Author: Official Release

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

PEPSI MAX 400

AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

October 8, 2010

 

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Auto Club Speedway and discussed being at Auto Club Speedway, driver retaliation, green flag pit stops and other topics.  Full transcript:

 

WELCOME TO AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY: “It is good to be here. We’re looking to turn some things around. See if we can, we finished third here in the spring. It is a good race track for us typically. We’ve typically struggled in the summer race, so hopefully we can get that put behind us. But we are looking forward to having a good day.”

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THIS PLACE (AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY) AND DOES IT MAYBE WORK BETTER IN THIS MARKET FOR MAYBE ONE RACE? “Obviously the attendance here hasn’t been what everyone hoped it would be. I think it is a good area for us to be in. I think being on the West Coast is a good thing. It is close to L.A. It just seems like to me that it makes sense to be here. Unfortunately, the crowds just haven’t been what everyone hoped they would be. With that being said, if there is an opportunity to have a one-race event be better for a facility, this is an opportunity. Only time will tell. I believe we have a lot of race fans out here. I also know the economy around the race is really bad. That has hurt the race track a lot as far as being able to sell tickets. But I think it is important for us to be here. It is hard to say taking a race away is a good thing, but sometimes it is and this may be a case where you end up netting out more people for one race than you end up netting our for two races. I hope that is the case.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE HERE FOR THAT FIRST RACE AND HAVING NASCAR BACK IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AFTER A DECADE? “Yes, it was cool. That is what the whole deal was. Southern California, hot rods and the beach and all that stuff. We had some big thing down in L.A. with music and all kinds of stuff. It was a big event. It was billed to be back in Southern California. It was and there was a lot of people here and it was a good event.”

THE LAST FOUR RACES SINCE THE RICHMOND CHASE CUTOFF RACE, WE HAVE HAD FIVE OR LESS CAUTIONS IN THREE OUT OF THE FOUR, HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT AS A DRIVER? SECONDLY CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT IT IS FOR TEAMS START OFF NOT GOOD IN A RACE TO ADJUST AND FIX THING WHEN YOU HAVE LESS CAUTIONS SO LESS OPPORTUNITIES TO FIX THINGS? “I know it sounds silly to say this, but I haven’t noticed less cautions, but I have noticed more green flag pit stops. That is an interesting thing because there are a lot of time to be made up or lost on green flat pit stops. The other thing is, we’ve become accustomed to a lot of cautions so we have started working on our cars so the run good for like 2/3 of a run and you really don’t care what it does in the last 1/3 because you never get there. Well, we’ve been getting there. We’ve seen long runs. We’ve seen teams really fall off. So it has had an impact. It is difficult, very difficult, when you aren’t running well, when you getting a lot of green flag runs, to ever try to get caught up. Because there is just less opportunity. And, the other thing, when you make the wrong move, you have less opportunity to fix it. So sometimes a good running car in an effort to get better makes an adjustment and it goes the wrong way and you go green for a fuel stop, well that hurts that team too. The less stops you have, the more precise you have to be in the changes that you make. Last week for example, we ran fourth to seventh the whole day and the last stop we make the wrong change, whatever happened-happened. I didn’t ask for the right thing and we got really really slow. It went green the whole rest of the race and we never had a chance to get it fixed. So we went from racing Matt Kenseth for fourth to finishing 18^th because that caution never came out, never gave us a chance to fix whatever was wrong done. So we went from being in the position to gain points, have a good points day, looking at coming here at maybe 55 or 60 points out of the lead to coming here 100 points out of the lead. That is a big difference. You are one caution away from the possibility of having something good happen to you.”

DO YOU FOCUS ON TIME IN AND TIME OUT DURING GREEN FLAG PIT STOPS? “It is really important. It is really important. Pit road speed is analyzed today more than it has ever been analyzed. There are so many accurate ways to analyze it. In the past, it was always well, we had a good pit stop and we got beat on the race track so you must have been slow getting in or whatever. Today they can analyze it and there is a lot more data for them. So, yes, it opens the door for opportunity to gain spots and also to lose them.”

HOW SHOULD A NON-CHASE DRIVER RACE A CHASE DRIVER? “The same way he races them every week. As a Chase driver this year, it is easy for me to stand here and say ‘Well, if I am a Chase driver, I should get a special consideration.’ Is that I felt last year when I wasn’t a Chase driver? The reality of it is that this race this weekend is as important to the team that is 20^th in points as it is to the team that is first in points. Now, I understand that in reality that isn’t the case. But if the team that is 20^th in points doesn’t come here with the same intensity and their sponsor doesn’t feel like they’re getting the same opportunity be successful and their team members don’t feel like they are getting the same opportunity to be successful, then, that is a major problem. So last year, when I wasn’t in the Chase, I came to every race looking to win the race. The same way I went to every race before the Chase. You certainly don’t want to be involved in the conversation as to why a guy didn’t win the championship because you wrecked him or whatever. But, that goes both ways. You have to drive people with respect all the time. You can’t pick and chose when you want someone to respect you. And you can’t pick and chose when you are going to respect them. It has to be all the time or none of the time. Yes, it would be as a Chase guy and a guy that is trying to win a championship, I don’t want anybody messing with me. The guy that is second in points, or the guy that is 20^th in points. I want them to race me the same way Sunday that they raced me three months ago. I figure that I race people with respect and I’m going to get that back.”

