Category: NASCAR Cup Series

CONCORD, N.C.( March 4, 2011)–Roush Fenway Racing announced today a multi-car sponsorship with newly-founded As Seen on Racing and IdeaVillage Products Corporation. As Seen On Racing products will be featured on two Roush Fenway NASCAR Nationwide Series entries this weekend at Las Vegas, the No. 16 of Trevor Bayne, winner of the 2011 Daytona 500, and 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the No. 6. Talks have already begun about expanding that schedule throughout the season.

Bayne’s car will showcase the HD Vision Aviator sunglasses brand, while Stenhouse’s Ford Mustang will feature EasyFeet, which is aptly described as a “carwash for human feet.”  

“Easy Feet is a really cool idea and sounds like they’ve got a good grasp on the technology of it,” said Stenhouse Jr. “It’s going to be fun to try out.  As a racecar driver my feet are definitely something I want to take good care of, especially the right one.  

“It’s pretty cool to have Easy Feet on board with us this weekend.  I think we’ve got some great opportunities here in the Nationwide Series with our No. 6 team. Our Mustangs are fast and they’ll be on a car that is capable of winning races.  We’re just excited to have a new partnership with a new company, and hopefully we can grow that.” 

Stenhouse, a 23-year-old native of Olive Branch, Miss. , is currently second in the Nationwide Series points. Bayne, a 20-year old native of Knoxville , Tenn. , became the youngest driver to win the famed Daytona 500 just two weeks ago and is also competing along with Stenhouse for the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship.

Anand “Andy” Khubani, CEO and founder of IdeaVillage, a pioneer and leader in the As Seen On TV product category, commented on their sponsorship Featuring America’s top TV products on the As Seen On Racing cars are a perfect fit and one we’re really excited about. A large percentage of our customers are huge NASCAR fans and we’ve been working to find a way to participate in and support the sport and its up-and-coming drivers for a while. This is just a really a wonderful opportunity for all of us.”   IdeaVillage’s products are featured predominantly in national retail chains such as Wal-Mart, Wallgreens, CVS and Rite Aid.  

As Seen on Racing co-founder Donald Beshada echoed Khubani’s sentiments, stating, “launching a brand through a partnership with one of NASCAR’s elite teams, two of its young superstars, and an innovative company like IdeaVillage is exciting, to say the least.  We hope to use the brand and our partnerships with companies like IdeaVillage to support racing’s rising stars and, at the same time, provide NASCAR fans with an introduction to America ’s hottest new television products.”  

About Roush Fenway Racing Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating seven motorsports teams. Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and three in the Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com. Become a fan of Roush Fenway Racing on Facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/roushfenwayand follow us on Twitter @roushfenway.

For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.   About As Seen On Racing The “As Seen On Racing” brand was created to introduce racing fans to today’s hottest new consumer products. The brand’s goal is afford every company with an opportunity to reach the loyal racing community through an authentic connection with one of NASCAR’s premier teams. With an expertise in direct response media, As Seen On Racing takes traditional sponsorships and race car branding to a new level by providing partners with the tools required to quantify direct response and retail sales. To learn more or to have your next product featured by As Seen On Racing, please contact sponsor@asoracing.comor visit asoracing.com  

About IdeaVillage Since 1999, IdeaVillage Products Corporation has been bringing innovative products to market under the As Seen On TV (ASOTV) banner. Headquartered in Wayne , New Jersey , the company is dedicated to providing affordable, quality products offering solutions to life’s everyday problems. Today, IdeaVillage Products are among the most popular line of consumer goods enjoying one of the largest retail distribution networks in the country, IdeaVillage’s As Seen On TV products are available nationwide at food, drug, and mass retail outlets, as well as directly. IdeaVillage has supported organizations such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Cherish the Children Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For more information visit www.ideavillage.com

FORD FAST FACTS – Las Vegas

•    There are 11 Fords participating in the 14th Annual Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday.

•    All 11 Fords are guaranteed a spot in Sunday’s race.

•    Ford has six all-time NSCS wins at Las Vegas, the most of any manufacturer.

•    The last Ford NSCS win at LVMS came in 2008 with Carl Edwards.

