Kansas Speedway Track Facts: 2014 5-Hour Energy 400

Denny Hamlin won at Kansas in 2012 Kansas Speedway Data Season Race #: 11 of 36 (05-10-14) Track Size: 1.5-miles Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 17 to 20 degrees Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 17 to 20 degrees Banking/Frontstretch: 10 degrees Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees Frontstretch Length: 2,685 feet Backstretch Length: 2,207 feet Race Length: 267 laps / 400 miles   Top 10 Driver Ratings at Kansas Jimmie Johnson........................ 118.9 Matt Kenseth............................. 109.6 Greg Biffle................................ 106.9 Jeff Gordon................................ 99.6 Tony Stewart............................... 97.5 Carl Edwards.............................. 96.6 Kevin Harvick.............................. 95.9 Martin Truex Jr............................ 91.5 Kasey Kahne.............................. 91.1 Clint Bowyer............................... 90.1 Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (12 total) among active drivers at Kansas Speedway.   Qualifying/Race Data 2013 pole winner: Matt Kenseth, Toyota 191.864 mph, 28.145 secs. 04-21-13   2013 race winner: Matt Kenseth, Toyota 133.611 mph, (02:59:51), 04-21-13   Track qualifying record: Matt Kenseth, Toyota 191.864 mph, 28.145 secs. 04-19-13   Track race record: Denny Hamlin, Toyota 133.611 mph, (02:59:51), 04-22-12

 

Kansas Speedway:

History

·         Groundbreaking was held on May 25, 1999.

·         The official opening of Kansas Speedway was in 2001, with the first events being an ARCA race and a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on the same day – June 2.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was on Sept. 30, 2001 – won by Jeff Gordon.

·         During the 2012 season, between the April and October events the 1.5-mile track underwent a repave adding variable banking in the corners.

Notebook

·         There have been 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, one NSCS event from 2001 - 2010 and two races per year since 2011.

·         111 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas; 83 in more than one.

·         Seven drivers have started all 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway – Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman.

·         Jason Leffler won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Kansas Speedway in 2001 with a speed of 176.499 mph.

·         11 drivers have Coors Light poles at Kansas, led by Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne with three each.

·         Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to win consecutive Coors Light poles at Kansas Speedway (2007 and 2008).

·         Youngest Kansas pole winner: Jason Leffler (09/30/2001 – 26 years, 0 months, 14 days).

·         Oldest Kansas pole winner: Mark Martin (10/04/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 25 days).

·         11 different drivers have won at Kansas Speedway, led by Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson with two each.

·         Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports are tied for the most wins at Kansas in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with four each.

·         Chevrolet leads the series in wins at Kansas with eight victories; followed by Ford with four wins.

·         Four of the 16 (25%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole; Joe Nemechek (2004), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Matt Kenseth (spring 2013), Kevin Harvick (fall 2013).  

·         Five of the 16 (31.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the front row: four from the pole and one from second-place.

·         10 of the 16 (62.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Two of the 16 (12.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Kansas Speedway was 25th, by Brad Keselowski in the spring of 2011.

·         Youngest Kansas winner: Ryan Newman (10/05/2003 – 25 years, 9 months, 27 days).

·         Oldest Kansas winner: Mark Martin (10/09/2005 – 46 years, 9 months, 0 days).

·         Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman are tied for theseries most runner-up finishes at Kansas Speedway with two each.  

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway with nine; followed by Greg Biffle with seven.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-10 finishes at Kansas Speedway with 13; followed by Jeff Gordon (11),Edwards, Biffle, Kenseth and Stewart each have nine.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Kansas Speedway with a 10.800.

·         Jimmie Johnson (7.533) leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Kansas Speedway – he is the only driver with an average finish in the top-10 at Kansas. 

·         There has been one NSCS race resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Kansas Speedway: fall of 2011 (267/272).

·         Only one of the 16 races at Kansas Speedway has been shortened due to weather conditions: fall of 2007.

·         Qualifying has never been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway. 

·         Denny Hamlin has participated in the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway without posting a DNF (11).

·         Jason Leffler (09/30/2001) is the only driver to post his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Kansas Speedway.   

·         2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Austin Dillon (10/09/2011) and Denny Hamlin (10/09/2005) made their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts at Kansas Speedway.

·         Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth are the only two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers that have posted consecutive wins at Kansas Speedway: Gordon (2001 and 2002 – the first two NSCS events at Kansas) and Kenseth (fall of 2012, spring of 2013). 

·         Nine of the 10 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Kansas Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Jeff Gordon won at Kansas in his first appearance.  

·         Kevin Harvick competed at Kansas Speedway 15 times before winning last fall; the longest span of any the 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Kansas.

·         Kevin Harvick (15) and Matt Kenseth (13)have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Kansas Speedway.

·         Kurt Busch leads the series with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 16.

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway was the (10/10/2004) race won by Joe Nemechek with a MOV of 0.081 second.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Kansas Speedway with 562 laps led in 15 starts.

·         Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Danica Patrick	29	43	10/6/2013
Danica Patrick	25	25	4/21/2013
Danica Patrick	40	32	10/21/2012

 

 

NASCAR in Kansas

·         There have been 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Kansas.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Kansas Speedway	Kansas City	16

·         17 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Kansas.

·         Two drivers from Kansas have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; both have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Clint Bowyer	8	8	3
Jim Roper	1	0	0

 

Denny Hamlin gets first win of season, first of career at Talladega

Denny Hamlin wins his first points-paying restrictor- plate race at Talladega; pays 12/1 at the Las Vegas sports book. 

With the luck he's had in the past year, all Denny Hamlin wants to do is win races.

He got a big break and a little relief Sunday, winning the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway when a caution flag flew on the final lap.

