Friday, Nov. 12, 2010

Phoenix Int’l Raceway

Kobalt Tools 500

Kurt Busch Open Interview

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series                         

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ssebastian@darnellcommunications.net

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KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) TALK ABOUT THE 2004 CHASE?  HOW BIG A DEAL IS IT FOR THREE DRIVERS TO BE IN CONTENTION TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP?  “I hope that the switch has been turned on for the last few weeks because it’s been a great Chase.  The more guys that are in it, that’s what creates this excitement and the element of the unknown.  Keeping up with one guy or two guys, three guys, it’s just exciting and we should be talking about it now.  It shouldn’t be saved for next week.  Any year that we saw a breakaway guy, you’d have one or two guys – Dale Sr. (Earnhardt) or Rusty Wallace or you’d have Jeff Gordon against somebody that was right there close. This has the makings of ’04 and ’04 had the makings of what it was in 1992.  It’s what everybody likes to see, a great point’s battle all the way to the end and it’s just not the final race, it’s the weeks leading up and how they’ve handled the pressure for the weeks leading up.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ROGER’S DECISION TO BRING CHEVROLET BACK TO THE INDY 500?  “That’s big news.  I know that Roger’s always been committed.  And just like he is in the NASCAR world, the best quality products, people and support of giving his best shot – not at just winning that one big race over there – but running the full season and trying to wrap up the championship.  The way the last couple of seasons have ended for him, I know that he has this bitter sweet feeling of, ‘Man, we need to do something just a little bit different,’ and hopefully that brings him the pieces that he needs.  Everybody at Penske Racing wants to see our programs successful.  It was great to have the feeling back in September when we had the IndyCar, Nationwide and Cup car situation where we all had a shot at the championship.  Right now, it looks like we’re only going to be able to deliver on one-third of that.   Roger is pushing hard.  He wants to be the man in all of motorsports.  He’s my mentor.  I love looking up to him and whatever he decides to do in the IndyCar world and stock car world, I’m there to support him either way.”

HOW COMFORTABLE WOULD YOU BE IF ROGER BROUGHT IN ANOTHER MANUFACTUER INTO NASCAR?  “That’s one thing that we discussed when I re-upped with him this year early in April.  When I signed my contract extension I said, ‘Well, I know we’re going to have to see a new or extended version for the manufacturer.’  I said, ‘What are your plans? What are your ideas?’  The bottom line came out, wherever you are Roger, I’m with you.”

TALK ABOUT YOUR LAST FEW RACES WITH MILLER LITE AND MOVING TO SHELL/PENNZOIL NEXT SEASON?  “It’s been a great run in the Miller Lite Dodge.  It’s tough to sit here and think of words to describe what it’s meant to me and what it’s meant to the group up in Milwaukee.  When I first started to feel it is when I put on the Shell driver’s suit for a photo shoot, getting things ready for 2011.  You’re sitting there thinking about the good times, what the Miller Lite car has meant to so many NASCAR fans.  To have Rusty (Wallace) run in it for so many years and have a shot at championships and race wins.  And for me, just a quick five-year run, it was definitely feeling comfortable at the end.  I felt like they were my shoes to wear and representing the Miller Lite brand and the fun that we had off the track and the fun that we had on the track.  It’s tough to see it go.  We’ve got two more weeks.  It would mean the world to me to go and win one of these final two weeks and spray beer all over each other because if you get gasoline in your eyes in victory lane, it’s going to sting a little bit.  Beer isn’t so bad.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOU SEE THE LAST TWO RACES IN THE CHASE SHAPING UP?  “What I like about this year’s Chase is that we’ve added two guys to the element of the pressure cooker of what it takes to be a NASCAR champion.  Since the Chase has started, myself, (Jeff) Gordon, (Jimmie) Johnson…all the years Johnson’s be in it…we had Mark Martin come down to the wire.  We’ve had Tony Stewart…the ’05 champion…he’s felt the pressure before.  A guy like Greg Biffle, he finished second overall one year and was right in the mix until the end.  So now, we’ve added Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick to the list of individuals who have experienced what it takes to go all the way down to the end, have a shot at the championship…to have the restless nights…to have the endless thoughts of how to make the car better or how to drive it out on the race track to stay out of trouble.  It’s fun to see those guys go through that experience.  Being one of them, it’s neat that I can see a little bit of it.  You don’t get caught up in the games that go on; you just go out there and race your car.  It we do have a new champion, that means that somebody knocked Jimmie Johnson off, that’s going to be big.  That name will always be printed right after you have Johnson’s four times and a row.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