 

AFTER WHAT HAPPENED WITH REUTIMANN AND BUSCH, DO YOU THINK NOW THIS CAN HAPPEN? “Oh, it can happen and that won’t be the last time it happens. That wreck last week, Kyle (Busch) didn’t intentionally wreck him, I didn’t think. I think that I was asked something about mending fences last week and I said when a wound is opened, it might start to close but it is just real easy to open it back up. That is what happened last week. That whole deal that went down last week wasn’t just about what happened last week. It was what happened throughout the year. When you feel like somebody doesn’t respect you, and doesn’t show you respect, and then they get into you, whether they meant to or not, there’s a different level of thought process. The retaliation came, not from what had just happened at that one event, but what happened over several events. It was swift and it was harsh. You can debate whether it was too hard or not, that’s for those two guys to decide, not me.  It goes back to I don’t think Kyle did that on purpose last week. I watched the replay of it, I heard him get out of the throttle, but if you are David Reutimann and you’ve been wrecked over the last several weeks and you have had an issue with someone in the past and now you are having an issue with him again, what recourse do you have. There are two ways of doing it. You can take something they’ve got or you have to put fear in them. It can’t be idle words. If you tell somebody what you are going do and then if you don’t do it, then it is worse than not ever saying anything. I don’t know. I mean, it was a big deal. Anytime someone intentionally does something, it is a big deal and shouldn’t be over-shadowed. There is a history there and gets a little complicated when emotions get involved.”

YOU HAVE BEEN RUNNING STRONGER IN THE 2^ND HALF OF THE SEASON, IS IT BECAUSE THE CAR SETUP BETTER, WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE? “I think we’ve been fairly consistent throughout the year. Our problem has been executing, we just haven’t executed. That’s been our problem here in the Chase too. If you look at our year, I can go back and name seven or eight races that we had a great shot to win the race and we didn’t and something happened in the last 20-25 laps of the race. And, that is how our Chase has gone as well.  (CLINT BOWYER ENTERED INTERVIEW THE ROOM)  BURTON CONTINUES: (LAUGHS) “And we’ve put up with Clint a lot and it has been a pretty big distraction (CONTINUED LAUGHTER). Honestly for us, I feel like we perform at a high level, but we don’t finish at a high level and that’s been really disappointing.”

 

WHEN DO YOU WANT NASCAR TO STEP IN AND REGULATE AND HOW MUCH OR CAN YOU GUYS REGULATE YOURSELVES? “You can regulate yourself, but it turns into what we saw last week. Everybody wants everything. They want NASCAR  to stay out of it until it until it is not convenient for them that NASCAR stay out of it, then they want NASCAR to be involved. When it gets severe, like what we saw with Carl (Edwards) and Brad (Keselowski). My gawd, at some point, something has got to happen and at some point you can cross that line and NASCAR has got to step in. That’s the level that I think NASCAR should step in. I think that is they are going to say Boys Have At It and they are going to let you go after it, then let you go after it. There is a certain amount of penalty to be paid when you don’t show people respect over and over and over. NASCAR is not going to do that, they never have so you have to. You can cross a line, similar to what we saw with the 99 and that group. That is when they would need to step in.

SHOULD NASCAR HAVE STEPPED IN BEFORE THE INCIDENT? “I don’t know how they could have stepped in before the incident. I’m sure that they have had a conversation, or I don’t know if they have, but I’m sure at some point there has been a conversation. Intentionally wrecking people is not a good thing. At the same time,  sometimes that the only recourse.”

GOING BACK TO KYLE BUSCH & DAVID REUTIMANN, AT THE R&D CENTER ON TUESDAY, GREG BIFFLE SAID THAT AS A GUY IN THE CHASE, HIS GOAL IS NOT TO BE INVOLVED WITH ANYBODY IN ANYTHING, PERIOD. AND THAT HE COULDN’T TELL ON THE REPLAY IF KYLE HAD DONE IT INTENTIONALLY, BUT IT WASN’T SO MUCH THE POINT AS DON’T PUT YOURSELF IN THAT POSITION. IS THERE A WAY FOR A CHASE GUY, 50 LAPS INTO THE RACE, IS THAT AVOIDABLE?  “Well, listen. That wreck that happened last week, honestly, Clint (Bowyer) and I could have wrecked like that. When you’re in the gas trying to pass somebody and something happens and they slip, you can hit ’em. And I think that’s what happened. I don’t think that was on purpose. I think it’s just hard racing. The way things are today, you can’t run 80 percent, and then just say well, now I can run 100; it doesn’t work like that. It’s too competitive. When they drop the green flat on the restart, if you’re not kicking ass, you’re getting your ass kicked. You gotta go. It’s just that simple. There’s no waiting around. When there’s an opportunity to pass, you pass. The only way to do that is to push. You’ve got to push. If you’re not doing it, you’re not getting by anybody. It’s just the nature of the business. If nobody cared how fast you went, there would never be a wreck. The fact is, the faster you go, the better you’re doing. And the only way to go fast is to be up in the gas. That’s why we have wrecks.”

DOES IT HURT YOU WITH SPONSORS WHEN T.V. COMMENTATORS FAIL TO MENTION THEM DURING RACE COVERAGE? “I hadn’t noticed that. But you have to understand I’m not watching the race on Sunday. I haven’t noticed that. Whenever I get interviewed or whenever I am on the radio, it is always “Driver of the Caterpillar Chevrolet”. But I’m not watching the race on Sunday. I think that our TV partners need to understand, and I’m not saying that they don’t—l want to be clear, I’m not saying that they don’t understand—but our TV partners need to understand that it is not just about the sponsors that they have on their program. It is also about the sponsors that we have on our race cars. That is a fine line that they walk. They have people that are paying them to advertise during the races and certainly they have to make sure they are taking care of. But what makes this sport work, is that everyone gets taken care of. If they start trying to eliminate that, then that would be a major problem and there wouldn’t be much future in that.”

