NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AAA TEXAS 500
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
November 5, 2010
TONY STEWART, NO. 24 OFFICE DEPOT/OLD SPICE CHEVROLET met with media and discussed racing in the Chase, the tight point battle, and more. Full Transcript:
HOW WAS PRACTICE? AND WHAT ADJUSTMENTS, IF ANY, DO YOU NEED TO MAKE?
“Well, we’ve only got an hour and a half; we haven’t been here very long. I think we’re decent. We’ve got a good starting spot off where we were in the spring and feel like we’ve got something we can work with. Let’s get through today and see how good a job we can do in qualifying and then we’ll go into tomorrow and start our race stuff again and see if we can make it better than it was today.”
EVERYBODY HAS MADE THESE COMMENTS LIKE ‘ANYBODY BUT THE NO. 48’ ABOUT JIMMIE JOHNSON RUNNING FOR A FIFTH CHAMPIONSHIP. LAST WEEK KEVIN HARVICK JOKED ABOUT SOMEBODY ELSE NEEDING TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR IT TO BE RELEVANT TO THE FANS. WHERE DO YOU THINK ALL THAT COMES FROM?
“I just laugh at everybody about it. The whole idea here is to go out and win races and win championships and the guy has been good at it for four years. So, I don’t know how you can say they guy doing what he’s supposed to do, and doing what all of us want to do, how you can say it’s bad. That’s where I stand on that.”
AND REGARDING THE CHASE, DO YOU THINK EVERYBODY IS FINALLY LEARNING HOW TO RACE THE CHASE?
“That’s the thing everybody has asked since day one. It’s not a hard concept to understand. It’s just a 10-race season, basically. You race in that first 26 weeks to get yourself in there and then it’s a short 10-week season. So it’s not like people had to learn how to do this. Everybody in this garage area raced somewhere else before they got here; and raced for championships no matter whether it’s 10 races long or 120 races long like the World of Outlaws. So, they all know how to do it but it’s just a matter of doing the job for those 10 weeks.”
ARE YOU TRYING ANYTHING DIFFERENT TOWARDS NEXT YEAR RIGHT NOW?
“I’m still trying to win races this year. We’re just staying the course right now, in all honesty. We’ve still got places we’re still racing for in the championship too, so we’re just trying to get the best finishes we can get.”
ON THE POINTS BATTLE BEING TIGHTER THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME WHEN JIMMIE JOHNSON HAD A PRETTY BIG LEAD AT THIS POINT
“I know we’re not in contention so it’s fun for me to watch too and watch to see who’s got a chance to win this thing. Its three great guys and three great teams and organizations right now that still have a really good shot. It’s anybody’s ballgame right now.”
About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
