NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
THE MATTHEW & DANIEL HANSEN 400
RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
APRIL 29, 2011
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Richmond International Raceway and discussed racing at Richmond, the tire test at Indy and more. Full transcript:
THRILLING WEEK A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AT TALLADEGA, NOW WE ARE AT A SHORT TRACK, TALK ABOUT THIS WEEKENDS RACE. “Pretty exciting. We ran really good here last year in both races. I think pretty close to where we did last time so I’m pretty excited. Two weeks ago in Talladega we did everything we needed to do. We ran smart all day and back and just an unlucky break I guess and that’s it.”
PEOPLE TALK ABOUT RHYTHM ON SHORT TRACKS, FROM YOUR BACKGROUND IS THERE ANYTHING, ANYWHERE THAT IS LIKE WHAT YOU’VE EVER DONE BEFORE YOU CAME TO NASCAR? “So you’re saying big track you don’t need rhythm. I think you need rhythm everywhere. You’ve got to have the rhythm. You need to know what you’re doing and that’s it. I think whether you are driving an open-wheel or whatever you are driving it’s all about rhythm and consistency. Make sure you’re doing the same thing and that’s it. I don’t know.”
CAN YOU COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE ACCESS OF FANS TO DRIVERS IS DIFFERENT IN NASCAR AS OPPOSED TO OTHER FORMS OF RACING? “I think it changes through the years I think. As a fan you come to NASCAR and you get to see the drivers. I think you are a lot more in touch with the drivers. All the media availability, drivers walk around the garage. I think it’s a lot easier if you are a fan to be passionate about NASCAR than anything else.”
DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE IS A LOT MORE DEMAND ON YOU PERSONALLY FOR YOUR TIME? “I don’t know. It’s what it is. I’ve been here, this is my fifth season already. It is what it is. I don’t think about it. I look at the schedule and say okay I’ve got to be there at 10:00 in the morning. It’s like that. It’s simple.”
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT RACING AT RICHMOND AND THE KIND OF FAN SUPPORT THAT YOU GET HERE? “It’s always exciting to come here. It’s always a challenging race. Especially you know you’ve got to run good here because of where it is with the Chase, where the qualifying for the Chase ends, the preseason. So if you’re on the bubble you’ve got to make sure you run good all day, you’ve got to make sure you run smart all day. It’s a track that it’s very easy to get involved in wrecks. It’s a lively race. You’ve got to keep up with the race track especially if it’s a night race. It’s always hard work and it’s always fun.”
HOW WOULD YOU SAY TRAVIS PASTRANA HAS DONE IN HIS FORTE INTO THE STOCK CAR WORLD, AND YOU KIND OF SET THE BAR WITH GUYS BEING ABLE TO COME IN AND ADAPT WELL? “I think every driver is a little bit different and every person is a little bit different. It’s always a challenge. For Travis it’s going to be hard because I know he’s done a lot of rally’s and things car wise but he grew up racing motorcycles so I think that’s going to be a little bit different. Can it be done? Yeah, I think it can be done. I think he can learn to control how far to go, I think he would be okay. With cars it’s not a thing that oh okay let’s try to jump longer. You can’t. There’s a limit to the car, then you’ve got to learn to make the car better to be able to do it. I think if you go through the process you will be okay. I think he may be fine, especially in the Trucks. I think he’s going to be pretty competitive.”
THE INDIANAPOLIS TIRE TEST, ARE YOU TESTING THERE? “Yes.”
IS THAT A HARD THING FOR YOU TO DO AND IS THERE A BIG ADVANTAGE FOR YOU GUYS TO SPEND THAT DAY WORKING FOR GOODYEAR? “I don’t mind the track time anywhere we go. You get a little bit of time for yourself to get the car close to where you can start the tire test. It’s always useful. It gives you extra information. I think it’s good when you can help develop a good tire. Would I have picked Indy for me to go and test? I would pick somewhere else. We always run good there. I would have rather gone somewhere else and tested but it not your decision, it’s theirs. If its Indy, I will go to Indy and make the most out of it.”
IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR WHERE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS REALLY HEAT UP, ARE YOU PLEASED WITH WHERE YOU ARE? “I can’t do anything right now. With the way my contract is I can’t really talk or anything. I’m just waiting. I’ve talked to Chip (Ganassi, team owner) a little bit and we’re moving along.”
ARE YOU GOING TO STAY WHERE YOU ARE? “I think things are good here right now. We’re running good. Yeah.”
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