•    Ford driver Matt Kenseth owns the record for being the deepest in the field to start a race at LVMS and win, starting 25th and taking the checkers in 2004.

•    Kenseth has the most wins by an active Ford driver at LVMS with two, winning back-to-back in 2003 and 2004.

David Gilliland currently stands 10th in the updated points standings heading into Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gilliland has used a third place finish at Daytona and 22nd place finish last weekend at Phoenix for 63 points, 17 points behind leader Kyle Busch.  Gilliland meet with media members Friday to discuss his start to the 2011 campaign. 

DAVID GILLILAND – No. 34 Taco Bell Ford Fusion – DAVID, TALK ABOUT YOUR FAST START AND I ALSO UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE SOME NEWS ON THE SPONSORSHIP FRONT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE.  “Yeah, it is so far so good this year. Front Row Motorsports is definitely off to a better start than last year. We have a TM1 back as an associate sponsor for the second week and they are going to be a co-primary in two weeks at Bristol. We are excited to have those guys on board. They are one of the fastest growing companies in the heartland and they do a great job and we are happy to have them on board. I am really excited with everything we have accomplished so far and I feel real good about this weekend. Before we went to Daytona, this was the race that I was really looking forward to as far as our cars and motors and everything else. I feel like this can be a really good weekend for us.”

HOW HAS THE ATTENTION YOU ARE GETTING FOR YOUR START TO THE SEASON BENEFITTED YOUR PROGRAM?  “It has been great. I think that NASCAR as a whole is off to a great start and that is exciting not just for NASCAR as a whole but for teams like us. We have had a lot of interest in sponsorship and our phone has actually been rigning and that is a good thing. Hopefully that will help build our program and help us be more competitive each week. The buzz about NASCAR right now everywhere you go and everyone you talk to is up and it is exciting to be a part of it.”

YOU WERE OUT IN THE DUNES IN CALIFORNIA MESSING AROUND THIS WEEK. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN OUT THERE AND ASK YOUR SELF WHAT THE HECK YOU ARE DOING OUT THERE?  “Yeah, it is wild out there. It is definitely an adrenaline rush. My car has a thousand horsepower, is a twin-turbo and weights about 2,600 pounds, so it is fast. It is like strapping yourself onto a rocket ship out there. It is fun. We jump a lot and I’ve probably jumped mine close to 180 feet and probably 30 feet in the air. You definitely don’t want to come up short. I think out there the motto is that you want to long.”

DO YOU DO THIS WITH PASSENGERS AND IF SO, WHAT IS THEIR REACTION?  “It depends. Usually they are scared and white. My car is a four-seater and a lot of fun. You can go out there and have fun and it is a lot of the same rush you get driving on the track. There is really no pressure and no rules and you can go out there at night and sit by the camp fire and it is quiet and you can watch the stars. It is a fun, relaxing time. I use it to go out and unwind.” 

DAVID GILLILAND CONTINUED DOES YOUR WIFE RIDE ALONG?  “Yeah, my wife sits in the passenger seat and tells me to slow down and my kids are seven and 10-years old and they sit in the back and tell me to go faster. I usually get confused, but my kids tend to overrule.”

WHY ARE YOU SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS WEEKEND AND WHERE DO YOU ENVISION YOUR TEAM IN FIVE TO 10 WEEKS?  “Our goal at the beginning of the year was to stay in the top-20 in points and that is what our goals still are and if we can stay in the top-10 that would be a bonus. I feel like the cars we purchased from RPM and our motor package lend itself to these types of tracks. These are the tracks I enjoy racing the most at as well. I feel like our motor program and the cars we have are so much better than last year and these are the tracks we ran best at last year that hopefully we will see big improvement at these tracks.”

LOOKING AHEAD TO CALIFORNIA WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS GOING BACK HOME TO THAT TRACK?  “That track is about five or six miles from where I lived before I moved to North Carolina and I did all my racing there. We have a lot of friends and family that goes to that track and it is important for us to run well there. We have struggled a bit in the past there, but like I said, I am reenergized about our program and I feel like I am looking forward to going there for sure. Our competition director has ran really good there in the past and has really good ideas. The biggest thing is how much better our motors and cars are this year. I feel like we have a good chance there.”