Hamlin took the white flag and was leading Greg Biffle when NASCAR threw a caution flag for Justin Allgaier's spin, ending the race under caution and handing Hamlin his 24th career victory and first this season. He became the eighth different winner in 10 races this year, earning a probable spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

MORE: Talladega results | Keselowski's big crash | Results | Earnhardt's bad move |Danica's day

“We really just want to win races, regardless of the implications for the Chase," said Hamlin, who won an exhibition race and a qualifying race at Daytona before finishing second in the season-opening Daytona 500. "It feels good to be in victory lane, especially in a points-paying event anyway."

Hamlin was leading when a caution flag flew for Carl Edwards' wreck with five laps remaining. He held the lead on a restart with two laps to go and took the white flag just after Allgiaer spun on the frontstretch. With a big piece of debris in the middle of the track, NASCAR threw another yellow flag, allowing Hamlin to take the checkered flag under caution.

Biffle, who led the most laps, finished second, followed by Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers, AJ Allmendinger and Kevin Harvick.

Read More Here.........Sporting News

Aaron's 499 Results

Dale Earnhardt Jr. tops the Final Talladega Driver Ratings

Not too much gained from practice and qualifying

LAS VEGAS – The space is normally reserved for conveying what happened during practices and how those speeds might be relative in finding who has the best opportunity to win on race day. At just about every track, what happens in practices is a huge factor when making a final decision on what drivers to wager at the sports books.

At Talladega, there is no need to look at either of Friday's two practice sessions. If you’re still unsure what drivers have the best chance of winning Sunday’s Aaron’s 499, then you might want to sit this one out -- or close your eyes and randomly pick anyone. The practices are so meaningless that only 27 drivers participated in the final session, not only because there was nothing to be gained, but also because of fear that a wreck in a meaningless session could force them into a backup car. If the teams feel practice isn’t important, then neither should we.

Because nothing has changed from when we did our first Talladega write-up on Tuesday, my advice is to review why we liked certain drivers. Most of the reasons stem from what we saw at Daytona during speed weeks, plus past history in restrictor-plate races. Some drivers just have a knack for these type of races, like David Ragan and Jamie McMurray; others are becoming respected in them, like Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Because Talladega is such a crapshoot, some might say this is a good time to take the week off from wagering – but this race is just too damn fun to not have any action.

Read More Here....Final Talladega Driver Ratings

Brain Scott wins Talladega pole

Brian Scott win first career pole Saturday at Talladega

Qualifying Fast Facts - Talladega:

* #33-Brian Scott won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 45th Annual Aaron's 499 with a lap of 48.293 seconds, 198.290 mph.

* This is his first pole in five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. His previous best start was 12th, in this year's Daytona 500.

* This is his first top-10 start in 2014.

* In the first round, #18-Kyle Busch and #22-Joey Logano posted laps of 200.574 mph and 200.171 mph, respectively. Those are the first qualifying laps faster than 200 mph at Talladega since 1987.#27-Paul Menard (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2014 and his fourth in 16 races at Talladega Superspeedway.

* #47-AJ Allmendinger (third) posted his third top-10 start at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his first in ten races this season.

* #3-Austin Dillon (fifth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.

Starting Lineup

Matt Kenseth talks with media Friday at Talladega

Kenseth is 12/1 to win Sunday at Talladega

MATT KENSETH No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

What is your outlook this weekend at Talladega?
“Talladega is always unpredictable. We’ve ran really well here the last couple years. Last spring we led a bunch of laps and I think it’s the thing that ended kind of at night and had a green-white-checkered at the end and got beat so that was disappointing. And, then last fall was kind of a strange ending and just couldn’t really make anything happen. So, you just never know what’s going to happen here. It’s an exciting race to watch, it’s an exciting race to be a part of, but like I say it’s unpredictable. You always kind of need help or need to be at the right spot or need the extra cars to be able to make moves and make passes, so you spend more time thinking about moves than typically you do just making them or trying to pass somebody like you would at a normal track.”

What will happen during tomorrow’s qualifying session?
“I guess the truth is none of us really know. Obviously the bigger the group is and the farther you are back from it to a certain point the bigger run you’re going to go and the fastest lap time you are going to get. That’s not a secret and everybody knows that so everybody is waiting for that group. There’s never going to be a group, so I think it’s going to be kind of funny to watch. I don’t know how it’s going to work. We did the first round at Daytona in Nationwide and it was a little crazy, but the field is obviously better in Cup. I don’t know what’s going to happen. It should be interesting especially having three rounds. I think obviously the first round is where you’re going to have your fast lap times and that one you’re going to have to probably make more calculations or more aggressive moves or however you want to put it to get that lap once they start thinning this field out and you get down to 12 or even 25 or 24 or whatever it’s going to change a little bit. There’s always a potential for a wreck when you put 43 cars out there.”

Do you feel there is a good possibility for a big wreck during qualifying?
“Yeah, the potential is there. Yeah. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know how it’s going to go yet. I don’t know if a lot of guys will just go get a lap even if they just barely miss the round they’re okay with that or not. And, even if they’re not, once the pack is gone you know you’re not going to run a fast lap anyway. So, I’m not sure how it’s all going to go down. It should be really interesting to watch.”

Do you feel there will be a big pack or smaller groups during tomorrow’s qualifying?
“I think everybody is going to try to do a strategy to get the fastest lap they can to start as far as they can toward the front. What that’s going to look like I honestly just don’t really know. It depends what everybody does and there’s no way to predict what everybody is going to do. The people in the big pack aren’t going to be the ones running the fast lap, it’s going to be the people behind the big pack. Everybody knows that so there might not be a big pack. I’m not really sure exactly how it’s going to go down.”

What makes racing at Talladega so different?
“Restrictor plate racing is obviously unique. We only have four of those races a year — Talladega is slightly different from Daytona even though since they paved Daytona they have become much more similar. Basically, you just don’t know what’s going to happen. Obviously you can’t really get away from anybody with the restrictor plate and you can’t really make a lot of moves by yourself. A lot of it is so dependent on what everybody else does. It’s just a totally different mindset I think when you come to these races. It’s a totally different driving style, strategy, the way you go about things — it’s different.”

