Author: Official Release

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

SYLVANIA 300

NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and discussed mindset heading into the Chase, who is the favorite; racing at New Hampshire, RCR having three cars in Chase, his approach to challenging tracks, Chase competitors trying to win their first race of the year and other topics. Full transcript:

TALK ABOUT BEING BACK AT NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND KICKING OFF THE CHASE: “We ran real well all day, there were several people who ran real well all day too that had trouble. This has been a real good racetrack for us. The first race of the Chase is always real intense. It’s fun. The first race of the Chase is a lot of fun; there is a lot of pressure; it’s exciting. I’m proud to be here with the situation that we’re in and we’ll see if we can go get off to a good start.”

OTHER THAN TALLADEGA WHICH IS ALWAYS KIND OF GOOFY, IS THERE ANOTHER TRACK THAT CONCERNS YOU OF THE TEN? “No, not really. Not one that sticks out. We’re going to unload somewhere and be not where we need to be and need to catch up. We don’t know where that is. Every track is going to be a challenge. There is not one that sticks out where we say, ‘Ok, this is problematic for us.’ They’re going to be some surprises. This weekend, we came here running really well last time and we typically run really well there, but we could unload here and be real off. We don’t know where the challenge will be right now, but there certainly will be one.”

WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH TO TALLADEGA? “My approach at Talladega hasn’t worked real well because I haven’t won a race at Talladega. I’ve tried everything. I’ve tried to ride around, I’ve tried to be aggressive and be in the front, I’ve tried to kind of wait around and see how things are going. At the end of the day, it is. You go in there with a strategy and whatever that strategy is you just stick to it. It’s one of two things, it’s either be aggressive and go try to lead as many laps as you can, or it’s go ride around in the back. It’s nothing in between. I think the guys that ride around in 15th trying to not be aggressive I think that’s a major mistake. I think if you’re going to ride around, go ride around. My take on Talladega is do one of the two and whatever happens, happens.”

HOW DOES THIS TRACK PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS? “That’s a good question. Honestly the best we’ve run here since the track was reconfigured was this last race. My success was prior to the track change, and because the track has changed so much and the way you run these racecars has changed so much that advantage got away. When I was winning a lot of races here the strategy of winning this race and running around this track fast wasn’t really about the center of the corner; it was about get in the corner deep and get off the corner fast and you kind of gave up the center of the corner. Well you can’t do that anymore. Today, drivers have learned to carry speeds through the center of the corners. They have faster cars that carry speed. Teams have started working on that, so that strategy has changed and that way of winning a race here has changed. I had to adjust and it’s hard to adjust when you’re doing well. It took me awhile to catch on, but that was our synergy of success for a long time.”

YOU WERE KIND OF A VICTIM OF SUCCESS THEN? “I felt like I was. I just didn’t feel like I adapted as fast as I needed to.”

A LOT OF CHASE GUYS ARE COMING TO THE RACES WITH NEW CHASSIS, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT VIEW THAT AS A RISK. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHY THAT IS? IS THAT LESS OF A RISK THEN IT USED TO BE WITH THE WAY TEAMS PREPARE NOW? “Well, if our program is running right our chassis 240 should be better than 239. If not, then don’t build 240. So we are constantly evolving our race cars and we are constantly trying to make them better. We do have more ways of measuring what a better car is today; we have more data ways without having to bring it to a racetrack. In today’s environment, we can’t go test car A compared to car B on a racetrack; there is nowhere to go do that. So we’ve made big investments in trying to find ways to do that at the shop and we have a good amount of confidence in those things. When we bring a new racecar out we’re bringing it out because we think it’s better than the one we had prior. By the way, this will be one of many new racecars that we bring out. We’ve geared our program up to be ready for the Chase and to be the best that we can be in the Chase and we believe that if we aren’t building better cars right now than what we had in June, it isn’t going to be good enough. That’s our thought process to it. We’ll see if that plays out or not, but in my eyes it’s a constant evolution.”

WHAT CAR ARE YOU RACING THIS WEEKEND? “You know what, I don’t know what car it is anyway. When I come to the race track—I know what the game plan is for building new cars, I know what the strategy is for building new cars. The most we’ve run a car all year is like three times. Every car I sit in looks brand new. Hell, I wouldn’t know if it was four races old or brand new; they all look brand new to me. I’m much more comfortable with a company that is trying to be progressive and is trying to build something better now than what they were building yesterday. If I had came here—we ran really well here in the first race, we had a great chance to win that race—if we had brought that same car, and that would be the conservative strategy to bring that same car. I’m pretty sure the 48, the 20 the 18—I’m pretty sure all those guys are building new cars to bring cars that can go beat that. We have to do the same thing.”

YOUR TEAMMATE SAID THAT HE IS ADMITTEDLY AGAINST A DIFFERENT POINTS FORMAT FOR THE GUYS IN THE CHASE. DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? “I agree with him. I believe our series is built on racing the entire field. I believe that if you finish 35th, you should get 35th points. If you finish 35th, you should not get 12th place points. You should get the points you earn that day based on the entire field. There are a lot of reasons for that. If you win the race and you are a point guy, lets say three people finish second-third-fourth

that aren’t in the Chase, well the next guy that’s in the Chase, he didn’t finish second. He finished fifth. When you compare him to you, that’s where he finished; he didn’t finish second, he wasn’t second best to you, he was fifth best to you and so he should be awarded fifth-place points. It would make the Chase more exciting going into Homestead because the fewer times your penalized for having bad races the better the championship hunt would be at the end of the season, but it is not the most fair way to crown a champion.”

JEFF IT DOESN’T HAPPEN EVERY YEAR, BUT IT DIDN’T HAPPEN LAST YEAR; THE GUYS THAT GO INTO THE CHASE WITHOUT HAVING WON A RACE IT SEEMS HAVE A HARDER TIME WINNING IN THAT LAST 10-RACE STRETCH THAN THE GUYS THAT DID WIN. IS IT HARDER TO WIN ONCE YOU GET INTO THE CHASE, OR IS IT JUST 10 MORE RACES? “Well, I think they’re 10 more races, but I do think that everybody steps their game up. There is a reason that you haven’t won. You know, our weaknesses were exposed. It wasn’t that we weren’t fast enough; it was that we didn’t have the right pit stop, we didn’t have the right move by me, we didn’t have the right strategy. The questions for the teams that haven’t won races are, ‘have you been able to fix your weakness?’ It is hard to fix weaknesses in a year. I think that’s why it’s hard to win if you haven’t won, because there is a reason that you haven’t won. It’s hard to adjust those things throughout a year. I believe that everybody is going to bring their best the next 10 weeks, everybody is trying to elevate their program and it does get harder. I hope that it would get harder.”