IN ADDITION TO NEW EQUIPMENT, IS THERE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO BE A TOP-20 TEAM THIS YEAR?  “Yeah, I think working with Peter Suspenzo, we got to start building that relationship at the end of last year, and as a driver-crew chief combination it is the best that I have ever had and I am excited about that. We have a great group of people and some of these other bigger teams shutting down and downsizing has allowed us to pick up some of those guys with a lot of experience at the cup level. That has helped us boost our performance. It is a big combination of everything. In this sport, no one thing is going to make you better. It is a combination of things and I feel like we have that.”

AJ Allmendinger is off to the best start of his NSCS career, currently standing fourth in points after two races and is just 11 points away from first. Allmendinger put together an 11th place finish at Daytona and ninth place ending at Phoenix on his way to being the top Ford in the point standings to start the year.

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion – OBVIOUSLY YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT YOUR START, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE REJUVENATION OF THE RACE TEAM AND THE START TO YOUR YEAR?  “I vote we just start the Chase right now. It is still really early, just two races in, but I feel like between Daytona and Phoenix we have had a good race car. We got through all the wrecks and have been a little bit lucky there. This is definitely a lot better start than where we were last year at this point, but it is only two races in. We have to stay calm about that and can’t get too excited. I am happy with where our race team has started and if we can stay focused on getting through this weekend, which is a big one for us because we have really struggled here in Vegas, if we can get through this weekend we will have something to really build on.”

WITH AN OFF WEEKEND COMING UP, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND TO CARRY MOMENTUM THROUGH THE OFF WEEK?  “I think that every weekend, whether there is an off weekend coming or not is a really big deal. For me, the biggest thing is that this has been an Achilles heel track for me. We have always struggled here. I missed the first two races in 2007 & 2008 and we have struggled the last two years. I don’t think the off weekend has anything to do with that, but we need to get through this weekend and be strong. That will give us more confidence than anything. This is one of the tracks that I circled on the calendar at the beginning of the year that we had to run well at. I really feel like we are a lot better than when we came here last year, but at the same point we just have to have a good run. The off weekend is what it is and it gives everyone a chance to settle down and figure out where we are after a few races. I think that this racetrack is bigger than anything for me.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WILL HAVE TO DO TO MAKE YOUR MARK HERE GIVEN WHAT WE HAVE SEEN THE FIRST TWO WEEKENDS?  “I think it is just the times in racing right now. The Sprint Cup series is tougher than it has been in a long time. Everyone is fighting for the sponsors and for their jobs. You see that on the race track. Everybody has to be aggressive to be fast. There is a certain level of aggressiveness that you have to have, but at the same point, something I have learned in the last year or so is when to be aggressive and when not to be. For us, we were just biding our time and that wreck happened and we were in the middle of it but were fortunate to get out of it with minimal damage and a clean race car. I think that right now we are in a good position, although it is only race two, that we don’t have to press really hard. We are up there in points and can try to run every lap and be smart and have good finishes. There are guys out there right now that with this points system the way it is are already looking at being over a race behind. Those guys need to push a little more, but we just have to be smart out there. It is tough to say because it is a mile-and-a-half track. Racing could be a little more cautious, but it might not be. We will see when we get out there.”

WHY DO YOU STRUGGLE AT VEGAS SO MUCH?  “We only come here once. The first two years I was just trying to make the show and get into the race. In 2009 we were just at that point trying to survive and run every lap without damaging the race car. We didn’t have any more money to race and couldn’t afford wrecking the race car.  We came here and had two bad races and we didn’t really have our program set at that point. We hadn’t figure out our cars and we had just switched to Ford and we were trying to learn things. There has always been something here going wrong for some reason and haven’t been really on it. It is just an experience thing I think. I am a lot more confident this time in the race car and know what I want. Even though I haven’t felt that here, I know as a whole what I really want on a mile-and-a-half track. I really believe we will be better than we have ever been here which obviously isn’t that tough to do. I think there has been a combination of factors here, but the biggest thing I think is that we come here early in the year and only race here once. That has always been tough for me.”