 

ARE THE PAYBACKS HAPPENING MORE AT THE BIGGER TRACKS, LIKE MILE-AND-A-HALFS, HAS THAT BECOME MORE OF A CONCERN BECAUSE OF SPEEDS, ETC. “It is because we are on a lot of them. Anytime you intentionally try to spin somebody out, you are putting them in jeopardy. The faster you are going, the more jeopardy you are putting them in. There should be a consideration for that. Things need to be really really bad to intentionally start wrecking somebody. They need to be really  really bad. If it gets to that point, you really need to check yourself and think about would could be the consequences. If you have road rage man, you aren’t thinking straight. You really need to catch yourself and understand that if you are at California, you are running really really quick and you need to use your head about that.”

IS IT MORE ACCEPTABLE AT A SMALLER TRACK? “I don’t know if it is more acceptable or not. I don’t know. It doesn’t appear to me that it is more acceptable wherever you are. I don’t think it is, I hope its not.”

About Chevrolet: 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 to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). 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

PEPSI MAX 400

AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

October 8, 2010

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/JIMMIE JOHNSON FOUNDATION CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Auto Club Speedway and discussed new race strategy at Auto Club Speedway, the Chase and other topics.  Full transcript:

 

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON COMING BACK TO AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY?:  “It’s been a fun week for us already.  We had our golf tournament that took place on Wednesday and a dinner that was Tuesday night.  Raised just around $525,000 so very successful event and something that we’re very proud of.  Then to come to my home state and be back in my home area to race on my home track, just excited to be back and hopeful to have another solid weekend.”

DID YOU EVER GO TO RIVERSIDE OR ONTARIO AS A FAN?:  “I did.  I went to Riverside a lot actually, but mainly for the off-road truck race that used to take place there.  The biggest race of the year was there and guys from all over the country would come in and race.  It was kind of divided into two different sections where you would have the west coast racing, the Midwest and a little down south.  Yes, I was there a lot.  I did make two Cup races.  I think my final Cup race was in ’86 and the thing I took away from that weekend, my dad was so impressed that this car owner was out there racing himself.  So I knew the name Rick Hendrick at that age as this car owner that was out there driving around himself.  My dad and I started at the start-finish line and walked literally all the way around the race track and watched the whole race.  It was a lot of fun.”

ARE YOU UPSET THAT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY WILL ONLY HAVE ONE RACE NEXT YEAR?:  “As a California native, I’m disappointed to hear that it’s losing an event because it’s taken so long for NASCAR to get here and then to really engrain it into the sports fans in the area.  I hate to see us lose a weekend here, but on a national scale and what’s right for the sport, I kind of see that side as well.  Think that if we’re not packing the stands, we probably need to take the second date somewhere else and I have a lot of friends that would come all the time when there was just one race.  When it went to two races, it almost gave them an out to say, ‘Well, we’re busy this spring, we’ll come back in the fall.’  The fall would be here and the race would be here and they would say, ‘Well, we’ll come back in the spring.’  I could see both sides of it.  Either way, I just hope that we have packed stands and everybody watching at home.”

WOULD IT BE MORE CHALLENGING TO HAVE MORE ROAD COURSES ON THE NASCAR SCHEDULE?:  “It’s an argument that comes around once or twice a year.  If they choose to put more road courses in the schedule, I’m all for it, I really enjoy driving on road courses.  There are some amazing circuits throughout North America that would be a blast to drive on.  Stuff that I’ve watched other forms of racing on over the years.  Just thought about how cool it would be to drive there.  I wouldn’t be against it, but it’s just hard for me to have any insight on that.  At the same time, hard to think that those venues really fit our core fan and what we need to do, unfortunately.”

WHAT IS YOUR MINDSET COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND GIVEN YOUR PAST SUCCESS AT THIS TRACK?:  “I come in optimistic for sure, but to have a race in February and then to come back in October, so much has gone on from a technical standpoint with the race cars that I’m optimistic, but at the same time I know that once we get out here, it’s going to be a different set of circumstances than what we’ve seen in the past.  I do have a lot of confidence in how we ran at Atlanta and then again last weekend in Kansas and think that we’re going in the right direction with our setups and making our cars more competitive on these big tracks.”

ARE YOU FOCUSED ON THE POINTS AS MUCH AS DENNY HAMLIN IS?:  “I do look at the points and I am curious where everyone is.  I know how important every single point is, but I just choose not to over think things maybe.  Just stay focused on what we need to do.  We all have different things that we use to motivate ourselves with and set as a goal for the team.  It’s not a bad way to go about it; I’ve got nothing against it.  I just don’t really pay attention to it and just stay within my own head and what I need to do each week.”

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS EACH WEEK FOR THE CHASE?:  “I think really is just don’t squander away a good start to the season and from there, after Talladega, form a strategy.  After Talladega, you can finally breath a little bit, you’re over the halfway point.  If you’re behind, you know you need to take chances to catch up.  If you’re ahead, you might start thinking about protecting something then and take it from there.  I just try to simplify things.  I’m not a very smart guy, evidently he’s (Denny Hamlin) a lot smarter than I am.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO GET MAXIMUM POINTS THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS?:  “It is, but I really don’t want to fall into a false sense of security and think that because we have run well here in the past that we’re going to come back and have it again.  You have to come back and prove yourself every qualifying session and every race so it makes the week easy coming in, but as soon as those engines fire and we roll out for practice this morning, all of that disappears and it’s about the now.  That’s what I’m focused on and I think the experience over the years has helped me with that.  We’ll just go out and do all we can.”

WHAT IS YOUR AGGRESSIVENESS TO THIS RACE BEING 100 LESS MILES?:  “I haven’t really thought about it too much.  I think that the race distance at 400 is probably better for everyone.  I don’t have a lot of fears at this race track because there’s so much room and if you don’t qualify well, there are lanes that you can use to pass.  Pit road is very friendly and if you have a poor qualifying effort, these stalls are big enough that you can actually still have a good pit stop and not be blocked in by guys that are laps down or slow or whatever it may be.  I have less fear on that side for a two-mile race track, this place is really racey and I remember the restarts last year, we had a lot of them, kind of the second-half of the race and it was just a shootout and all kinds of things.  One thing caught Denny (Hamlin) up and he ended up with a wrecked race car.  It’s going to be an exciting race and honestly, I’m very excited for what it’s going to be like on Sunday.  I think we’re going to put on a good show and really race hard for this win.”