How intimidating was it to race at Talladega understanding the chance of a larger accident?
“It always changes a little bit through the years. Certainly whenever you come to a plate race or you even think of the word Talladega, everybody thinks of the big one. I think drivers, fans, media members, everybody thinks of that. It’s always what everybody is thinking about and talking about, but certainly it’s changed over the years. There were some years where cars were flying through the air and all kinds of crazy stuff was happening and then you have other years that were maybe more tame. Again, it’s unpredictable. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. Obviously you know that’s part of racing here and it can happen at any time. It’s always something that people are thinking about and that’s why you see different strategies with people in the back or what have you. It’s certainly something you always think about to a certain extent.”

How far could you see an underdog team make it in the Chase?
“Well I mean I think it depends on what happens to all the rest of the cars. To advance a round you could have a lot of the real good cars, a lot of the favorites have a DNF (did not finish) and have an off day or something like that and be out and finish ahead of them. I think certainly on average the points standings throughout the year or if you take snapshots of different parts of the year or whatever, it usually kind of gives you an idea of who’s going to have a shot and who’s not.”

Will drivers elect to start at the back to avoid potentially damaging a primary car in qualifying?
“I don’t know, I think it’s more going to be a team decision more so than a driver decision necessarily. Then there’s also a lot of things that are out of your control. You might want to be on the pole, but something happens and you get mixed up and don’t get a lap, caution comes out or something like that in the first run when all the cars are out there and then only 12 cars go back out the next time because everybody is happy with their times then you’re not going to run a faster lap. Obviously you need all the cars or a lot of cars and a good draft to pull up and get that lap. I think you’re going to try to get the best lap you can without putting yourself in jeopardy to get your primary car torn up. This is one of those races where you can go from the front to the back or the other way around more easily than other tracks.”

Will the importance of winning to make the Chase impact the end of this race?
“I know it’s not always the popular answer, but I still stand by that I just don’t think it changes the racing. I don’t think it changes the winners, I just think it changes the reward you get for winning. All these races are really big races and everybody wants to win them. I don’t see anybody showing up in May and being like, ‘Man, I hope I run 10th today.’ Everybody goes out and does everything they can to win these races each and every week no matter what the reward is and no matter what it pays, points or any of that stuff. They’re all big races and everybody shows up every week to try to win.”

- Toyota Racing

Earnhardt Jr. talks with media Friday at Talladega

Earnhardt Jr is 10/1 favorite to win Sunday at Talladega

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Talladega Superspeedway and discussed his thoughts on knock-out qualifying at Talladega, the influence his mom has had on his life and many other topics.

BIG NEWS COMING OUT OF YOUR CAMP TODAY REGARDING NATIONWIDE BEING THE SPONSOR ON THAT RACE CAR STARTING NEXT YEAR THAT HAS GOT TO BE A BIG DEAL FOR YOU GUYS. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND SEGWAY INTO JUST RACING HERE AT TALLADEGA:
“We are really excited to be able to announce the sponsorship with Nationwide as it continues to grow. We have had a relationship with them for a very long time. It’s been successful on both sides. I’m really thrilled to be able to go to the next level with them and allow Hendrick Motorsports to be part of that. It’s a great fit. We’ve had a lot of fun together and I’m excited to be able to continue that relationship. It’s a good thing for me. We were obviously looking for a good fit and looking for something that would work out well. I can’t imagine a better scenario and I think Nationwide is very excited to get going and start working together in the Cup series. Our current partners National Guard and Diet Mountain Dew are very excited about it as well to have them in the fold. Just a lot of good things.

“Excited to come here to Talladega, really enjoy racing here, it’s a very laid-back atmosphere and a fun race track. Looking forward to seeing how well we can run with JR Motorsports on Saturday and obviously working on our car throughout the weekend and see what we can do on Sunday. It should be a lot of fun. I enjoy these types of races and have been looking forward to it all week.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OUT OF QUALIFYING TOMORROW?
“Nobody knows. I just don’t know. We will just have to see. The guy that gets the pole is going to have to hit it just right. We built a brand new race car so our willingness to take risks is going to be pretty limited throughout that process. We just you know need to get into the field with the car it doesn’t matter where you start other than just picking on pit road. Not sure exactly what our approach is yet. We’ve still got some conversations to have between Steve (Letarte) and our teammates and just sort of feel out everybody’s opinion about what they want to do and how they want to try to accomplish the best result they can. I don’t think right now anybody has any answers.”

WHERE IS YOUR PLATE RACING CONFIDENCE COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND?
“It’s pretty confident. We as a team I think improved our emphasis on our plate cars to be able to improve their performance. I think that started to show in the last 12-16 months. When Steve (Letarte) and I first started working together our confidence and really our focus was more on improving ourselves as a whole. We really didn’t focus on the plate stuff as much as we needed to improve everywhere. We had to kind of put our emphasis on the plate track on hold for a while to try to get our team in the right direction. I think that started to happen to where we were running well enough everywhere where we could start to put a little more care and preparation into our plate track cars. That is definitely showing in the results. You show up here sometimes and you have great race cars that do a lot of good things and are very effective when you are moving around in the draft. There are times when you show up and for whatever reason the same car that I ran second with at Daytona a year or two ago wouldn’t hardly run down here for some reason. We just couldn’t get anything accomplished and we would get stuck in the pack and boxed in where we couldn’t go anywhere and the car just wouldn’t react the way we needed it to in order to be able to move forward and be aggressive with the passes that we wanted to make. It just depends on whether you hit everything just right and it all starts with preparation at the shop and I think we have been doing a real good job at that here lately.”

