a third BMW Z4 in the race, campaigned by Turner Motorsport with drivers Dane Cameron and Markus Palttala, raced to a dominant victory – their second of the season. The duo completed a total of178 laps, leading 169 circuits during the race.

“It was a disappointing race after performing so strongly all weekend in qualifying and practice,” said Gordon McDonnell, BMWNA Motorsport Manager. “That’s how it goes sometimes. I think the pace of the Corvettes during the race surprised us. However, it is now on to Canada and we’ll continue the fight. Congratulations to Will Turner and the Turner Motorsport guys on their second victory with the Z4 GTD. It was a dominating win and hopefully more victories will come for them during the season.”

“Our cars were well-balanced and fast, but it was difficult to show that today with everything that happened,” said Jay O’Connell, RLL VP Technology. “Hopefully, we have had all our bad luck. It is a tough day when you end up P6 and a lap down in 10th.”

John Edwards, driver No. 56 Z4 GTLM – “It was a very exciting race, but not necessarily in a good way. We had an issue right after one of the re-starts where I came round the corner, a Prototype had spun and I had to go off to avoid it. As I went off to the right, he turned the wheel and backed out to the right so I had to go even further off. It cost me seven or eight positions. It is surprising in a six-hour race we can’t recover from that, but there was a really long period of green flag running and we needed yellows to catch back up.”

Dirk Müller, driver No. 56 Z4 GTLM – “I had three thrilling stints and loved them all. I was really quick in all of them and put no scratches on the car. The Z4 ran well. Unfortunately, we had really tough luck. John had to avoid an accident and made the best of the situation; he went outside and lost seven positions. Considering the alternative, we’ll accept a sixth place finish.”

Bill Auberlen, driver No. 55 Z4 GTLM – “That was a weird and very challenging day and it makes it much, much worse when you have a great car, but a lot of bad things go against you. I can’t remember the last time the car was that good and felt so connected. However, nothing went our way. We just hope it is now behind us. We leave with second in the points, but at least we are still near the top.”

Andy Priaulx, driver No. 55 Z4 GTLM – “We had a relatively good start, but that’s really all we had today. Unfortunately, in the areas where we needed to pass we weren’t quite strong enough. It opened Bill to bad luck and the call (avoidable contact) went against him this time. Better luck in Canada.”

In other BMW racing action today, Joey Hand raced to a season’s best finish (7th) in round 4 of the 2014 DTM championship today at the Norisring. Teammate Marco Wittmann was the top-finishing BMW driver (6th) and retained his lead in the driver points standings.

Round Six of the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the Mobil1 SportsCar Grand Prix, will take place at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, on Sunday, July 13th. The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET. Follow BMW Team RLL on Twitter at @BMWUSARacing for “from-the-pit-box” updates all weekend. More information on the program can be found at www.bmwusa.com and www.imsa.com.

 

 

CORVETTE DPs AT WATKINS GLEN: BREAKTHROUGH WIN FOR SPIRIT OF DAYTONA RACING

Westbrook, Valiante score victory; Barbosa, Fittipaldi third for Action Express Racing

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. June 30, 2014 – Richard Westbrook led a strong showing by Corvette Daytona Prototypes with a thrilling victory alongside Michael Valiante in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday. Westbrook, in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP, won a last-lap dash to the finish by 0.877 seconds.

Corvette DPs took two of the three podium spots in the sixth race for prototypes in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Action Express Racing’s Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi were third in their No. 5 Corvette DP.

“Congratulations to Troy Flis, Richard Westbrook, Michael Valiante and everyone at Spirit of Daytona Racing on today’s outstanding victory,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet Director of Racing. “This was a demanding six-hour race at Watkins Glen. This win – made possible by strategy, performance and execution – helped cap a fantastic weekend for Team Chevy.”

In all, three Corvette Daytona Prototypes led in the race as Chevrolet won overall for the fourth consecutive year at Watkins Glen International and third in a row with the Corvette DP. Four of the top five spots went to Corvette DPs. Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle and Jon Fogarty were fourth in Action Express’ No. 9 Corvette DP, and Prototype championship leaders Jordan and Ricky Taylor were fifth with Max Angelelli in Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Corvette DP.

Chevrolet increased its lead in the Prototype engine manufacturer championship standings.

“There are several reasons to celebrate today,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet’s Corvette Daytona Prototype Program Manager. “All five of our Corvette Daytona Prototypes ran competitively and trouble-free. Our Chevrolet V8 engines are showing excellent reliability, as evidenced by strong showings at Daytona, Sebring and now Watkins Glen. We maintained leads in the engine manufacturer, driver and team championship standings thanks to Spirit of Daytona’s victory and a third-place finish for Action Express Racing. The momentum in the TUDOR Championship appears to be in our favor heading into a critical stretch of events.”

The next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The race – set for 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 13 – will mark the first visit to the historic track for the Corvette DPs.

RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 90 SPIRIT OF DAYTONA RACING CORVETTE DP

“That yellow made things complicated for us at the end because we were good on fuel and we just needed it to go green. But you know you can’t count on that in racing. The yellow came, it was unfortunate for Alex (Brundle) as he got caught up with the No. 9 car on the restart so I got a really good run and I made it stick.  Well done to Michael (Valiante). His stints were incredible, fast and still saving fuel. I’m just so thrilled for everyone on this Visit Florida team. It’s just a massive achievement. We just needed a podium. It has taken awhile, but we just want to make this a habit now like we did in 2012, finishing on the podium. I’m really proud to be part of this team.”

MICHAEL VALIANTE, NO. 90 SPIRIT OF DAYTONA RACING CORVETTE DP

“I knew Richard would be great on the restart. I knew if he could get a run into Turn 1 we would be OK. This whole race was just like qualifying laps. Our approach was to just keep the car safe and be in position to podium. We’ve had quick cars and the team has been doing a great job. The racing is really close in this series and we would like to keep this roll going with some more podiums.”

JOAO BARBOSA, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP

“Even if we were – I can’t say disappointed – but if we were not 100 percent happy, it’s because we know we could have done better. We had a strong car through the whole stint and the whole race. Unfortunately, the strategy in the race situation didn’t work in our favor with the last yellow flags. But it was a great points day for the Patron Endurance Cup and we probably extended our lead a little bit more. I know we were leading at the three-hour mark, which was one of our goals. We just closed the gap on the No. 10 car in the championship and overall, and that’s what we were looking for when we came here. We were looking also for the win and though we didn’t get that, overall still positive.”

(Could he have caught the No. 90 without the last caution?) “I think so. We had a very competitive car and I was pushing; I was doing really good lap times. I felt we had a chance at the end. On the yellow before the last one, I was caught behind (another car) a little bit and he slowed me down just enough so I couldn’t close the gap on the leaders. But on the last situation, I was able to go by him but there was just not enough time… one lap is not enough to get by.”

CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP

“Yeah it was a good day. Obviously, not exactly what we were looking for but I also can’t complain. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way. The drive-through penalty (for listing the incorrect starting driver) definitely didn’t help us because we fell back and then the yellow came right after. Then the gap between the leader and Joao was pretty big – 35 or 40 seconds – just because he got caught up in traffic. So that really didn’t help. But we win as a team, we lose as a team. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way. We’re gonna turn the page and go on to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. On the other side, we closed the gap on the No. 10 car (in the driver’s championship), which is good, and we opened the gap to the No. 01 and were leading at the three-hour mark. So for the Patron Endurance Championship, it went really well.”

 

TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES / KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY / NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

JUNE 29, 2014 – RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 3RD

THIS IS YOUR BEST RUN OF THE YEAR. KNOW YOU WANTED TO WIN THIS THING, BUT DOES 3RD PLACE PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AT THE END OF THE NIGHT?

“It’s a big gain for us and our Caterpillar Chevrolet. All the guys at RCR and ECR got us that first top five of the season. I’ve got to thank everybody from Caterpillar and Quicken Loans for the opportunity they’ve given us this year. It was a good run. The No. 2 (Brad Keselowski, race winner) was obviously the fastest car all night. The No. 18 (Kyle Busch) got a little bit better there at the end. We were pretty solid. We never really changed the car. It felt like we were pretty neutral and didn’t want to screw it up. So, we ended up where we did.”

IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK YOU CAN REPLICATE AT FUTURE 1.5-MILE TRACKS?

“Well, we sure don’t come back here (laughs). So I hope it translates. And I think it will. I think we’ve got some stuff coming. Pocono and Indy are a couple of races that I really look forward to.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 5TH

YOU WORKED YOUR WAY TO GET YOUR THIRD TOP-5 IN THE LAST 1.5-MILE TRACKS. THAT’S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE

“Yeah, I didn’t have any answers for why we were struggling yesterday. Steve (Letarte, crew chief) and the engineers got in the hauler and talked all night long, and all day today and put a great car underneath us. And the pit crew did an amazing job tonight. Those guys were gaining spots for me every stop. Even when we were taking four tires, we were beating a lot of guys off pit road. They’re just a great group and deserve a lot of credit, too. The National Guard Chevy was way better today; a lot more fun to drive. This place is a bit of a handful for me. I don’t think I’ve got it figured out just yet. And I don’t exactly know what I’m looking for and how I need the car to drive. So Steve and the guys did a good job in having to deal with me and trying to put a good car under me this weekend. It was a lot of fun in the race. The strategy was good on pit road. Steve’s fuel strategy gained us a lot of track position.”

