"We'll probably need to win one of the next two races"

Dodge’s Brad Keselowski is second in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, seven points behind Jimmie Johnson.

Dodge is seeking its first win at Phoenix International Raceway in Sprint Cup competition.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We'll probably need to win one of the next two races. I feel like Phoenix is a whole different animal. I know you want to bring the stats up where he's so dominant. But they repaved last year, so it's not the same track. So I don't feel like a notebook there is that significant. Other than the past two races there where we've been just as good in both races, I felt like we may have been a little better in the fall than he was, and he was probably a little better in the spring. Looking at it that way, I'd say it's probably a head's up match going into Phoenix and probably the same going into Homestead. We just need to win the head's up matches.”
Brad Keselowski, No 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger

“With the success we’ve had there in the Nationwide Series cars since they changed the track, it’s easy to understand how much we are looking forward to getting back in a Cup car there. We’re hoping for a very competitive weekend at PIR in our Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger. Phoenix has certainly held a lot of history as far as my career goes. Wouldn’t that be the icing on the cake if we can pull it off and get the Shell-Pennzoil Dodge into Victory Lane there on Sunday afternoon? That would be a dream come true, for sure.”
Sam Hornish Jr., No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger

ON THE NEW PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL SURFACE

“During the testing they had there in August last year, there definitely was a fine line you had to make in getting around the place. If you got just a minimal bit out of the groove, you paid the price. We remember well because our Penske Racing Cup teams brought home some torn up race cars after that test. So, it was like we all were coming in there expecting the worst-case scenario to unfold there last November. After getting there and logging laps on the track, I developed my own theory as to what had happened. It was a slick new surface that was made even more difficult to negotiate due to an incredibly hard tire and possibly some substance they had used in the process.”
Sam Hornish Jr., No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger

“Sam has always liked the tracks where the turns are different and you have to compromise in your setups. It’s a track where you don’t depend so much on the ‘aero aspect’ like you do at the bigger tracks. I understand that the track has continued to use their tire-rotator machine and other methods since we were there in the spring in an effort to get the track even better. I think every time we go there, the racing groove will continue to widen. It will be interesting to see if we get a second groove really going there this weekend. It’s a great track in a splendid location and the fan support there is tremendous.”
Todd Gordon, Crew Chief, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger

FROM THE ENGINEER
"Only two races remain in the 2012 season and race engineers face different challenges as they prepare their teams for the championship run. Phoenix and Homestead are completely different and have to be approached that way. When the series visited the newly-reconfigured Phoenix track last fall, the racing was all about finding grip on a new and slippery surface. But by the time we visited Phoenix in February this year, the track had seasoned enough that grip was no longer the biggest issue. Track position and fuel economy were. If that sounds familiar, it's because track position and fuel economy have steadfastly been the two biggest engineering challenges the teams have faced since we started racing at the speedway in the desert in 1988. Which Phoenix we'll find when the series returns this weekend may be up for debate but engineers will certainly make plans for a track position and fuel economy event, just in case."
Howard Comstock, SRT Motorsports Engineering

SRT Motorsports