HOW MUCH DOES ALL OF THIS TRANSLATE NOW TO YOUR CONFIDENCE THAT WHEN YOU GET IN THIS RACE AND IF YOU GET DOWN TOWARD THE END, CONFIDENCE, THAT THE MOVE YOU CHOOSE WILL BE THE RIGHT MOVE?
“The car gives you the confidence. When you are driving the car and you get a sense of the cars ability the car gives you the confidence. Then when you are thinking more positively you tend to see positive results no matter what you are doing, whether you are driving a car or whatever. If you are thinking ‘hey man I need to make this move right now, but I don’t believe in the car’ then the result is typically not what you are wanting and more of what you expect. When the car is very good and you appreciate what the car is doing throughout the day you tend to expect it to make the moves you want to make and accomplish what you want to accomplish in the draft late in the race. Realistically those results pretty much come true when you have that kind of confidence in the car and yourself. It’s a process throughout the whole weekend really leading up to the race and throughout the first part of the race that builds that confidence.”

WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT THE NATIONWIDE SERIES THAT NATIONWIDE HAS CHOSEN TO LEAVE AS SPONSOR OF THE SERIES TO SPONSOR YOUR NO. 88 CHEVROLET SS IN THE CUP SERIES NEXT SEASON?
“I think it says a lot about the direction that Nationwide wanted to go after their involvement in the sport for some time. That they wanted to move forward and do something new with their objectives. I also believe from what I’ve been hearing behind the scenes that the opportunities and search for a title sponsor in the Nationwide Series won’t be a challenging one that there is some good interest there. Those type of sponsorships although both of them are involved in the sport they kind of accomplish different things. I think this is a direction that Nationwide wanted to go after what they were doing was affective. There will be some opportunity and there is some good interest to fill that void. I think that the Nationwide Series currently is very healthy due to what Nationwide has been able to accomplish in the series.

“Also as the sport has sort of reset and rebounded from the economical struggles that we had several years ago the teams are getting healthier and we are seeing a lot more interest on teams wanting to get on the quarter panels and the hoods of these race cars. Whereas for a long time there was a lot more interest to be an official sponsor of the sport and more tied to the sport as a whole. Now we are seeing a lot more interest in guys wanting to get back on the quarter panels and hoods of these cars. I think that is really important to the health of the sport overall.”

IS THE BUSINESS OF SPONSORSHIP EVOLVING ENOUGH TO WHERE IT IS GOING TO BE TRULY A RARITY FOR ANY ONE ENTITY TO SPONSOR ONE CAR FOR AN ENTIRE SEASON?
“Yeah, I think that is true. I don’t know that is a sign of anything positive or negative. I just think it’s an evolution of how sponsorships have changed. Much like we used to think it was a wild thing when a guy would have two race cars out there. Instead of now a days there are owners that have four race cars and three race cars and that is the norm. It’s just the way things kind of evolve over time. I think that it’s really a lot busier when you have multiple partners and it’s a lot more entertaining and interesting as a driver for sure to have so many partners to work with. And have so many people across so many different – that can reach such an audience. I’m really enjoying having multiple people to work with each year. We all sort of learn from each other and how to market and how to reach as many people as we can. It’s been very effective and we have had a lot of success with it.”

INAUDIBLE:
“No, not necessarily, not for us particularly. I know that in certain instances with certain teams there is definitely that stress. We feel that somewhat at times in the Nationwide Series. At this particular point we are very healthy and we have a lot of interest, but there are times if you go back three or four years ago where every team was having a difficult time finding the proper funding to run the full schedule. I know there are teams in the series that struggle with that every year, but at this particular point the sport has gotten so healthy over the last three years there has been a lot of growth and a ton of interest. I think that has not reached its peak yet. That is good for everybody.”

FROM EVERYTHING I UNDERSTAND YOU ARE A PRETTY FRUGAL GUY SO COULD YOU EVER IMAGINE IF YOU WERE EVER TO GET MARRIED THAT YOU WOULD SPEND TWO MILLION DOLLARS LIKE THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER SAYS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING LATER THIS YEAR?
“I definitely would have a hard time writing that check (laughter).”

WOULD YOU DO IT AT DAYTONA?
“No of course not. I would not force everybody to go down to Daytona for my wedding. I probably would just have it right there in the back yard, but whatever is easiest. That was funny. I read that and it was a roller coaster of an article. Pretty good.”

DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE GETTING MARRIED?
“I didn’t. So we just skipped the engagement I guess, went right to the wedding.”

NEXT WEEKEND IS MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND. WHAT DOES YOUR MOM MEAN TO YOU? HOW DID SHE HELP YOU ALONG DURING YOUR CHILDHOOD AND RISE ALL THE WAY TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
“I don’t have enough time to answer that to give it justice. She was from a racing family. Obviously I loved the sport when I was a little kid so I was so lucky to have it on both sides of my family. My parents split up when I was really young, but no matter where I was I was around a race car. Which I really appreciated because the Gee’s, my mother was a Gee, Robert Gee and Robert Gee, Jr. and all them, they raced and did things differently and approached racing differently so it was fun to sort of learn from both sides. She had a huge influence on me becoming a Washington Redskins fan which I really appreciate to this day. She just worked really hard and she had a hard time giving up custody of me and Kelly to my father in 1981. She just knew we would have better opportunities and a better life in that situation. That was very difficult and she fought with that internally for many, many years. It was a real joy to be able to have her husband Willie (Jackson) retire from his job as a fireman and them be able to move to North Carolina and be close and be able to really become more a part of her life again. She has a great sense of humor and very sarcastic and I really appreciate that. Just a ton of fun to be around, if you want an honest opinion and you want the truth even if you don’t want to hear it your mom is the best person to go to, to get it. She doesn’t have a filter and she will steer you down the right path every time. It’s great to have a relationship with her that I have today. She is a huge influence on my life and has been for some time.”

YOU GOT FIRST QUARTER DRIVER OF THE YEAR THIS YEAR. YOU HAD NEVER WON THAT BEFORE?
“I have no idea.”

