NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 21, 2015
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway and discussed his outlook for this weekend’s 600 mile race, his thoughts on having a full-time traveling safety team and many other topics. Full Transcript:
TALK ABOUT COMING INTO A RACETRACK WHERE YOU CONSISTENTLY RUN SO WELL AND WHAT YOUR EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR THIS WEEKEND?
“It’s always great to come to a track that you have a great past at, great history at. Unfortunately the showing we had in the All-Star race was less than stellar. The confidence we would normally walk in with has been diluted with lack of speed that we had then. Brought back a different car and certainly trying to do things differently with the set-up of the racecar. I think the 600 mile race has always been good for us. Chad (Knaus, crew chief) and I seem to fix our racecar as the night goes on, be aggressive with adjustments, chase the racetrack well and I do a nice job searching for line. The distance of the race doesn’t bother me. I think we will have a strong night, but we have a few things to sort out today and even into Saturday’s practice sessions. Based on what we learned and what we saw during the All-Star race.”
LAST WEEK AT THE END OF THE RACE (KEVIN) HARVICK ROARED THROUGH THE FIELD GETS UP TO THE FRONT CAN’T DO ANYTHING WITH (DENNY) HAMLIN. IS THERE A SHORT TERM OR A LONG TERM ANSWER FOR THAT? HOW DO YOU SEE SUNDAY’S RACE DEVELOPING BECAUSE OF THAT PROBLEM?
“Passing an equal car is just really tough, especially from second to first. We keep working on a variety of rules packages to try to make it better. I don’t think we have made it better at some tracks. It looks like the package works better… I don’t think we have necessarily hurt it, but it is so hard to get around the brutal truth. The car leading has the best aero situation and the rest don’t. It’s very difficult to get around that. I feel like the teams have worked really hard. I feel like there was a direction that had a lot of the drivers encouraged about creating more off throttle time. This rules package has not done that.
“But for 2016 there was a lot of hope that we were going that direction. It looks like that stuff has been tabled for now, potentially. So, the more wide open percentage throttle you are running it is just harder to pass. It makes the track narrower and it makes the air for the leader more of a premium. I don’t think there is an easy fix. I really don’t. This track, although it is a big fast track, it is narrow, especially on corner entry and corner exit. So to really make a second lane or a third lane work it’s tough. You have the real estate to do it in the center of the corner, but you can’t go anywhere with that run. I think this track is also not the best track for this current rules package. I think Atlanta, Texas; much wider, abrasive surfaces work better, put on a better show.”
WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE (JAMES HINCHCLIFFE’S ACCIDENT AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY) DOES THAT MAKE YOU THINK THERE IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE PULLED FROM HAVING A DEDICATED SAFETY CREW THAT TRAVELS WITH THE SERIES? ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THE PROCESS WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN PLACE IN THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES?
“It’s a point that NASCAR is willing to talk to the drivers about. I have sat in on a lot of discussions batting around the reason why we have the situation we do. NASCAR is adamant that having true ER folks that every single day fight in an ER room to have people’s lives are the best people to have in place here on a weekend for us. In my heart I feel like there is maybe a hybrid version where, yes, we have those EMT’s here, but then we also have people that are very sharp and NASCAR specific, car specific, know the drivers and know our cockpits.
“I know that NASCAR briefs them and works with them on all of that, but with Hinchcliffe’s crash and then going back to (Alex) Zanardi’s crash, my attorney Alan Miller, represents Alex. And was there and present and everybody knows that crew saved Alex’s life two or three times before he ever got to the hospital. However they make it work they do an awesome job doing it. Again, I’ve sat in many conversations with NASCAR and they truly believe that they have the safest environment for us. I haven’t been in that world. I don’t know if Tony (Stewart), maybe Juan (Pablo Montoya) it would be smart for us as a group to talk to maybe Juan and say ‘hey you have seen both sides now, what is the difference? Where can we be better?’ That would probably be the smart thing to do.”
WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO THE WARNING YOUR TEAM RECEIVED FOR THE ISSUE WITH THE SIDE SKIRTS IN THE ALL-STAR RACE? WHAT KIND OF PARENTING ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO KYLE BUSCH AND BRAD KESELOWSKI?
“Parenting side you know that first year trying to find your new normal is tough for all parents. As wonderful as the experience is, trying to balance life and career is tough. So, just to be patient with it and know that first year you are going to earn your stripes. And things seem to; at least to the four and a half years I have experienced, you get a better flow going as you get deeper into things. I understand the teenage years it is going to change, but I’m fortunately pretty far from that right now.
“The warning…we were very shocked to even hear that there was an issue with the side skirts. I think leaving the racetrack NASCAR was upset and thought there was a lot more intent and something going wrong with the side skirt being pulled out. Then as video became available and they looked through it and watched and saw what was done, it calmed down. We were shocked to hear that there was an issue and actually we had crash damage on the right-side of the car. Then it certainly turned out that way.”
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF CONFIDENCE IT WOULD BUILD FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO GO TO DAYTONA IN JULY?
“In my mind I thought it was a day race in day conditions and I got excited for that. Make the cars handle, figure out how to drive these things, make set-up a premium. But since it’s a night race, it will be just a wild and crazy plate race. I think plate races that aren’t in the Chase, especially me being locked in, I don’t have to worry about a win…they are fun. You just go out there with a clean slate and let it rip and hope you can get to Victory Lane. I will really look forward to that race.”
LAST WEEK WE SAW JAMIE DICK HIT A PIECE OF LEAD OR TUNGSTEN AND IT REALLY DAMAGED THE WINDSHIELD SIGNIFICANTLY AND HIT HIS HELMET. LAST YEAR YOU HAD WINDSHIELD DAMAGE AT TEXAS. HOW CONCERNING IS THAT? FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE LAST YEAR JUST YOUR COMMENTS ON WHAT HAPPENED THERE:
“The halo bar in the car is there for flipping and things like that. The intrusion from outside things such as sod that (Dale Earnhardt) Junior chunked that sod up and I hit it. I feel like our cars are designed really well and can withstand all that. The damage that I had to my car was just due to the fact that the exterior shell is a distance away from that halo bar and it just smashed that stuff in, it wasn’t a big deal. But a piece of tungsten, that is a whole new game. Thankfully he wasn’t injured or the car wasn’t damaged even anymore. I’ve fortunately never seen it before. I’ve always wondered what would happen. I think there was an incident at Phoenix ages ago where a piece of lead got out of a car and went through the concrete wall in Turns 1 and 2 I heard about. Man that is just bad news. Anything that we can do to ensure that all those lead rails are secure and tight and nothing is getting out I’m in favor or any rule to go down that road, because you can’t stop a piece of tungsten like that. Jamie (Dick) was very lucky to not be injured in that incident.”
WHAT DID HAPPEN LAST WEEKEND? DID YOU FIND IT OUT AND ARE YOU CONFIDENT YOU HAVE ADDRESSED IT?
“Not necessarily. We will find out here in practice coming up. The car had decent speed in practice in the sun. We got into the night and just couldn’t get the car to turn. We are bringing back a different racecar and different set-up and see what happens. All this day practice does not help build confidence in a night race. We thought we were good in the day last weekend, went to night and didn’t have what we needed. This track is tricky. It is tough to get it right. Luckily it’s a long race and if need be in the race we will make big changes.”
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