Clint Bowyer Wins at Talladega; Points Battle Tightens with Kevin Harvick Finishing Second and Jimmie Johnson in Top-10; Juan Pablo Montoya Finished Third to Give Team Chevy a One-Two-Three Finish
TALLADEGA, Ala (Oct. 31, 2010) – Clint Bowyer, No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet, powered his way to the front of the field and ahead of his teammate Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Realtree Chevrolet, as the white flag flew. As the Richard Childress Racing drivers prepared to do battle on the last lap, the caution flew for an accident behind them. It took several moments for NASCAR to review video tapes before declaring Bowyer the victor by less than a front bumper of their Chevrolet race cars.
For team owner Richard Childress, Bowyer’s win holds sentimental value as it was 10 years ago at the fall Talladega that the legendary Dale Earnhardt, Sr. won his last race behind the wheel of the No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet.
Bowyer led nine times for a total of 19 of the 188 laps on the way to the fourth victory of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career. It is his second victory of the season but his first on a superspeedway. He remains 12th in the standings but moved with 15 points of 10th place in points.
Harvick remains third in the standings but is only 24 points out of second and 38 points behind the leader with three races remaining. He led eight times today for a total of 12 laps.
Pushing Bowyer on the inside line was Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet, who garnered the third finishing position at the finish to give Team Chevy a one-two-three finish. After starting on the pole, Montoya led eight times for a total of 18 laps.
With a seventh place finish, Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, extended his points lead to 14 points over second place Denny Hamlin. The four-time defending NSCS champion led twice for two laps.
Four-time champion Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Chevrolet, finished eighth in the 500-mile race after leading once for one lap. He moved up one position in the standings to fourth place.
Two-time champion Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, suffered a flat left front tire just 20 laps into the race. After being three laps down, Stewart battled to get back on the lead lap only to receive extensive damage in the final crash of the day and relegated to the 31st finishing position. He sits seventh in the standings.
Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, looked to have a car capable of contending for the win staying in the lead pack and leading six times for 11 laps. On the 133rd lap, Burton and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Legend of Hallowdega/AMP Energy Juice/National Guard Chevrolet, were involved in a two-car accident that sent them both to the garage. Burton’s car was too badly damaged to return to competition, while Earnhardt, Jr. returned to competition after repairs were made. Burton is now 10th in points and Earnhardt, Jr. sits in 19th place.
David Reutimann (Toyota) and Joey Logano (Toyota) completed the top-five finishers.
Next on the schedule will be November 7, 2010 at Texas Motor Speedway.
CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 BB&T CHEVROLET – RACE WINNER
SCOTT MILLER, INTERIM CREW CHIEF, AND RCR TEAM OWNER, RICHARD CHILDRESS – POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
KERRY THARP: Let’s roll into our race winning team here at Talladega Superspeedway. Our race winner is Clint Bowyer. He’s also joined by his crew chief, Scott Miller. This is Clint’s fourth career win, his first victory here at Talladega, and his second win in 2010. Coming ever so close to 10th place in the points battle as you turned into a terrific effort out there today.
Talk about the win and maybe some of the anticipation there at the end before you were officially declared the winner.
CLINT BOWYER: Yeah, going back to your points thing, before this race I didn’t think I was going to have a shot at walking across the stage. I knew I was going to have to go to Vegas, but they kick you out shortly after you get done with the media. Maybe I can walk across the stage if I keep this up. A little dig (laughter).
Just very, very happy for a lot of reasons. Everybody at RCR has worked very hard to get us back. To have Kevin racing for a championship is where obviously Jeff and I wanted to be. But to have him still in a shot at winning a championship, that’s very important. To be able to win two races in a Chase for our race team is very important.
Shane built an awesome racecar. Scott has done a great job all year long of being a competition director and filling that role that we never had, filling the void. To be able to step in and come close to winning two races in the four races he’s been here is pretty incredible. So very proud of the job that he’s done stepping in for us.
Just proud of everybody to be able to give up our crew, to make sure that Kevin had the best opportunity to win a championship, and to win a race with his crew is what they needed, what we needed as a race team. You couldn’t ask for a better day.
KERRY THARP: Scott, what were some of the keys you think from your crew standpoint in getting today’s win?
