TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)
Media Tour — Notes & Quotes
Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) — January 27, 2015
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
How do you transition from a disappointing season to a new year?
“Looking at last year, it was frustrating. We worked really hard — there was a lot of dedication in the last year — and it was so frustrating, because we just couldn’t find the answer. It was literally to the point you’d go the race track and it was like, ‘Man, this is all we’ve got and it’s not for lack of effort. It is what it is and we’ve got to go out here and make the best of it.’ And you had to make that commitment and had to have that conversation with my road guys. We’re all in this boat together and it’s not the fastest boat in the river and we’ve got to make this baby ford the river. We got through it. It was definitely frustrating. It’s the worst year I’ve ever had, but sometimes you need that wakeup call in life and it makes you work hard. There’s a lot of area when you look back on the long off-season like we have that you can do better, that you can step up and work harder and put more into. I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to getting back to Daytona. I think I may fill-in for Brian (Vickers) in the Shootout deal and I’m looking forward to getting a practice session under my belt and I want to win that baby. That’s one that I haven’t always had that mindset going into Daytona. Obviously, you want to win that race more than anything, but it’s always such a disappointment if you go there and start the season off with a crash or something like that. With the new format where winning is a premium and everything that Brian has put into play, who cares? Just go out there and through it all out there and go for broke at the Daytona 500 because you only get one chance at that and then worry about the rest of the season when you get back.”
How important is it to get Brian Vickers back so soon?
“That’s huge. We don’t need to focus on how we’re going to replace Brian Vickers. We don’t have time for that. This is a rebuilding year for me and it’s crucial for 5-hour ENERGY and all these partners for Michael and Ron and everybody involved at MWR because this is a rebound year, a rebuilding year and we get back to our winning ways and back where we once were. It’s very, very crucial that happens and focusing on not replacing Brian Vickers, but focusing on the task at hand so we can make our cars better so we can compete is definitely beneficially.”
Has being a father changed your routine?
“Well, it changes. Your focus is all on simple things. Your life is not near as complex as it once was, because you don’t have time to really pick your head up and take all the rest of it in. You stay focused on your family, your child and racing. It really does simplify your life quite a bit because you’re not drawn to so many other distractions and things like that.”
What do you think of the new rules package?
“The new rules package is a step in the right direction. There’s no question it’s what we all were wanting and asking for, but it’s just a step. I don’t want to oversell something — you never want to do that — you want to over-deliver. I think it’s going to make a different, but only time is going to tell where it’s going to make a difference and on what different track configuration and things like that. I’m anxiously anticipating just like you are to see if it’s going to shake things up at least a little bit. I damn sure hope it helps us and hurts them.”
BRIAN VICKERS, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Do you expect to come back as strong as you were before the surgery?
“I think so. It’s definitely a question. It’s a question we talked about with Aaron’s and MWR — more with MWR — and the truth is I won’t know until I turn into Turn 1 at 200 miles per hour at Las Vegas. What do I think? I think I will. The doctors say that I’ll be as strong or better than I was before. The way the patch was replaced, it’s actually a better way to do it because it’s using your own natural skin to patch the hole as opposed to an artificial device, which is always better. It’s just that the surgery is a lot higher risk and that’s the reason they don’t do that to begin with. They feel really good about my heart, that I’m actually better off than before and as far as my sternum — obviously cracking my sternum open — again they keep telling me that when that bone grows back, it will grow back stronger than before. Actually where it grows back together will not be the weakest link anymore — it will be somewhere else. Not to mention it’s like wired together. It’s about the size of a coat hanger making loops around my sternum. Don’t punch me in the chest yet. It’s not there yet, but it’s getting there. I think from a health standpoint, my doctors have insisted on giving me enough confidence that I’ll be healthy and ready to go and strong as ever. Mentally, how do I feel about it? I’ve gone through this several times now and I feel just fine, but until Las Vegas I won’t know.”
Are you excited to be healthy in time to compete for the Chase?
“To be able to be back in the car in time and be eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup is huge. It’s the reason I’m coming back. There’s two reasons I’m coming back — I’m coming back because I love to race and I love to just go fast and I love to race cars, I love the competition and I love being in a car at 200 miles per hour, but mostly the reason I’m coming back here to race full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is because I want to win a championship. Being eligible for that is a big piece of it and I’m very thankful and thrilled that I was able to be back in time for that. I think there’s a lot of people that didn’t think that was going to be the case, even at times including myself. It’s huge. It’s huge for me.”
Does the win and you’re in Chase format make the health issue easier to deal with?
“It’s a nice after-fact bonus, but it’s not something I was thinking about. For me, I just wanted to go back at the right time, whenever it was safe to go back. Wherever that fell, it fell. The fact that I got eligible for the Chase and that fact you win you’re in is a great bonus, but we’re only missing two races. We can still get in on points. I think we blew — we had four or five races last year where we either lost an engine or blew a tire and collected one or two points where we finished 43rd or 42nd or 41st and we still almost made it in on points. I think we’re in a position where we can still — our goal is to get in with not only a win, but multiple wins, but we’re still in a position where we can get in on points too.”
BRETT MOFFITT, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Are you looking forward to racing in the No. 55 Camry at Atlanta Motor Speedway?
“I’m very thrilled about this. This is a heck of an opportunity for myself and I can’t thank Aaron’s and MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) for giving me this opportunity enough. Also, for Brian (Vickers) — he’s helped me out a lot over the past year and a half, two years I’ve been working with him whether it’s the testing program or at the track if I’m in a different race car last year. He was always very helpful to me. I can’t thank him enough and I’m excited to be able to fill in while he’s out and also I’m excited about his recovery process, which has been phenomenal. We’re going to be happy to have him back, but I’m happy for this opportunity.”
How did this opportunity come together for you to run the No. 55 Camry at Atlanta?
“I actually didn’t know. We had a team meeting obviously when they announced that Michael (Waltrip) would be in for the 500 and I got a little bit down because I was actually hoping that they would say something about me because they didn’t really give me a whole lot of a sense of direction just because they were trying to work everything out with Aaron’s and all of our partners at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing). Then, afterwards Ty (Norris, MWR Executive VP) pulled me in his office and he said, ‘Look everything is good. They want to give you this opportunity and obviously we do here at Waltrip because we believe in you.’ So, that was probably one of the happiest days of my life just being able to hear that. From then it transfers real quick to, ‘Okay, now I need to go out there and perform.’ Obviously there’s a lot of emphasis on performing there — it’s Atlanta and Aaron’s headquarters so I’ll be really happy to go out in front of them and hopefully show them what I’ve got.”
MICHAEL WALTRIP, team owner, Michael Waltrip Racing
What does it mean to run the Daytona 500 again this year?
“It’s amazing first of all, but it really hit home three or four days ago. They said, ‘We’ve got your seat in the car. Come down and check it out.’ And just to get to the car and see the crew guys come over and say, ‘How is it? We’re so happy you’re driving our car.’ That’s amazing. I’m obviously down to my last couple of Daytona 500’s if not the last one and to be able to have that energy and have those boys be happy that I was climbing in their car it reminded me of back in 2001 when I went to drive for Dale (Earnhardt) — how good that felt. I had that same feeling. And obviously Daytona probably means more to me than most. The ups and downs and just as a kid in Kentucky going there for the first time and seeing that track and how much it meant to me and now I felt that same way. I felt like that kid again the other day when I was sitting in that car and all of the crew guys were there to help me get fitted in and ready to go.”