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR IDEAL FORMAT AND DOES TWEAKING THE CHASE DE-LEGITIMIZE THE SYSTEM? “I don’t want to say I don’t car because obviously I do care, because if I didn’t care I wouldn’t have made the comment I made about how you award points. But part of me doesn’t care at all. Because whatever the points are……it’s the same for everybody. And it’s building the race team, its driving the car; it’s all the things you have to do when the rules are the same for everybody. So you can take advantage of those rules. I like the Chase format and I think the playoff type system is fun and it’s what sports are all about. Sports are about pressure-filled, high-energy moments when there is a lot on the line and the more of a tournament atmosphere you can bring to it the more opportunities there are for that.

“At the same time, I like the traditional body of work meaning something. You know? I think your body of work should mean something. So, combining those two things in some form or fashion is the right thing to do. Which by the way, is what we have. So I don’t think we need major changes but the thing that we lack or potentially lack is a Super Bowl. Where there are two teams, maybe even three or four teams, where it’s zero to zero and you kick the ball off. We lack that a little bit, and it would be cool to have that, but you can only have that be legitimate if your body of work still has to mean something. You can’t just say, ‘okay its zero to zero, last two cars have at it in the last race’. It’s not what our sport has been about but there is part of me that says, ‘wow, that is really exciting’. How many super bowls do you guys go to where there are half the people who aren’t even watching the game? You know? But they are there for the party. And that is what is cool about the Super Bowl, it’s a national event. And the more we can do those kinds of things, the better it is for our sport. And on top of that, there is one person who always wins the pool who doesn’t even know who is playing (laughs). And that really pisses you off.”

ON THE POSSIBILITY OF JIMMIE JOHNSON AND THE 48 TEAM BEING MORE VULNERABLE THIS YEAR THAN IN THE PAST. WHY IS THAT A PREVAILING THOUGHT?

“Because he doesn’t hold the trophy for the fifth time. When I say that and you guys know my opinion on this, I think we re-write history. How many of the last four years, of those four years, did you go in there and say, ‘well, the 48 is hot right now’. ‘The 48 is by far the favorite.’ It hasn’t been there every time. They haven’t dominated every race and they haven’t dominated………so I think that everybody is looking for an opening but again, I go back and I watch what has gone on in prior years and they have always certainly been a top pick but its

never been a lock. You know? They made it a lock because they went and got the job done. So I don’t think they are any more vulnerable this year than they were last year. I happened to think they were vulnerable last year. And they were vulnerable the year before. The same way every sports team is. There is no team that is not vulnerable. And if it was, then Duke wouldn’t have beaten UNLV and knocked them out of the tournament. If people weren’t vulnerable then the Giants wouldn’t have won the Super Bowl a few years ago. Every team is vulnerable.”

ON MEMORIES THAT YOU HOPE YOU NEVER FORGET? “Man, you are asking me to get out of my comfort zone here. Professionally and personally are two different categories. Professionally there has been………..it’s really hard to say. You know professionally it’s been winning Dover racing Matt Kenseth to me was a big moment because I respect him so much. I don’t know………..I am much better about looking ahead than looking behind. The birth of my children, you know obviously….it’s really hard to answer that question because I am so into Chase mode and getting this thing going that my mind is on that. Get back with me on that. My brain is just not there.”

ON HOW MUCH IS MENTAL TOUGHNESS A PART OF STAYING IN THE CHASE: “I think mental toughness is always important. It’s easy when things are going well. You know what I mean? When things are going well, it’s easy to be mentally tough. The question is when the chips are down, who is going to be mentally tough? The chips are going to be down for everybody at some point in this Chase and those will be the defining moments in this Chase and who can come through those……..that’s going to determine who the winner is. So I think mental toughness is real important and I think attitude is real important and not for only the drivers but for everybody on the team. There has got to be a desire to win it. You know, everybody wants to win it but the question is who is going to sacrifice to win it and what are you willing to sacrifice and be willing to give up? And I feel like my group of people will give up just about anything to win this thing and I feel like I will too. Short of our integrity…….we are not going to give up our integrity. But short of that we are willing to make a lot of sacrifices to do what needs to happen.”

ON WHETHER THE MULTI-CAR TEAMS HAVE A BETTER CHANCE AT NOT HAVING A PART FAILURE IN THE CHASE “There is not a team in the Chase that doesn’t have a lot of people. Every team is at least a two-car team or three-car team. Stewart-Haas is a two-car team but they have a lot of help from Hendrick so…….or I assume they have a lot of help from Hendrick…so every team has enough people to answer the call. I think it’s very important for every team not to fail. I hear a lot about ‘well, we can’t do this or we can’t do that’ and I am really tired about talking about it. Let’s talk about what we can do. There is a lot of talk and when Chases start, and races start its ‘well we can’t do this, and we shouldn’t do that’ and you know……no kidding. ‘We can’t break a motor’ and I am like, ‘really?” (laughs). I am more about what are we going to do to make more horsepower and more torque and not break the motor. Sometimes when you get in that mode of we can’t do this and we can’t do that, you start forgetting about what it is you can do. So our approach to this thing is more about what we should be doing and what we can be doing and what we need to be doing versus what we are not going to do. You know, we are going to make some mistakes along the way. Every team is. No team is going to not have a bad pit stop, not have the perfect strategy or perfect set-up. You know? What have you got and what can you do with it? That is what this thing is all about.”

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

SYLVANIA 300

NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/JOHNS MANVILLE CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and discussed racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the Chase and other topics. Full transcript:

ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO RACING AT NEW HAMPSHIRE THIS WEEKEND? “Excited. Ran well here in the spring, qualified decent and ran up front all day long. Excited for our chances. I think these first two races are going to be really good for the 48 team. I’m hopeful to come out and get a win and ideally get two wins. Really get everybody worried about the No. 48 team and doing our job. We’re excited. Kerry (Tharp, NASCAR PR), no worries, I announced that I am the 2009 Male Athlete of the Year and did my opening comments. Way too much information.”

BEYOND TALLADEGA, IS THERE A RACE TRACK THAT CONCERNS YOU IN THE CHASE? “I felt like what I experienced last year with Texas, you really are vulnerable anywhere you go. I know a lot of people make Martinsville up to be a wild card race and it certainly is because of the close contact, but Martinsville you can hit the fence, you can hit someone else and in most cases, keep going. Texas, I felt like the mile-and-a-halves, you would have room and you could avoid situations and that was my belief last year and I was caught up in something that kind of has changed my mind. Maybe it hasn’t changed my mind, but it’s made the reality for me that anything can happen anywhere. I tried not to be sucked into that because last year we had so much momentum and so much going on. It just seemed like things were really going to happen for us and then Texas was the reality check that this thing isn’t really over until you run every mile at every race.”