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE NASCAR ‘SOUTHPARK’ EPISODE?:  “I’ve had multiple text messages saying that I was on South Park, really from all of my friend’s kids.  I’ve got to check it out.  I haven’t seen it, but I heard that Cartman’s in a very entertaining sponsored car.  I haven’t seen it yet and I can’t wait to.”

WILL THE HEAT ON SUNDAY COMPLICATE THE TIRE THIS WEEKEND?:  “I chuckle because I don’t know if it’s really the same tire.  At Kansas last weekend we were told that we were on the same tire and it just didn’t seem like it.  Either we’ve screwed it up or there are some subtle differences that fall into the ‘it’s the same’ category and they came back with it.  I have no issues with the tire, I just wanted to be a smart ass there for a second.  With that in mind, being a smart ass and your phone is blowing up, I didn’t know you could move that fast, man, you’re all over that thing.  Even though it seems like things are the same, they’re still so different.  I don’t think that the temperature will hurt the tire one way or the other.  I personally like hotter race tracks, more slick race tracks that pushed the groove out, gives it more options.  Directionally, I think it will put on a good show if it’s hot.  If it’s cool, you’ll run a lower line, more single file racing and you won’t see us spread out as much.  We’ll rely on the track and see how different things really are.  Last week it may have been the same tire, but it may have had less stagger so how can it be the same if it has less stagger.  We keep hearing these things and it’s a lot like a crew chief.  He’ll say it’s the same setup and then you have a tough practice and he’s like, ‘Well, it’s kind of the same, this is changed, that’s different.’  It’s kind of a crew chief, the same situation.  Again, I’m not that smart so I can’t dig deep enough to find out what’s going on.”

HOW WILL THE WING AND PIT STRATEGY CHANCE IN SUNDAY’S RACE?:  “The two less stops, I don’t know if it’s going to make that big of a difference.  The 400-mile race should make it more exciting and entertain the viewers on television and also the people in the stands.  I think it will be a good race.  We at Hendrick Motorsports have said that there is not a big difference, we’ve struggled more on these big tracks than what we did last year so maybe there is something there we don’t recognize.  I don’t think, especially for today in a qualifying situation, there is no difference.  They’ve matched the numbers and maybe in traffic it’s a little bit different, but we’ve had enough time with the setups to get used to it.”

About Chevrolet: 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 to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). 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

PEPSI MAX 400

AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

October 8, 2010

 

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Auto Club Speedway following his announcement that the Kevin Harvick Foundation will fund a full academic scholarship to one California State University, Bakersfield student-athlete per year for the next 12 years. Harvick then discussed racing at Auto Club Speedway, competition in the Chase, staying calm under pressure and more.  Full transcript: 

 

CONGRATULATIONS ON THIS VERY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY.  WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON COMING BACK TO AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY? 

“Well, I think for us it has obviously been a great year for us.  You look back to the second race of the year, and this is really one of the weeks that kind of spring boarded everything into motion.  As we went through the race here and felt like these were our weaker race tracks over the past few years and we’ve been in contention to win the first race here and obviously won the last race at Michigan.  We’ve had circle on this one as we come back to this particular race track.  Obviously, [I am] racing in front a lot of our fans and a lot of friends and family from home, so it is hopefully going to be a good weekend.  A lot has changed since then—no wing, you’ve got the spoiler on the car and a lot of things are different.  Based upon Michigan, hopefully things will be good.” 

HAVE YOU DETERMINED THE PLAN FOR KHI IN 2011 AND BEYOND? 

“Right now we’re working through a lot of different things to get our plans and hopefully we can kind of lay out our [NASCAR Camping World] Truck and Nationwide [Series] plans as we get through the next three or four weeks.  We’re working on a lot of different things and scenarios right now.
“Right now, he’s obviously a part of our Truck Series program and has run the Nationwide races.  We’d love to have him play more of a role with the organization.”

OVER THE LAST WEEK THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT HOW A NON-CHASE DRIVER SHOULD RACE THE CHASE DRIVERS.  WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?

“I think that’s the great thing about our sport—it’s the race within the race.  There are a lot of guys that have created new life in their season that want to win a race, and there are a lot of guys that are racing for a championship.  It’s all about 43 cars on the racetrack and if there is a scenario that something happens between a Chase guy and a non-Chase guy, then those things are going to happen.  I would hate to see a separate points system, and you hear a lot of talk about those types of things.  In the end, it’s all about all 43 cars on the racetrack.  I don’t think there is any—it is still the same old deal—you race those how they race you.  Obviously there was a circumstance like that last week and it played out the way that it did.  I don’t think—obviously there is more that has happened than just last week.  Those weren’t just feelings from last week, I don’t think.”

 

AS A FAN GROWING UP IN CALIFORNIA DID YOU EVER MAKE IT TO ANY CUP RACES? 

“I actually went to—you’re going to laugh—the only time I went to Riverside, I wasn’t old enough to get in and my dad was there working on Rick Carelli’s car.  I actually went into the infield in the backseat of Cathy Carelli’s car with a blanket over the top of me to get into the pits.  I stayed in the back of the—Rick had a bread truck basically as a hauler at that particular point—but that was the last race at Riverside.  Then we’ve been to Phoenix as we were racing the Southwest Tour cars and things like that for the Cup race.”