KOBALT TOOLS 500

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

November 12, 2010

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 U.S. ARMY VETERANS DAY CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Phoenix International Raceway and discussed.  Full transcript:

HOW IS KRISSIE (NEWMAN, HIS WIFE WHO IS EXPECTING THE COUPLES FIRST CHILD SOON) DOING? “I think she is good. I just texted her and she is doing filing back at the house, which is a big event for her. I guess, I don’t really know how women work, when they are pregnant, they are hormonal and they do different things. Her midwife called it surging. She said she is going to have some surges and I asked what that was. She said that is when the hormones are going to race at different times. I said ‘well, that explains everything for the last nine months. She is doing filing right now, she is good.

“She is craving ice, which I guess is typical but there are certain smells that are driving her nuts. I had a house full of deer jerky this week and that is not on the list of good things.”

IS RON (HORNADAY) GOING TO GET IN YOUR CAR IN PRACTICE TOMORROW? “I think there is potential for it. I don’t know if that is going to happen, but I think there is potential, but we haven’t talked about it honestly to know if it is or isn’t going to happen. She is not in a position right now, as far as I know, I don’t think the bell is going to get rung that hard when God makes the call. I don’t know exactly what is going to happen in respect to Ron, but he is on standby, yes.”

I ASSUME YOU ARE GOING TO LEAVE IF SHE DOES GO INTO LABOR: “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know. It all depends on the timing of things. Obviously, if I am in the car, another few laps may not hurt. (LAUGHS) I’m just sayin’. (LAUGHS) I have a couple people in line to delay the message as it gets to me, just in case. (LAUGHS)  Obviously, that is really important in my line. Our first baby. I don’t know if you can say first baby or last baby or whatever, but, it is important to be there. To be there for her. She has her mom by her side so that is really good too. I told her when she was filing, not to get any paper cuts, just be careful. (SMILES).”

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF ALL THAT WENT ON LAST WEEK WITH JEFF GORDON AND JEFF BURTON AS WELL AS KYLE BUSCH GESTURE. A TEAM CHANGE CREWS, CAN YOU IMAGINE ALL OF THAT HAPPENING IN ONE RACE? “I couldn’t imagine it. I guess maybe the craziest part was when Jeff and Jeff got together was under caution so it is like and for them to crash as hard as they did under caution was kind of wild. Kyle, that is no surprise. I think he has probably waved the bird a couple of times and nobody saw him. This was a little bit different situation. That’s understandable. The pit crew changing deal, you have to pull out all the stops and do the best you can with what you have to work with and sometimes that incorporates different people. I can understand that. We’ve had to do it before. When somebody is not performing, whether it is from being hurt or pure performance, you do what you have to do.”

“About the Jeff and Jeff deal, I was kind of curious as to why they were allowed to walk toward each others. I mean, were they going to shake hands and bow or what? (LAUGHTER) I wouldn’t you be just forced to get in the ambulance and come back? It just seemed like it was weird circumstances. You crash each other under caution. You walk toward each other. They are allowed to walk toward each other like they are going to pat each other on the back and say ‘hey, hope you kid does good next week on their report card’.  Next thing you know, they are fighting and pushing each other. One of them accepts the fault that caused the whole deal. Then they both get in the ambulance together and ride off. It is almost like bad soap opera and reality TV put in one little five minute caution flag. (MORE LAUGHTER) It was like, how did that happen? Did I just see that. I guess I am glad I wasn’t a part of it should have been my answer.”

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF JEFF GORDON WAS WALKING AT YOU AND YOU WERE IN THIS SITUATION? (LAUGHTER) “I’m pretty sure Jeff wouldn’t walk at me. I’m just throwing that out there. I don’t think we would go down that path, no matter what happened. If he did, it probably wouldn’t be his best choice of the day. (LAUGHTER)”

WITH ALL THE MILITARY MEMBERS SIGNATURES ON YOUR CAR, IS THERE ANYONE YOU KNOW PERSONALLY? “Yes there is. My truck driver’s step son is on the car. So yes.”

Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly” solutions, such as the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco model that is expected to deliver up to an estimated 40 mpg highway, and 2011 Chevrolet Volt that will offer 25-50 miles of electric driving and an additional 310 miles of extended range with the onboard generator (based on GM testing).  Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

CARL EDWARDS – No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion – HOW WAS PRACTICE? “Practice was great. I think we ended up fastest in practice, which is great.

We’ve been focusing a lot on qualifying. AJ was really fast. I think Matt was really fast. We’ve come to this race track focused on qualifying, so we can start up front and have a good run. It’s not been the year we wanted, obviously, but to look at the points and see that we have a shot to finish fourth, legitimately, based on our performance the next two weeks is what we’re here to do, so it’s a good start for us.”

WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR GUYS TO MAKE UP POINTS AT THE END OF THE SEASON AND DO YOU THINK IT WILL CHANGE THIS YEAR?

“That’s a good question. I don’t know why it’s so hard to make up points at the end. For us, I remember when I was battling with Jimmie, I think he won here and I finished third or fourth, and then we went to Homestead and we won and he finished 15th or something like that. I think the guys that’s leading, a lot of times in this sport the harder you try, the worse you do, so the guy that’s leading, I believe, has a little bit of a psychological advantage because he can step back a little bit. The guy that’s chasing will sometimes maybe try a little bit too hard. The difference this year though is that it’s Jimmie Johnson chasing. Those guys don’t make mistakes. They’re able to perform and make clutch performances when it counts. I still feel like Jimmie is the guy to beat. I know it doesn’t look that way right now, but I still feel like Jimmie and those guys are still the guys to beat.”

OTHER THAN THE MONEY, WHAT DOES IT DO FOR THE TEAM WHETHER YOU FINISH FOURTH, FIFTH OR SIXTH? “We want to finish fourth and not sixth or eighth or tenth because when it comes down to the end of the year you have to look at how you did with what you have. If you look at the laps led, I think we’ve led 150-200 laps this year.

We have not had the best performing race cars and the best results that we’ve ever had, so, for us, there’s a lot of pride in making the most with what we’ve got. If we can finish fourth in points, that’s a heck of a job for what I feel like we had. For us, there’s a lot of pride in that – for me there personally is – and when you go back and look at history it looks nicer to finish fourth and third and second.

If you’ re not gonna win it, you want to do the best you can. You’ve got to have goals and this is our goal right now.”

DO YOU EVER LOOK AT OTHER GUYS AND WISH YOU HAD WHAT THEY HAD IN THEIR CAR? “Yeah, all the time (laughing). There’s a lot of that that goes on in the garage. You look at a guy’s car, for instance, Denny Hamlin’s car at Martinsville, I watched what his car did and how it performed and I thought, ‘Man, they figured it out.’ It was driving like I wanted my car to drive. It’s like that at different places and I think everybody does that. You look at other cars and you watch them and I think that’s part of what makes a good driver or a crew chief or a car chief – to be able to look around and see where someone is beating you and try to figure out how they’re doing it. I guess that might be different than other sports because there’s a huge mechanical part to this that if you can figure it out, you can go faster.”

YOU’LL BE IN EUROPE FOR THE RACE OF CHAMPIONS IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. WHAT ABOUT THAT EVENT IS FUN FOR YOU? “We’ll be traveling on Thanksgiving, so I’ll get to spend the morning with my family so that will be nice, and then we’ll travel over to Germany. I’m going with Travis Pastrana, so I’ll be curious to talk to him a little bit about that (coming to NASCAR). He’s a wild man. I think that will be good for him to come here. Hopefully, he does well. I think it would be good if he could do well, but that’s gonna be a blast. We go over there and I get to see a country I’ve never seen. I get to race against guys like Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel and Sebastien Loeb, he’s amazing. That’ll be fun. It’ll be a rushed weekend. We leave on Thursday and I think we’ll be back on Monday or Tuesday for the banquet, but that’s a good way to relax, I think.”