CAN YOU TAKE YOURSELF OUT OF A CHANCE TO WIN BY WORRYING ABOUT WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN AT A RACE TRACK? “I really think that a driver and team needs to continue doing what they’ve been doing and if you’re a team that doesn’t think and spends a lot of time thinking and now you’re spending all this time worrying about stuff that will probably hurt you. Ideally you just have to do what you know and what got you to this point. For me, that’s not thinking – I’m not good at thinking.”

DOES NEW HAMPSHIRE AND THEN DOVER FAVOR ANY TEAMS IN THE CHASE? “First of all, we all think that a fast start is needed to win the Chase. In ’06, it wasn’t the case so we all say that but until we get to race six or seven, the race strategy of what it really takes isn’t going to be clear yet. Yes we are all hopeful to get off to a good start here and for our team and the fact that we’ve been very consistent and running in the top-five here the last few times. Then Dover has been such a good track for us, it gets us really excited as the Lowe’s team that we can hopefully run where we should and run up front and collect a lot of points. Lead a lap or lead some laps and get off to a fast start in the Chase. We’re hopeful for that, but if it doesn’t happen then we’ll spin it in a way that says in ’06 you didn’t need to and there’s still hope and there’s still nine races and it probably drives all of you crazy, the positions we take week after week. We’ve got to give ourselves hope somehow.”

WHY DO YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE AT DOVER? “For me, it’s really just the history that I have at these race tracks. Dover was my first big track that I ran in ASA and sat on the pole, led a bunch of laps and had a puncture with the tire and took me out of it. Nationwide, loved it. Cup career have loved it and won a lot there. It is a place though that if something goes wrong and outside of the spin I had in qualifying, you’re going to hit something. You can spin like a top down the front stretch, but I’m just glad I didn’t hit anything. It will eat you up. I may be coming back to a question we had at the start, I’m going with what I know and going to continue to drive the car as I always have and Dover is a track that I just love driving. I’m looking forward to it and am going to go in there with that mindset and try to put the fear out of my mind and go for a win.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE INTERMEDIATE TRACKS IN THE CHASE AND PEOPLE SAYING THEY NEED TO ‘JIMMIE-PROOF’ THE CHASE? “I guess I take a little pride in it because it means we’ve been doing our jobs. It’s such a fragile environment, living it myself, I know we’ve had four awesome years, but anything could have happened at any time from the way I see it. It’s very difficult to operate at this high level in this sport that is so competitive with so many superstars that are out there. I take a little pride in that comment, but at the same time, I know this is a tough road to hoe.”

IS YOUR INTERMEDIATE PROGRAM AS GOOD AS IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST? “I think I made these comments a few months ago when we were getting into the summer that the mile-and-a-halves were a little tough for us. It seems like we’ve been able to qualify well, then as the race goes on we just couldn’t adjust the cars the way we needed to. We led a lot of laps at Chicago, there’s some other tracks where we would start well and then fade. Michigan, we started up front and then just really couldn’t get the car tuned in right as the race went on. We see some tracks where we ran well, but had a spin at Chicago, use that as an example. I felt like we would have finished well there. Then we look at Michigan and feel like we didn’t run like we should have and that does worry me. A few of those tracks, including Indy, we start up front and just a slow fade to the back. What makes me feel good about that going into the Chase is how we ran in Atlanta. We went back to the 48-style stuff and what we know and had a car that maybe wasn’t the fastest all night long, but a car that we could adjust on and improve and at the end of the race I had a shot to win. If we didn’t have Atlanta, I would be a little more concerned, but Atlanta gave us a lot of direction and I think we’ll be competitive on the mile-and-a-halves. I’m not sure that we’re as strong as we’ve been there in the past on those style of tracks, but we do have some time yet to kind of sort things out.”

ARE YOU MORE COMFORTABLE USING THE CAR YOU WON WITH IN JUNE OR DO YOU WISH YOU HAD BROUGHT A NEW CAR? “Just depends on your team and what’s going on that year. Through the summer in some of these races that we’ve struggled at, we’ve been trying new stuff. From different style clips on cars to setups and sometimes you think you need to keep moving forward to keep up with guys and we go down that road and it doesn’t pan out for us. So we’ve actually back-tracked a little bit and have gone back to stuff more like the start of the year and early spring that really works for us. You never know. You have to stay looking forward and the stuff we were working on through the summer, we haven’t put it away, we just need to figure out another piece or two to put with it. Our minds are always thinking forward, but at times you can get ahead of yourself in some respects. The Childress guys have had a lot of momentum lately, they’ve been bringing great cars to the track all year and there are times and they might be the example that when you keep using new stuff and you have the right direction, you can bring better equipment to the track each time. Right now, we’re not really in that position. We have a lot that we want to bring, we just need to sort it out a little bit more.”

HAVE YOU ARRIVED AS A GOLFER? “Oh no. Far from it. It was a cool spread and glad to be in it, but I’m still 25 handicap. Golf is a means to drinking beer for me so it’s still the same thing for me. I am 35, am I getting close to that Senior status?”

IS THERE A STRATEGY TO WIN AT NEW HAMPSHIRE?: “In the spring we had a great car in the long haul and we came down to some short runs at the end and that really played into the 2 (Kurt Busch) car’s hands. We put on a good race and moved each other out of the way to fight for the win and sort things out. This track is so difficult because what you need for the long run and we have a lot of long runs through the middle of the race will not work for a five lap shootout. You just have to pick your poison. Are you going to worry about the end of the race and just hope you don’t go a lap down and hope you maintain decent track position or do you work on the car like you normally do and try to make it good for an entire fuel run. Of course we’re trying to balance it, but it’s a really tough thing to do here. I would assume we’re going to have short runs at the end, but we need to keep our eyes on that this weekend and make sure our car’s right.”

DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE PERCEPTION OF THE FANS AND COMPETITORS OF YOUR ABILITY TO DO WELL IN THIS CHASE? “With what we’ve done and what I’ve heard through being in there week after week, that chance is there. I’m not sure that one race would make the garage area say, ‘Oh man, the 48’s there.’ In my eyes I try to think about it realistically, if we’re able to run well here, Dover and get two or three races linked together then we might be able to pick up something like that. I sure hope I do and I would love to put our team in that position that see if it really makes a difference or not. Early in the Chase, at least in my experience, it’s easy to not get too emotionally attached to things. At the end of the Chase when you have a shot and you can see Homestead out there and you’re one of the two or three guys that has a chance, your mind does a lot of weird things on you. If I can build some momentum until then and be a player and a factor at that point, I think we can get some heads. Until then, these guys are too strong, too smart and I don’t think they would allow that to go on.”