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT WINNING THAT?
“I just think obviously we would really be happy to win the award out right. To get it quarterly is sort of a nod to how we have performed. It’s good that the media sees the performance because as much as we love to do a lot of things for ourselves we really get a kick out of when the media and our fans see the performance and acknowledge it. That kind of nod was a great feeling. We have worked so hard to be able to be this competitive and we show up every week and we are quick and the car is there. It’s been so long or I’ve never really had that to be honest. I can’t even imagine ’04 was even that good. This is awesome that things are going as good. I couldn’t be happier with what is going on in my professional life. It’s good to get that nod. It’s just a good feeling. I consider the media peers of mine. We all work in this together and it’s just like another driver coming up and saying ‘man you drove a hell of a race last week’. It’s a good feeling.”

About Chevrolet:
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.9 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

- Team Chevy

Martin Truex fastest during first Talladega practice session

Dale Earnhardt was 42nd fastest during the first practice session

Speeds reached over 200 mph Friday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway during the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Aaron’s 499 practice session with Martin Truex Jr. posting the fastest lap speed of 200.721 mph among the 47 drivers turning a lap.

The action on the track looked like a race with drivers often going three-wide. There were 29 drivers that ran at least 10-consecutive laps, which means very little on this beast of a track with restrictor-plates on.

Rookie of the Year candidate, Justin Allgaier posted the second fastest lap (200.666) followed by David Ragan (200.599), Marcos Ambrose (200.540) and ROTY candidate Kyle Larson (200.372).

Rounding out the top-ten fastest drivers in the session were Carl Edwards (199.921), Michael Waltrip (199.875), David Gilliland (199.666), Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (199.654) and Danica Patrick (199.625). speed.

The teams will have their “Happy Hour” (final) practice session today from 3:30 pm – 4:25 pm (ET) before returning Saturday at 1:10 pm (ET) for qualifying to determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s race.

The 45th annual Aaron’s 499 is scheduled to start at approximately 1:20 pm (ET) Sunday afternoon, and FOX will provide television coverage beginning with their 12:30 pm (ET) pre-race show.

Whatever you do, take these practices at Talladega with a grain of salt. They mean nothing. 38 drivers had a shot of winning the race before the practice started and 38 still have a chance. Don't rush out to buy Truex Jr. because he was fastest and don't lower your Junior rating just because he was 42nd fastest.

Practice 1 Speeds

Practice 2 Speeds (only 29 drivers participate)

Does strong Daytona transfer to Talladega for Denny Hamlin?

Denny Hamlin is 12/1 to win at Talladega Sunday

Event: Aaron’s 499
Date/Time: May 4/12 p.m. CT
2013 winner: David Ragan
2013 polesitter: Carl Edwards
Distance: 188 laps/500 miles
Track Length: 2.66 miles
Banking: 33 degrees
Track Shape: Tri-Oval

EXPRESS NOTES:

Fans First for FedEx 400: Race fans have the opportunity to “ride along” with Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Freight/Autism Speaks Toyota for the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover on June 1. For a minimum $11 donation to Autism Speaks by this Sunday, May 4, fans can get their names on the special #11 paint scheme at the ‘Monster Mile,’ while helping a great cause. Space is limited so for more information, visit www.fedexracing.com/fedex400.

300th Start for Hamlin: Hamlin will make his 300th career Sprint Cup Series start this Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in the #11 FedEx Express Toyota. In 16 previous races at Talladega, Hamlin has recorded five top-10 finishes and has led 204 career laps at the 2.66-mile high-banked oval. He finished second in the first restrictor plate race of the season this year, the season-opening Daytona 500.

Richmond Recap: Hamlin finished 22nd in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Speedway after contact from behind while battling in the top-10 with less than 30 laps to go caused the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota to spin and lose valuable track position. Hamlin was forced three-wide in Turn 2 on a late-race restart at the three-quarter-mile oval, and jostled for position down the backstretch. Heading into Turn 3, the cars bottled up and Hamlin was tapped from behind and sent spinning to bring out another caution. After a pit stop under the race’s final caution, Hamlin took the checkered flag in 22nd in the event won by Joey Logano. After starting 28th, he quickly worked into the top-20, while changes called by crew chief Darian Grubb helped with the car’s handling, and quick pit stops by the FedEx crew gained him more spots. He managed to work into the top-five with less than 100 laps to go, and was lined up eighth on the restart before the incident.

FedEx Office – Closest to Talladega Superspeedway: 117 Resource Center Pkwy, Birmingham, AL 35242, (205) 981-0077

Mobile, Ala., Along for the Ride in Talladega: The FedEx Air Ground and Freight Services operations team in Mobile, Ala., will be recognized for operational excellence with its “BFM” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

HAMLIN CONVERSATION – TALLADEGA:

Do you expect to have another strong restrictor plate package after the team’s success in Daytona?
“We certainly had a strong SpeedWeeks, with wins in the Sprint Unlimited and our Duel race, and backed it up with a second-place finish in the (Daytona) 500. Hopefully we can be that competitive again this weekend and run up front. These restrictor plate races come down to a lot of circumstances and luck, but the plan is to keep the FedEx Camry up front throughout the day, stay out of trouble, and be there at the end.”

 

2014 FEDEX RACING TEAM – SEASON RESULTS
DATE	EVENT	LOCATION	START	FINISH	LAPS	STATUS	WINNINGS	LED	PTS	TREND
Feb. 23	Daytona 500	Daytona	4	2	200/200	Running	$1,148,451	16	2nd	▬
March 2	The Profit on CNBC 500	Phoenix	12	19	312/312	Running	$87,480	8th	▼
March 9	Kobalt Tools 400	Las Vegas	27	12	267/267	Running	$121,410	1	8th	▬
March 16	Food City 500	Bristol	1	6	500/500	Running	$116,865	4	7th	▲
March 23	Auto Club 500	Fontana*	13	17	202/202	Running	$107,410	11th	▼
March 30	STP 500	Martinsville	2	19	500/500	Running	$94,475	12th	▼
April 7	Duck Commander 500	Texas	6	13	340/340	Running	$137,770	20	13th	▼
April 12	Bojangles’ Southern 500	Darlington	10	19	374/374	Running	$101,905	3	15th	▼
April 26	Toyota Owners 400	Richmond	28	22	400/400	Running	$88.890	14th	▲
Averages/Totals			11.2	14.0	100%		$1,897,246	44

* Driver: Sam Hornish Jr.

