NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
HELUVA GOOD! SOUR CREAM DIPS 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER RACE NOTES & QUOTES
June 17, 2011
CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 CHEERIOS/HAMBURGER HELPER CHEVROLET met with media and discussed repaving MIS, the upcoming road race at Sonoma, his mindset approaching the Chase, and more. Full Transcript:
THEY JUST ANNOUNCED THEY ARE GOING TO REPAVE THIS TRACK (MICHIGAN). WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT? “The sad thing is that it’s time to repave a few of them and it’s just come due. It’s the only thing you can do when its time……..its time. You have got to repave it. These tracks do age well and as they age the racing gets better and better and Goodyear does a good job of bringing tires that create a good racing environment on the surface whichever the case may be whether it’s got a lot of grip and its brand new and fresh or slippery and slimy. But like I said, it’s been a good race track over the years and it’s been a lot of fun to race on and it’s going to provide good racing no matter what the surface is.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL COMING IN HERE THIS WEEK AFTER POCONO AND PERFORMANCE HAS SEEMED TO BE A MOVING TARGET FOR MOST RECENTLY? “I would have been in that group for sure. Just couldn’t find the speed really and spent a lot of time back home in the shop just going over the notes and trying to figure out where we are off. That is the biggest thing that some people are doing a better job at finding grip than we are now and we went to work this week and just trying to focus on supporting our guys and telling them in a positive way, ‘hey, let’s get back after it’.”
WE ARE HALFWAY TO THE CHASE AND WHAT IS YOUR MINDSET GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND. ANYTHING TO WORRY ABOUT? “Well, not really. There are just so many things and you know, the biggest thing that disturbed me this week was Kyle Busch getting a six point fine after my deal last year. You know, I am past that and we had a 150 point fine and lost my crew chief for four weeks. That is kind of a slap in the face to hear about that this week, but it is what it is.”
REGARDING ROAD COURSE RACING AND SONOMA NEXT WEEK. SOMEONE SAID YOU USE BOTH HANDS AND BOTH FEET. “Yeah, I won’t let them put a camera on my feet because it looks like I am break-dancing down there. I am out of control. You know it’s a lot of fun to do that and its very technical race track. A lot of fun, it really is with a lot of hills and blind corners and the dive bombs getting into the last corner over there and there are just so many things that go into getting a good finish there. Running good there is one thing, but getting a good finish there is a whole different ballgame.”
TALK ABOUT GOING BACK TO DAYTONA AND THE HISTORY AROUND THAT TRACK AND GOING BACK THERE IN A COUPLE WEEKS “Daytona is what NASCAR is all about. It started there and it means so much to be able to go and compete and it’s just such an awesome race track. We have gotten close so many times and we were close to the 500 again this year and I want to get a win there in the Cup series there one day.”
KEVIN HARVICK AND KYLE BUSCH ARE OFF PROBATION THIS WEEKEND. WHEN YOU ARE NOT INVOLVED IN SOMETHING LIKE THAT IS IT AMUSING UNTIL YOU GET CAUGHT UP IN SOMETHING? “You thought it was funny didn’t you? Well, I did too (laughs). Its entertainment at its best.”
DO YOU EXPECT ANYTHING FURTHER AFTER WHAT THEY BOTH HAD TO SAY? “Not until they get in there next altercation (laughs).”
DO YOU DIVIDE YOUR SEASON UP IN SEGMENTS OR TAKE RACES ONE AT A TIME AND HOW DO YOU ASSESS YOUR SEASON SO FAR? “No not really. I feel like we are doing the things we need to be doing and we are aware of where we need to be. The last two or three weeks haven’t been where we want to be at all but we have had strong runs this year. I think that is what speaks volumes about our sport right now. Everybody has had that. Everybody has had their bad runs and everybody has been fighting and bickering with one another and their teams and everybody has had good runs and some time in the sun too. Man, I am telling you it’s just very competitive and very close racing and I think they have got us in a box right now and you are going to see more of that.”
IF AT DAYTONA (FEB.) SOMEONE WAS TO TELL YOU WHERE YOU ARE IN THE POINTS RIGHT NOW AT MICHIGAN, WOULD YOU BE HAPPY WITH THAT BACK THEN? “Right now we are where we need to be. Not by much, but we are where we need to be. I mean that is the thing you have to focus on. We know we have to go out and get our cars handling better and get some more speed in them. For now we have to focus on getting the best finish we possibly can with what we got.”
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