HOW DIFFERENT ARE YOU THIS WEEK HEADING INTO NEW HAMPSHIRE? “I made those comments in New York doing the media stuff and I woke up this morning, put together a crib and put together the little mobile on it and got the bath tub out and got everything setup. Then I was like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ve got media coming up and practice.’ I know I have said that point comes where it hits you and it hasn’t yet so I know it’s the Chase, I know what’s going on and walking the garage area and take my job seriously and do everything that I need to, but each year I have had more fun in the Chase. I am hoping that this is a sign that I am more relaxed, enjoying the moment and I’m going to give 100 percent either way so the less I stress about things, I think the better I’m going to run. I’ve seen that trend as well. I’m excited, I’m relaxed and looking forward to the Chase and we’ll see what happens. Hopefully I can be more relaxed this year and enjoy the experience and make even better decisions yet because I’m in the right place in my life.”

DID YOU LOOK AT THE TIME WHEN YOU GOT UP THIS MORNING? “I jumped in the shower at 10:20 and was panicked. I was like, I have to get to the media center so I was just kind of occupied doing other stuff.”

WHAT IS YOUR LEVEL OF VELNERABILITY AND WHAT COMPETITOR CONCERNS YOU GOING INTO THE CHASE?: “We’ve had enough slow summers that I don’t feel vulnerable going into the Chase. I know the tracks that are on the schedule and we all know how good they are for me and they all give me a lot of hope and excitement moving forward. I don’t think that I’m any different this year than last year. Stats may show that this year I’m actually in better shape than I was last year. I can play into that stuff and let it change my mind a little bit emotionally. Either way I know that I’ve got great tracks coming up. I know that we respond well to pressure and I’m excited for it. I feel good about things. I’m also a realist and I look at that two ways – one, and I’m only 10 points out now so that gives everyone a lot of hope because the furthest out is 60. Then from there I have to go out and look at these final 10 as this is the start of the season and we’re at Daytona again or wherever again, it has started over. I’m not going to stress about the past, I’m not going to carry baggage in from the regular season and I hope my team doesn’t. I feel confident with the conversations we’ve had that we’re all on the same page and we’re on a clean sheet of paper and it’s time to go. I know we say this every year that we’re up here and that everyone has a chance, but honestly it’s a wide, there’s a wide group of guys that can win this thing. We’ve seen the Stewart-Haas stuff coming along, Roush cars are fast again, RCR (Richard Childress Racing) cars have been great, Gibbs cars have been good and Denny (Hamlin) has been a little streaky like I have, but the 18 (Kyle Busch) has been real consistent lately, Denny is coming off of a win – it’s going to be exciting. I’ve got my teammate Jeff (Gordon), he’s been real consistent all year long and I put a lot of weight in a past champion’s hands when it comes to a championship battle. You’ve been there and done that and you know how to deal with the pressures that come with it. I think it’s going to be a really good Chase.”

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

SYLVANIA 300

NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 CHEERIOS/HAMBURGER HELPER CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and discussed the start of the Chase, momentum and consistency, his home track of Kansas Speedway and other topics. Full transcript:

TALK ABOUT YOUR OUTLOOK AS THE CHASE STARTS THIS WEEKEND: “I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited to be in the Chase. Our team is excited. It’s just a whole new rejuvenation for our race team. We’re starting over. When we went into this thing, if you think about it, we were 500 points out. And we’re 60 points out. That’s a big change in one race time. So, ten races to go. This is a fun atmosphere to be in. We’re excited about it. There are good race tracks for us. There are ten tracks that are really good for me. I think we’ll be good.”

GOING BACK TO KANSAS IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US THE FIRST TIME THAT YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO RUN THERE? AND DO YOU STILL GET BUTTERFLIES GOING BACK THERE? “It all started driving down the road to Lakeside (Speedway in Kansas City, KS); I remember when it was a housing development. Never in a million years would you have looked at that area right there going down 435 and said this is going to be a huge racing complex with a shopping mall and everything that’s over there. It’s unbelievable how much that race track has brought to that area and Wyandotte Country. When it was being built, to drive by it when it was being built, and when it was, to go to the first race and be in the infield hanging out with your buddies and watching a race and dreaming of racing there. To go back there and compete, not only compete, but to compete at the top level of motorsports, it’s a pretty neat feeling.”

YOU HAD TO FOCUS SO MUCH ON MAKING SURE THAT YOU GOT INTO THE CHASE, ARE THERE ANY CONCERNS THAT YOU DIDN’T HAVE ADEQUATE TIME TO PREPARE FOR EVERYTHING ONCE YOU GOT INTO IT? “No, we had a brand new car ready for it, the first race of the Chase. It wasn’t like we weren’t prepared. It’s not like you work so hard to get in the Chase and your fizzled. Everybody’s excited. Like I said, this is a whole rejuvenation for our race team. Just the sheer excitement of being in the Chase is worth something. And then if you go back and look at our record, my record even before these ten races, these are good race tracks for us. We’ve never finished outside the top five when we’ve been in the Chase. Go back and look at last season even when we weren’t in the Chase, those ten races were my best races of the year. And I think we can improve for sure off of where we’re at right now.”

DO YOU FEEL YOU ARE AT AN ADVANTAGE BY NOT BEING CONSIDERED A TOP CONTENDER FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP? “Yes, absolutely and that is what I am looking most forward to is being the underdog and being that afterthought. Everybody puts the pressure…I mean, did you hear how many questions Jimmie Johnson just answered? And that was all pressure-related. How are you going to handle the pressure? What are you going to do this time to win your fifth championship? My teammate Kevin Harvick, I was in New York listening to him answer those same exact questions because of the way he has run all season long for 26 races. We haven’t answered one of them. The only thing you guys want to know from us is how do you think you can do. That is great. It reminds me a lot of 2007. The same scenario. We came and won the first race and kind of set the tempo for the Chase and for our race team as well. I hope that I can back that up. I think that we can run at that level. I think our cars are good enough too. Probably better than they were. We’ve got some room to improve and we need to improve if we are going to win a championship and compete with these guys for 10 races. The way our cars have run all year, Kevin has done a good job of showing our potential at RCR. If we can match that for 10 races like he has for 26, somebody at RCR should win.”

YOUR TEAM HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST CONSISTENT IN RECENT WEEKS. NOW THAT YOU HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE CHASE, WHAT KIND OF ATTITUDE DIFFERENCE IS THERE WITH THE TEAM, YOU USED THE TERM REJUVENATING AT RICHMOND, HOW PALPABLE IS THAT? “I think it is everything. Confidence and momentum is everything in any sport I think. They both feed off of each other. The last month has been a lot of momentum and has brought a lot of confidence to our race team. I think, hopefully, we can continue to ride that wave as long as we can. If we could carry that throughout the Chase, we can be a force to be reckoned with, just like we were in 2007. That is the thing about my Chase, in my opinion, that is different from any other years. You don’t have that dominate organization. You have got every organization in it that is very strong, very capable of winning racing and we have seen it all year long. Everybody has had their time in the sun. I think it is going to be the same thing. I think you are going to go into Homestead with anywhere from three to six cars with a shot at winning the championship. I think that is going to be big for our sport.”

