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[/media-credit]NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
GOODY’S FAST RELIEF 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 30, 2012
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET, met with members of the media and discussed getting Hendrick Motorsports their 200th win, the first practice session at Martinsville Speedway and other topics. Full Transcript:
YOU ARE GOING TO BE RUNNING THE TRUCK SERIES RACE AT ROCKINGHAM. ARE YOU GOING TO BE ABLE TO PRACTICE THE TRUCK PRIOR TO THE RACE?
“No, actually Brad Sweet is going to practice and qualify my truck and then I’m going to race it at Rockingham. Turner Motorsports has three really good solid truck teams that can all work together. I feel like it will have a really good set-up in it on Sunday when I get there.”
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET INTO THE TRUCK AT ALL BEFORE?
“No, not at all.”
IS SHANNON (MCGLAMERY) SPOTTING FOR YOU ALL WEEKEND? IT LOOKED LIKE THAT WOULD BE A REACTION TO WHAT HAPPENED AT BRISTOL. IS IT? ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE A CHANGE? “No, I would say it is something I wanted to do, something different. I was a little unpleased after California. We are just looking at something for a couple of week. We are going to see after Texas. We are going to sit down and decide if that is the direction I want to go or if I feel comfortable with Kole (Kahne) doing it again or what. I’m going to wait. I’m going to do two weeks with someone else and then decide after Texas what I want to do.”
SO YOU ARE GOING TO USE THE TWO WEEKS?
“I’m using Shannon (McGlamery) for the next two weeks then I’m going to decide what I am going to do from there. It’s just a couple of week deal.”
IS IT HARDER WHEN IT’S FAMILY?
“Yeah, but I’ve worked with family since I started. We have had up’s and down’s over the years and sometimes maybe things don’t seem right, right at first but they’ve always seemed to work out. Everything has always seemed to work out for us. We figure out what is best for all of us and go on and make it work.”
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO RUN THE ROCKINGHAM TRUCK RACE?
“I have always liked racing at Rockingham. When I saw it wasn’t on a Cup race day, it wasn’t on a day I couldn’t do it so I thought it would be pretty fun. Steve Turner has great trucks and Brad Sweet will do a good job preparing it, getting it ready and stuff and I will get to race it on Sunday. I like the track. I’ve always enjoyed sliding around at that track. I’m pretty excited to be able to go back there and race.”
I WAS TALKING WITH JIMMIE (JOHNSON) EARLIER HOW HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING WITH YOUR TEAMMATES? HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING WITH THEM AND BONDING WITH THEM MORE NOW?
“I feel like it has been the same since we started. We have our Tuesday meetings and if I feel like I need to ask them a question I will run down and ask them something during a race weekend. They have been really open since I came over in January. I would say it’s the same this week as it was three or four weeks ago.”
I WAS TALKING WITH YOUR TEAMMATES THEY ARE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE YOU AT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS TO SHARE INFORMATION. HOW HAS THAT BEEN GOING?
“There are a lot of people to pull information from at Hendrick Motorsports. Kenny Francis (crew chief) and Keith Rodden (team engineer) they have a lot to bring to the table too. It has been really good. Everybody kind of working together and trying to figure out the best way to make all four of our cars go fast. So far I think it has worked. I feel like all four of the Hendrick cars have been really fast this whole season. None of us have won yet, but I think we all have been fast and wins are right around the corner.”
OUR NEXT CUP RACE IS TEXAS. THAT IS A REALLY GOOD TRACK FOR YOU. ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING THERE WITH YOUR NEW TEAM AND SHAKING THAT BAD LUCK?
“Yeah, I look forward to it. I’ve always liked going to Texas and racing out there. As fast as our cars are on that type of race track we have learned some things at Vegas that we did in the race that weren’t as good as what I would have liked. We should have easily run in the top-five that day if we didn’t get in that wreck at the end. I think Texas will be similar to that and we can kind of make gains from where we were at Vegas and have a shot at having a solid top-five there.”
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO IMPROVE ON FOR THIS RACE IN REGARDS TO THE REST OF THE SEASON? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF SPECIFICALLY?
“This track is so much different. Every time you go to Martinsville you try to improve on the last time you were here. We were pretty good here last year both races. We didn’t have good finishes because we got caught in other people’s wrecks, but we actually had really fast cars. You wouldn’t know that by looking at results but I know it because I drove them. Now we get to work with Jimmie (Johnson) and Jeff (Gordon) and Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) how they do things here and they always run really well here. It’s just trying to get better from how we were last year here.”
EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE NEW TO THIS TEAM IT’S RIGHT ON THE VERGE OF 200 WINS FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS. HOW MUCH WOULD THAT MEAN TO THIS ORGANIZATION AND IF YOU WERE THE ONE TO BE ABLE TO GET IT?
“It would mean a lot to the company, to Rick Hendrick and all the people who are a part of Hendrick Motorsports. They have been on the verge of that 200th for a while now. They are ready to win it and get over it and start winning more after that. For me to win it would be great. I can’t wait to win for Hendrick Motorsports if it was the 200th that would be awesome to be a part of the 200th win. This is a great track for all the guys so it could happen on Sunday. It would be neat for Mr. Hendrick and all of them to get the 200th win here at Martinsville. I think it would feel pretty good for everyone to get it over with and move on to 201.”
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO GET ANOTHER WIN HERE AT MARTINSVILLE?
“I’ve never won here, my best finish is second. We have come pretty close; Jeff (Gordon) beat me that day. I would love to win here. I wanted to win last week. I wanted to win the week before that. I don’t care what track it is. I just want to win. I want to perform and run well. If it’s Sunday here that would be great. It would be nice to get going.”
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