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 8TH

ON HIS NIGHT:

“We battled hard.  I had to fight we had some damage when the No. 1 (Jamie McMurray) stopped when another car was spinning.  I couldn’t get stopped I hit him, the No. 43 (Aric Almirola) hit him, just too many cars in one spot on the road.  We had a bad pit stop at the end that put us 18th and got back to eighth so I was really happy with the speed of our Great Clips Chevy just too many errors if you want to run up front.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 10TH

WAS THE PENSKE DOMINATION TONIGHT DEMORALIZING AT ALL? OR WERE YOU ABLE TO RUN YOUR RACE DESPITE WHAT THEY WERE DOING?

“We had issues that started on Friday.  We didn’t qualify well that had us in a terrible spot with track position.  I would work my way to the front and get in the top 10, top five and then come down pit road and because of our poor qualifying position we just didn’t have a good pit stall.  I was between the No. 10 (Danica Patrick) and the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) and they were both fast all night long.  I would lose five or six spots on pit road each time.  According to lap times what I heard in my ear I think we were a competitive car and we could have been up there and maybe had a look at those guys in some clean air.  But we just messed up on Friday and got behind the eight ball.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 RUSH TRUCK CENTERS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 11TH

STARTED BACK IN THE BACK BUT BATTLED FOR A GOOD FINISH:

“Yeah I mean I would have liked to have been a little better than what we were there at the end, but I think we definitely had to fight our way up there through the day.  We never did anything trick to get track position.  We pitted every time the pits were open.  We didn’t do any less than anybody else did on any stop.  All in all I thought we had a pretty honest day there can’t complain about that.”

WAS IT ANY HARDER TO GET THROUGH TRAFFIC HERE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE? 

“No, the race track was wide enough and guys were moving around enough that if your car was working you could get through there.  It’s just we just weren’t working good enough.  I was kind of stuck in one or two spots on the track and not in a wide enough spot to really do anything.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS ARE MAKING PROGRESS? 

“Yeah, I think so across the board.  Kurt (Busch) and I talked about our cars right after the race and we both were fighting the same thing with our cars.  I think the No. 10 (Danica Patrick) and the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) were fighting a different set of problems.  I think as an organization as a whole we were pretty good.  Danica (Patrick) was pretty good all night just got kind of off on the tire sequence there and I think that bit them.  I think all four of the cars were pretty good.”

MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 19TH

“We had a lack of grip and no rhythm tonight. We fought for every inch to finish 19th.  At the beginning of the race we didn’t have any rear grip. Once that got better we started to have trouble with our front-end grip.  Leaving our pit stall was also a problem tonight. We took a good hit from behind on one pit stop that caused damage to our Chevrolet and later in the race we were blocked in after taking two tires and hoping to gain on track position. We obviously wanted a better finish for World Vision but hopefully we’ll get another opportunity with them down the road.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – EXPERIENCED A TIRE ISSUE ON LAP 77 WHICH RESULTED IN CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE WALL

ARE YOU OKAY?

‘Yeah, I’m okay. Blew a right front (tire). This is the first time that’s ever happened to me in stock car racing. So, big hits. But is sucks. We were hoping for a good points day to pad our points were we are before we go to Daytona where it’s a real crapshoot. It’s disappointing to have two weekends that didn’t end up very well the last couple of races. Oh, well. That’s how it goes. We’ll try and go to Daytona and rebound and gain some more points.”

DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THAT WAS COMING?

“No, not really. I saw Denny (Hamlin) blew his right front and I’d been pretty tight. But I didn’t think we had any tire issues all weekend, so I was kind of shocked when he blew his right front. And then we were pretty tight on our run. I felt like I was using up my right sides; and run up in the grey a lot trying to get the top working. I told myself to get back down just in case there would be tire problems and I guess I just used up my tires too much.”

IT APPEARED THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENED WITH DENNY HAMLIN EARLIER HAPPENED TO YOU IS THAT ACCURATE? 

“Yeah the same thing that happened to Denny (Hamlin) I think.  It looked like he blew a right-front (tire) and so did I.  I heard a big ‘pop’ and then it just went straight.  It sucks it happened, but I didn’t know we had any tire issues at all throughout the weekend.  I don’t know if the rain had an effect and washed the rubber off the track or what.  It sucks it happened but we will go to Daytona next week and try to get the Target Chevy into Victory Lane.”

ANY INDICATION IT WAS GOING DOWN?

“No I didn’t have any warning just was a little bit tight the whole race so far.  I didn’t really feel like I was abusing my right-front tire that bad, but apparently I was.  It just went.”

IT SEEMS REALLY ODD THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TWO ISSUES SO CLOSE TOGETHER ALMOST WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF LAPS ON THE TIRES:

“Yeah, I was surprised to see Denny (Hamlin) blow a right-front because I didn’t think that many teams had tire issues at all.  I hadn’t heard anything.  Then it happened to us.  Hopefully, it doesn’t happen to anybody else out there tonight because those hits definitely hurt.  Oh well, we will go to Daytona and try and do better.”