WE’VE SPENT WEEKS DEBATING WHO IS IN THE TEAM AND WHO HAS THE BEST CHANCE TO WIN, SOME SAYING THAT OUTSIDE DISTRACTIONS SUCH AS RUNNING THEIR OWN ORGANIZATION WILL BE AN ISSUE, DOES ANY OF THAT REALLY MATTER? “I really don’t think it does. The only one with a sheer advantage, in my opinion, is Jimmie Johnson. He’s won four in a row. Everybody is chasing after him and there has got to be a level of intimidation there. Everybody else, all it is, you have to be able to get on that roll, get on a rhythm and find that mojo. If you can carry that thru 10 races, you are going to find yourself a champion. That is how close the racing is. I think the one that is the most consistent always wins the championship. If you have a bad race, as close as this racing is, I don’t think there is time to make for.”

AS CLOSE AS THE FIELD IS, WOULD IT SURPRISE YOU IF SOMEBODY BROKE OUT EARLY AND STARTED WINNING RACES AND GETTING A BIG LEAD? “I just don’t see the way Jimmie Johnson won four out of the 10 races or whatever he did to dominate a Chase. He surprised us all before, and he may. But I just don’t think that any one team is going to break out and be head and shoulders above everybody else.”

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

SYLVANIA 300

NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and discussed getting into the Chase, the mindset of the Chase, sponsorship in NASCAR, RCR having three cars in the Chase and other topics. Full transcript:

TALK ABOUT YOUR OUTLOOK THIS WEEKEND AT NEW HAMPSHIRE AND STARTING THE CHASE: “For us, I think we just have to keep doing the things that we did up until this point. We won a few races, had a lot of top-fives and top-10 finishes. On the days where we really struggled, I felt like we, for the most part, made something out of those days. It was good enough to lead the points in the first 26 (races) so there is really no reason for us to change our strategy. I feel like the guys have done a great job of getting the cars prepared. They have built four or five new cars. We’ll see what happens. Whether we win or lose, I think everybody has done everything we can control. We’ll just go race now.”

HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL WHEN PEOPLE SAY TO JIMMIE JOHNSON WHO CAN STOP YOU HERE AND HE SAYS YOU? “I think everybody is proud of everything that we have done to get turned around. If you had told me at the start of the year that the turn-around was going to be as good as it has been, I think we’d all have chuckled a little bit and said ‘We hope so’, but you never know how it is going to turn out until you start racing. It is kind of like these last 10 week, you never know what is going to happen until you get in here and race. Just proud of everybody. I think everybody is jacked up and just ready to go race and see where we stack up in the end.”

DO YOU THINK THAT PUTS PRESSURE ON YOU BY BEING LABELED THE FAVORITE BY JOHNSON? “I think he is still the guy to beat. I mean, he has won the last four so how can he not be until somebody beats him?”

WHAT DOES IT MENTALLY FEEL LIKE TO GO FROM A POINTS LEAD OF OVER 200 POINTS AND GO INTO THE CHASE 30 POINTS DOWN TO THE LEADER? “For me, I just quit looking at the points about half-way through the year because things were going so good, it didn’t really matter. We knew what we were racing toward and that was a reset of the points and we needed to figure out how to win more and we did. We started winning races. Then as we got closer to the Chase, we just raced and that is really all we did. Now, it is time to think about going back to leading laps and going back, if you aren’t in contention to lead laps, you have to figure out how to get those five points. You have to figure out how to qualify decent and do all the little things that we did up until that point. Myself and the whole team knew what direction we were racing toward at the end of race 26, so the points didn’t really matter. Once we got to a point of knowing we were headed toward the Chase, we started thinking about the Chase and we didn’t even look, it didn’t even matter.”

ALL THE CHILDRESS CARS HAVE NEW CHASSIS HERE THIS WEEKEND, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE THOUGHT PROCESS TO DO THAT? SOME MIGHT THINK THAT IS A RISK TO COME HERE WITH SOMETHING YOU HAVEN’T RUN HERE BEFORE? “We think that is a good thing. Those cars were built and massaged and rubbed-on and really feel like they have been very detailed out as far as cars on the race track. That is part of the process of what we feel like we did right coming into the Chase, was build new cars that take more lead, that make more downforce and that’s why we saved them until now. The good thing about all the things we do now is we have wind tunnels and we have the shaker rig and the pull-down machines and everything that we put these cars on. You know what your good cars are, so you go and put them all in that direction and you try to make them better. They are so good at building the cars now; I don’t really think it is a risk. I think it is a good thing. I think you’ll see that over the next several weeks. A lot of new cars coming out of our stable. I know there has been a lot of talk about the un-predictability of what you bring to the race track, but I feel like our quality control is better than everybody else’s. The things that we do; the processes that we put our cars through to make sure they are built right and make the right downforce. The downforce is in the right spot. That is something that we do really good. I think RCR has always been very good at their quality control issues with the engine department and that has bled over into the manufacturing department of the cars.”

YOU HAVE A NEW SPONSOR FOR YOUR TRUCK THIS WEEKEND, JEGS, WHICH IS NORMALLY DRAG RACING. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT PROGRAM? “I think Jegs has been a part of us, whether it’s been just small pieces here and there for the last couple, probably three years actually, this will be the third year. They decided they wanted to venture out. They do the contingency program on the Cup and Nationwide sides. It is a big step for those guys to step out of the drag racing world and come over into the Truck series and be the primary sponsor. They have become good friends of ours and we are looking forward to running well this weekend and hopefully having a good showing for them and showing them that the NASCAR side will work well for them.”

WHERE DOES SPONSORSHIP STAND WITH KHI FOR NEXT YEAR? ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT BIG NAMES LIKE TONY STEWART AND JEFF GORDON ARE HAVING TROUBLE SECURING FULL SPONSORSHIP FOR NEXT YEAR?

“We’ve been very fortunate on the sponsorship side. Hopefully in the next three or four weeks we should have a lot of things wrapped up. And that’s a good thing. Our intentions are to still compete in both as they currently stand in the Truck Series and the Nationwide Series with the vehicles that we have and hopefully maybe a few more races than what we currently run. Everybody has done a great job from a Cup car to the Nationwide cars. Our current sponsors are all going to still be involved from the Nationwide side and many of them on the Truck side. For us, we’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of success on the sponsorship side and things are going great.”