THIS IS THE LAST YEAR WITH TWO RACES FOR CALIFORNIA, DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE BETTER TO HAVE TWO RACES IN THIS STATE AS OPPOSED TO THREE?

“I don’t think that it will be a bad thing.  I think when we used to come here and there was one race a year, a lot of participation from the fans and I think this is not going to be a bad thing for this particular market, in my opinion.”

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 500-MILE VERSUS THE 400-MILE RACE IN YOUR APPROACH TO THE RACE?

“I don’t think that the approach is much different.  I think the engine guys take a deep breath and are happy that you don’t have that extra hundred miles.  From our point, really nothing changes other than you’re calculating to the end of a 400-mile race instead of 500, and that’s really just two extra pit stops.”

SHOULD NON-CHASERS HAVE ANY DIFFERENCE TO YOU GUYS THAT ARE RUNNING FOR A TITLE?
“I don’t think so.  I think everybody needs to race us as hard as they can.  Everybody will race everybody with respect, and obviously if you feel like you’ve been done wrong then you are going to handle it however you think that it needs to be handled.  I think that’s part of what makes our Chase unique; you have all these past moments that have happened through the year that could bear their ugly head again if they haven’t been settled. 

“That to me looked like something that hadn’t been settled; hadn’t been talked about off the racetrack.  There was just too much emotion involved in that whole situation.”

 

IN GENERAL, IT SEEMS THERE IS A CALMNESS AROUND YOU THAT I HAVEN’T SEEN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS THAT YOU’VE RUN FOR THE CHASE.  IS THAT ACCURATE?

“I feel really comfortable where I’m at.  I feel like we’ve been through a lot of these situations before.  I feel like we’ve run better this year—just consistently.  I know that we’ve started the Chase better than we’ve ever started the Chase before.  It seems like looking back at the past history of what we do, the last four or five races are our strength based upon the last few times that we’ve been in the Chase.  You never know how it’s all going to shake out, but I feel really good about the situation that we’re in as a team and we just go race every week as hard as we can.”

YOU RACED HERE EARLIER IN THE YEAR, HOW IDENTICAL IS YOUR CAR TO WHAT IT WAS EARLIER THIS SEASON?

“Well it’s a lot different actually because with the wing off a lot of the downforce numbers and shifts of downforce have changed from front to rear.  The cars are quite a bit different, but everything that we’ve got in our car this weekend, it is the same car that we ran at Michigan and a lot of the same things underneath the car that we ran in Michigan.  I feel really good about going into the weekend and I feel like we should run well.”

MICHIGAN IS SIMILAR TO AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY, BEING THAT THEY’RE SIMILAR DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE DIFFERENT SET UPS OR CAN YOU PATTERN IT PRETTY CLOSELY TO MICHIGAN’S PERFORMANCE?

“Well, we hope we can pattern it fairly close.  There will be some differences in the setup.  Obviously it is going to be probably 90 degrees on Sunday, so the weather will be virtually identical to what it was in Michigan, but the racetrack has its own unique characteristics and drives a little bit different than Michigan.  A lot of the same setup theories will work here.”

HAS GOODYEAR BROUGHT THE SAME TIRE USED IN MICHIGAN, OR IS IT DIFFERENT?

“This is the same tire we ran last week at Kansas.  There seems to be subtle differences every time that we show up so we just have to see how the tire measures and drives on the racetrack.”

DO YOU HAVE THE HORSESHOE THIS TIME?

“I hope I have the horseshoe.  If I have the horseshoe I’m happy; hope you can’t find it.”

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FORD FAST FACTS:

• Ford has the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Auto Club Speedway among manufacturers with 10 and has won at least one race in each of the last nine years. That streak is on the line this weekend after Jimmie Johnson won the first Auto Club race earlier this season.

• All three Ford Chase drivers have NSCS victories at Auto Club Speedway. Matt Kenseth leads the way with three while Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards have one apiece. In addition, current Ford drivers Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler also have wins at this speedway.

• Matt Kenseth leads all drivers at Auto Club Speedway in Top 10 finishes with 12, including his seventh-place run in the first NSCS race here earlier this season.

• There are 12 Fords at Auto Club Speedway attempting to make Sunday’s race. All but two of those cars are guaranteed spots in the starting field. David Gilliland will be trying to get the No. 38 Taco Bell Ford in on speed, as will Patrick Carpentier in the No. 26 Air National Guard Fusion.

As mentioned above, Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion, has the most Top 10 finishes among all drivers at Auto Club Speedway with 12. Kenseth, who also has three wins at the track, spoke about his success here before today’s practice.

MATT KENSETH – No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion – DO YOU THINK THERE IS SOME SORT OF ETIQUETTE BETWEEN CHASERS AND NON-CHASERS, LOOKING BACK ON LAST WEEK’S BUSCH-REUTIMANN ISSUE? “I didn’t really see what went down last week, so I can’t comment on that, but, in my opinion, I think you race the same all year. I think you should race everybody the same whether they’re in the chase or not in the chase.

I think you try to show people respect all year because everybody has the same right to be out there, whether they’re first in points or last in points.” THAT BEING SAID, ARE THERE CERTAIN PEOPLE ON THE TRACK THAT YOU’RE MORE AWARE OF AND TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM BECAUSE YOU FEEL SOMETHING COULD HAPPEN? “No. I race the same all year, honestly, no matter where you are in the points. If it came down to the last week or something like that and you’re the point leader by a bunch, you’re probably gonna be a little bit more careful, but, other than that, as competitive as it is I think you race as hard as you can all year. Everybody has the same right to be out there. Everybody is out there racing for wins and have their own particular responsibilities.”

