NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400
RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 11, 2015
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 HENDRICKRIDEALONG.COM CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed the season to date, what he and the No. 5 team need to work on, the pressure of not being locked-into a Chase spot at this point, the strategies involved, and more. Full Transcript:
YOU’RE IN A POSITION YOU DON’T REALLY WANT TO BE IN. WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS NOT GOING RIGHT AT THIS POINT?
“I feel like we, as a team, we haven’t had quite the speed that we’ve needed and we got behind. We lost points. We had 25 races and that’s where we’re at now. It’s not that it happened overnight or one particular race. I would say there was definitely a little bad luck involved, some driver error, and then not fast enough cars. So, we’re working on all those things and are going to try to get a win tomorrownight.”
ARE YOU SO FAR BEHIND THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT STRATEGY AND JUST TRY TO WIN?
“I think you definitely need to worry about strategy and how to get on the right strategy and have a shot at the end of the race. But yeah, we need to win. That’s basically our only way in. And these practices today are key to get the car the best that we can and keep getting it better and better for the rest of the season. It’s not about just today and tomorrow. We need to get better in these final ten races, regardless of being in the Chase or out of the Chase. We need to get better and figure out where we’re lacking, where I’m lacking, and be more prepared when next season starts.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR CHANCES TO WIN AT RICHMOND TOMORROW NIGHT?
“We’ve won here. We’ve ran well here. We ran well in the spring. It’s a great track for me and the team. It’s just how much speed will we have? Going off the last five or six races, we haven’t had enough speed. We haven’t had the cars working the way I’ve needed them to work. So, that’s been a bit of a struggle. But those things in racing can change so far. Just one individual weekend, we can change it all around and be solid. We’ll do the best job we can to have that speed tomorrow night.”
HOW WERE YOU IN PRACTICE?
“We were 24th. I couldn’t make a fast lap, but I felt really good on a longer run. That was the same in the Spring. So, for the second practice, we’re trying to figure out how to go a little quicker early and keep that longer run speed. That’s what we’re working on during the second practice.”
WHAT HAS JEFF GORDON MEANT TO YOU PERSONALLY AS A DRIVER AND THEN TO THE SPORT AS WELL?
“I’ve always been a huge Jeff Gordon fan prior to being his teammate; and I really enjoy working with him since I’ve been his teammate. He’s meant a lot to me. I’ve watched him and followed so many things that he’s done over the years to get to where he’s at, and tried to learn from those things and do a better job, myself. And I like where he came from. I like the Sprint Cars and Midgets and moving up into stock cars. It’s a very similar path to what I did. I think he paved the way for a lot of people and a lot of drivers out there and even crew members and things that have come from other racing series and it’s good that he’s still going to be a big part of NASCAR and a big part of Hendrick Motorsports. So, I’ll get to still spend time with him and be his friend more than anything at that point, probably.”
HAVE YOU BEEN CALM OVER THE PAST FOUR WEEKS COMING INTO THIS RACE, OR HAVE YOU BEEN EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED?
“I’ve been really calm. See, I kind of live this thing every year. It’s like we’re right on the verge, either in or out each year. So, I’ve been calm and just understand that we’ll either get our stuff right and win and go fast, or we won’t. That’s all you can do is put the effort in, be prepared, do the best job that you can, and move on to the next race and try to get better each week.”
DOES RAIN CONCERN YOU AT ALL WITH POTENTIAL STRATEGY?
‘I don’t care if it rains or it’s sunny or it’s windy out. It doesn’t really matter. It’s going to be the same for everyone. So, you just show up and things will either go your way or they won’t.”
WITH THE INJURY DENNY HAMLIN JUST HAD IN MIND, HOW DO DRIVER CONTRACTS WORK? IS IT LIMITED? ARE THERE RESTRICTIONS IN THE CONTRACTS?
