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[/media-credit]NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 24, 2012
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET met with media and discussed early morning practice, car set-ups, lines around Auto Club Speedway, and more. Full Transcript:
TALK ABOUT THIS MORNING’S PRACTICE
‘Our U.S. Army/ROTC car was good in practice. I’m really more excited about the second practice with the anticipation of it being closer to actual race conditions. Not knowing what conditions are exactly going to be like with the threat of some weather, but just firing off here at 9:30 in the morning is not usually indicative of what this track, which is really temperature-sensitive, has to offer when it comes to race time. So, our car feels pretty good and hopefully we can keep it running good.”
CAN YOU CHANGE YOUR CAR IN CERTAIN WAYS TO IMPROVE IT REGARDING AERO OR ENGINE PACKAGES? DID YOU CHANGE YOUR CAR FROM QUALIFYING TO PRACTICE SET-UP? “There are always changes that we can do to the race car to manipulate just airflow and things like that, that make a world of difference in the way you put the ducting in the windows and things like that which can be very, very important not just for aerodynamics, but for cooling as well. Those guys on the team are always looking at things that we can do there; and obviously with the EFI package, that’s a big part of the learning process that goes along with that, is going to these different race tracks. We haven’t been in the throttle this long at these rpm’s all year. So there are some things that they are learning as we go, too. So, race to qualifying trim? Yeah, we’ve changed it a little bit but it’s trying to keep that same balance and that same feel that I like here.”
ONE OF THE THINGS THE GUYS WERE TALKING ABOUT YESTERDAY WAS RUNNING DIFFERENT LINES THROUGH THE CORNERS. WHERE IS YOUR CAR WORKING BEST SO FAR?
“My car usually likes the bottom and especially with new tires, the shortest distance is usually the best because you have that extra grip. But I did play around in practice yesterday and today with the middle and higher lines. And yesterday, in fact, in qualifying I ran the middle; or lower to middle, not the actual bottom, in (Turns) 1 and 2 and then the bottom in (Turns) 3 and 4. I was the closest to (pole-winner) Denny (Hamlin) than anybody, I think, that was in the top six there. So, it’s interesting. It adds a different perimeter that we don’t usually have to worry about. You go to a place like Martinsville next week and you run the bottom no matter what. And here, there are many, many options; not just from one end, but per lap.”
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