AS A CHASER DO YOU WORRY ABOUT SOMETIMES RUBBING FENDERS WITH A NON-CHASER, KNOWING THEY COULD POSSIBLY RUIN YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES? “I don’t want to ruin any race. No matter where you are in the points they’re all big races. I think you go out there and you’re gonna race whatever your style is all the time. I don’t think that really changes. You still have to race hard all the time because it’s so competitive that you can’t just go out and think about not knocking a fender off. You go out there and think about trying to get to the front.”

DO YOU CONSIDER THIS THE KIND OF TRACK THAT CAN HELP YOU GET BACK UP IN THE POINTS? “Where we are, we’ve got to gain some significant points on the leader every week to get back in it and have a realistic shot. I think our performance has been picking up a little bit lately, we just have to get a whole race put together.

We’ve been struggling with that a little bit. There were times last week where I thought we were very competitive but we didn’t finish it off. This has been a pretty good track for us in the past, so, hopefully we can be competitive from the time we get on the track this morning all the way through Sunday when we’re done and get a good finish. So that’s really what I’m more focused on is just trying to get back up with the leaders and be competitive so we can get in a really good position to win some races.”

IS THERE A SPECIFIC POINT IN THE RACE WHERE YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO IMPROVE? “Our adjustments have just not been good enough to keep up with the track for whatever reason. Last week, the worst we ran the whole race was our last run and you can’t do that because you’re not gonna get the finishes. Lately, there have been a lot of long, green-flag runs at the end and you’ve got to have your car handling right and do the right things at the end of the race. On the last pit stop we came out ahead of Jimmie Johnson and he finished second and we finished seventh without a caution, so we just haven’t been doing the right things to keep up on whatever it is – track conditions or adjustments. That’s probably my fault for not knowing what I need for adjustments. I’m trying to give them the best feedback I can and hope that we do the right things on the car in the pits to get it running better.”

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO DO WELL AT CHARLOTTE? “Track position has been really important there since the introduction of this car with the spoiler and that pavement. The pavement has a lot of grip and even though the track gets pretty wide, it’s a real fast track and kind of hard to pass so track position is real important. You’ve got to be in position the last couple of stops.”

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FALL AND SPRING RACE THERE? “I don’t think there’s much of a difference.”

WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE FOR ANYBODY TO BEAT THE 48? “You’ve got to prove you can beat them. I’ve said it for five years, they’re the best team out there and somebody has to beat them and knock them down before you can say they’re not the best team. Everybody says, ‘Oh, they don’t have momentum. They’re not running as good.’ Well, as soon as somebody shows they can beat them, I’ll believe it.”

WHAT TRACK ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE MOST OF THE TRACKS LEFT? “Honestly, for me I worry about all of them. I’ve really just been focused on Fontana this weekend and then trying to get back on track here and get a good finish.”

IS THE FR9 ENGINE COMING ON AT THE RIGHT TIME? “I think the engine has been helping a little bit. I think there’s still some room for improvement and Doug knows that – everybody knows that – because we’ve only been working on it for six months or a year, whereas we worked on that old engine forever. I think it’s certainly an advantage and it’s better than what we had, plus they keep getting it better.”

DO YOU THINK IT WILL RUN PARTICULARLY WELL HERE IN FONTANA?

“I hope so. Fontana and Michigan are big horsepower race tracks, but they’re also big handling race tracks as well. It’s real similar to Michigan, so if you perform well there, hopefully you’ll perform okay here.”

(This is the first in a series of memorable moments in the 63-year history of Martinsville Speedway. This TUMS moment, as remembered by Dale Inman, focuses on the 1969 spring event won by Richard Petty).

RICHARD PETTY NEEDED RELIEF HELP, LATE-RACE RALLY FOR 1969 WIN

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Oct. 8, 2010) – Retired crew chief and 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee nominee Dale Inman says all of Richard Petty’s 15 Martinsville Speedway victories are memorable, but it’s the 1969 win on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ shortest track that stands out in his mind.

NOTE: TUMS is the sponsor of the TUMS Fast Relief 500, the sixth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 24.

Petty drove a Ford that year and in the April 27 race NASCAR’s winningest driver needed relief. In fact, Petty said he almost passed out once during the event. James Hylton stepped in and piloted the No. 43 from lap 399 until lap 447.

“James tore both front fenders off the car and got us behind,” Inman recalled. “We had to put Richard back in the car, and we won that race.”

Petty’s victory in the 1969 Virginia 500 was his first in nearly three months. He led four times for 65 laps, including the final 39, in the 500-lap race. David Pearson, with Cale Yarborough driving in relief, finished second, three seconds behind Petty.

“It was always big going up there because of the success we had and that grandfather clock they had as the trophy,” said Inman, who traveled to Martinsville with Lee Petty when the track was dirt. “You always wanted to win the clock.

“Martinsville was always tough. Back then, one of the big things was to protect your brakes and keep grease circulating in the rear ends. They’re not that big of an issue now because they’ve come so far. A lot of that stuff is about bullet proof now. Now, the big thing is to keep your nose clean and keep the fenders on the car.

“Richard won so many races there [the most of any NASCAR Sprint Cup driver] that people would always tell us they bet we would be glad to get back to Martinsville. However, it was always a challenge there because it was so tough on brakes, wheel bearings and the rear end.”

Inman noted the half-mile track was only about 50 miles from their Randleman, N.C., home, so the Martinsville race was always “like a family gathering”. In fact, before NASCAR began requiring the cars to remain in the garage after the teams arrived, Inman said they would practice on Friday, take the race car home, work on it that night, and then return to the track with it on Saturday.

“My wife Mary and our kids would come up on race day with Lynda and Richard in the station wagon,” Inman said. “They would have food in the trunk of the car and we’d eat out of the trunk. The last time I ate out of the trunk of a car was at Martinsville with Leonard Wood and his wife. I remember it was after a race and it was just me and the two of them. Always think of that when I go to Martinsville.”