DO YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF CARS YOU’LL BE DRIVING? “They just sent me a list of the cars we’re driving and they’re some pretty interesting cars. They’re gonna try to get some cars to Columbia, Missouri and we’ll go somewhere to drive them, but I still don’t know what the course is gonna look like and I don’t know exactly the format. When we did it at Wembley Stadium, it was really, really tough. It was a really short course and they were cars that I’d never driven before, so it was really interesting. I think it makes me a better driver, though, because I got to ride with Sebastien Loeb and he’s the best driver I’ve ever ridden with. I’ve never seen anything like it with the way he drove the car through the wet, tight course. That was amazing.”

WHY DO YOU THINK JIMMIE IS STILL THE GUY TO BEAT? AND SECONDLY HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF BOB OSBORNE MADE SOME OF THE COMMENTS MIKE FORD DID LAST WEEK? “Mike Ford is a smart guy.

He’s just saying whatever he can to get things stirred up so that maybe he has an advantage. I don’t personally know Chad and the guys on the 48 team well enough to know if that will work or not, but that’s just part of the game. Guys are trying to gain and advantage wherever they can, and the thing about Bob Osborne is that he is one of the most mentally tough people I’ve ever come across in my life.

So whatever he says or does that’s fine. I don’t think you could get in his head, but everybody is different. I don’t know the relationship that Mike Ford and Chad have, but whatever they’ve got to do, they’ve got to do. I guess that makes it more interesting for all of us. I think Jimmie is still the guy to beat just based on how they’ve performed in really high pressure situations over the last half decade. They just have an ability and Jimmie has an ability, and I’m not saying that Denny doesn’t have that ability, but Jimmie has proven that they can do that. And then I’m not certain of statistics, but it just seems like Jimmie and the 48 guys have less trouble mechanically. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but that’s something that just seems that way to me. It could really come down to something as simple as that, but when I say Jimmie is still the guy to beat, it’s barely. That’s the feeling. I’m not cheering for one or the other at all. That’s how I feel.”

CAN YOU FORESEE PASTRANA BRINGING HIS FANS OVER HERE TO NASCAR? “Pastrana is an icon, really, I think. What he’s done, the ability he has to transcend motocross and freestyle and rally racing – all these things that he’s done – I think it could be huge. He just has to do well. If he comes over here and can do well, that’ll be great. That’ll be great for him.

It’ll be great for our sport, his fans. I think it’s just very, very difficult to do it. He’s a smart guy, so I’m sure he has a plan of trying to get some experience in testing and things like that, but I’d be glad to help him – right up to the point where if he’s really fast I won’t help him (laughing), but it would be cool. I think all of us would agree that for him to be a part of this and to do well would be huge.”

THERE HAS BEEN TALK ABOUT THE FINAL RACE OF THE YEAR MIGHT BE MOVED IN A FEW YEARS. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT RUNNING THERE? “Ford Championship Weekend, I’ve always driven a Ford and it always seems like a fun weekend. I believe that the weather down there, I don’t know where you find better weather at that time of the year, and now that they’ve moved the Nationwide banquet and the Truck banquet to that Monday, to me, it feels like a nice place to go race and to finish the season. It’s also a track, I think, that represents the average track that we race on. It’s a mile-and-a-half, but it’s a true oval, so it is a little bit different. It’s a real fair track to end the season on. If it were a road course or superspeedway or a short track, there are more variables that play in. I think you can go to Homestead and you can perform the way that you should perform.

I think it’s a good way to end the season, so I wouldn’t change it just based on all that, but I guess you never know.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

KOBALT TOOLS 500

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

November 12, 2010

CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 CHEERIO’S/HAMBURGER HELPER CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Phoenix International Raceway and discussed racing at Phoenix, team orders in the Chase and other topics.  Full transcript:

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT RACING AT PHOENIX?:  “Looking forward to racing here again.  Looking forward to the Truck race tonight – that’s my first Truck race in a while.  I have a good truck that Kevin (Harvick) built for me.  I’m excited about maybe ending up in victory lane.  I have a definite shot at it – the truck is fast and I’m excited.  I’m excited to be marching back towards the front in the Cup Series.  We moved up a couple spots and I thought we were definitely going to end up 12th so hopefully we can continue. 

