Ford Notes and Quotes
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Ford 400 (Homestead-Miami Speedway; Homestead, FL)
NASCAR Cup Series Owners Press Conference
Friday, November 16, 2018
Ford team owners Walt Czarnicki (Team Penske) and Tony Stewart (Stewart-Haas Racing) were part of the Championship 4 team owners press conference ahead of the opening practice sessions at Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway Friday morning.
What would it mean for each of you and your teams and your drivers to win a championship?
WALTER CZARNECKI, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion – Team Penske: “Well, first of all, I want to congratulate my colleagues up here with me. Again, you said it, we know how hard it takes or how much works it takes and how hard it is to get to this point, so I want to commend you and your teams for what you’ve done to be able to be here and compete. We’re certainly looking forward to this weekend.
But every championship is different. As an organization Team Penske has had an interesting year. We got off to a bit of a slow start and had to play catch‑up probably the first two‑thirds of the season, but I think we’ve reached a point I won’t say of parity but where our team has, again, worked diligently to get our Shell Pennzoil Ford to a position where we think we can compete effectively for this championship.
Having said that, as I said in my opening remark, championships are always special. We don’t take anything for granted. We take nothing for granted this weekend at all, and again, with the year we’ve had and with some of the struggles and challenges, I don’t want to dwell on it, we lost one of our teammates here last week, and I think that’s served to be an additional motivation for the team to a certain degree. But we’re all professionals, and we’re approaching it that way. We’re coming into this weekend with our eyes wide open and ready to compete fully.”
TONY STEWART, No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion – Stewart Haas Racing: “I mean, to say it hasn’t been an amazing year is an understatement. For our organization at least, it’s the first time internally we’ve set so many different records, and not only set records this year but then broke our own records in the same season this year. I guess at the end of the year to have ‑‑ for the whole company, I guess, to have all four drivers win races during the season, both Xfinity teams to win races in the season, you know, and get all four of our cars in the Round of Eight is something we’re extremely proud of.
But it comes down to obviously this weekend, and correct me if I’m wrong, aren’t we the same four that were here last year in this same position? And the fun part is I think what I’ve seen this year is just how hard our organizations push each other to make ourselves better, and that’s the fun part about this sport is you never have a chance to rest. Even though it’s the same four organizations as last year, I can promise you that all four of our groups are different than we were a year ago at this time.
It’s really fun to see how far the sport has gone in a year and see how hard these teams push each other to be the best. That’s what this is all about at the end of the day.
We’re excited about being a part of this again this year and really proud of all four of our teams, but obviously we only have one in this final race, but extremely proud of the entire organization for what they’ve been able to accomplish this year.”
Tony, I know that Tony Stewart Racing, Haas F1, Stewart‑Haas are all kind of treated as separately, but there’s sort of kinsmanship there. Donny’s championship, Haas F1 having a banner year, you guys put four cars in the final eight. Is there sort of a shared spirit or culture that you guys try to cultivate between the three that bleeds over, that goes into all three?
TONY STEWART: “Not necessarily, but I think when one organization of the three has success, then it kind of trickles down and bleeds over. I think that sense of pride bleeds over, and it kind of encourages the other two entities to do the same. They are three totally different entities, but at the same time, because of the connection between the three, we all take pride in the others’ success. Like I said, I don’t know that we really piggy back off each other when it comes to the work side of it, but for sure we all encourage each other and are proud of the other groups.”
Walt, you guys at Penske were very instrumental in having that car go over to Australia and start the conversation between NASCAR and Supercars. What is the latest on that, and how involved is Penske in kind of bridging the gap between Supercars and NASCAR, having that conversation?
WALTER CZARNECKI: “Well, I think, first of all, having the Shell Pennzoil Ford go to Australia about a month ago ‑‑ in fact, that’s a show car that we actually keep in our shop over there, so it ran publicly for the first time and created a whole lot of interest I’m sure you all saw.
As a point in fact, we are competing for another championship next weekend in Australia. It’s the final race of the Supercars Series. I know we’re here to talk about NASCAR, but Scott McLachlan, our driver, has got a 14‑point lead going into the last race, so that’ll be our first driver championship.
But I want to touch on something a little bit earlier as it relates specifically to Stewart‑Haas. Having them come into the Ford camp was a huge plus for everybody who runs the Ford oval. I think Tony and Gene and everybody over there helped us elevate our game, and I think that under the corporate aegis of Ford Motor Company, they got us working together, and I think, frankly, it’s one of the reasons we’re here today. We’re still competitors, and we make that very clear, but I think in some ways we might have been able to help SHR, and I think in some ways they’ve been able to assist us, so I want to make sure that we recognize that point, our friends in Dearborn for doing that.”
Tony, we all remember when you started this team and you left Coach. Did you see then or even think that it could be as great as where you are, Walt thanking you for getting them involved with that organization?