- Weber Shandwick Worldwide for FedEx Racing

Montoya to start two NASCAR races for Penske in 2014

Pretty cool seeing Montoya come back...and for sweet Penske ride

After leaving Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates at the end of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season to return to the IndyCar Series, Juan Pablo Montoya is set to make a two-race return to NASCAR during the summer with Team Penske, the same team he drives for in IndyCar.

Earlier today, Team Penske announced that Montoya will drive a third entry for the organization at the June 15 Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway and the Crown Royal Presents Your Hero’s Name Here 400 at The Brickyard on July 27. The races will be the Colombian driver’s first in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since last season’s finale at Homestead-Miami, where he finished 18th.

Montoya, who has two wins, 24 top fives and 59 top 10s in 253 starts, will pilot the No. 12 Ford Fusion with veteran crew chief Greg Erwin calling the shots from atop the war wagon. He joins full-time Team Penske drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano.

“It’s hard to believe, but Roger Penske has never won the Brickyard 400,” said Montoya. “I think that Brad, Joey and I will give Roger and Team Penske a great opportunity to check that off the list and we should be strong at Michigan as well.”

In 14 starts at Michigan, Montoya’s best finish was sixth, coming in June 2009. In his first trip to Indianapolis with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, he finished runner-up to Tony Stewart. The result was his best finish at the 2.5-mile track in seven starts. His average driver rating at Michigan and Indianapolis are 71.7 and 96.7, respectively.

- NASCAR

Talladega Driver Chassis Selections: 2014 Aaron's 499

Winning Daytona 500 chassis for Junior is on display at Daytona USA

#2-Brad Keselowski: Primary Chassis for Talladega is PRS-659, which is a new chassis. The backup chassis is PRS-649 which last served as a backup at Daytona. Keselowski owns two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories (2009 and 2012) at Talladega Superspeedway.

#3-Austin Dillon: will pilot chassis No. 440 in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. This is the same Chevrolet SS Dillon drove to a ninth-place finish in the Daytona 500 after earning the pole award for the Great American Race in February. Dillon subbed for Tony Stewart in the #14-Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet at Talladega last year and was in position to win at the restrictor-plate track, but was involved in a multi-car crash in the closing laps of the event, posting a 26th-place finish. He also has two starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and two starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

#4-Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 4-833 at Talladega. Built new for 2014, Chassis 4-833 was utilized for a test session at Daytona in January. Chassis 4-833 will see its first laps of competition this weekend at Talladega. Sunday's Aaron's 499 will mark Harvick's 27th career Sprint Cup start at Talladega. Harvick has one win (April 2010), one pole, six top-five finishes and 10 top-10s at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Harvick has an average starting position of 22.5, an average finish of 16.2 and has completed 95% of the laps he's contested (4,681 of 4,928).

#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-856 for Sunday's event at Talladega. This is a new chassis. In 20 Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega, Kahne has recorded three top-five finishes, four top-10s and has led 50 laps at the high-banked oval. In the October 2012 event, Kahne won his first pole position at the 2.66-mile track.

#10-Danica Patrick will pilot Chassis No. 10-758 which was wind-tunnel tested in January 2013 before being used by Patrick in the Daytona 500. Patrick qualified the car on the pole with a speed of 196.434 mph and then started first and finished 17th in the first Budweiser Duel. She started on the pole and led five laps in the Daytona 500 before finishing eighth - the best finish ever for a woman in the "Great American Race." Patrick next drove Chassis 10-758 in May at Talladega, where Patrick started 23rd and finished 33rd after being involved in a late-race accident. The car was rebuilt and wind-tunnel tested throughout the summer and then Patrick drove it in October at Talladega, where she finished 33rd after a pit-road speeding penalty cost her any chance of a good finish. Patrick drove chassis No. 10-758 in January 2014 testing at Daytona before piloting it once again in the non-points-paying Sprint Unlimited at Daytona in February. Patrick, who ran as high as fourth in the early part of the event, was caught up in a multicar accident on lap 35, relegating her to a 16th-place finish. The car has been rebuilt and wind-tunnel tested since that race in preparation for Sunday's Aaron's 499.

#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-836 is a brand new car for 2014 and has only seen action during testing Jan. 9-10 at Daytona. It served as a backup throughout Budweiser Speedweeks and has spent considerable time in the wind tunnel since. Chassis No. 14-836 will make its first career start Sunday at Talladega. Stewart has one win, six second-place finishes, nine top-fives, 13 top-10s and has led a total of 317 laps in his 29 career Sprint Cup starts at Talladega. His average start is 16.8, his average finish is 16.1 and he has a lap completion rate of 97.7%.

#15-Clint Bowyer: Chassis No. 754 serves as the primary chassis for Bowyer at Talladega Superspeedway. Martin Truex Jr. drove this Toyota to a 24th-place finish in the 2013 Daytona 500. He also drove this Chassis to a eighth-place finish in the May 2013 Talladega race. Chassis No. 755 serves as the back-up chassis. Bowyer drove this car to an 11th-place finish in the 2013 Daytona 500 and to an 18th-place finish at Talladega in May 2013.