“Looking at the points deal right now, honestly we can get as far as fifth.  That’s not far-fetched and if we can do that that would be pretty incredible given the talent level and competition level inside the Chase.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CHEVROLET GOING BACK TO INDY CAR RACING AND WOULD ANYONE BE ABLE TO WIN THE INDY 500 AND COKE 600 IN THE SAME DAY?:  “I think Chevrolet going back into the Indy Car Series is definitely a big day for all of them involved.  Chevrolet has such a big impact in our sport of NASCAR and they’re going to once again have a big impact over there.  As far as the 20 million dollars, I would love to have it, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

WHY DO YOU THINK KEVIN HARVICK IS OVERLOOKED FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP?:  “Judging that team versus the other and handicapping so to speak, he doesn’t have the wins that they do so you look at that and you automatically say that he’s not in contention, but they’ve been very solid and very, very consistent all year long.  The most top-10s if you look at it, by quite a bit in the series and they’ve just done a great job of getting good finishes at the end of the race.  They’re not always there throughout the race and they haven’t won as many races as Denny (Hamlin) and Jimmie (Johnson), but certainly week in and week out consistently they’ve been the car to beat since the beginning I think.”

ARE PHOENIX AND HOMESTEAD SIMILAR AND WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT HOMESTEAD?:  “They both have a blue wall, but this is short track and Homestead is definitely an intermediate track.  Just really to be honest with you, two completely different race tracks, but that’s what makes this sport what it is.  That’s what makes the Chase difficult – here you are the last two races to decide a championship and you have a good short track race and then you have another good intermediate track.  A good mixture of race tracks to have to go through and overcome to win a championship.  I think it’s going to be good right down to the end.  I don’t think it’s going to be decided here and it’s probably going to be down to the last lap at Homestead as to who is going to be the champion.”

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO SETUP YOUR CAR TO BE FAST HERE ON SUNDAY?:  “Again, you have to have a good balance in your race car.  Loose and tight grip levels always change, but the balance of the race car has to be good and stay consistent.  As it cools down, you’re going to gain grip, but as long as you can keep a good balance under your race car then you’re going to be good.  You have to compensate.  In turns one and two, they are tight with radiused corner and turns three and four are sweeping and a lot more gradual so you have to have the ability as a driver to compensate and make up the difference and then as a race car you have to be able to adjust on it and feel comfortable with your setup.”

IF KEVIN HARVICK CANNOT WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP, DO YOU HAVE TO BE A TEAMMATE TO JIMMIE JOHNSON TO BE SURE A TOYOTA DOES NOT WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP?:  “I don’t know.  That’s looking too much into it.  If I can help in practice or if I come across something that’s better and I feel comfortable that it is then I’m going to go over and tell Kevin (Harvick) to get it in his car.  As a teammate, that’s all you can do.  If Kevin’s out of the thing and Jimmie Johnson is looking for me to wreck somebody or something, that’s not going to happen.”

DO YOU TALK ABOUT TEAM ORDERS IF IT CAME TO THE FINAL LAP AT HOMESTEAD?:  “Not really.  If it comes down to the last lap and I’m winning the race and Kevin’s (Harvick) second and if he gets around me, he wins the championship, he’s going to win a lot of money and maybe we can renegotiate.  The biggest thing there is, if that’s the case, a championship a pretty big thing for everybody involved and that’s first and foremost.  I’m sure he’ll make it up to me one way or another.  If it comes down to that.  I would have to show him how to throw a party.”

Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly” solutions, such as the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco model that is expected to deliver up to an estimated 40 mpg highway, and 2011 Chevrolet Volt that will offer 25-50 miles of electric driving and an additional 310 miles of extended range with the onboard generator (based on GM testing).  Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

KOBALT TOOLS 500

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

November 12, 2010

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Phoenix International Raceway and discussed the final two Chase races, racing at Phoenix and other topics.  Full transcript:

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT RACING AT PHOENIX?:  “Great track for us.  Excited to get on the track and get going.  Obviously, we’ve got some work to do and a points margin to make up.  Just excited to get out there and stop thinking about things and just get to work.”

