NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
KOBALT TOOLS 500
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
NOVEMBER 13, 2011
TONY STEWART KEEPS CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE TIGHT WITH THIRD PLACE FINISH AT PHOENIX
AVONDALE, AZ – (November 13, 2011) – It is down to two drivers in the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup following today’s race at Phoenix International Raceway. Tony Stewart powered his No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet to a third place finish to remain just three points out of the lead as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway next week for the season finale.
The two-time NSCS champion captured the very valuable bonus point for most laps led after starting the 312-lap/312-mile/500K Kobalt Tools 500 from the eight place on the 43-car grid.
Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Global Mining Chevrolet, finished fourth followed by Ryan Newman in fifth behind the wheel of the U.S. Army Veteran’s Day Chevrolet.
Paul Menard, No. 27 Peak/Menards Chevrolet, and Clint Bowyer, No. 33 USO/Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet, finished ninth and 10th respectively to give Team Chevy five of the top-10 finishing positions in today’s race.
All remaining 10 drivers who qualified for this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup have been mathematically eliminated from a chance at the championship after today’s race.
Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, remains third in the standings after battling handling issues today that netted him a 19th place finish.
Five-time defending NSCS champion Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, moved up to fifth in the standings with a very hard-fought 14th place finish today.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Retro Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet, remains seventh in points. He too fought handling issues to take the checkered flag in 24th position.
Newman’s strong run today moved him three places in the standings to ninth place.
Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, battled brake issues for the majority of the race to settle for a disappointing 32nd place finish. He is now 11th in the standings heading to South Florida.
Kasey Kahne was the race winner followed by point’s leader Carl Edwards to complete the top-five finishers
The 36th and final round of the 2011 season will be November 20, 2011.
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1/OFFICE DEPOT CHEVROLET – FINISHED 3RD
POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
THE MODERATOR:Â We are welcomed in the media center by Tony Stewart who finished third in today’s race.
Tony, talk a little bit about this race here today, going into Homestead next week, three points behind in the championship. It’s between you and Carl. All other drivers were officially eliminated today. This is the third closest championship race going into the final race ever in the history of NASCAR.
TONY STEWART: I’m not thinking of that. I’m just thinking of the three points.
No, we had an awesome day. We came up two spots shy. I don’t know how you could have asked for a better day really. I mean, you figure we led the most laps, we were on the same pace we were last week just to have a perfect day. Just fought as hard as we could all day. Got out of balance the second to last stop and just lost that little bit that we needed to stay up there and keep Carl (Edwards) honest.
THE MODERATOR:Â We’ll open it up for questions.
Q. The last couple weeks it literally has been you and Carl lap after lap. What is that like for you? Where does this rank as far as championship battles that you’ve been in?
TONY STEWART: Well, it’s fun. He’s keeping me honest, I’m keeping him honest. It’s fun when we’re first and second in the points and we’re running first and second on the racetrack the last two weeks. It shows why we’re both in this position.
We just got to keep doing what we’re doing. We got to keep the pressure on. Two weeks in a row we’ve led the most laps. Really proud of that. Proud of the pressure we’re putting on him. A lot can happen in 400 miles next week.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s a dead heat going in there. We just got to do our job like we’ve been doing. To have three top three finishes in the last three weeks, pretty proud of that.
I’m still pumped up. I want to go to Homestead tomorrow and start. I want tomorrow to be Friday. I’m pumped up, I’m excited about it and ready to go.
Q. Where does this rank?
TONY STEWART: I don’t know. Shoot, after 31 years of racing, I’ve been through so many championship battles. We’ve had somewhere we never won a race, we were the third guy in the Silver Crown deal in ’95, just mathematically in it, won it by two points the last race because the two guys in front of us, one blew up, one crashed out with 15 to go.
Under the circumstances I don’t know. It’s hard to rank anything. I’m more worried about where we rank after Sunday next week.
Q. Tony, how do you handicap this? Do either of you have an advantage?
TONY STEWART: I don’t think so. I think we both have momentum. We both had two really good weeks in a row. I still think our mile and a half program has come a long way this summer. You look at how we ran at Chicago, Kentucky, Charlotte, Texas last week. We’ve been good on the mile and a half’s. I’m excited about it.
I like Homestead. It’s a place that we had a lot of success when it was flat. We haven’t got that win with it banked. I like the way that track races right now. I’m pretty excited about it.
I don’t know where to handicap it. Doesn’t matter to me. It’s just about getting four more points than he does. That’s all that matters.
Q. Do you see any Jedi mind tricks in the next couple days?
TONY STEWART:Â I don’t even see any Jedis.
Q. Any verbal throw downs?
TONY STEWART: Does it matter? It’s still going to matter what happens on the racetrack. I don’t think it really matters right now.
Q. What will you do this week? Are you going to think about racing? Try to get away from it?
TONY STEWART: I’ve got a busy week. Office Depot’s headquarters are in Florida. We’ve got a store appearance on Tuesday. We’re going down to Office Depot’s campus in Boca Raton on Wednesday. We’re going to have a pretty busy week. That’s kind of what I like. I’m better off being busy this week and going down to Florida early and getting ready.
Q. After all of the prerace talk about how the track would race, what are your thoughts on how the race actually did unfold and how the track did? Tony, could you comment on your ability to pass on the outside line on restarts.
TONY STEWART: I mean, I think a bunch of the credit has to go to Randy LaJoie, Steve, Tim, the guys that came early this week, Kimmel. I think if it were not for those guys, we wouldn’t have had a two groove racetrack today.