SCOTT MILLER: Well, you know, we brought some really good racecars to the track. Really the whole race is about Clint did a fantastic job of putting himself in a position to win. We tested the waters a lot all day long to see what would work and what wouldn’t work. Fortunately some of the things he found during the race worked out for us there at the end.
The key to everything today was having a fast racecar and him putting himself in the right position to be able to win the race. So it was just one of those days where everything lined up. Fortunately we’re sitting here talking to all of you.
KERRY THARP: Team owner Richard Childress, which is your 11th win at Talladega, that’s most among any car owner in the history of the sport, and certainly sweeping the two races here at Talladega this year with Kevin winning in the spring and then now Clint winning, it’s got to be a happy day for you.
RICHARD CHILDRESS: It is. Especially standing in the winner’s circle a while ago with Clint, the team, it was real special because it brought back memories of being here 10 years ago with Dale Earnhardt when he won this race. I was thinking about that.
The job Scott Miller has done for us all year long helped put us in this position. To be able to step in and do what he’s done, I’m really proud of that.
Clint Bowyer, he’ll go down in history as one of the great restrictor plate racers, just like Kevin. Him and Kevin both were up there. Didn’t know which one won it. My grandson said, We know we won it, so let’s go to the winner’s circle. I was sitting there kind of numb until he told me that.
KERRY THARP: We’ll take questions.
Q. Clint, I asked you on Friday about redemption, if you really felt you needed a win to take the sting off of New Hampshire. Are you feeling any better?
CLINT BOWYER: Absolutely. It’s been six races, sixth race of the Chase?
Q. Seventh.
CLINT BOWYER: Today is the seventh. Not very good at math. Haven’t been paying much attention since the first one (laughter).
We were real close to winning three of the seven races we participated in this Chase, that’s due to great preparation from Shane Wilson and everybody on this 33 team. It was important to me to get my 33 pit crew guys. A lot of people don’t realize how much work goes into this. Those pit crew guys, the guys that build the bodies, build these racecars week in and week out at the race shop, to be able to win, it is redemption. It finally puts that behind me as a racecar driver, as a person, and us as a race team.
Q. Have you heard from Shane yet?
CLINT BOWYER: I don’t have my phone on me. It’s kind of a bittersweet deal. I’m sure he’s probably sitting at home, celebrating as he always does. Probably had a couple extras just for the depression side of it, as well (laughter).
Q. Richard, you said you were numb there while you were waiting. Was there anything going through your mind? You got two cars probably for the first time in your career, you’re involved where NASCAR has to make a ruling, but both of your cars are in it. Does anything go back and forth in your mind? I have a guy that can make a dent in this Chase standings things, but Clint has had a rough time. Anything that goes back and forth about who has won this thing, about which would be better for you?
RICHARD CHILDRESS: No. We talked earlier in the year. Although we’re racing for the championship, it comes down to a win. It may be different at Homestead, but not really.
If you have a chance to win a Cup race, you got to go after it. I just told him, If it comes down to the win, you guys have got to do what you got to do. I was just happy for both of them, especially Kevin and Clint. Both of them got beat up a little bit in that one incident on the backstretch. To be able to come back and run 1 2, I couldn’t be happier.
Like I said, I was kind of wondering which one won and if it was real, because the scoreboard never went up to 188, it stayed at 187. I was a little concerned about that.
Q. Richard, you’ve been doing this an awful long time. Give us your thoughts on having a points race with three races to go where you have three guys who are virtually dead even. What do you see the outcome? Does anybody have an advantage?
RICHARD CHILDRESS: All three races Kevin Harvick is really good at. In the same sense, so is Denny and Jimmie both. Those are really good racetracks for all three teams. I think whoever can sit there and pull off some wins is going to be the team to win the championship. We have to give everything we got. Proud of our whole organization for putting us in this position.
10 races to go when all three of them made the Chase, we all sat down and said, No matter who it is, when it comes down to the end, Clint, Jeff or Kevin, we’re going to throw everything at it we can to win this championship. That’s what every one of our people have done.
We had Clint in a position to win in 2007 and Kevin was right up in there in 2008 and we were off in 2009, we’ve been there contending for the championship. This is the closest we’ve been in contending with three to go.
