Training & Nutrition - New trainer - some questions.....

I bought a trainer, and haven't had one before. The model is a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine.
Two questions---
....Why do the instructions say to make sure the QR lever is pointing straight back? Is this just a precaution to make sure the weight isn't resting on the QR lever? I close mine forward and about 30-degrees above horizontal because that way it doesn't interfere with the kickstand, but I can see that the weight isn't resting on the lever....
....I also noticed that the cable from the cheapo SRAM rear derailleur comes out and blocks easy access to the QR nut. I can force the cable down enough to get the bike on the trainer, but obviously this isn't ideal. And all the other SRAM rear derailleurs all the way up to the XO model have the exact same problem, it appears. I can get the bike on and it shifts properly and all, but this seems like it's going to stress the cable jacket over time. Is there some trick to making this work better?....
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I have the KK road machine and don't pay any attention to the direction of the QR skewer handle. I don't make any warranty that things won't go disastrously wrong if you do it this way, but I only use my trainer once a month or so other than times I'm forced to warm up on it.

Can't help with the SRAM problem.

Sounds like you need to put in a piece of longer cable housing before the RD. Adding a couple of centimeters should drop it below the skewer. That's assuming you have a little extra cable, otherwise you'll have to replace the cable, too.