CAN YOU CONTRAST WHERE THIS ORGANIZATION WAS A YEAR AGO COMING TO NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND HOW VASTLY DIFFERENT IT IS NOW FOR THE ENTIRE RCR ORGANIZATION TO HAVE THREE CARS IN THE CHASE? WHEN DID THE ACTUAL TURNAROUND BEGIN? “The actual turnaround began in Indianapolis last year. That was our first generation of new cars with some different set-up things that were implemented into the cars at that particular time. From that point on it’s been a building process to get things headed in that direction. Richard (Childress) made a few more personnel moves as we went through that time and over the off-season. But really last year at this time, we had had a crappy year but the direction was headed in the right direction when we came here last year so everybody had started to calm down to a certain degree, knowing that the year was shot but that the direction was going in the right direction. So, I still say for the No. 29 team the key race for us was still California and just knowing that we had cars that were capable of competing. I felt like I made a big mistake and that was a huge eye-opener for everybody to get back in that mindset of remembering what you do when you win races and not forcing things.”

WHEN YOU WERE GOING THROUGH THAT, DID YOU EVER THINK YOU COULD GET ALL THREE CARS INTO THE CHASE? “It’s been more than normal to get the three cars than it has to not. For us, that was something we’d done pretty well at through the years. Last year was definitely more abnormal than the norm that we’d been used to. I think last year made us better. I think those struggles definitely made us better.”

YOU TALKED ABOUT JIMMIE JOHNSON BEING THE FAVORITE, BUT OBVIOUSLY YOU’VE GOT TO BELIEVE IN YOUR OWN ABILITY TO WIN THIS CHASE. SO WHY CAN YOU WIN IT? WHY WILL YOU WIN? “I think we have the best chance to win just because of the mindset that we’ve been able to put ourselves in going into it first off; and that came from running well in the first 26 weeks and running through almost three Chases leading up until this point. Until you beat the guy that’s won four times is one thing, but I think our shot at being able to win and have a chance to win the championship is there. It’s just a matter of how it all unfolds in 10 weeks. All 12 teams are capable of getting on a hot streak at any time. We’ve all been here before. We’ve all won championships in some sort of racing division at some time. So it’s just a matter of who puts these 10 weeks together and who gets on that hot streak.”

DO YOU NEED TO BE BETTER THAN YOU WERE DURING THE REGULAR SEASON?

“I don’t think so. I think if we do what we did in the regular season I don’t think we need to be any better.”

EVERYBODY BASICALLY DREADS TALLADEGA. BUT IS THERE A TRACK OTHER THAN TALLADEGA THAT YOU ARE MOSTLY CONCERNED ABOUT? “I look forward to Talladega. I think the way that our superspeedway stuff has gone this year, and I know that can turn at any moment, but I look forward to the challenge of Talladega and putting ourselves in the position to race there. For us, the biggest hiccup has been Charlotte and we ran okay there this year and hopefully we can build on that and a lot of race tracks that we’ve gone to that we thought we had struggled at in the past, past stats haven’t stacked up for us as far as what we’ve done at particular race tracks. I think Michigan is a great example. So we just go out and race and I don’t think of a weak point for us that we have; there’s going to be a week that we don’t run good but I don’t think going in there we’re going to think that we’re going to run bad. So, Charlotte would be the one that sticks out in these 10 weeks. You can go to any of these race tracks and say that you’ve had a bad day at some particular moment. I think we’re looking forward to all of them right now.”

DO YOU AGREE WITH TONY STEWART THAT MAYBE THE CHASE GUYS COULD HAVE THEIR OWN POINT SYSTEM SEPARATE FROM THE OTHER 33 GUYS AND IF YOU HAVE A BAD FINISH, IT’S ONLY AMONG YOURSELVES AND NOT AMONG EVERYBODY?

“All right, you’re going to get me started on points and Chases and that stuff (laughter). The part of this sport that I like the most is that it requires you to race all 43 guys. And the part that sticks out to me the most is if you want to create a points championship that has one or two point increments and you can have a bad week, having a bad week is part of this sport. And if you finish 43rd, you still have to race the other 43 guys. If you want to have your own point system, let’s just have 12 cars on the track and call it I-ROC, because it won’t work. So, you’ve got to race against all 43 guys. Durability has always been a part of this sport and being creative and how far you can push things and having wrecks. Creating its own point system for the Chase would be a total mistake because that’s not what our sport is about. Our sport is about guys trying to make the race and people having to put their stuff on the trailer and go home. It’s always been (about) who could not break engines and who could not break parts and who could not break pieces. So I think you’d open up a can of worms. It wouldn’t be fun because it’s still not about 12 guys.”

ON DOVER, YOU FINISHED 7TH THERE EARLIER THIS YEAR AND THAT COULD BE A WILD CAR FOR SOME OF THE GUYS BECAUSE THINGS HAPPEN SO FAST

“Dover is a cool race track. It’s fast. But there can be a wreck off of Turn 2 that will swallow up 10 or 15 cars. We’ve been on both sides of that fence. We did run well there at the beginning of the year. Hopefully we can do the same thing when we go back. It’s one of those race tracks that lets you know how fast you’re going, not only when you’re going around the race track, but if you happen to hit something. It’s a fun race track but it can eat you up pretty fast.”

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.

0 – fewest number of lead changes for a Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Jeff Burton led all 300 laps at September 2000 event)

2 – fewest ServiceMaster Clean cautions for a Sprint Cup race at NHMS (July 1997)

4 – number of Sprint Cup drivers ranked in the top 12 all 26 races season

5 of the 12 drivers in the Chase have yet to win in 2010

5 of the 31 Sprint Cup races at NHMS have been won from a front row starting position, four from the pole

7 – number of ServiceMaster Clean jet dryers available at NHMS this weekend

7 of the 26 Sprint Cup races this season have been extended beyond the scheduled distance following a late ServiceMaster Clean caution

11 different race winners in the last 11 Sprint Cup races at The Magic Mile

13 – most ServiceMaster Clean cautions for a Sprint Cup race this season (Martinsville)

17 – most ServiceMaster Clean cautions for a Sprint Cup race at NHMS (July 1994)

90 minutes – approximate time it takes for the ServiceMaster Clean jet dryers to dry the 1.058-mile NHMS track after a significant rainfall

98 of the 185 ServiceMaster Clean cautions in the first 26 Sprint Cup races this season were for accidents; 34 for debris and 25 for spins

185 ServiceMaster Clean cautions in the first 26 Sprint Cup events this season; 224 after 26 races last year

958 of 7,676 laps completed in the first 26 Sprint Cup races this year have been under a ServiceMaster Clean caution; 1,086 of 7,336 after 26 races last year

1,373.658 of 10,542.028 miles completed this season in the 26 Sprint Cup races have been under a ServiceMaster Clean caution; 1,536.104 of 10,003.405 after 26 races last year

4,500 ServiceMaster Clean franchise locations around the world

Fan-Oriented “SEND ME 2 VEGAS” Sweepstakes Launches Sept. 15

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 15, 2010) – The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Inc. (NASCAR) announced today one of the sport’s most popular fan events — the return of NASCAR After The Lap to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week^TM line up of activities. Sponsored by Ford Motor Company and Coca-Cola, NASCAR After The Lap is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010, and is the only fan-focused, free event providing NASCAR® fans with unprecedented access to the 2010 top-12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who competed in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup^TM.