DO YOU VIEW THIS RACE AS A ‘MUST WIN’ FOR YOUR TEAM?:  “We have to beat him (Denny Hamlin).  I’m not sure where they’re going to finish, but again, we need to expect the best out of them and that’s going to be those guys running up front.  We need to lead a lap, hopefully lead the most laps and win the race.  Again, at the end of the day, it’s relative to where he’s running or where he finishes and we just don’t know until we get on the track and get out there and see what goes on in the race.”

WHY IT IS SO HARD TO MAKE UP POINTS THIS LATE IN THE SEASON AND DOES THAT CONCERN YOU?:  “I really don’t focus on stats all that much.  I had heard about that stat coming into this weekend.  I don’t know why, I certainly want to believe that it is possible to come back, especially from such a small margin that we have right now.  I’m not sure why it hasn’t happened.  Honestly, we had six Chases, so not a lot of time.  Things can change pretty quick with only six years of having the Chase.”

WOULD YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEM CONTRIBUTING TO ANOTHER HENDRICK TEAM WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE ORGANIZATION?:  “There’s no doubt that if we were out of the points and didn’t have a chance to win then I would do anything I could to help my teammates win.  Without a doubt, if the roles were reversed, I would offer the same thing up for Jeff Gordon’s team or Junior (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) or Mark Martin’s.  Without a doubt.  I think that at the end of the day, the comments made, they are to be expected.  You have a team that’s fighting for their first championship, they won the race and did everything they needed to do and we certainly didn’t have the day that we wanted nor the situation that we wanted on pit road and we did something that was different.  I think amongst all that, it was very easy for Denny (Hamlin) and for Mike (Ford, Hamlin crew chief) to give some comments.  I would have to imagine that anyone in that position would take an opportunity to put some heat on the 48 team or if the roles were reversed.  I expected some comments, there certainly were some comments.  We don’t necessarily believe in the fact that we’re taking something away from our guys.  We are Hendrick Motorsports – that 24 and 48 shop is one unit.  Yes, it is not the ideal situation, but if we win the championship, everybody is going to be there in Las Vegas having a great time and celebrating as a team like we always would.”

HOW MUCH ARE THE COMPETITORS AFFECTED BY MIND GAMES DURING THE SEASON?:  “From a mind game standpoint, we don’t intentionally do much of it if any at all.  I think we’ve been very fortunate in the past to have our performance on track speak for us.  There just really hasn’t been a need and we really focus on doing our jobs to go out and win races and lead laps and put pressure on the competitors.  I’m not smart enough to play mind games.  I just get in the car, do my thing and I go.  The fact that people think so much about what we’re trying to do ends up being a mind game in it’s own.  They are almost Jedi mind-tricking themselves.”

WHAT TYPE OF LEARNING CURVE WILL TRAVIS PASTRANA FACE IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES?:  “We’ve been talking a little bit and I knew NASCAR was a big interest for him.  I talked to him maybe two weeks ago and he mentioned that he might run some races and what my suggestions might be.  Of course, it’s seat time.  We’ve seen more examples of people coming in that are very talented from other forms of motorsports come in and struggle.  I have just been advising him to get as many laps as he can.  It doesn’t matter if it’s at a local late model track, if it’s in the Camping World East or West Series, but when you go into the Nationwide Series, you have to show up ready.  I certainly hope he will take all the steps necessary and you would think with the partnership with Michael Waltrip that they are very aware of that and have the established team.  I’m excited for him and with all that being said, you won’t find a nicer guy out there and somebody that really cares about motorsports.  I think it will bring in some new fans and to our fan base here, he is plenty colorful and will keep everybody entertained.  I’m excited for him.”