Q. Clint, you didn’t wait for NASCAR to say you had been declared the winner. At this point of the season and Chase, did you say, What the hell, I got nothing else to lose?
CLINT BOWYER: Hell, yeah. Claim that baby before somebody else does (laughter).
Q. Richard, to be this close in the championship, as far as off as you got for a while, as quickly as you’ve come back, your thoughts to be sort of kicked around like the old tin can for a bit? You have a guy on a possible championship.
RICHARD CHILDRESS: Again, like I said, I’m really proud of what everybody’s accomplished this year. Everybody forgets where we were at. You remember the bad years. We had good years in 2007. Like I said, Clint was a contender for the championship. Kevin and Clint was right there in 2008. We were just off in 2009. But the end of 2009, the last 10 races in the Chase, our cars would have been right up there if you would have just took the points.
But we felt good coming into this year. Hopefully Kevin can pull it off. We’re going to throw everything at it we can.
Q. Clint, you have two wins in the Chase. The races after New Hampshire, you kind of threw away. So much turmoil in and around the team. When you see the fact you win at New Hampshire, win at Talladega, know how competitive your team is, do you wonder what if that deal didn’t happen at New Hampshire?
CLINT BOWYER: Absolutely. If that hadn’t of happened at New Hampshire, you would have had your normal deal, what got us there. I always look forward to the Chase because these are some of the best racetracks for me. You go back and look at my stats. These are good racetracks for our race team and for me as a racecar driver.
You know, that deal was, I’m still frustrated. Took the wind out of my sails. The two races after that whole mess, it was a disaster. If we had that back, we were along our normal routine, I don’t think we would have had those bad runs that we’ve had. It’s pretty uncharacteristic of our race team to have those two wins here in the Chase and then three really bad races.
So it has been very frustrating. Haven’t had much to look forward to. Didn’t have much to look forward to, other than the fact I knew my racecar was very, very fast going into this race. I knew there was a lot of preparation put in place. The engine boys were very happy. When those boys are excited about something, you better get excited as a racecar driver because you’ve got something that is probably going to be an advantage.
There was one time in the race, Richard was the I was like, Hey, get Junior out of there. There’s going to be five RCR cars in line. Good picture for the engine boys. Get him out of there. Need a good picture for the engine shop. He was the only one with the common sense to say, You’re pretty good right where you’re at.
Maybe we can Photo Shop him out of there. It would be a pretty good picture (laughter).
Q. Clint, when you and Kevin were sitting down there like two highway patrolman slapping hands, was that all y’all were doing? Could you even hear each other? Were you saying anything? Could you even see each other?
CLINT BOWYER: We were celebrating the win. The highway patrolman, they’re celebrating giving somebody an expensive ticket.
No, just thrilled for RCR. I mean, you got to think about all the hard work that goes into it. It’s not just us racecar drivers. When you’re at that race shop every day, you realize the passion for this sport, no different than you have as a racecar driver. The sacrifices their families make for them to work day in and day out at the racetrack, the weekends. Those guys are the hardest working people in this sport. They get done here. All of us take it easy for the week, and we go back to our job on the weekends. Their jobs start 7:00 on Monday morning.
To realize how much hard work and dedication goes into those cars, that’s what makes you the proudest, the pride in Victory Lane, to know what it means to those guys.
Q. Clint, the incident that damaged Kevin’s car, it looked like you got into the back of Marcos. What exactly transpired?
CLINT BOWYER: You know I was pushing the 18. I think he was a little bit on the apron. I was kind of stuck pushing him. I was like, Where the hell are you going? It left me in a bad position, and the 47. More importantly, it probably left the 47 in the worse situation. He was four wide, tight corners. Kind of checked up. I was behind him. When you check up at the speeds you run here, you know, I turned him around.
But then I looked in the mirror and I saw Kevin was tore up. I was just sick. It makes you sick to your stomach. You don’t want to be the guy, have all the people on the racetrack to take RCR and all the employees out of a championship. I was pretty sick about it.
But as soon as he got back up there, I pushed him, went right back up to the front, I was like, Well, thank God.
Q. Here are the numbers. You’re only 60 points out of seventh place. How incredible would it be to even think about that kind of finish when you spotted everybody 150 points?
