CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP
ROUND 7 OF 10
GOODY’S FAST RELIEF 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
QUICK WINNING DRIVER QUOTE
OCTOBER 30, 2016
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS, won the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway to automatically clinch a berth in the final round of the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup. It was Johnson’s ninth career win at Martinsville.
WHAT A CRAZY DAY FOR YOUR RACE TEAM… RUNNING OUT OF FUEL AT ONE POINT. WHAT WAS THE PANIC AT THAT MOMENT? DID YOU THINK THE DAY WAS DONE?
“Yeah, there were a lot of moments but anything in life you have to work for it. It’s not going to come easy and we knew that coming into this race. There are so many challenges with this track. I’m so thankful for this race team.
“To win on this weekend at this track with the tragedy we had in ’04, we’re thinking of all the loved ones that we lost in the plane crash. We want to thank our family and friends. It’s a great time to start winning races.”
IS THIS A MOMENT WHERE YOU HAVE TO PINCH YOURSELF THAT YOU’RE GOING TO BATTLE IT OUT AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP?
“I’ve been trying to ignore this conversation about seven (championships) but now I can’t! We’re locked in. I’m just honored to be in this position. I wouldn’t be in this position without the belief of Lowe’s and all their employees had in me back when I was running 10th or 15th in the Busch Series. Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon… all of the people who have believed in me to get this point. It’s crazy that we have a shot at seven now. We couldn’t do it without our partners at Chevrolet, Valvoline and the list goes on and on. Thanks to them all very much.”
ANYTIME YOU CAN JOIN RICHARD PETTY AND DALE EARNHARDT, THAT’S A BIG CONVERSATION. HOW MUCH WILL YOU THINK ABOUT THAT OVER THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS?
“I’ll probably lie to all of you guys and say I’m not going to think about it at all. But it’s inevitable. Fortunately, I don’t have to think about it for three weeks. But we’re going to enjoy this and savor it. We’re going to get our ducks in a row for Homestead.”
WHAT SORT OF MAGIC DID YOU GUYS FIND IN THIS 48 CAR TO GET TO VICTORY LANE?
“It was really those long runs. We didn’t get the black right-side rubber to lay down like I had hoped. But it was the closest we had had it for a long time. Having those long runs really suited my style and our setup of our racecar.”
HOW WILL YOU APPROACH THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS?
“Obviously we want to win more races. If we can have success at Texas, that will only put us in Miami with more confidence and more speed in our car. That’s a mile-and-a-half. It will be nice to go into Phoenix not having to worry about much – really the next two! It puts us in a good position. The work is far from over. There’s one race that’s winner-take-all.”
RICK HENDRICK, CAR OWNER, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
WE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THIS RACE IS FOR YOU, BUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR DID YOU THINK THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE?
“You know, these guys have worked hard. The whole organization has worked hard. We’re really happy for Lowe’s, for Chevrolet and for the organization. We’ve been so close in a lot of these races. It just feels so good. Now we get to go to Texas, and we like Texas. This place is special. Twelve years ago we lost a lot of our family and friends. We dedicate this one to them. Now we get to go on to Texas and have fun.”
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