“I think it’s different for each individual driver, you know, on what you can and can’t do. My contract has always been fairly open to doing whatever. I think a lot about it when I’m skiing or snowboarding; not as much when I’m playing sports, but maybe I should. And then, when I go and try to race other cars, every time I just have to have permission to do that. But I think the owners and the teams really need to know what’s going on and what you’re doing. But when you’re just screwing around and playing basketball and you get hurt, I don’t know, is that bad luck, or what? It’s too bad for Denny. But I don’t think you would change anything. He was just playing basketball from what I understand.”
I DON’T THINK WE COULD PUT YOU GUYS IN BUBBLE WRAP AND SIT YOU ON THE COUCH ALL DAY LONG WHEN YOU’RE NOT AT THE TRACK.
“No, not at all.”
IT SEEMS LIKE THIS REGULAR SEASON HAS BEEN RELATIVELY CALM IN TERMS OF DRIVERS BEING SO CALM. IS IT SURPRISING TO YOU? WHY HAS IT BEEN LIKE THAT? DO YOU ANTICIPATE IT BEING A LOT MORE INTENSE AS THE CHASE GETS UNDERWAY?
“Yeah, I’ve been kind of surprised by that because it has been fairly quiet this season. I would think at some point it’s going to change. I don’t see us going through a whole season without someone getting pretty mad at another. The Chase last year, got pretty aggressive; from running into each other to having issues after the race and out of the cars. There was a lot going on. That was interesting to be on the outside watching.”
DO YOU SEE THINGS PICKING UP ON THE TRACK MORE WITH MAYBE LESS GIVE AND TAKE? DO YOU SEE IT ANY DIFFERENTLY ON THE TRACK LATELY?
“I’m not sure. I don’t know. You have to be able to pass the car in front of you. There’s a lot that goes into making somebody mad. And racing side by side and things like that might be part of it. So, I don’t know. I just think the Chase gets so much more intense; each spot counts. Right now there have been a bunch of guys who have been locked in for months and months. You win in Daytona and you don’t have to worry about it until basically ten to go. If something small happens you just kind of blow it off it seems like, the way that the whole deal is set up these days. I would say it’s definitely going to pick-up in the final ten. They’ll be issues, probably more than once.”
IS THERE ANY SPECIAL TEAMWORK PLANNED THIS WEEKEND?
“No, not at all. I feel like it’s just a normal weekend. I haven’t heard or seen anything different. I think we’re just all out here like I said earlier; it’s been 25 races to get ourselves in this position. So, one race, you either win or you don’t make the Chase. I don’t know. I think it’s just a normal weekend. We go about it like we always do and do the best job we can and try to find speed, and if we get an opportunity to win, we need to win.”
HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE FRUSTRATION? OBVIOUSLY FOR ANYONE IN NASCAR, ITS VERY HARD TO WIN AND TO BE IN THE ELITE GROUP AND THEN THINGS HAPPEN OUT OF YOUR CONTROL. HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE FRUSTRATION?
“I haven’t been very frustrated. I’ve been pretty good. Like I just feel like there is only so much you can do. And if you’re having an issue that particular race and the car doesn’t turn, you can get mad for a little bit but eventually you’ll just get over it and go on to the next race and try to make that issue that you had, better, for the next time you go on the race track. That’s what we’re working on today and what we’ll be working on tomorrow and in the final 10 races it’s the same thing. It’s to try to finish strong and be more prepared when next season starts, no matter what car we run or what team we have. We just want to be better off than what we were this year. We ran pretty good at the start of this year and then didn’t run very well for a while and that’s kind of why we are 17th or 19th or wherever we are in points.”
DID YOU GET BEHIND THE GUN COMPARED TO THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON?
“Yeah, we were pretty fast. And the next thing I know, we were just struggling. I screwed-up at Pocono and crashed on that lap 2 or 3 and that hurt us for a lot of points. And other than that, it’s just been a bit of a struggle to get very good results. There’s been a little bit of bad luck in there, which you have each season; and then it’s just been a struggle to finish top 5 or top 10; and that’s what we need to get a lot better at if we want to ever contend for wins and ultimately make it into the Chase and a championship down the road.”
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