CLINT BOWYER: I’ve never finished outside the top five. So seventh is still very frustrating. I’m disappointed that we’re in the situation we’re in. Take a lot of pride making the Chase. It’s very difficult. That’s a very elite group of people that get a chance to be Chase contenders in this sport.
I don’t want it to lose the impact of being in the Chase. It’s very hard to be in the Chase. The teams that are in it, it’s important to and special to. Certainly when you are a part of that elite group, you don’t want to be the last guy in line. You want to be one of the ones competing for a championship. That’s the reason you’re in that thing.
KERRY THARP: Richard and Clint, congratulations. Terrific victory today. Good luck at Texas.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 REALTREE/SHELL/PENNZOIL CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2ND
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET – FINISHED 3RD
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – POINT LEADER
KERRY THARP: We’ll roll into our post race here at Talladega Superspeedway. Our third place finisher is our Coors Light polesitter, Juan Pablo Montoya.
Juan, talk about the race out there. Certainly it’s a race that features a lot of different ebbs and flows, but talk about you were able to get back up there towards the front towards the end.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: We tried to lead a lap early. The plan was to run 90 laps on the back. At least my plan. We ran into lap 60, got a caution. Nobody really wanted to run in the back. I said, I’m not going to run back here, back of the pack, so I went to the front. From there, pretty much ran top five all day.
KERRY THARP: Let’s take questions for Juan.
Q. Juan, take us through the last three or four laps. You got behind Bowyer on lap 186, pushed him to the front. Can you walk through how you set that up.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: There’s no setup. You know, it’s what it is. You know you got to hook two cars up. At that point I was the pusher. You know what I mean? I couldn’t really wait for the guy behind me to push me. It made sense to try to win the race.
The best chance I had to win the race was push Bowyer up front, when we got to the line, try to make a move.
I’ve been twice here, I’ve been running second or third, whatever. Every time you’re there, a caution comes out on the last lap. If you make a move, then it doesn’t come out and you finish 20th (laughter). It’s what it is.
KERRY THARP: Juan, thank you.
Let’s go to our second place finisher in today’s race, Kevin Harvick. Certainly just a stellar performance bringing that wounded racecar up to the front.
KEVIN HARVICK: Our guys did a great job. We got a little nose damage when the 47 slid across us. The cap came off the front. It had a big dent in front of it.
When it came down to the restart, I thought we were in better shape than we would have been just letting it play out. I knew the 00 was a good pusher behind me. I just got myself attached to the 56. I saw cars start peeling away from the front of him. I could feel him hitting the front of his car into my car. You know, it was one of those deals where it was time to go. You just got to keep pushing and hope for the best there.
Cool that it came down to myself and Clint. We didn’t know who won. I knew that we had beat him to the start/finish line, but I didn’t know when the caution had come out.
Great day for RCR, great day for our points position. We’re headed to Texas.
KERRY THARP: We’ll take questions.
Q. Kevin, I know it’s every man for themselves out there. There was so much talk about how Toyota was going to work together to help Denny, they wanted this championship. Were you surprised to see the 00 push Denny’s main competition?
KEVIN HARVICK: Well, main competition, I don’t know. Maybe as we creep closer, we might be.
It’s hard when you line all those cars up at the end. There was a couple times, with 30, 40 laps to go, I pushed Clint all the way up there, kind of got detached, I got a hole. He was up. That’s just part of it.
When you get down to the end, I mean, unless you’re just going to let off, I just don’t think that’s in many natures that sit behind the wheel of these cars. You have to just push whoever’s in front of you and go for it.
I’m sure that the 00 was thinking the same thing that happened in the spring, if he can wind up second coming into the tri oval, he’s going to have a good chance to win the race. At that point it’s all about winning the race and seeing where it falls after that.
Q. You did not seem perturbed about the front end damage from the time it happened till now. In the end, that split second when y’all crossed the loop over there and Clint was a little bit ahead, in the end did your front end damage make the difference in the outcome here?
KEVIN HARVICK: Well, we drove up there and drove by those guys. My car probably wasn’t as fast as Clint’s. Definitely I was probably impeding the progress a little bit compared to that group. So it definitely didn’t help. But we still were able to get up in the right position with the 00 behind us.