TONY STEWART: “That’s what I was getting ready to say, too. Thanks for reminding him. He’s getting older and he doesn’t remember those things all the time until somebody brings it up, so thank you. I’m sure I’ll get kicked under the table here. What were you asking again? I’m so fearful with him next to me now.”
Did you ever in your wildest dreams think that you would be where this organization is at this point? You went out and got a championship, Kevin got one a couple years ago, but from where y’all started and where y’all are and then to have Walt say those things that he just did, how does that make you feel to know that you are at the pinnacle?
TONY STEWART: “It’s very humbling. You know, obviously 10 years ago we were a two‑car team. We didn’t know where we would end up 10 years later, and then we knew what we wanted to do and what our goal was, but still with that and the technology is so great and changes so fast in our sport, you can never predict where everything is going to end up. You have to do the work. You have to have the right people in place, and the rest of it has to work itself out.
It’s very humbling. Obviously Roger Penske is probably the greatest car owner the world has ever seen in motorsports as far as all the spectrums of racing that they cover. That’s a huge compliment. You know, and it’s fun. It’s been, like Walt mentioned, amazing to work with Ford. It has helped us take our program, obviously, to a level that it’s never seen before, and the Penske side and the partnerships that we have together, I mean, we help raise the bar for ourselves amongst each other, and that transfers on the weekends to the rest of the competition.
We’re proud of that partnership with Ford. We’re proud of the working relationship we have with Penske and Roush and the other Ford organizations. Together we continue just to press each other harder to make our programs better.”
Tony, it seems there’s a feeling in the garage that there’s no car that’s 100 percent legal kind of with the way the rules are and the measurements. Is it still the nature of the sport that there will always be a gray area, and does your team’s penalty last week show that it is inherent there will always be a different between the rule book and the inspection process?
TONY STEWART: “Well, racing in general, the sanctioning bodies have to write the rules. It’s the team’s job to interpret the rules and to try to take advantage of every gray area that’s available to them. That’s been a part of racing from the beginning of time, and it’s not going to stop at the end of this season. It’s part of the sport. It always will be part of the sport. And like we mentioned earlier, technology changes so fast, it’s a very hard process for NASCAR to keep up with and stay ahead of.
My time in NASCAR they’ve had to react to most things, and it’s very hard for them to get ahead of things. In the perfect world if they could get ahead of it, it would make all this a lot easier, but the teams are very creative, and it’s very, very hard for the sanctioning body to anticipate what we’re going to produce out of the rules.
With that, I don’t know if they can ever get caught up to what the teams are doing, but they keep ‑‑ and this year is a perfect example with the Hawkeye system. They keep coming out with better ways to tech the cars, but that’s going to have to keep evolving to keep up with what these teams are doing.
It’s just part of the process. It’s part of the cat‑and‑mouse game that’s always been a part of auto racing no matter whether it’s NASCAR or any other sanctioning body.”
For all you guys, the sponsorship outlook, obviously we all remember a time when it was people knocking on your doors and that’s obviously changed. Hendrick Motorsports just signed a full season deal which, as you know, is tough to do. Do you guys see that loosening up any at all in the sponsorship area industry‑wide?
WALTER CZARNECKI: “To your point, it’s very interesting because simultaneous with Ford Championship Weekend, we are conducting Team Penske our annual sponsor partner summit at the Intercontinental Hotel. I left there in morning, and we had a dinner last night. We have 100 people there, largest group we’ve ever had, representing 40 organizations. 45 of those people are with us for the very first time, and in the last 18 months, we’ve added 15 more. So there’s an appetite out there as long as you’re delivering the value. And as long as we can deliver the value as teams ‑‑ now, the ground rules have changed a little bit. We understand that.
I know Roger loves to tell the story, maybe you’ve heard it, but he started as a driver, the Xerox Special, SCCA didn’t allow any sponsorship on the cars. So he had DUPONT as a sponsor. He tells the story about putting DUPONT on the side of a car with a piece of tape, and by the third lap he said it would blow off and he was legal. So he complied with the rule.
Now here we are in a situation where as an organization we have 40 different companies that work with us as sponsor partners, business partners, strategic partners on very many different levels. I think it’s indicative of the strength of the sport, that there’s still an appetite to get involved.”
But the 78 did everything, right?
WALTER CZARNECKI: “That’s true, but companies are different and companies change, and you have to recognize that. So they have to understand what their individual priorities are. Theirs is a unique situation. I can’t speak to it. But I think it’s a little bit unique.”
Tony, to hear you sit there and talk about sponsorships and all that, 10 years ago it was your last race for Joe, for the coach ‑‑
TONY STEWART: “You’re going to bring that up again?”
I’m trying to spin a positive on it because you couldn’t imagine yourself being able to talk about sponsorships and everything you do now from your owner’s side. What did you learn from Coach? How big of a mentor was he to get you to where you are today, and do you rely on his advice to this day?