NASCAR After The Lap will launch the “SEND ME 2 VEGAS” sweepstakes on Sept. 15 with one fan eligible to win a 2011 Ford Taurus SHO valued at up to $40,000 and a VIP trip for two to NASCAR After The Lap.  

Taking place at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Las Vegas, NASCAR After The Lap will feature an unfiltered fan question-and-answer session with the top-12 Chase drivers. General admission seats are free and based on a first-come, first-serve basis. Seats may be reserved at NASCARafterthelap.com until Dec. 1, 2010. From noon to 4 p.m. PT and located in front of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Coca-Cola will present the fan-interactive Coca-Cola Fan Zone complete with The Sprint Experience, Ford vehicles, games, concessions, entertainment and more.

“NASCAR is dedicated to delivering unique marketing platforms to official partners like Ford and Coca-Cola,” said Jim O’Connell, vice president of corporate marketing and international development for NASCAR. “NASCAR After The Lap demonstrates our passion to create a high-quality fan experience, showcases the colorful personalities of our top competitors and delivers results to our valued partners.”

For fans not able to attend NASCAR After The Lap, NASCAR.com will offer a web cast while SIRIUS XM Radio will broadcast the event live on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio channel 128.

Leading up to the Dec. 2 event, fans have two additional ways to get involved with NASCAR After The Lap:

• “SEND ME 2 VEGAS”
  • After entering the “SEND ME 2 VEGAS” sweepstakes, fans can submit a message to their favorite NASCAR driver at NASCARafterthelap.com and at Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup races at The Sprint Experience and the Ford and Coca-Cola displays at select races.
  • Fans’ messages will be compiled and assembled into a card featured during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
  • The “SEND ME 2 VEGAS” sweepstakes’ winner will present a version of the card to the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion^TM live at NASCAR After The Lap.
• Coca-Cola Chase for Charity
  • The Coca-Cola Chase for Charity is an online auction that allows fans to bid on collectible, autographed items. Bidding begins Monday, Sept. 20 and concludes Friday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. ET. Proceeds benefit The NASCAR Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit entity that embodies the compassion of the NASCAR family and its commitment to serving communities.

 

To enter the “SEND ME 2 VEGAS” sweepstakes, visit NASCARafterthelap.com or enter at select tracks.  See Official Rules for details.  No purchase necessary to enter or win.  Sweepstakes is sponsored and administered by JHE Production Group Inc. and is open to legal residents of the 48 contiguous United States and District of Columbia who are twenty-one (21) years of age or older at the time of entry.  Sweepstakes begins at 12:01 a.m. ET Sept. 15, 2010, and ends at 2 p.m. ET Nov. 21, 2010.

For more information, visit NASCARafterthelap.com.

TOYOTA TALK:

Camry Chasers Chat Chances

Bayne Boasts Best Finish in New NNS Car

Bodine Hopes for Better Luck at Loudon

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Toyota drivers have combined for 10 wins, 30 top-five results, 58 top-10 finishes and five poles after 26 of 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races … Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin — who will compete in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoff — have combined to win nine of 26 races in 2010 … The nine combined wins are the most by a pair of teammates … Toyota has now won the last four NSCS races at Richmond following Hamlin’s win Saturday night … JGR has won seven of 11 NSCS races in Virginia since the team began utilizing Toyotas in 2008 — four at Richmond and three at Martinsville Speedway … ‘Sponsafier 2’ voting runs through Sept. 23.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing How important is it to have a good start in the Chase? “If you run well for the first five races and then you go to Talladega and struggle, you ’ll have a cushion built up. You want to always try to build a cushion as big as you can. You don’t want to start from behind. It’s really important to come out of the gate strong and to run well. It’s no different than the beginning of the year. I always feel like the beginning part of the year is the most important — the first 10 or 12 races are the most important to get your footing and your point standings because then you have a little bit to lose. You might go a week or two here or there where you finish 20th or worse, but you have something that you can lose a little bit. You definitely want to get through the first five at least strong where you have a good setting and then just work towards the rest of the year, and keeping that and of course, maybe even getting away from some guys. ” What would happen if the championship came down to Denny Hamlin and you at Homestead? “If it does, it’s going to be no holds barred. It came down to us last year (at Homestead), and if it’s the same, Denny (Hamlin) was leading the race, I was running second chasing him down and I moved around my line a little bit and he moved his, and I couldn ’t catch him anymore. If it comes down to me having to win the race in order to win the championship, or if he wins the race he wins the championship, it’s going to be whatever happens. If it comes down to where he wins the race and I finish second, it’s going to be an awfully disappointing night for the 18 team, but yet a very exciting one for the 11 (Denny Hamlin).

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Small Business Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing How important is it to have a strong run at Loudon in the first Chase race? “For us, it’s the first three races — Dover is the second one and then Kansas. Those are the ones that we’ve got to get around in the sense of if we’re within 50 to 100 points after we leave those, then we ’ve got a great shot. We always make a heck of a run at the end of the Chase no matter where we’re at in points — those last five races. Those tracks seem to be good for us. So, for me, it’s about damage control. If we can go out there and we can win one or two of those first five Chase races, then that ’s going to be a big boost for us when we need it at the end.” Is this the most confident you have felt entering the Chase? “At this point, I would say yes. We have won at three or four of the Chase tracks during the course of my career, and that’s encouraging for us. Never through the course of my career have I ever felt that anywhere I show up, I could win. With the exception of a road course, I feel like I can run top-5 there, but I’ve never felt like I could just win anywhere I went, until this year. And especially at this point now, the confidence level is pretty high.” Do you believe in momentum heading into the Chase? “Your momentum ends as soon as you go to the next race track, as far as I ’m concerned. It’s about getting better at that race track. What’s different this year from last year is six wins versus two. So, from my standpoint, I feel like the last five races of the Chase always seem to be really good for us, and we always gain points those last five. But the problem is, we race ourselves right out of it for the first two or three. So, for me, it’s about damage control at the beginning and trying to get the best finishes we can and see where we end up. If we are within shouting distance with five (races) to go, then I’m pretty confident we’ll have a good shot at it.

MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 47 Kingsford/Bush’s Baked Beans Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Do you like racing at Loudon? “I like Loudon — it’s a great track. It’s a lot of fun to go around that place and it’s a really fast feeling race track. The corners are pretty flat, but you carry a lot of momentum. It’s a big one-mile flat track and there’s not many of those in the country. You really have to be brave getting into the corner because you know it’s going to be loose getting in and somehow get it around the track. It’s a good, fun place to race and I look forward to going up there.”

NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Toyota drivers have combined for 13 wins, 56 top-five results, 113 top-10 finishes and 13 poles after 27 of 35 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) races … Toyota currently holds a 35-point advantage over Chevrolet in the NNS manufacturer point standings … The NNS enjoys an off-weekend and returns to action at Delaware’s Dover International Speedway, Sept. 25.

TREVOR BAYNE, No. 99 OUT! Pet Care Toyota Camry, Diamond-Waltrip Racing What do you think of the ‘new’ Nationwide Series cars? “I really like these new cars. I actually like the way they drive a little bit better than the current style cars. Everybody at our shop has put so much time and effort into these cars. They’ve built all brand new race cars for two teams — myself and Ryan (Truex). We’ve got four cars sitting there ready to go and not a lot of teams can say that. I love the way they drive. I had to get used to that ‘free’ in, but that’s something we’re going to have to learn for the progression to the Cup cars. I like the way they drive, like the way they look and the adjustability — it’s there. These cars, they’ve designed them in a way that you can adjust on them and you can make them better as the race goes on.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Tundra drivers have combined for 11 wins, 44 top-five results, 89 top-10 finishes and eight poles after 18 of 25 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) races … Tundra drivers Todd Bodine (first), Aric Almirola (second), Timothy Peters (fourth), Mike Skinner (eighth) and David Starr (ninth) are in the top-10 in the NCWTS point standings with seven races remaining.

TODD BODINE, No. 30 Germain.com Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing Do you like racing in New Hampshire? “We’ve run really well at New Hampshire, just never had the luck to go with it. I’ve run well there in a Cup car, the Nationwide car and the Truck. I love going there because it’s not home, but it’s my second home. I’ve spent a lot of time in New England. I have a lot of friends there, and I love New England, period. I’m really looking forward to the race there this year.” Is there a difference between this year and your 2006 championship season? “It’s very similar. I think our performance is better this year. In 2006, we got to a point toward the end of the year where we didn’t put it in cruise mode, but we couldn’t experiment and gain to go any faster where a lot of these guys were starting to coil bind at that time and do things to go faster. We couldn’t deviate from what we were doing, and it kind of put us a little behind when we got into 2007. This year, our performance is good and everything has been going right — we just have to keep it going.”

TOYOTA DRIVER ROSTER — New Hampshire Motor Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series David Reutimann, No. 00 TUMS Camry Robby Gordon, No. 7 SpeedFactory.TV Camry Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Small Business 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 Kingsford/Bush’s Camry Mike Bliss, No. 55 Prism Motorsports Camry Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Camry Todd Bodine, No. 64 Gunselman Motorsports Camry Scott Riggs, 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 Camping World Truck Series Mike Skinner, No. 5 Exide-International Tundra Justin Lofton, No. 7 VisitPit.com Tundra Timothy Peters, No. 17 Red Horse Racing Tundra Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota Tundra Todd Bodine, No. 30 Germain.com Tundra Aric Almirola, No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals Tundra David Starr, No. 81 Zachry Tundra Donny Lia, No. 90 Stringer Motorsports Tundra

Carl Edwards – NSCS NEW HAMPSHIRE ADVANCE

Team: No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion

Crew Chief: Bob Osborne

Chassis: RK-647 Raced Loudon in June, finished 25th

Also raced Phoenix in April, finished 7th

Edwards, NSCS at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

Date Event Start Finish Laps Led Status Money

6-27-2010 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 21 25 299/301 0 Running $113,173

9-20-2009 Sylvania 300 5 17 300/300 2 Running $125,931

6-28-2009 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 5 19 273/273 0 Running $125,131

9-14-2008 Sylvania 300 2 3 300/300 61 Running $179,150

6-29-2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 17 17 284/284 0 Running $123,575

9-16-2007 Sylvania 300 11 12 300/300 0 Running $90,050

7-01-2007 Lenox Industrial Tools 300 22 13 300/300 2 Running $90,350

9-17-2006 Sylvania 300 19 18 300/300 0 Running $91,525

7-16-2006 Lenox Industrial Tools 300 17 2 308/308 0 Running $177,900

9-18-2005 Sylvania 300 24 19 300/300 0 Running $87,950

7-17-2005 New England 300 20 12 300/300 0 Running $92,300

9-19-2004 Sylvania 300 21 20 299/300 0 Running $100,817

Cumulative Races Wins Top-5s Top-10s Poles Led Money

12 0 2 2 0 65 $1,398,400

Carl Edwards on racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

“I think Loudon is a good race track. I really enjoy it and have had some success there. I think the biggest challenge this weekend will be getting our setup right. It’s a short race without a lot of cautions, so qualifying will be important. It’s just the regular stuff we deal with at Loudon trying to get track position, but we’ve been qualifying a lot better lately and our set-ups have been pretty good so I’m very optimistic that we will be contenders at Loudon. We need to start off the Chase on the right foot and not get behind from the start.”

Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

“Statistically speaking Loudon is not one of our better tracks, but Carl actually runs pretty well there and enjoys racing there. This is an important race to run well since it kicks off the Chase. With the reset points we trail first place by 60 points, so we don’t want Denny (Hamlin) or anyone to stretch out a big lead on us so we spend the Chase playing catch-up.”

FAST FACTS

• CARL EDWARDS enters the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ninth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings, 60 points behind new leader Denny Hamlin. In 26 starts this season, Edwards has accumulated six top-five and 14 top-10 finishes, as well as two poles.

• FOR THE RECORD…In 12 NSCS starts at NHMS, Edwards has achieved two top-five and two top-10 finishes. Edwards’ best finish at Loudon is second place, captured in July of 2006, and his best start was in September of 2008, where he rolled off second, however qualifying was cancelled due to rain and the grid was set by owners’ points.

• Edwards has completed 3563 of 3566 (99.9%) of the laps he has attempted at Loudon and has led 65 laps. He has an average start of 15.3 and an average finish of 14.8.

• ON THE TRACK…The No. 99 Aflac team will be bringing RK-647 this weekend to New Hampshire. Edwards raced this Ford Fusion at Loudon in June where he finished 25th and Phoenix in April where he finished seventh.

• REWIND, LOUDON SEPTEMBER 2009…Edwards fought a loose car much of the day, but ran in the top 10 the first half of the race. A green-flag pit stop with fewer than 35 to go followed by a caution for debris nine laps later hurt his track position late in the race. He was able to gain some spots in the closing laps, but was forced to settle for a 17th-place finish.