You knew it was going to come down to, especially after the restart, whoever got the breakaway there.
Q. You said you beat the guys you needed to beat. Is it really a lot easier to lose even to a teammate when you’ve beaten the guys you need to beat in the points race?
KEVIN HARVICK: Well, about six inches and we would have won every Speedway race there was this year. It’s just one of those deals where we’ve won a few by a few inches and we’ve lost a few. It’s hard to complain because you can wind up on the wrecker pretty easy.
Happy we kept the trophy at RCR. If you’re going to lose to somebody, it’s good to lose to your teammates and keep the trophy and the money in the right house.
Q. What goes through your mind when you have somebody come across you and your car gets damaged? How long after you got back on the track did you know it was going to be okay?
KEVIN HARVICK: When I saw him start to spin, I didn’t want to spin out. I didn’t want to come back up the racetrack. I didn’t want to spin backwards and have a chance of getting in the wall.
He just kind of rolled across the nose. I was able to just kind of not keep hitting him. I was able to just kind of go back on the gas and push him off of me. That was the best way I knew at that point to minimize the damage on the nose.
After that, the hood wasn’t wrinkled up. I didn’t see any fender damage. I knew I had flat spotted a couple tires. My main concern was not popping the tires. We came right into pit road. The dent in the front was the biggest problem we had. The cap blew off on one of those restarts.
Did a great job fixing it. Got the fenders pulled out. As long as we were in the middle of the pack, we were fine.
Q. Now you, Jimmie and Denny are right on top of each other. Three races left. How do you see this thing playing out? Can you beat the guy sitting beside you?
KEVIN HARVICK: I really think it’s one of the three guys is going to finish in the top five overall over the last three races. If you’re not able to do that and be in contention to lead laps, you’re probably not going to win the championship. You can’t be conservative. You can’t go there hoping for a top 10 because, as you’ve seen over the past few years, top fives, leading the laps is what it’s going to take over the next three weeks. I just believe it’s one of three cars that is going to do that and hopefully we can keep pace.
Q. How do you feel about giving yourself that opportunity?
KEVIN HARVICK: I feel good about the last three tracks. We run good here, about you just never know what’s outcome can be like. We’ve ran well at all the last three tracks. Hopefully we can continue that progress as we go over the next three week.
KERRY THARP: We’re also joined by Jimmie Johnson. He’s still our current points leader, finishing seventh today.
Jimmie, your comments about how things unfolded for the 48 team.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, all in all, great day. I mean, we had a strategy. Stuck to our game plan. In the end, I had a shot at winning the race, which is what we were after. Unfortunately, the 24 felt like he had an engine problem developing once we got to the front, kind of pulled out of the way so he wouldn’t blow an engine in front of me or the field. In the end, he was pumping some oil out and didn’t have an engine problem.
It didn’t necessarily hurt our race at that point, but I wish that he still had been up there in the pack because we were working so well together.
Where things kind of went wrong for us was on that restart. Things must have shuffled around behind the 77. The 77 and I were the only ones in the middle lane, which was the outside lane at the restart. The inside lane was well organized. The outside lane, I think Kevin and some of those guys were hooked up and motoring on by.
At that point we were just trying to get back up in there for a decent finish. On my way sliding backwards, I found the 24 again. He pushed me. We made our way up through the center. I got up into the top 10.
Not a bad finish. We’ll take it. As Kevin was saying, it’s going to be an awesome championship battle all the way to Homestead. I’m really looking forward to it.
KERRY THARP: We’ll open it up again for questions for Kevin and Jimmie.
Q. Jimmie, talk about the stress level that you felt today, not only holding back for so long, but in the closing laps you were in the middle of a hornet’s nest.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, since we were riding in the back, I felt like our odds were better to avoid a crash. You’ve always got to be a little concerned about losing the draft, which happened to the 11 at one point, be on top of that.
I really didn’t have much stress. I don’t know what it was today at all. But from the moment I woke up to driver intros, getting in the car, I just didn’t have a lot of concern today, which was nice not to overstress things, be more in tune with kind of the flow of the race, what was going on.