JOE GIBBS: “Go ahead and lie.”
TONY STEWART: “I’m not going to lie. I learned it was a lot easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. That was the biggest thing I learned.
I mean, you look at what Joe has done in professional sports, to be a part of the NFL, NHRA and NASCAR and be successful in three different areas, that’s three totally different areas of professional sports, and when you’re successful, there’s obviously things that he’s figured out and knows how to do right. So if you’re in his organization and you’re not smart enough to pay attention and learn from him, you’re doing an injustice to yourself.
Pretty much everything I’ve done, and I hate saying it with him here because he already gets a big head sometimes, but it’ll get bigger. I mean, everything from starting TSR to Eldora Speedway to being a part of Stewart‑Haas, I would not have done any of that if it wasn’t from what I learned being a part of Joe’s organization and being able to learn from Joe personally, and that’s something that until the day I die, I’m very blessed and grateful that I got an opportunity to work with a great man like Joe.”
I was thinking the other day, and we get used to stuff, how when it was first announced that the championship would be four drivers going after it, he who finishes first wins the championship, and when I first heard it, my mouth was hanging open. I couldn’t even believe it could play out like that, and now we’re used to it. Tony, what did you first think of when you heard that, and now as a driver you’re on the outside owning. What did you think about how that plays out, and also for Coach?
TONY STEWART: “I mean, it’s exciting, but at the same time it’s terrifying. I mean, because you’re putting all of your eggs in one basket on one event, and it’s not four guys just racing each other. There’s 36 other guys that have input on what can or can’t happen during that race.
I still think what should happen is that the four drivers should run the first half of the race and then the owners should get in and run the last half of the race, and that’s what I’m really going to be pushing hard for in the next couple months and see if we can get that adopted.”
As finances have been a key issue this year, are your organizations willing to have some sort of spending limitations implemented, or is it a matter of it’s NASCAR’s responsibility to provide more revenue to help bridge the gap on your sponsorships?
TONY STEWART: “I’ll start with the easy part. I spend Gene’s money, so I don’t have a problem either way. These guys gotta worry about a different deal.”
WALTER CZARNECKI: “I don’t think to answer your question from our standpoint, I don’t think it’s incumbent on NASCAR to help fund our organizations. They provide us a venue. They provide us so many other things to give us this opportunity.
In terms of spending caps, there’s a lot of discussion about should there be one, should there not be one. There’s a lot of work that has to be done on how you structure something like that for this sport. This is not the NFL. This is not the NHL, not major league baseball. There are so many other ‑‑ in my view, so many other moving parts that need to be addressed.
Now, could there be a cap on how much you spend for spindles or something? I suppose. But there’s a long way to go before we get to that point, I think.”
WALTER CZARNECKI: “Just as a final point, I want to make sure you understand, a couple of years ago with the establishment of the charter systems, that our revenue streams as teams did increase, and I think it was a recognition on the part of NASCAR to help us there. So I want to make sure I make that clarification. So yeah, they have.
But in terms of coming and providing subsidies, I don’t foresee that happening. I don’t think that’s something that they’d want to do or that we would want, frankly.”
Tony, one thing I feel like was present in your generation of drivers that I don’t see as much today is that sometimes you guys will get out of the car and be like, man, I had so much fun racing that guy, and there would be a lot of smiles. It doesn’t seem like the drivers are having as much fun today, or we don’t see that. What has to happen within NASCAR to get the drivers back to having fun again?
TONY STEWART: “I don’t know, I’m not really where they are when they get out of the car. So I really don’t ‑‑ I’m not sure I’m really the guy that can answer the question because I’m not in the car anymore. I don’t know what their feelings are. I don’t even know how these cars drive, and I can promise you in just the short period of two years, I’m sure they drive quite a bit different than they did two years ago. I’m not sure I really know the answer to that.
I know when I was still driving, something I was really adamant about when I was talking to NASCAR was I wanted to feel like I was the variable that mattered the most in the car. I wanted to feel like if I did a better job than the guy beside me, not which engineer did a better job, that mattered a lot to me. I wanted to be the deciding factor at the end of the day, not an engineer that sits behind a computer.”
You mentioned earlier what it meant to have Stewart‑Haas come into the Ford camp. Pretty successful season when there are seven teams. Both your organizations got all your drivers into the playoffs. That’s a hell of an accomplishment. Can you see where this could even get bigger going forward?
WALTER CZARNECKI: “You’re absolutely right. It was quite an accomplishment. I think we had all seven of our ‑‑ four, and three got in. I just see a continuum of this. I don’t see any abatement on the part of Ford Motor Company. They’re enjoying the success, and I think I’m correct that Ford is in a position to win their first manufacturer’s championship in 14 years, and that’s a big deal. That’s a big deal to them. And so we want to be part of that.
But I don’t see anything changing. I don’t see it slowing down. I just see it getting more and more, increasing more and more.”