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TOYOTA TALK: Busch and Hamlin Enjoy California

Truex Likes Return to NNS Racing

Win Kyle’s Tundra

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Toyota drivers have combined for 10 wins, 32 top-five results, 64 top-10 finishes and five poles after 29 of 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races … Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch are currently competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoff … Hamlin is second (-8 points) and Busch is fourth (-80 points) in the current Chase standings after three of 10 races … Owner and driver Robby Gordon grew up in Orange, Calif. … The 10 Sponsafier2 finalists will be announced this Friday (Oct. 8) with the grand prize winner to be named at the Phoenix race in November.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Do you enjoy racing at California’s Auto Club Speedway? “I like California. It’s real wide and it’s kind of flatter than Michigan, so it’s a little harder to get a h old of, but you can really spread out. In the spring we saw guys all the way down at the white line and we saw guys all the way up at the wall. It seemed to be a really good race. It will be a really fun race track. It’s widened out and it’s become where you can race all over it, and with the race being as long as it is, you need to take a lot of time working through traffic and being able to have a good car and all that. It’s the same thing every week. We just hope for a solid day and that our efforts will put us good enough.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Are you looking forward to racing at Auto Club Speedway? “Any big track is good for us at this point. We’re getting ready to get into a swing of a lot of big 1.5-mile, two-mile race tracks and I feel like that was really our ‘bread and butter’ through the summer months. I feel like we’re definitely heading into some tracks that are definitely in our favor.” What does it take to be successful at Auto Club Speedway? “California is a multi-groove race track, but it’s just a track where you have to setup your car on one specific line because when you run the top your car changes a whole lot different than what it is on the bottom. Our goal is to get up there and if we’re going to run the top in practice we have to commit to it in the race. It’s very line sensitive track and the restarts are obviously interesting there because of the draft.”

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Are you looking forward to putting Kansas behind you and finishing the season on a high note? “It has been a good season and we need to finish out the season on a strong point and get to the good of it. We’ve had some really good race cars and haven’t had good finishes so we need to finish out as strong as we can to give our guys a little momentum during the off-season. As they’re building cars and updating things, it makes the winter go by a lot better when you finish out strong.”

NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Toyota drivers have combined for 15 wins, 62 top-five results, 123 top-10 finishes and 15 poles after 29 of 35 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) races … Joey Logano’s victory at Kansas enabled Toyota to clinch its third consecutive NNS manufacturer championship (2008-2010) and seventh manufacturer’s title (four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series trophies 2006-2009) overall since entering NASCAR in 2004 … In 20 NNS starts this year, Logano has two wins, 11 top-five finishes, 19 top-10 results and six pole positions … Reed Sorenson has six NNS starts at Auto Club Speedway with four top-15 results and his No. 32 team has had four top-10 finishes in the last four races at the two-mile oval … Toyota driver Jason Leffler is originally from Long Beach, Calif. … Following a fifth-place result in Kansas, two-time NNS champion (2004 & 2005) Martin Truex Jr. will compete in Fontana this weekend.

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 99 Torrent Toyota Camry, Diamond Waltrip Racing How does it feel to be back competing in the Nationwide Series? “It feels good. It’s just fun to run upfront. I’ve got to thank Diamond-Waltrip and everybody there for this opportunity. The Bechtel’s (team co-owners) and everybody who puts this race car together. It is a lot of fun. I hadn’t run one of these cars in probably five years and I remember how much fun it was. I’m looking forward to California. I’m looking forward to Ryan (Truex) running a few more races. He did a fine job (at Kansas) and I’m real proud of what he was able to do.”

STEVE WALLACE, No. 66 5 Hour Energy Drink Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing Is Auto Club Speedway a track you enjoy? “Auto Club Speedway is a track that I didn’t really like a few years ago, but recently, I feel like I’ve started to understand what it takes to go fast there and we’ve had a few top-10s there lately to prove it. Looking at Auto Club overall, it’s a momentum track just like everywhere else we go and having big time horsepower is huge there. Outside of the track, it’s always fun visiting Los Angeles. A lot of our sponsors are out there, guys like Toyota and Oakley — even the guys at Troy Lee Designs who paint my helmets — so it’s definitely a trip that I’m looking forward to making.”

REED SORENSON, No. 32 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Braun Racing Are you looking forward to racing with the No. 32 team at Auto Club Speedway? “I’m looking forward to returning to Auto Club Speedway with the Nationwide Series. This will be my first time there with the Dollar General team. They run really well there and had a top-10 with (Brian) Vickers earlier in the season and a second-place finish last fall. I know we had some bad luck last weekend in Kansas, but we are definitely looking to bounce back and get the finish that we know this No. 32 team is capable of, and that’s first.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Tundra drivers have combined for 12 wins, 46 top-five results, 97 top-10 finishes and nine poles after 20 of 25 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) races … Todd Bodine (first), Aric Almirola (second), Timothy Peters (fifth), Mike Skinner (eighth), David Starr (ninth) and Justin Lofton (10th) are in the top-10 in the NCWTS point standings with five races remaining … Bodine leads second-place Almirola in the point standings by 262 points … Toyota is currently 13 points ahead of Chevrolet in the NCWTS manufacturer’s point standings … The NCWTS has two more weekends off before returning to action at Martinsville Speedway, October 23 … The Kyle Busch Foundation is giving away Busch’s own Toyota Tundra and the winner will also receive a free trip to the NASCAR race weekend at Phoenix International Speedway … Raffle tickets are $18 and the winner will be drawn Nov. 1 … Go to www.winkylestundra.com for more information on the raffle.