#16-Greg Biffle: and the Matt Puccia led #16 Red Cross team will run chassis RK-798 which last ran at Daytona and finished 8th. The backup chassis will be RK-852 which last ran at Talladega finishing 17th. Biffle has 22 Sprint Cup career starts at Talladega, earning two top-five and five top-10 finishes.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: and the #17 Zest team will be using primary chassis Chassis RK-830 at Talladega, which was last run at Daytona, finishing 7th. The backup chassis is RK-872, which is a new chassis. Stenhouse has two Sprint Cup starts at Talladega earning one top-five and one top-10 finish.

#22-Joey Logano: Primary Chassis is PRS-656 for Talladega, which is a new chassis. The Backup Chassis is PRS-654 which was raced in the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona, finishing 3rd.

#24-Jeff Gordon: crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-855 for this Sunday's race. This chassis has been raced previously only one time with Gordon starting sixth and finishing fourth in the 2014 season-opening Daytona 500. Gordon leads active, full-time drivers at Talladega in the following statistical categories: starts (42), wins (six), top-five finishes (15), top-10s (19) and laps led (843). Gordon is the all-time leader in restrictor-plate victories with 12. Dale Earnhardt Sr. ranks second with 11 while Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. is third with eight.

#27-Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 445 in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega. This #27 Menards / Richmond Chevy was utilized in this year's Daytona 500 when the primary car was wrecked in practice. After starting in the back, Menard led 29 laps before getting caught up in a wreck and finishing 32nd. In 15 previous starts at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Menard has two top-five finishes to his credit. His best start of fifth took place twice at the Alabama track, fall 2008 and spring 2011. His best finish of second took place in spring 2008. Through the last seven races at Talladega, Menard has earned one top-five and four top-15 finishes. Through the 15 starts, he's completed 2,429 of 2,552 laps contested (85.2%) and led 29 laps.

#31-Ryan Newman will race chassis No. 436 on Sunday at Talladega. Chassis No. 436 was raced in the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race on February 15 at Daytona International Speedway where the #31 team finished eighth. Newman owns four top-five and nine top-10 finishes at Talladega and has an average start of 14th and average finish of 22nd. His best start of second came in the fall of 2012, while his best finish of third took place in the spring of 2009.

#33-Brian Scott will pilot chassis No. 432 in this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. This Chevrolet SS was made it's on-track debut last season at Talladega where it finished 12th.

#41-Kurt Busch will pilot Chassis No. 664 in Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega, a former #39 Chevy for Stewart-Haas Racing. Chassis 664 started 34th and finished fifth in the 2013 Daytona 500 with driver Ryan Newman. Newman started 21st and finished 10th at Daytona in July 2013. Chassis No. 664 served as a backup for Budweiser Speedweeks at Daytona in 2014.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: Crew chief Chad Knaus has selected Chassis No. 48-871 for this weekend at Talladega which is a new car. The backup car is Chassis No. 48-853, which Johnson most recently raced to a fifth-place result at Daytona in February. In 24 Cup starts at Talladega, Johnson has two wins, six top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. He has an average finish of 17th and has led 297 laps. Johnson has earned one pole position at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.

#55-Brian Vickers: Primary Chassis 810 has not raced. The backup chassis is 753, which finished 30th in the Daytona 500.

#66-Michael Waltrip: will drive Chassis No. 748 at Talladega. Waltrip drove this chassis to a 41st-place finish in the 2014 Daytona 500. Martin Truex Jr. also drove this chassis to a ninth-place finish in the 2013 Sprint Unlimited. Chassis No. 749 will serve as the backup. It has not raced. In 55 starts at Talladega Waltrip owns one win (September 2003), eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. He has also led 233 laps.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 National Guard team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-872. This is a new chassis that has not been raced. In 28 Cup starts at Talladega, Earnhardt has recorded five wins, 10 top-five finishes and 14 top-10s. He scored a record-setting four consecutive wins at the 2.66-mile superspeedway from October 2001 to April 2003.

#99-Carl Edwards the #99 Ford Fastenal team will unload primary chassis RK-906 at Talladega, which is a new chassis. The backup chassis is RK-870 was last used in 2014 as a backup at the Daytona 500, and as a primary during Daytona testing. Edwards will visit the 2.66 mile superspeedway for the 20th time in his Sprint Cup career this weekend. His highest finish is third which came in May 2013 after starting from the pole. Edwards has an average start of 13.6 and an average finish of 20.6 at Talladega. Edwards has finished in the top-five two times and in the top-ten five times.

- compiled by Jayski.com

Danica Patrick has best shot at winning first NASCAR race at Talladega

Danica Patrick is 75/1 this week at Talladega

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (April 30, 2014) – This is a race Danica Patrick has circled on her calendar.

While many drivers are not fond of the extremely tight packs of cars that dominate the racing action at restrictor-plate tracks like Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Patrick freely admits she enjoys this style of racing.

And why shouldn’t she? It’s the kind of racing where she has enjoyed her most success in her brief NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.

In her first-ever Daytona 500 start in February 2013, she won the pole position to become the first woman ever to claim the top spot for a Sprint Cup race. She stayed out of trouble for the remainder of Speedweeks and ran in the top-three for much of the Daytona 500 before dropping from third to eighth on the final lap.

She rewrote some of the NASCAR record book en route to her eighth-place finish that day, which is the highest finishing position ever by a woman in the “Great American Race.”

In addition to her history-making pole run and finish in the Daytona 500, Patrick also led five laps – 90 to 91 and 127 to 129 – to become the firstfemale to lead NASCAR’s most prestigious race and the first woman to lead Sprint Cup laps under green. Janet Guthrie led five laps under caution in 1977 at Ontario (Calif.) Motor Speedway.

By leading laps in the Daytona 500, Patrick joined an elite club of only 14 drivers to have led both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. The other drivers to accomplish the feat are A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Bobby Allison, Jim Hurtubise, Johnny Rutherford, Tim Richmond, John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, A.J. Allmendinger and Tony Stewart. Of those 13 drivers, only Patrick, Foyt, Andretti, Gordon, Montoya and Stewart have led at least five laps in each race.

