Check out this week’s Sprint Cup Series Notes & Quotes heading into Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500. (Updated up to Race Day)
The Food City 500 is televised live on FOX on Sunday, March 16, beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET, starting with the pre-race show. It is also broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford team are off to a remarkable start in 2014. Through the first three races, the team has an average finish of 2.3 with one victory and two top-three finishes. The team has also qualified on the front row at the two most recent races, including winning the pole at Phoenix. The recent accomplishments represent the best-ever start to a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season for Keselowski, the 2012 series champion.
Brad Keselowski Quote:
“This No. 2 Miller Lite team has been diligently preparing for this season since late last season, and we’ve also been intensely focused on each event. Our recent successes demonstrate that we are making the effort in the proper areas and that we are executing on race day. The weekend at Las Vegas gives us momentum and freedom to race for wins moving forward. While I enjoy racing everywhere we go, Bristol is one of those places that standout for most drivers. I have to say that I like the idea of getting our Ford Fusion into Victory Lane this Sunday.”
Paul Wolfe Quote:
“After last weekend’s win at Las Vegas we feel as though a little of the pressure to win has been removed, but the desire to win has been increased. Brad is remarkably adept at Bristol, and our Ford Fusions have had the speed required to run up front. As we saw last weekend, the thing that has made the No. 2 Miller Lite team successful over the last few years is being aggressive, and we’re going to be aggressive this year. Just like this season, we’re just getting started.”
Marcos Ambrose Knows RPM Has Tools to Succeed
Knows Improvements in Team Will Show Soon
“There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to prepare our cars. It’s obvious that we get some equipment from other sources, and it’s our responsibility to prepare the car for the track. We’ve made more investments back into the team to get ahead of rules changes and make sure we have fast cars.
“Our speedway car was a rocket, and we came to Daytona with a great car. The past two weeks we are working really hard to improve on. I’m working on how to get the best out of the car, the guys are working on the setups and, as a whole, we have a lot of people trying to put us in Victory Lane. We have the resources and the tools, and we will have good races.
“Every person is looking for one win to get into the final 10 races. We know where we have our best chances, but we also know that we can win at any track. Bristol is one of those places where we can race up front and win. It just takes one race, and I feel we can make it happen.”
Just three races into the season, Joey Logano is already off to the strongest start of his Sprint Cup Series career. His fourth-place standing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) points is the highest that Logano has ever been over the course of his five previous full-time seasons. Logano also has led laps in the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion in all three events in 2014 (all four, counting the Sprint Unlimited). This marks the first time that Logano has led laps in three or four straight events.
In 2010, a special young boy named Gavin Grubbs got the thrill of a lifetime when Logano, his favorite driver, surprised him when he visited Gavin in Arkansas as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Since then, Logano and Grubbs have remained very close and often exchange text messages. Now, Logano is helping Gavin once again. Gavin, who suffers from merosin-negative muscular dystrophy, is trying to raise $10,000 for a local Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) walk in Arkansas. Logano is enlisting his social media followers to help Gavin raise the funds. In addition to Logano personally donating through the number of retweets, anyone that donates $5 or more to the cause will get a Racers Dream Garage calendar. Visit twitter.com/joeylogano for more information.
Joey Logano Quotes:
“Yeah, it’s been a really good start. We have done some of the things we wanted to going into the year other than win a race. But we have been in a position to win races at each of the first three races. Daytona is Daytona, but I think we were good enough with a few more changes to win at Phoenix and Vegas. We’ve lead laps in each race as well. And we’ve qualified on the front row in the last two races. So it’s been a good start. But we can’t focus on that. We need to focus on winning races. We want to get that first win under our belt and then let the rest take care of itself. So we don’t think about the first races too much. We focus on what’s coming next. But we will ride the momentum.”
“Momentum really gives you confidence. And confidence means a lot, both as a driver but also for the team. You need to work well together as a team between the driver and the crew chief, the driver and the mechanics and the mechanics and the crew chief. When you have momentum, you have confidence and when you have the confidence, the chemistry is just there and it shows in the garage. I don’t think momentum itself does a lot, but it can affect other things, which then can mean a lot. That is one of the strongest parts of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team is our chemistry. It’s at an all-time high right now.”
‘Shipping Wars” Jennifer Brennan Takes In Race as Guest of 34 Team
David Ragan Guest Quote:
“We’ll have some celebrity help bringing us some luck this week. For those who watch ‘Shipping Wars’ on A&E, we’ve got Jennifer Brennan joining us for the race on Sunday. She’s a big race fan and she’s super excited to come to one of the coolest tracks on the schedule.”
Ragan has 14 Sprint Cup career starts at Bristol Motor Speedway … His best finish at the .533-mile oval is 10th (2008) … Ragan went to Victory Lane at Bristol in the Nationwide Series in 2009 … Dockside Logistics returns for 2014 on the No. 34 Ford with a new black and red paint scheme.