TODD BODINE, No. 30 Germain.com Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing How do you determine when to be conservative on the track and when to be aggressive? “Who you’re racing around, what part of the race it is, what position you’re in — you take all those things into consideration. How you’re truck is handling, what kind of truck it is, these are just things you have to think about and realize when you’re out there and just be aware of your surroundings and your situation and you make your determination of what you can do from there.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports How is the ‘Win Kyle’s Tundra’ contest helping to support the Kyle Busch Foundation? “We can’t thank Toyota enough for partnering up with the Kyle Busch Foundation and helping to support a lot of deserving children’s homes. Not only is it a great cause to support, but some lucky fan is going to win a really cool looking Toyota Tundra.”

TOYOTA DRIVER ROSTER — Auto Club Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Camry Robby Gordon, No. 7 ExtenZe Camry Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Office Camry Casey Mears, No. 13 GEICO Camry Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M’s Camry Joey Logano, No. 20 Home Depot Camry Marcos Ambrose, No. 47 Little Debbie Camry Mike Bliss, No. 55 Prism Motorsports Camry Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Camry Landon Cassill, No. 64 Gunselman Motorsports Camry Jason Leffler, No. 66 Prism Motorsports Camry Scott Speed, No. 82 Red Bull Camry Reed Sorenson, No. 83 Red Bull Camry Joe Nemechek, No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Camry NASCAR Nationwide Series Jeremy Clements, No. 04 Toyota Camry Ricky Carmichael, No. 10 Monster Energy Camry James Buescher, No. 11 Toyota Camry Michael Annett, No. 15 Pilot Flying J Coffee Camry Kyle Busch, No. 18 NOS Energy Drink Camry Joey Logano, No. 20 GameStop Camry Reed Sorenson, No. 32 Dollar General Camry Jason Leffler, No. 38 Great Clips Camry Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 Loan Star Title Loans Camry Steve Wallace, No. 66 5 Hour Energy Camry Martin Truex Jr., No. 99 Torrent Toyota Camry

Kevin Harvick’s crew won the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race (Oct. 3) at Kansas Speedway.

It was the first pit road win of the season for the No. 29 team, which will receive $5,000 from Tissot plus a Tissot V8 Quartz Chronograph watch.

Harvick’s No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet spent the least amount of time on pit road during the Price Chopper 400 — 194.316 seconds.

“At Richard Childress Racing, we take great pride in our effort on pit road, and we strive to spend the least amount of time in the pits as possible,” said Matt Clark, director of human performance and leadership development. “The No. 29 team implemented great strategy at Kansas on Sunday, and their efforts were rewarded with this award and a solid top-five finish.”

Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 team leads the Tissot standings with four wins. The crews for Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Jamie McMurray are tied for second with three wins each. There are seven Cup races remaining in 2010.

The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the over-the-wall crew members and driver.

For Tissot, “In touch with your time” is far more than an advertising claim. This phrase expresses the brand’s DNA; its proven dedication to being perfectly in tune with the technology and tastes of each era. Tissot has been growing and developing its tradition of innovation since 1853. From the early days to the present, in its home in Le Locle in the Swiss Jura mountains, Tissot has translated craftsmanship and precision into stylish timepieces now sold in over 150 countries around the world. Special materials, advanced functionality and meticulous design detail join forces to create the luxury of accessibility. Today, Tissot is a member of the Swatch Group, the world’s largest watch producer and distributor of Swiss watches, as well as official timekeeper and partner of NASCAR®, FIBA, AFL, CBA, MotoGP and the World Championships of Cycling, Fencing and Ice hockey. The tradition of innovation lives on, keeping closely in touch with the times.

2010 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award Standings

Pos Team No. Pit Crew For Wins Prize Money

1 24 Jeff Gordon 4 $20,000

T2 18 Kyle Busch 3 15,000

T2 17 Matt Kenseth 3 15,000

T2 1 Jamie McMurray 3 15,000

T5 56 Martin Truex Jr. 2 10,000

T5 00 David Reutimann 2 10,000

T5 14 Tony Stewart 2 10,000

T5 33 Clint Bowyer 2 10,000

T9 42 Juan Pablo Montoya 1 5,000

T9 12 Brad Keselowski 1 5,000

T9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1 5,000

T9 39 Ryan Newman 1 5,000

T9 2 Kurt Busch 1 5,000

T9 26 Boris Said 1 5,000

T9 16 Greg Biffle 1 5,000

T9 29 Kevin Harvick 1 5,000

2010 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award Winners

Daytona, 2/14 Juan Pablo Montoya Team

Fontana, 2/21 Jeff Gordon Team

Las Vegas, 2/28 Martin Truex Jr. Team

Atlanta, 3/7 Martin Truex Jr. Team

Bristol, 3/21 Brad Keselowski Team

Martinsville, 3/29 Clint Bowyer Team

Phoenix, 4/10 Matt Kenseth Team

Texas, 4/19 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team

Talladega 4/25 David Reutimann Team

Richmond, 5/1 Ryan Newman Team

Darlington, 5/8 Jamie McMurray Team

Dover, 5/16 Matt Kenseth Team

Charlotte, 5/30 Jeff Gordon Team

Pocono, 6/6 Kyle Busch Team

Michigan, 6/13 Kurt Busch Team

Sonoma, 6/20 Boris Said Team

Loudon, 6/27 Jeff Gordon Team

Daytona, 7/3 Jeff Gordon Team

Chicago, 7/10 Jamie McMurray Team

Indianapolis, 7/25 Jamie McMurray Team

Pocono, 8/1 Greg Biffle Team

Watkins Glen, 8/8 Kyle Busch Team

Michigan, 8/15 Tony Stewart Team

Bristol, 8/21 David Reutimann Team

Atlanta, 9/5 Tony Stewart Team

Richmond, 9/11 Matt Kenseth Team

Loudon, 9/19 Clint Bowyer Team

Dover, 9/26 Kyle Busch Team

Kansas, 10/3 Kevin Harvick Team