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Parker Johnstone and Team Kool/Green:
Following four back-to-back oval track races, six-time IMSA champion Parker Johnstone is looking forward to his third visit to the Detroit street circuit.Belle Isle's tightly-curved course was the site of Johnstone's best qualifying effort last season (fourth), a record Johnstone and Team KOOL Green hope to better this time around.Parker Johnstone, #27 Team KOOL Green Reynard-Honda-Firestone:
- "I love Detroit, probably because most of the other drivers hate it. It's a tough course because it's very physically demanding and there are almost zero passing opportunities. It's a bumpy track, one that really makes you work hard. On a circuit like that, most drivers tend to hold back a little reserve because it's tricky - but I'm out there sliding the car right up to the wall to get the most out of the track."
- "I qualified extremely well in Detroit last year, and I probably would've done even better if I hadn't run into traffic on my last run. I'd just changed to a new set of tires before the session ended, but I wasn't able to get in a clean lap on them. The car was perfect, but, like almost everyone, we ran into trouble when the rain fell on Sunday. That spoiled what could have been a great race for me. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to going back."
- "Detroit is certainly an important race for the CART series, because it's the home of the automobile industry. The value of that race to many of the sponsors and manufacturers involved in the series is tremendous.
"Detroit is a tough little race track. It's very difficult to pass there, which makes qualifying well absolutely crucial. If passing is going to happen, it will happen in pit lane — which means our pit crew will really have to be on their toes on Sunday to move our car up on the grid.
"From qualifying last year, it's obvious Parker likes the track - which is always a good sign. I think our Australia set-up will do well there, and it earned us a very good starting position in Surfers Paradise [6th]. We'll just have to hope for good weather this time around."
