RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 QUICKEN LOANS/SALUTE TO VETERANS DAY CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Phoenix International Raceway and discussed memories at Phoenix, the 2014 season and other topics. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
WHAT IS YOUR FONDEST MEMORY OF RACING AT PHOENIX?
“I’ve been fortunate to be able to experience it and the old style or old shape of the race track and the way it is now. Some of my fondest memories include the Copper World Classics out here and the midgets and Silver Crown cars. That was our Daytona was to come out here the first of February and race and prepare in the off-season for our big race. That was literally our Daytona 500 in the open wheel series. Then to come back here 10 or 15 years later, whatever it was, to race in the Cup Series and have as many poles as I did here in a row and my win here would probably be the peak of it all because going back to the Copper World and having those poles, obviously you want to put the bookend on one side of it or at least a potential bookend and that was that victory in the Cup Series here. And to do it in the style that we did it was pretty cool too.”
CAN YOU REFLECT YOUR STATE OF MIND LEAVING STEWART-HAAS RACING AND HEADING TO RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING NEXT SEASON?
“About four or five weeks ago somebody had asked me a similar question and to me, it was like a series of books where you’re not finished with one book so you can’t start the next and in that series of books you have to get the last couple chapters over and done in order to get started and understand the next one. There’s part of me that’s excited about the future, no doubt and getting to that next book, but there’s part of me that wants to finish out these last couple chapters and do it strong and do it in the right way and we have two opportunities here being Phoenix and Homestead. Those are tracks I’ve run good at. I can’t even say that it’s bittersweet because I don’t look at it as bittersweet as it is just a matter of doing my job and having fun. That’s what the whole goal is.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT JEFF BURTON, MARK MARTIN AND BOBBY LABONTE POSSIBLY RETIRING AFTER THIS SEASON?
“I think with Mark (Martin), I don’t know how to say that because Mark’s retired like 16 times now. I guess if you look back at it, it was destined to come. If you look back to when Jimmie (Johnson) and I came in, eventually we’re going to have that time too. Same thing with maybe (Matt) Kenseth and (Tony) Stewart and a few other guys. I think there’s going to be some waves of that happening and I think that those guys are definitely proud of their careers and the things that they’ve accomplished. Someday I’ll probably be making that same announcement. I think at this point in the season is where it all becomes kind of vocal.”
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