Conway scores second win on the streets of Long Beach

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 Novo Nordisk Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “We’re not sure what exactly happened today with the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet yet. We still need to get the car back and look over all of the data to figure out the exact problem. We started the race out exactly as we planned by picking up a lot of spots early and getting through the standing starts cleanly. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew did a great job in pit lane by getting me in and out quickly and just as the yellow fell. We had the right pace and the right tires to run a good race today, it just didn’t go our way with mechanical issues. The team did a great job today and even though it wasn’t a great end to our weekend in Long Beach, I’m confident going into Barber here in a few weeks.”

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 AAA Southern California Chevrolet): “The Automobile of Southern California boys did a great job. Unfortunately we got caught up in an accident in Turn 4. That was very disappointing. Then we got a penalty on one of the restarts late in the race. We need to figure out what happened with that. It was a very crazy race after the crash. We were taking it easy trying to save the car. We were just saving fuel and trying to make it to the end. It was a great job by everyone at Team Penske. Now let’s go to Barber.”

TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): “Tough weekend for us but thank you for all the support from the fans this weekend. Really tough weekend, didn’t get away on the start. There was a lot of congestion at the fountain & I got hit from behind into the car ahead & it damaged the wing. It was unavoidable. The strategy worked in our favor & we were able to move up positions. The car was better today too. Unfortunately when I turned into Turn 4 there were 3 cars tangled together and I couldn’t avoid it and I clipped it and that was the end of our race. Very disappointing. But we have to take the positives from this race to the next round.”

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 25 Snapple Honda): “Definitely not as high as I would have liked but I’m not sure we had more, that’s the unfortunate part. That’s what I’m really bummed about. I think we need to definitely find some pace so I’m really disappointed. And then I misjudged and lost the front wing on one of the hair pin passes. So overall not the day we were looking for with the Snapple car, but we’ll move ahead to Barber.”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 11 Mistic KVSH Racing Chevrolet): This one really hurts. I had a great car and I just made a mistake. The rear tires were going during the first stint and I started compensating with brake bias. When we put on new tires for the second stint I wound it back a bit, but not enough. During the out lap the rear tires were coming in, but the fronts were still not in. I touched the brake pedal and didn’t even slow down. I didn’t brake late, but was nowhere near making the corner. It was a very bad judgment call. I want to thank my sponsor Mistic Electronic Cigarettes for all their support this weekend. I also especially want to thank the crew for sticking with it all day. It is just the second race and we know we are fast. We will make this work together as a team.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “That was an interesting race. What an amazing team and I really have to thank Verizon and Chevy. I could’ve been a little more aggressive at the end but I really wanted to make sure we didn’t get in any trouble and got a decent finish in the Verizon car. We had some close calls out there but we kept pushing and to come out of Long Beach with a top-five finish is pretty good.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda): “It’s a tough day. It’s a difficult day when you have an incident, especially at the front. I never expected to leave here with a crashed race car. There are positives to take away. We had an incredible car, the crew was solid all weekend. When you leave [the pits] on cold tires and you have guys coming up behind you on hots you’re definitely a sitting duck. The problem is, we just came out of the pits, we got the lead, you’re struggling to control the car because you’re on cold tires. It’s too difficult to place the car. On top of that, an incident in Turn 4 should never happen. You just can’t pass in 4 no matter what, it’s never happened before, it just doesn’t work. So I was surprised that we ended up in the fence. It definitely ruined a lot of guysdays. It’s just a shame for us that it had to happen there. I knew we were a sitting duck probably later on in the lap, but would have never expected something to happen in Turn 4.”

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 17 AFS KVAFS Racing Chevrolet): “It was quite an interesting race. I made a big mistake at the start, stalling the car, but we kept calm and focused. We had a great car with great pace and that enabled me to move back through the field. I was also able to capitalise on the mistakes by others. Unfortunately with 10 laps to go we had a mechanical situation and then our main goal was to bring the car home. I was able to pick up some great points and am real proud of all of the KV AFS crew for keeping their heads in the game and not panicking when we got into those situations. I also need to thank my engineer for a great strategy and for getting me back in the race. We move on to Barber in a couple of weeks and I look forward to getting another great result.”

NEXT PAGE: Final group of quotes from Verizon IndyCar Series drivers at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach