Ford Performance Road Atlanta Post-Race Report

Ford Performance | TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Notes & Quotes:

Petit Le MansRaceSaturday, Oct. 3, 2015FORD ECOBOOST FINAL RACE RESULTSOverall/Class4/2         01 Ford EcoBoost Riley (Scott Pruett, Joey Hand, *Scott Dixon) – 7:51:21.667 session time*Last driver in car.FORD ECOBOOST STARTING POSITIONP3           01 Ford EcoBoost Riley (Scott Pruett/*Joey Hand/Scott Dixon) – 1:29.627* Driver qualified.NOTE: This is Scott Pruett and Joey Hand’s fifth podium of 2015 (p1 COTA, p2 Long Beach/Watkins Glen, p3 Road America). It’s Scott Dixon’s second sports car podium of the year (p1, Rolex 24).No. 01 Ford EcoBoost Riley (Scott Pruett/Joey Hand/Scott Dixon)Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesSCOTT PRUETT: “It worked in our favor today. These are the most treacherous conditions I could ever remember. You weren’t racing. You were just trying to keep from crashing. They made the right call at the end. It’s just been miserable all day long. It was very dangerous. There were a lot of torn-up race cars and we’re glad to bring the Ford EcoBoost prototype to second place (in prototype).”“Every lap we took was different. There was a lot going on the track with conditions. You had to be on your toes all the time. There were so many times you thought you were going to crash. It was just horrible.  We made it through it.”SCOTT DIXON: “I really wish the conditions were better out there today. There is really nothing you can do about it though. The team had an issue in the morning warm-up and worked hard to get the car ready to race. We started from pit lane and had a drive-through penalty, but with the help of a few early cautions got on the lead lap and up near the front. P3 or P4 was really the best we could get with all the rain. The visibility was so bad it was very difficult to see anything at all. Most of the time you were just trying to gauge where you were, and trying to keep the car out of the wall. Not the result we wanted overall but it was a tough day to put on a race.”JOEY HAND: “I think the start of the race was probably the best part of the race. It got pretty bad towards the end. I think it was the right call to call this thing. Going into the dark with the rain that was coming…it was going to be pretty gnarly. I’m glad we ended up second, but I had my mind right because I was getting in to finish. My mind was right to go drive it to the front if I could. That was the plan. We did what we needed to do. We didn’t make mistakes today. We kept our car going around the race track, didn’t make mistakes, and that’s a big part of this 10-hour race. That’s part of endurance racing. I don’t think we really got handed one. We just kept it on the racetrack and did what we needed to do. It’s always fun to be on the podium. I would’ve liked to go out and drive a little bit more, but I think they made the right call. We had a great team today. Great calls by the guys, great pit stops. I drove with the master, Scott Pruett, and the current IndyCar champ, Scott Dixon. We did what we needed to do. I’m happy with it.”YOU STARTED FROM PIT LANE, TOO. “That’s why this team is champion-caliber. We had a mechanical problem at the warm-up and most teams wouldn’t have made it out. To get that car out just in time, start from pit lane, then drive our way up to the front pack, got in the mix and just did what we needed to do. I felt good in the car those first few stints. We stuck to our program. This race is cool. I’ve always wanted to win this race. I haven’t won it yet. You always figure you have a chance. We had a chance to day for sure. Finishing second and being on the podium is a great way to finish the year. We had great momentum, really, from Watkins Glen (p2 finish) to the end of the year. We had good race cars. It was just a good overall year. I’m proud of this organization. It’s my first year under the Chip Ganassi Racing Ford banner and I thought it was a great year.”