Did a very good job of staying at the tail end of the pack, not being in a position to fall off the end.
At the end when you come around with two or three to go, you’re in the hornet’s nest. At that point it’s cool. I really I would like to be in it all day long. It’s more fun to race like that. If you wreck with two or three to go, that’s it, that’s fine. But if you wreck on lap one or two, that’s kind of a bummer.
It was a low stress day for me for the most part.
Q. Jimmie, in the past going in the last three races of the year you’ve had one guy chasing you. Now you have two. How does that change the dynamic for you?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: For me we’ve always really approached each race with the mentality that we needed to win. You can go back to the Texas race a few years back where I worked hard to get by Matt. We’ve been able to win at Phoenix. Our Homestead performance has been getting better and better each year. I felt last year we had a chance to run with the lead group of guys and didn’t need to, played it smart.
It’s really the same mentality. We need maximum points. Of course, it’s a little bit more forgiving or easy on your team and yourself with a big points lead. But we don’t have that this year. We’re going to have to race, and we’re ready for it.
Q. Kevin, what was going through your mind sitting in the apron by the start/finish line and saw Clint doing his burnouts? Did you think he was trying to influence NASCAR’s decision there?
KEVIN HARVICK: No, I was just waiting. You know, it was so close because we didn’t know where the caution had come out. I was pretty confident that I beat him to the start/finish line. But you just never know where the caution flew. Heck, I honestly didn’t even know the caution was out until halfway through turns one and two. They probably told me on the radio. But at that point you’re so in tune with what’s going on, trying to focus on when you got a guy behind you pushing you. You got to hold the wheel straight.
So it was just one of those deals where, like I say, we’ve won some that way and we’ve lost some that way. When you come here and your car is still rolling, we’re definitely not going to complain about finishing second. Sure, it would be nice to win. But it’s a great day for RCR.
Q. Denny said he believes one of you three are going to have to win a race or two in these last three. That’s the only way you’re going to get separation. Do you agree with that? Do you believe it’s going to take a win to get any kind of separation?
KEVIN HARVICK: I mean, for me it’s all about not making a mistake. I think if you make a mistake, obviously there’s three guys, of those three everybody’s not going to make a mistake. You’re going to have to run in the top five and have a chance to win, in my opinion.
Forcing it usually leads to mistakes. So if it happens, it happens.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: The only thing I would add to that is the only way you’ll really get separation with three to go, three teams involved, is two of the guys having bad luck, having something go wrong. I don’t think we’re going to get separated by much. I think it’s going to be a small margin all the way to the end.
Q. With the exception of a couple relatively minor incidents today, it was a relatively clean race. No giant wreck like there always is here. What kept you guys on relatively good behavior throughout the race? Does it mark some kind of philosophy change in racing here?
KEVIN HARVICK: I really think that everybody’s just gotten better at the bump drafting and maneuvering their cars. I think you could kind of see it in practice, the way it was going to be, there were going to be less cautions. I think a lot of the guys in the back kind of realized after the beginning after the 11 lost the pack, a lot of guys riding around in that last group, the 1 and 42 were up there racing.
It just had that feel of gonna be a clean race. I’ve only been a part of one of ’em. But we did run a whole race here several years ago that never even had a caution. So it happens. It has happened here. Obviously with the bump drafting and everything, the reason it didn’t seem tamer inside the car, it just seems like everybody is better at it.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Didn’t we have a big one at the end? Didn’t we finish under caution? Just wondering if I was at the same track at everybody else (smiling).
Q. Jimmie, you’ve said all along for the last three or four weeks, Let’s get through Talladega and with three to go I’ll develop a strategy. What is your strategy now?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: All out. We need to be as competitive and as fast as we can possibly be at this point. We’re going to three tracks that are good for all three competitors. As Kevin as saying earlier, you’re going to have to run in the top five to stay in the game. Then obviously take advantage of things and win if you can.
10 extra points from first to second are going to be important. Leading laps, leading the most laps, you’re going to have to be on your A game from here on out.
Q. Three great teams. Any one guy have an advantage?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: I don’t think so at this point.
