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Chevrolet driver Johnson leads the points heading to Texas

CHEVY RACING AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY– JEFF CHEW, MARKETING MANAGER - CHEVROLET RACING: “The Team Chevy Racing Tour has something for everyone. At Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, fans can ask questions of Team Chevy drivers Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray, and can spend time with one of our friendly product specialists and learn more about Chevy’s great 2013 vehicle lineup. Also on display are Chevrolet Performance Parts crate engines and an assortment of accessories and performance parts for fans to purchase from their local Chevy dealer. We hope to see everyone there.”

Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Action Sports Photography

TEAM CHEVY IN THE GARAGE TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY – PAT SUHY, MANAGER, CHEVROLET RACING – NASCAR GROUP MANAGER: “Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports on the win in Martinsville last week. It's great to have a Team Chevy driver back on top of the point standings. The win clinched Chevrolet's 36th Sprint Cup Manufacturers' Championship. Two weekends ago, Team Chevy clinched its 15th Nationwide Manufacturers' Championship. These successes are due to a winning combination of Chevrolet having the best teams in the business campaigning Chevrolets in all three of NASCAR's touring series, coupled with our support of those teams with the best people, parts and processes in the business.

“Texas Motor Speedway is NASCAR's next stop on the tour. The mile and a half quad oval is both a driver and fan favorite. With its steep 24° banking in the turns, and long front ‘straight’, drivers have their hands full with the high speeds reached entering Turn 1. Carrying the most speed through the turns is the fastest way around this track. A key ingredient to speed in the corners is aerodynamic downforce. There is continuous aero development involved; and even a car that was competitive here earlier in the year will need to be updated to the latest build spec in order to beat the competition this time around. Team Chevy teams and our Chevy aero engineers spend countless hours using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) as well as full scale and reduced scale in wind tunnels to fine-tune the aerodynamic performance of our Chevy Sprint Cup cars.

“With all of the hard work that's gone into getting to this point in the season, Sunday's Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race is sure to be a fan-pleaser. Team Chevy drivers and teams are well prepared and hungry to win. I'm sure we'll see an exciting race at Texas Motor Speedway, and am looking forward to another chance to celebrate in Victory Lane.”

TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – POINT’S LEADER: “I expect us to be really strong this weekend at Texas. I love that race track. We were very good there in the spring. Our 1.5-mile stuff has been really fast. I’m thinking we are going to be really strong.”

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM/GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET – 4th IN STANDINGS: “We got our first top-10 of the year at Texas, and it started a great streak for the team. I always love coming to this track. It’s fast with a lot of room to move around and race. I think that really fits my style and gives us a good chance to win.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET – 6th IN STANDINGS: "Texas has been 'hit or miss' for me. I love the facility, and the track has matured over the years. The groove has really widened out compared to the first few races here. It's become one of my favorite tracks.

"A lot has changed since April, and the setups are constantly evolving. But I'm looking forward to this weekend's race because of how we ran in that race and because of what we've learned since then. With multiple grooves, you can search the track for grip and you can move up through the field like we did here in the spring, but being out front is the preferred route."

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET – 10th IN STANDINGS: “You have to be comfortable or you’re not going to go fast. The more comfortable I am, the faster we go. This track, the grooves have moved around, especially in the last couple of years. We’ve seen the track get wider and it’s made it to where you can move around on the racetrack and where you can run the top side or the bottom side. It’s nice from a driver’s perspective to be able to have that flexibility behind the steering wheel, knowing that if your car’s not driving exactly the way you want it to, you can move around the racetrack and find a spot the car likes better.

“Any time you put more seasons on a race track, the better it gets because it seems like the pavement wears out on the bottom and it makes it to where you can run the top and be fast and you can run the bottom and be fast. It makes the whole race track, speed-wise, about the same, versus when they pave a race track and the only groove is right on the bottom. The fastest way is the shortest way because it all has the same amount of grip, so the shorter distance is faster. Every year we come here, I think the racing just gets better and better, as far as being able to move around on the race track and guys not having to just follow each other and get stuck behind each other. You can actually pass. You can race. You can get away from guys if your car’s fast.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 RHEEM/BUDWEISER CHEVROLET – 11th IN STANDINGS: “Texas (Motor Speedway) is a really fast race track and in the banking is where you can really feel how fast you are going. It’s one of those few race tracks where you feel the speed in the car. The unique part about Texas is that you have that big speed for about three or four laps, and as you go through the tire run the speed really drops off a tremendous amount. But, from a driver standpoint, you have a lot of options here and the race track has a lot of bumps that are great for character. You have to make your car work well and you have to get up off turn two, but you can run all over the race track. Obviously, qualifying will be on the bottom, but when race time comes you will be moving around all over the place so it’s fun from a driver’s standpoint.”

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 QUAKER STATE/MENARDS CHEVROLET – 16th IN STANDINGS: "Texas Motor Speedway is bumpy and worn out, which is good. During the transition off of turn two you lose a lot of grip on exit. Every place that there is a tunnel there's a huge bump and everywhere there isn't a tunnel there are still bumps, so you have to have a good shock package. You need to have a good aero package because you're running 200 mph in turn one and trying to keep the tires under you."

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET – 19th IN STANDINGS: “That’s a yes and no answer. In my opinion, every week is an experiment with different setups, especially at 1.5-mile race tracks like Texas Motor Speedway. We want to win races now for our sponsors, but it is very important to always be looking at the future so you don’t fall behind. We realize that we’re 19th in the point standings and have to be smart about how to spend our money and prepare for 2013. We aren’t going out and building new cars or anything like that. They aren’t science experiments either, but there are definitely different setups that we will try in this race.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET – 20th IN STANDINGS: “Texas is always a fun place to race. We had a pretty good car for the Spring race here. Track position and fast pit stops will be crucial. We didn’t have many cautions for the first race and I expect this one might not be much different. Hopefully we can put together a good qualifying effort with our McDonald’s Chevrolet like we did at the first Texas race this year and maintain position on the lead-lap. If we can do that we can put ourselves in position for a strong finish.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 HUGGIES CHEVROLET – 22nd IN STANDINGS: “Texas is going to be a busy weekend for us. We’re running the Huggies paint scheme and we will have some folks from Target with us, plus a few appearances. I’m looking forward to getting out on the track. The guys are bringing a brand new race car and we’re trying new things to get ready for 2013. I’m hoping we learn a lot in these last three races of the season.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW/FARM AMERICAN CHEVROLET – 25th IN STANDINGS: "I like Texas Motor Speedway, it’s fast and you have to be on the edge with that speed. However, when the track does slow down handling is a big characteristic, which is important. But over the years Texas has treated me well and I always get up on the wheel there. One of our main goals this weekend is to get our qualifying situation turned around. We've been able to get to the front the past two weeks, but it's much easier and better for all concerned when you start up front."

DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY RACING CHEVROLET: (ON WORKING WITH CREW CHIEF TONY GIBSON FOR THE FIRST TIME): “I know Tony about as well as I know anyone else at Stewart-Haas, other than Zippy (Greg Zipadelli). I’ve always felt really comfortable around Tony. I feel like he’s always listened to me. I feel like he has a lot of respect and I have a lot of respect for him. I get along with him great and, most of all, I trust in what they decide for me because I’m not experienced enough to make those calls. That’s why I went with a team like Stewart-Haas, because I know they’re going to give me what I need.”

Source: Team Chevy Racing

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