We have to thank those guys for getting that cleaned off, getting that base of rubber in there to where we could actually get up there and run the last couple days.
I still wouldn’t have changed the shape the way they did. I guess the computers are smarter than the drivers these days. But I thought it was a good race. I didn’t get to see all of it. From where we’re at, we get to see the part we’re involved in.
You did have the flexibility to move up and down. Really that’s all you can ask for. I didn’t think there was any dramas with it today.
Q. Were you surprised you were able to pass on the outside on the restarts?
TONY STEWART: Yes and no. I mean, our car was a little loose on restarts, but it just seemed like we were actually better on the outside than we were on the inside. Once the groove moved up, once they got rubber up there, I don’t think it was a reason to be surprised.
The racetrack was wide enough you could run two wide then.
Q. Been a long time since the first and second in points have battled not only for the win but also in points. Can you talk about how that feels going into Homestead. Will there be any distractions?
TONY STEWART: I don’t know what distractions you would be talking about. It is kind of fun to be in this scenario where you got guys that are three points apart. Last week we were running first and second in the race. Today we ran first and second. It does make it fun. We’re both having to earn what we get.
No matter how it ends up next weekend, it’s not going to have been given to you. We’re going to have to definitely earn it and fight for it, for sure.
Q. We watch you come in and sit down next to each other after battling on the track. What is it like to sit down and have to talk about your race and the Chase next to the guy you’re battling?
TONY STEWART: We’ve been doing this how long together? I mean, it’s no different. Our demeanor isn’t any different than we always are. It’s you guys and ESPN that loves to try to build that crap in between everybody. The total drama network, for sure. At least they’re consistent about it. Everybody at ESPN is consistent about it.
I don’t see it being any different than normal. If you want, we can eliminate the chair, if that will make you feel better.
I think that answers your question, though, doesn’t it? Can you make sure everybody at ESPN understands that? Thank you.
Q. It’s not coincidental that you are battling like this side by side. How fun is it that you’re battling for a championship?
TONY STEWART: We saw what happened at Texas in (Ron) Hornaday’s championship run. We saw what happened with Elliott Sadler’s championship run. I want to beat a guy because you did a better job, not because a circumstance happens that takes somebody out of it. To race Carl for the lead in the races, for the points championship, that’s going to mean something at the end of the year. That’s going to add to whoever wins this.
We both had to fight and fight and fight to get every point we can get up to this point. I think it makes it more gratifying, the results, at the end of the day. I feel like I’m working towards something and I feel like if we accomplish this, we have worked for it, not had it handed to us, not had it given to us. That’s all you can ask for as a driver, is to be in that position.
I think it’s pretty honorable to be in that situation right now. It’s an awesome championship battle. So I don’t know how you could ask for more than what we got.
Q. Tony, you’ve talked a lot about driver etiquette this season. In light of this points battle being close, certainly at the end of the season there are times where guys use Homestead as a way to get back. Because this points race is so close, should drivers have a little bit more respect for this championship battle and put that stuff on hold? How should that issue be addressed? Obviously something could happen.
TONY STEWART: It’s a mile and a half track. Wherever I’m at, wherever he’s at on the racetrack, as long as it doesn’t happen around us, I don’t care what they do around each other. You can’t control the other 41 guys in the race. It’s just you hope one of those 41 guys doesn’t do something that impacts the championship.
I don’t care what they do; just don’t do it around us.
Q. Jimmie’s run came to an end today. Winning five straight, do you think anybody will ever do that again?
TONY STEWART:
I haven’t won two straight so I have no clue what five straight feels like.
I don’t see anybody doing it again. I think it’s been absolutely remarkable to begin with for Jimmie to put five in a row together. I know this year hasn’t ended up the way he’s wanted by any means. I think he goes to Vegas and holds his head up high knowing what they’ve accomplished. The fact that there’s a real good possibility in the history of the sport for eternity that it could never happen again.
The competition gets tighter and tighter, tougher and tougher. I just think it’s amazing. You understand why people didn’t want him to win a sixth one. At the same time, I’ve said it from day one, how do you knock down a guy that’s going out and doing what he’s supposed to do? If we could trade places with him, we’d do it in a heartbeat, go out and win five in a row.
I think you’ve got to tip your hat to him. I think that’s something in NASCAR history that I would put my money on that it will never happen again. I’m willing to put that bet with anybody in this room right now. I just think it’s remarkable at this level to do what he’s done, what that team’s done. I know this year hasn’t ended the way they wanted, but I still think they have to have a lot of pride in knowing they’ve done something in the history of the sport that most likely will never be duplicated.
Q. You have scored exactly the same amount of points in the Chase. Kasey Kahne has scored the second most points. Have you noticed him turn it up and come on the last nine weeks?
TONY STEWART: I’ll be honest, I haven’t worried about it. Haven’t really thought about it and paid attention. I don’t know that anybody doesn’t see that coming. Kasey had bad luck like we did the first half of the year, just stupid stuff happening. He’s put together some really good runs here recently, run consistent.
Obviously if he was staying with that organization next year, I think we’d all be more worried. It’s kind of a question mark now that he’s switching to a different organization. Going to have to try to find their way over there.
But couldn’t happen to a better guy. I think Kasey is a guy that has fought through a lot of adversity this year to be able to rifle off these finishes.
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Good luck next weekend.
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