David Ragan Bristol Quotes:
“We finished 12th the last time we went to Bristol, so we are very much champing at the bit to get back there and see how things go based on the changes we’ve had this year. I think the racetrack has aged well since they’ve ground the top. You’ve got some guys who can really make their cars run well on the bottom groove, and you’ve got guys running around the top. I think it’s one of the best short tracks we go to.
“Some guys want to see the older Bristol come back. But from a racer’s point of view, I’ve had a blast the last couple of races at Bristol. So, I’m happy to see it coming up on the schedule this week and we will have our Dockside Logistics Ford ready.”
Team Uses Three Davids to Take on Goliath at Tough Short Track
Sunday’s race is Reutimann’s first Sprint Cup start in 2014 … He has 11 Cup career starts at Bristol … His best finish at the track is second (2010).
David Reutimann Quotes:
“Driving for Front Row Motorsports is a great opportunity with a great organization. I miss being at the track on Sundays so I’m really looking forward to it. I think it’s pretty cool and can’t wait to get to Bristol.
“Qualifying is going to be wild. It’ll be my first time taking a crack at it with this new knock-out qualifying procedure. It looks like it’s been pretty eventful at the tracks so far this year, and Bristol is a completely different animal. I’m going to try not to think about it too much. Just get a good lap in that gets the car in the show and then hopefully not have to worry about it anymore.”
“Bristol is an awesome racetrack, definitely one of my favorite races of the year. It’s one of the most physically demanding races, for sure, but a lot of fun, too. I know they’ve been working on it to try to make it more racy. But from a racer’s standpoint, I think it’s a lot of fun and just a great racetrack.
“With the new rule changes this year, I think it’s going to produce better racing there. NASCAR’s ultimate goal is to make the cars drive better, which will, in turn, produce better racing. If you’ve got three or four guys’ cars that are driving good and the rest of the field is struggling, it doesn’t put on a real good race. But we feel like the cars are going to drive better and it’s going to put on a better show. David (Ragan) and I have both had some really strong runs at Bristol, and I look forward to going back there.”
Almirola and Team Tested Short-Track Program at New Smyrna Speedway in Off-Season
Aric Almirola and the No. 43 team prepared for short track racing with two tests at New Smyrna Speedway, a .48-mile track. The two tests give the team confidence going into the first short track race of the season at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Almirola will take to the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” in the No. 43 Smithfield Ford and aim for a victory and an all-important spot in the Chase.
Aric Almirola Quotes:
“Bristol has changed over the years. When I first went to Bristol, it was the old Bristol where you had to run into someone to pass them and get them off the bottom lane. Man, that was a tough track. It seems like the track has gotten a little bit easier to drive since they’ve redone it. It’s just as hard to pass now because everybody runs up against the fence. Everyone used to run on the bottom, and now, we all seem to run right up against the fence. It’s really hard to complete that pass on the bottom.
“I like it though. I think it’s fun and makes for exciting racing. You see a lot of two and three-wide racing which you would never see at Bristol before. I think the racing has improved, but we see less wrecks, so the fans can make the decision on that. We’ve had a rough start to the season, but I think we can turn it around this weekend.”
Justin Allgaier is making his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) start at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) in the No. 51 SEM Products Chevy. While this is Allgaier’s first time at the 0.533-mile track in a Sprint Cup car, he’s raced there 10 times in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS), earning his first win in only his third start. Allgaier also won the pole for the spring 2013 NNS race.
Justin “Lil Gator” Allgaier is participating in Wii Boxing at the Food City Family Race Night on Friday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m. The event will take place at the Food City Race Night stage at BMS.
Justin Allgaier Quote:
“I’m excited to get to Bristol [Motor Speedway]. Bristol has always been one of my favorite tracks. It’s a short track and always puts on a good show for the fans. I also have a new sponsor this weekend, SEM Products. I’ve worked with them before in the Nationwide Series and they are a great group of people. Bristol is also where I got my first Nationwide win, so that’s another reason why I really like it. This weekend is the first time with NASCAR’s new qualifying rules on such a short track, so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. Overall, I just need to be consistent and smooth.”
Steve Addington Quote:
“Justin has good statistics at Bristol in the Nationwide Series. Every race we go to allows us to work on our communication more. The key to this weekend will be a good starting spot, because it’s a short track, and to be consistent.”
Although this weekend marks McDowell’s first start with Leavine Family Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Glendale, Ariz., driver has made seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at the .533-mile track, earning a career-best 23rd-place finish at the track in August 2012. In five additional NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at the track, he finished 10th under the lights in 2009.
McDowell is scheduled to visit Food City Race Night to sign autographs between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Friday, March 14 along with several other Sprint Cup Series drivers and teams. The event will take place in downtown Bristol on the corner of State and Piedmont Streets. Festivities will get underway at 4 p.m. and continue until 9 p.m. Admission is free of charge.
Michael McDowell Quote:
“Bristol Motor Speedway is awesome. I cannot wait to get there this week. High-banked short tracks make for great racing for both the fans and the drivers.”