Patrick’s eighth-place finish in the Daytona 500, coupled with her six top-10 finishes in the Indianapolis 500, make her one of only 16 drivers to have top-10 results in each race. The other drivers are Foyt, Montoya, Gordon, Rutherford, Stewart, Andretti, Unser, Allmendinger, Bobby Johns, Cale Yarborough, Dan Gurney, Donnie Allison, Jerry Grant, Paul Goldsmith and Tom Sneva.

This weekend, Patrick’s No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will once again be Chassis No. 10-758, the same car she used for her history-making run in last year’s Daytona 500. It’s also the same car she used in both Talladega races last season and in this year’s Sprint Unlimited non-points race at Daytona, where she finished 16th after getting caught up in a multicar accident.

She hasn’t had the same results in her two Sprint Cup starts at Talladega – finishing 33rd in both thanks to a multicar crash in the spring race and an untimely pit miscue in the fall race after running in the top-10 all day. But it still should come as no surprise that Patrick is looking forward to Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega, the second points-paying restrictor-plate race of the season.

Patrick’s No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet is sporting a different look for Talladega this year. You’ll see the GoDaddy “Peeker” logo, which is usually on the side of the bright green car, adorning the hood this weekend.

With a proven car beneath her and a style of racing that she loves, Patrick and the No. 10 team will have all eyes on the prize at Talladega this weekend as they hope to rewrite the history books once again.

DANICA PATRICK, Driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You’ve run well at the superspeedways. Even if you have been caught up in incidents, you have been consistently in the top-10 throughout each race. Is your confidence level higher at these types of racetracks?
“I don’t know if the confidence level shifts a tremendous amount as much as the comfort level does. Just being comfortable on these big speedways and comfortable with this pack-style racing that I was so used to in IndyCar on the ovals. Just having a feel for it. It is something that I probably caught on to quicker than anything in stock car racing. I guess I show up there and it’s just a little bit more comfortable.”

You finished eighth at Daytona last year and you had solid runs at Talladega last year although the finishes may not necessarily reflect the overall performance. Do you feel you can win Talladega this weekend?
“I feel like I’ve learned some lessons about the draft and how that unfolds at the end if you are in the right place at the right time. I think that, when we talk superspeedway racing, there’s a lot of luck involved. Like I said, right place at the right time – there are a lot of people who have a good chance of winning Talladega, I think. Hopefully, we are one of them at the end of the race. But, we won’t know that until the end of the race.”

You’ve always liked going to Talladega. Why is that?
“The fans really make that place. The campgrounds – all that stuff makes it one, big party. You see how much fun the fans are having and that makes it fun for us as drivers. It’s just a unique place. The sheer size of the facility is amazing. I liked it from the first time I went there and, hopefully, we can have a good run and a good finish. The cool thing about superspeedways is that anybody can win. It’s a toss-up, what’s going to happen. So, that’s why it’s fun for me because somebody like me has a chance. On top of that, SHR’s superspeedway cars are really good.”

TONY GIBSON, Crew chief of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing:

This will be the first restrictor-plate knockout qualifying round. What do you expect to see Saturday in qualifying and how do you prepare for that?
“I don’t know if you can prepare for that. We’ve kind of experienced a little bit of it when you are in practice before qualifying, when you are trying to run a fast lap in case it rains. We did it at Talladega last time and it was pretty crazy and scary. It’s not a good situation to be in for any of the drivers, and that’s just my opinion. I don’t know that we’re going to approach it as jumping in a big pack of cars to try to get to the back and get timing right because everybody else is going to be doing the same thing. We’re leaning more toward getting a group of us together and getting in a straight line and running as fast as we can and then park it. I hate to look at it that way, but I don’t want to tear my racecar up, either, because you can put yourself behind pretty quick. I’m not a big fan of the knockout qualifying at restrictor-plate races. I think it’s dangerous. Danica does have experience with it. She did it for the Nationwide race at Daytona and it worked out well for them. They got four cars together and it worked out, but there’s just as good of a chance of it not working out for you. I’m interested in seeing what all these other organizations do, whether they run in a pack or get their group of guys together and run and take what they can get. There are always going to be some of these guys who don’t have teammates to lean on. They’re going to try to be the ones who get in the back of these packs and suck up and draft up quick to get a lap. I think your polesitter could be a surprise. It’s going to be hectic and crazy and we’re just going to do our best to stay clean and stay out of trouble.”

Danica has been comfortable with restrictor-plate racing from the start. What are your overall thoughts going to Talladega?
“I think our best shot of winning a race is going to be a restrictor-plate race. She runs well there and, obviously, now we have more teammates at Stewart-Haas who are really good restrictor-plate racers who could help in a situation and be a good drafting partner. Our odds are up, now, because we have more teammates to draft with. If we get separated, there are three other teammates and we could pick up one or two of those and get back to the front. It helps all of us. I feel if we can get at least two or three of our Stewart-Haas cars in the top-10 coming to the final couple of laps, we’ve got a shot of winning the race because we have teammates. I feel like our odds are pretty good going into Talladega.”

DANICA PATRICK’S TALLADEGA PERFORMANCE PROFILE

Year	Date	Track	Start	Finish	Status/Laps	Laps Led	Earnings
2013	10/20	†Camping World 500 (NSCS)	23	33	Running, 187/188	0	$79,510
2013	5/5	†×Aaron’s 499 (NSCS)	23	33	Accident, 182/192	0	$89,555
2013	5/4	×Aaron’s 312 (NNS)	4	39	Accident, 16/110	0	$14,775
2012	5/5	†×Aaron’s 312 (NNS)	17	13	Running, 122/122	1	$23,968

× Race length extended due to green-white-checkered finish

† Qualifying canceled due to weather, starting position set via points.

- True Speed Communication for Stewart-Haas Racing