NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 26, 2011
CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 HAMBURGER HELPER CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Bristol Motor Speedway and discussed Nationwide and Cup racing at Bristol, the future at RCR, Silly Season and other topics. Full transcript:
FORTH HERE IN THIS RACE LAST YEAR, FORTHY THIRD HERE IN PRACTICE TODAY:
“Where was I? Forty Third, Good God! We did not run a qualifying run. We started off a little bit rough as race trim progressed and obviously as the track temperature gets hotter and hotter your fast lap is going to go away. I am fairly satisfied with our car so far it made a lot of gains. 31 car is really good actually bouncing back and forth to him right now. I think it is going to be a good weekend. It is a very important weekend. Big three weeks in a row here for us trying to get ourselves in the chase, a lot going on around that had some decent runs here as of late and give me a lot of confidence going into these next three races that we can get the job done.”
AT MICHIGAN YOU HAD AN EIGTH PLACE RUN, BEST FINISH SINECE 4TH AT INFINEON SO YOU HAVE SOME MOMENTUM COMING IN HERE. YOU HAVE RUN VERY WELL HERE IN YOUR CUP AND NATIONWIDE CAREER HERE AT BRISTOL.
“Been a good track for us, very fun race track, one of my favorites this is my go to track. It really is, if a fan comes to me and asks “We have never been to a race before, where do we go?” This is where I think the best display of racing that we have in our sport. Excited about both shots at racing here tonight and tomorrow night it is a fun race track, we will have some fun and hopefully have a lot of success.”
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE VOLITILITY OF MENTALLY GETTING CAUGHT UP IN STUFF, GUYS WHO CAN GET EMOTIONAL IN THE TRUCK SERIES AND THEN RUN FOR A CUP CHAMPIONSHIP? CAN YOU DO THAT OR DO YOU HAVE A DISTILLED PRESENCE IN ORDER TO REALLY CONTEND FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP?
“I don’t know. You have to have everything to contend for a championship and to be a champion. The year we won it, we didn’t win as many races as we needed to but we were just solid week in and week out. We did not have those bad races. That is what it takes, it is not always the fastest car, it is the one that is most consistent to win the championship. Jimmie (Johnson) has obviously been able to win five in a row because he wins races and he is fast, but they have done a lot better job of being smart and getting the most out of every weekend when it counts.”
WHERE YOU GUYS ARE SITTING IN THE POINTS RIGHT NOW YOUR ALMOST THERE IN THE TOP TEN, BUT A WIN WOULD REALLY BE NICE. DO YOU TAKE A RISK TO GO FOR THE WIN OR DO YOU PLAY IT SAFE TO KEEP THE POINTS AND KEEP CREEPING ON TENTH PLACE?
“It just depends on if the gamble is there or not. It all comes down to odds really. If it is a 70 percent chance were not going to run out of gas, let’s go for it. If it’s a 40 percent chance were not going to run out of gas, we better not. It is just as simple as that. You have to make smart decisions, you have to have a fast race car, you got a shot at winning, and you go out there and win it.”
THIS PAST WEEK KYLE BUSCH LOOSING HIS DRIVERS LISCENSE, JIMMIE JOHNSON WAS ON TWITTER MAKING LIGHT OF THE SITUATION. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS IS THERE ANY IRONY IN THE FACT HE CAN COME HERE AND RACE AND CANNOT DRIVE DURING THE WEEK? “He probably was not planning on driving here anyway. He was probably going to fly here. It is what it is. It is over with. He has paid the penalty, I’m glad they did something. He will pay the penalty and get through it. Everybody makes mistakes. Most people do not have to live it out in the media. Enough is enough on that deal.”
HOW MUCH OF A CHALLENGE IS IT TO GET YOUR CAR SET UP FOR A NIGHT RACE, PRACTICING IN THE DAY TIME HERE AT BRISTOL?
“Only time will tell, obviously things are a lot different. You are going to be slipping and sliding around, but the concrete helps out a little bit. It doesn’t seem to change as much; it’s not that huge drastic change like an Atlanta. Here it is a little bit different; you have to keep that in the back of your mind. You are always guessing, in the back of your mind as you’re practicing today you’re like what’s thing going to feel like when its twenty degrees cooler. It does weigh in on situations. To the extent of it nobody really honestly knows.”
ARE YOU SURPRISED TO BE THIS LATE IN THE SEASON STILL DEALING WITH STUFF FOR NEXT YEAR, STILL HAVING STUFF UP IN THE AIR AND DO YOU FEEL LIKE THINGS ARE CLOSER TO A RESOLUTION RIGHT NOW?
“You know, were just working on it. It takes time, those deals, you can’t just say YES, let’s do it. It takes time to put the sponsorships together, it takes time to have meetings, and it takes time to do all that. You have got to be patient. Unfortunately, the media gets a hold of it and it makes it even worse. Speculations, guesses, you guys need to stop and think sometimes about the situation and the detriment that it can cause to the situation. I think that is important, I think it’s good to be positive, it is good to give opinion but when it starts to show detriment to a situation one way or another, I think it is a problem.”
ARE YOU GETTING A LOT OF PHONE CALLS FROM OTHER OWNERS, OR DO THEY REALIZE YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE AND LEAVING YOU ALONE?
“Man, I tell ya. I have been busy. We have two things. Obviously the future, we have to take care of that, just like I said last week. Then the Chase, the chase is item number one. I want to be in this chase. I think my team deserves to be in this Chase and we have a shot at it. We can make this happen. You have to stay 100 percent focused on that. The biggest thing is you have to work hard on keeping your team focused. A lot of rumors and things going on, it is hilarious, they call it silly season for a reason. Good God, I heard rumors that I needed helicopters, it is pretty amazing. You don’t know me very well lady!”
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