DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
How do you feel coming into Charlotte?
“Obviously, we had a good start — a decent start to this first race in this round. A lot of guys have shown a lot of speed throughout the year had some issues. It’s a great opportunity for us to capitalize by continuing on that momentum and really the mile-and-a-half tracks have been some of our strong suits throughout the year even though we’ve down on speed we seem like we’ve raced better at these type of race tracks. I would expect nothing different this weekend and hopefully we put ourselves in a position where we can go to Talladega and race with ease and ease our minds and not have to go there and have to perform at a certain level to make it. You want to go there and want to be aggressive and want to try to go win the race, but if you are ahead by just a few points then you’re going to have to go there defensive and could get dicey. I think this race is going to setup how we are next week and how we’re able to race.”
Are you surprised the three Joe Gibbs Racing cars are in the top-seven in points?
“Call it luck or call it whatever you may be, but last week was just one of those weeks. We’ve seen that really Kansas has been that wild card type race in the Chase for the last couple years. I think if everybody was running at the end of that race our three cars are still going to be sixth to 10th place automobiles I guess you could say. That’s just kind of where we are on speed. The way this format plays out, you have to be consistent. This is still a consistency game right now and that’s what we’re playing.”
How important is this race to try to keep other strong teams potentially out of the next round?
“Not only that, but I think this is the key weekend for that. All the speed in the world that all those teams have had this year means nothing when we go to Talladega. In my opinion, this is their shot to make up those points. Next week, you can’t count on the speed of the car. It’s just going to be about circumstances and driver putting themselves in the right spot not to get wrecked and then after that, you have to find your way to victory lane. I think this is the week that’s going to really set the tone for next week and obviously Talladega is the final cutoff race. You thought it was going to be wild, but now with the way it’s playing out and especially those cars that have had bad races last week, it’s shaping up to be very epic. Until the last lap, you will not know who is going to be in or out.”
How important is qualifying tonight at Charlotte?
“Probably another track record I would guess. I don’t know if we still have it, but it’s probably going to get broken if we do. Just fast speeds and it seemed like the track was actually pretty decent even though it was sunny out there today. Usually this track is one of the most temperature sensitive when it comes to that, but really the track was fairly clean and I think it’s going to be important because we all have seen how important track position is, especially on these mile-and-a-halves. Pit road selection, getting on those timing lines and stuff like that. It’s going to be very important qualifying session and at the same token to counter that, it’s a 500-mile race and you do have some time to make it up front and allow yourself with a lot of different strategies for this long of a race that we have this weekend. I don’t think it will make or break you, but you can set yourself up for a much easier race with a good qualifying spot today.”
How nervous are the teams on the outside of the cutoff right now?
“We’ve been in it and we were in it at New Hampshire. We had a great start to the Chase and that just shows you, you can’t count on anything happening. You can’t just rely on what’s happened in the past. We went from sitting good in the points after the first race at Chicago to thinking that at New Hampshire we’re running top-two all day right up until we couldn’t get fuel in the car so it was like you go from sitting there thinking you’re going to coast your way to the final race of the cutoff to now having to race your way in. I can’t emphasize how much different Talladega is going to be because it has nothing to do with performance. The guys that have been running 35th to 40th all year have just as good of a chance to win that race as anyone. That’s why I think this has got to be a sense of urgency to the teams to make up those points this weekend versus next because you just can’t count on fast cars next weekend to make up those points.”
How will you approach the Talladega race?
“I think that it’s going to so depend on where we’re at. If we were having to make up points, I would drive it just like I’ve been driving all the superspeedways this year, but honestly if I’m only 10 to the good or 25 to the good, I probably won’t be a threat. I will probably be back there waiting on the wreck to happen, clear it, know that we can get in based on the cars that are out of the race and then try to get a win. It’s going to be a different race for everyone. Everyone who has a different situation — my goal is leave here and have to finish 30th or better next weekend. That would make me feel pretty good about next week.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing (continued)
Is this new points format all about winning or more points racing?
“With this system, you have to be smarter than that. You just can’t go 100 percent all the time. Immediately when I saw issues from last weekend from the competitors, immediately I came on the radio and said, ‘Okay, this is a race where we can’t beat ourselves, no loose wheels, no pit road penalties, we can’t put ourselves back there with those guys that have been really faster than us all year long.’ When we get to these at Charlotte, they once again are probably going to have more speed so we have to optimize the day that we’ve got. I think you’re really just playing the game and this is a totally different game than it is during the regular season. Regular season, you’re racing 100 percent all the time because once you’ve got a win you can do that and points don’t matter. If you don’t have a win you’re racing for 100 percent because you’re trying to get a win. This is very, very exciting and I love this format and I think it’s one of the best things NASCAR has ever done and come up with, but you are back to points racing with this type of format for three races at a time. It won’t be when we get to those final eight to get to the final four you will have to be 100 percent every single week. With this many cars, 12 cars, you still can let the four bottom eliminate themselves through mistakes.”
Do you expect a freight train race at Talladega?
“I don’t think so because you’ve got probably — we know we have at least 30 cars with nothing to lose. They’re going to be going all out and really the fall Talladega race is always a little more exciting simply because at that point in the season people just don’t care anymore so they’re just going for broke.”
Is this format more emotional for drivers?
“It really is and obviously this is not a 10-race Chase anymore, it’s a three-race Chase over and over. Honestly, from my perspective and probably the guys that I’m around in points that have not shown the speed that some guys have, it’s a blessing because we have ourselves a great opportunity to move on and race for a championship where the other guys are probably very frustrated with this because they’ve got multiple wins and have shown speed and things like that and are behind us in points. I think this is what NASCAR wanted, they wanted to reset it and for it always to be close, but when you do that you just open the door up for some of these teams that haven’t shown strength to just get hot at the right moment and come up and almost steal a championship away and it’s possible. We’re getting down with six or seven races to go and it’s like we can hit on something very soon and I think we continue to close the gap on the field. I don’t think we’re as slow as we were months ago. I think we continue to get better and better and it shows in our results if you look at them. We think we have a great opportunity ahead of us and especially knowing personally what race tracks are ahead of me that they continue to get better and better as far as my history at those race tracks, I’m pretty optimistic and really I’m as optimistic now as I was in 2010 when we had the speed and were winning multiple races every other week. Really it’s not different in my mentality, especially this week. Now had I had a bad week last week, it would have been frustrating for sure. Living in the moment right now I’m just as confident about winning a championship as I was in 2010 when I was leading or something at this point.”
What is the hardest part about the new Chase format?
“This is such a team effort and it goes team as in from the race shop to the pit crew to the road guys to the driver — for me, it’s the things I can’t control. It’s the fuel and the dash catching on fire last weekend. What is this stuff? These are things that I can’t control and a three-race season like we have you just can’t have any mistakes. That’s what is the toughest part about it is just hoping everything stays together for the entire race. To me, that is my paranoia every time I get in the car.”
Would you like to see Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski eliminated this round?
“No question about it. Obviously, I don’t count any of those guys out because when you look at the guys that are out right now, they’ve all performed amazing at this race track and they’re going to be up front come Saturday night. We would love to see them eliminated because they are our biggest threats going forward. When you look at Homestead and what it’s going to take to win that race, if you had to pick four cars in the field that you have to beat to win that race, you would say those four guys are part of your top six guys in the field that you are going to have to beat. If they’re eliminated then you don’t have to beat them. Definitely the road to the championship gets much easier when those type of guys are eliminated early.”