HOW HAVE YOU HAD TO ADJUST YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THESE FINAL TWO RACES?:  “Every year is going to be different.  Last year we were in a different position coming out of Texas and kind of on our heels a little bit with the crash we had.  Other times we’ve been here, we’re really wanted to race hard and win the race and separate ourselves from the 24 (Jeff Gordon) one year and even the 99 (Carl Edwards) in the past.  I feel like I’m in familiar territory although I am in second and behind the 11 (Denny Hamlin) right now, it’s about performing here.  It’s really simple with the small margin we have, we still feel like we have plenty of control and just have to win this championship.  If we go out and do our jobs as a team, lead laps, win races then we can be the ones sitting at the head table in Las Vegas.  We firmly believe in our hearts that we can do this.  We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

DID YOU WANT TO USE YOUR REGULAR PIT CREW THESE LAST TWO RACES AND IS THERE ANYTHING YOU ARE DOING TO GET TO KNOW YOUR NEW PIT CREW?:  “I know all the guys that are going to be pitting the car this weekend.  It’s just tough.  There’s a lot that went on and took place at Hendrick Motorsports amongst all the department heads, crew chiefs and the guys themselves as to what this week is going to look like and moving forward to the end of the year at Homestead.  We feel that the change this weekend has brought a lot of excitement to the race shop and sometimes just changing things around a little bit works well for teams. 

“We’ve seen it with the RCR (Richard Childress Racing) guys and I could say that whoever would be pitting the car this weekend is really genuinely excited to win the championship.  The guys that are going to be doing it this weekend – they are fired up.  We feel that we’re going to get the best out of them.  Certainly a tough decision and my heart’s out to my 48 guys that won’t be crewing the car this weekend, but its go time and we need to make a decision and hopefully the decision that’s the best for our race team to win a championship this year.  Only time will tell what that decision turns out to be.”

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY AND YOUR LOOK AT RACING?:  “My approach has been long races, trying race tracks, quirky race tracks, slippery race tracks have always been good for me.  I think that my background in off-road racing and being on the dirt kind of helps me in those situations. I see Denny’s (Hamlin) skill set and think that he excels on those tough situations as well.  Seems to be a little bit more easy going in a sense, from a temperament standpoint.  He and I, there are some similarities there.  I think Kevin (Harvick) with his background growing up on some weird tracks, he has been able to adapt as well, but I would say the difference is that he has a shorter temper that we’ve seen over the years than maybe what myself or Denny would have. 

“At the end of the day when you just look at performance and the tracks that we have in the Chase, especially these last two races tracks, I can’t pick a favorite.  Amongst maybe some different personality traits that are different, you look at the teams and what we’re capable of, we are all pretty damn close.  I think it’s going to boil down to mistakes on the track.  From a human standpoint of what goes on over the wall, but also what goes on inside the race car and how people deal with the emotions and the pressures of this championship.”

DO YOU THINK IT WAS SMART FOR MIKE FORD TO MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT YOUR TEAM AND DO YOU THINK KEVIN HARVICK IS STILL IN THIS CHASE?:  “I don’t know. The reason that I’m looking at the 11 (Denny Hamlin) is that he’s the one that’s ahead of us.  When we were leading, I was looking back at both of them closely.  I know Kevin’s (Harvick) right there I guess.  With the 11 taking the points lead and all and all that’s been made of it, it’s been very easy just to talk about the 11 car, but the 29 is there and serious.  Again, I expected comments to be made after the 11 won in Texas.  Believe me; we have used those comments as motivation inside Hendrick Motorsports.  There’s been plenty of references to the comments made.  Guys are thinking about it during their sets in the gym, when they’re changing tires on pit stops, there have been emails internally – it’s been a great motivational tool.  We certainly hope to show it this weekend.”

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE IN SECOND PLACE IN THE POINTS?:  “It sucks.  I don’t want to be there.  Every year feels different and it does feel different being here this late in the game.  We all know how special a run we’ve been on and how rare it is in sports period.  In my mind as the years have gone by, I have really tried not to get used to it. 

“I’ve always tried to be fearful of not being there and I don’t know if it’s just getting myself prepared for the day there’s a really big challenge or what, but I’m not as panicked as people may think.  I think a lot of it boils down to the fact that I know how good my race team is.  I know how good we’re going to do here and in Homestead and I’m just trying not to over think it and just go out there and do my job.”

DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS THE UNDER DOG?:  “Hell, I don’t know.  I don’t care.  I’m not sure where I see myself.  I know I’m down and I need to get back on top.”

CAN YOU KEEP THE BLINDERS ON TO OTHER COMMENTS?:  “I am personally because as you guys know, especially when we’re in the Chase, I don’t follow the coverage.  It’s just so easy to be persuaded from what really is important and what’s on your mind that I just don’t get engaged.  I’m not involved with that stuff.  I’m very involved with my team.  I know where Chad (Knaus, crew chief) is mentally, I know where my guys are and that’s my reality.  That’s what I need to worry about and focus on.  We are in a great place and we’re ready for these next two races.”

DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING FROM 2004 OR 2005 TO HELP YOU THIS SEASON?:  “In both instances, kind of different routes to get to this same opinion, it’s not over until the last lap at Homestead.  Clearly the 97 (Kurt Busch) losing his wheel mid-race at Homestead led us to believe that it was maybe our day and that things were going to work out.  The green-white-checkered run to the finish at the end, I don’t think the green-white-checkered was in play at that time and he was the car behind me when it counts – the 97 and he wins the championship.  That one proved to me that it’s not over until the last lap.  At Homestead, with the 20 (Tony Stewart) car, we blow a tire and wreck and the 20 needed to finish like in the top-25 or something if we did things right.  We had a great evening going and the 20 ran terrible.  I still kick myself today for not coming to pit road, not getting the tire off the car because I felt like I had a problem and it was slowing down my pace and maybe we could have recovered from going down a lap and put more pressure on the 20 and come back and finish like we needed to, but we didn’t.  I know that if we stay in the game till the last lap at Homestead, we will have a chance.  That’s my mindset off of those two examples.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CHEVROLET GOING BACK TO INDY CAR RACING?:  “Wasn’t aware of it, but very excited.  I’ve again been completely disconnected from things here in recent time, but just happy to hear that the bowtie will be back.  Maybe that will give me a chance to go race there someday.”

WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF RACING AT PHOENIX AND WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO SETUP A FAST CAR HERE?:  “I would say one of the most difficult things is the sun setting toward the end of the race when the sun is going down, it is really difficult to see where you’re going into turn one.  Then from a setup standpoint, it really is a track of compromises.  The radius of the turns in one and two is a lot tighter and there’s a lot more banking than what you have in three and four.  There’s less banking and a larger radius and you can’t get the car perfect and you really have to play those compromises against one another.”

HOW DO YOU CONTROL YOUR EMOTIONS IN THE CAR AND IF YOU WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP, WHICH CREW WILL GET THE RINGS AND BE ON THE STAGE?:  “From the emotion side of it, I think years of racing has helped me be where I am today and to manage my emotions through the course of a race.  I don’t do a good job of it all the time and I can look at some examples through the summer where frustration got to me and I made mistakes inside the car.  We talked about that – when the Chase started that seemed to be a popular question.  A lot of discussion about it.  I have good days, I have bad days just like anyone, but I think it’s just something I’ve learned over a period of time and it’s also fitting to say that my personality fits into that as well.  As far as the banquet, if we’re in that position and we are going to the banquet, just like every other year in the four other championships we’ve had – it’s all one race team, everybody goes.  Everybody gets rings and everybody inside that 24 and 48 shop – really at Hendrick Motorsports it’s one unit and it would be no different this year than any other year.”

DID 2005 HELP TEACH YOU HOW TO MANAGE THE CHASE?:  “Yeah and I maybe haven’t felt like that moment in ’05 helped me with the last four years, but it’s in my mind this year that anything can happen in Homestead and you can’t assume people are just going to have great days.  We went down there assuming the 20 (Tony Stewart) was going to have a great day, had some discussion over the radio about the tire going down and if it was soft or not, what was really going on.  Because we thought the 20 was going to lead all the laps and win the race, we were out of character and we tried to limp around on a bad tire and caused a problem.  I guess all that together makes me think – yes, statistics show certain things, but until you go run the race it doesn’t matter.  It’s about what happens now and the performance you have now.  If there is trouble like had in 2005, you have to get the car fixed and get back on track – anything can happen.  Then the part that I really focus in on is that if we would have stayed on track and if we would have played our game right and put the pressure on the 20 like we needed to, I think there could have been a different outcome.  We blew that opportunity.  I don’t want to blow an opportunity going into Homestead or during Homestead.  I don’t want to blow an opportunity this weekend so it all goes back on the character of the race team and myself and what got us into this position and to not change what we’re doing and who we are.  That’s a lesson we learned in ’05 and we are using a lot this year.”

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