KEVIN HARVICK: I mean, we’ve gone through seven races, and you can throw a blanket over the three of us. It’s really going to just come down to dotting the Is, crossing the Ts, keeping that performance level where it needs to be. If you go to one of those three tracks, if it’s your off week, you’re in trouble.
Q. Jimmie, I know you said it was a non stressful day. Was there any extra thought because this is the first time you raced here at Talladega since becoming a dad? Did that at all weigh on you?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: No, no. My little girl was dressed as an angel today, so I was hopeful that that brought some good luck. Everybody else was wearing scary costumes. I had a halo and wings on my little girl before the race. I hope that brought us some good luck.
Q. Jimmie, if at the beginning of the Chase somebody was to tell you after seven races it would be this tight with two drivers, would you have picked Denny or Kevin as those two guys?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah. The way the 29 ran through the first 26, I would definitely have picked the 29. I mean, a lot of people argued the point that us and the 11 were kind of out of sorts when the Chase started. I think inside the garage area, we all expected the 48 and the 11 to be where they needed to. We ran good the last couple races to show that before the Chase started.
These guys have been so consistent all year, didn’t matter if it was a short track, big track, superspeedways. I’m not surprised to be racing these two.
Q. Kevin, when it comes to you and Denny, no offense to Jimmie, but he’s won four in a row, there seems to be at least some fans who are going, Somebody get up there and beat this guy. It looks like the two of you will have at least some extra fans in those final three races. Your thoughts?
KEVIN HARVICK: No offense to him, but somebody else needs to win.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Says who (laughter)?
KEVIN HARVICK: Everybody but them wants somebody else to win. I like Jimmie as good as anybody. But for the sake of the sport, one of the two of us needs to make something happen. I can promise you that (laughter).
But, you know, when these guys have done what they’ve done over the last four years, the Chase started, they’re right back on track, it was important for the two of us as teams, speaking of the 29 and the 11, to go out and knock those top fives off and not make any mistakes. When you go back and look at the stats over the last four years, top 10s do not cut it. You got to be in the top five and being up front every week. It’s the same pace that he’s had this year, it’s just the two of us have done a lot of the same things.
You know, it’s important to continue to do that over the next three weeks.
Q. Kevin, you run a full lap without knowing who wins. That’s 15 extra points sitting there. What was that like for you waiting on that decision?
KEVIN HARVICK: I just waited. I mean, there’s no reason to worry about the things you can’t control. You go up and you wait. They make the call. Doesn’t stress me out at all. Just part of it. You just go along with the flow. You take the points as you can get them.
15 points is great. But they weren’t ours. It was just a good day for us.
Q. Jimmie, the last four years you’ve gone to Homestead and you didn’t have to win. Do you think that’s going to change this year?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: That’s the way I’m going to prepare for it. The way it’s gone, I better be prepared for that. If I’m not, then we aren’t doing our jobs. The last couple years down there, we have made sure that we had pace in our car and speed. Last year we won the pole, finishing sixth. Ran good, had a strong night being conservative.
I feel like coming to Homestead, we need to race for this thing, which I’m pretty confident we’re going to have to, that we’ll have a good shot at it.
Q. Kevin, did we ever figure out where exactly the last loop where they actually said, This is the snapshot?
KEVIN HARVICK: I would assume it didn’t go to a loop. I would assume it went to video.
KERRY THARP: I believe it was video, but I’ll confirm that.
KEVIN HARVICK: They usually sync the video with the caution lines. Probably didn’t come to a loop. Usually it goes to video at that point.
Q. Kevin, Gil said that one of your tires was flat by the time you got in. Did you know it was flat? If it had gone green, do you think you would have been able to keep your position?
KEVIN HARVICK: Didn’t know anything about it, so it didn’t bother me. It must have been flat coming in or something. I don’t think it was flat as we were going along.
Q. Kevin, what is the tape that goes on the front? What is that?
KEVIN HARVICK: It’s Bear Bond. A sticky patch they put on there with like glue. They put, what do you call it, green tape over the edges to keep the edges of the bond to stay down. Just realistic can I glue basically on the tape.
KERRY THARP: Got the official points for the top three now. Jimmie has a 14 point lead over Denny Hamlin and a 38 point lead over Kevin Harvick going to Texas.
Guys, great show today. Good luck this weekend at Texas.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
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