I UNDERSTAND YOU VISITED THE GRAND CANYON THIS WEEK. HOW DID THAT GO AND HOW DID YOU LIKE IT?  “I told my wife that it is a big hole in the ground. No, it was fun. For us to get away and not really fly home, but stay here on the west coast and do that was good. I am not a big sightseeing person. I always have to be doing something. Walking around and just looking at things is tough for me to do. The last time I was there I was really young, so it was cool to do that and lay back. It is good to do that after a good week of racing. I think she put more pressure on my crew and Shiplett than anybody because she knew if we had a bad weekend I would be a complete ass at the Grand Canyon. It was a really nice place to hang out at and was fun to relax for a couple of days.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BRISTOL AND CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO RACE FANS WHAT IT IS LIKE TO RACE THERE?  “It is a crazy place. I remember the first time I went there in 2007 when there was a test there, I was walking out to the edge of the race track and I asked where the race track was and they pointed down under my feet. I was like, ‘No, that isn’t a race track, that is a big bull ring’. Going there for the first time was really cool. I remember that it was insane just trying to get onto the race track and get up to speed. It is a fun place and a place that in the last few races we haven’t ran well at, but it is always one of my favorite places to go to. I always look forward to going there and they pack the place with so many fans. It is a cool race in general. The night race is more of my favorite because it is a Saturday night, short track with packed grandstands. It is a cool, fun place to go to and a tough place to set your car up for now, especially since they changed it. One and two are different than three and four and it is a tough place to get set up for. All in all, it is just a fun race track to go to. That is a place we can take the off week and you really need a week to prepare for that place and get in the mindset for it. Hopefully we have a good run here, have fun in the off week and get set for Bristol.”

DAYTONA RIGHT SIDES HERE? WHAT DO YOU THINK?  “I don’t know. We will have to wait and see. It is always hard to tell. The tough thing with these race tracks sitting out here in the desert and only racing once, the place sits for basically a year. They do a truck race and things like that, but the track is always a little more bumpy. It looks like the Nationwide guys were here yesterday and already today so the track has a little rubber on it. Usually when we come here the thing is dusty. They have already cleaned it off and it looks like it already has grooves just looking at it on TV and where the Nationwide cars are running. That will be good. It will be closer to what the race conditions will be like. You never know until you get out there. For me, running it at the beginning of the year and not coming back here a second time, I always take the first five or six laps to just get used to it again before I try to figure out what the car is doing. We will find out here in about an hour.”

YOU SEEM LIKE A GUY THAT COULD HAVE SOME TIGER BLOOD IN YOU. I DON’T KNOW IF YOU HAVE FOLLOWED THE CHARLIE SHEEN STUFF. HAVE YOU AT ALL?  “I think we have all followed it a little bit. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t. I am still trying to figure out the whole tiger blood thing though.”

I WAS WONDERING IF YOU HAVE A FAVORITE QUOTE BECAUSE YOU SEEM LIKE THE KIND OF GUY THAT WOULD BE INTO THAT.  “You know, I laughed. We are in the day in age now where we all get sucked into that stuff. I wouldn’t say that I have a favorite quote, but I do get sucked into that stuff. I try to flip through it and get back to Sports Center or something, but it is like a bad car wreck. You don’t want to look but you have to. It is good times, but I was pretty impressed. He almost had as much Twitter followers when he first joined. He passed me recently. He got to the 1-million mark. I am almost there though. I am at 4,000. We will get there.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES KOBALT TOOLS 400

LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

March 4, 2011  

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 CLOROX CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and discussed his season to-date, racing at Las Vegas and other topics.  Full transcript:  

HOW DO YOU SEE THIS WEEKEND AT LAS VEGAS UNFOLDING? “It should be a good weekend. I am pretty excited to get on to a mile-and-a-half with the new nose. The cars should work a little bit different. It should be interesting. I haven’t been on a mile-and-a-half since Homestead, no testing or anything, so that is going to be quite exciting again. We’ll see what happens. We had a really good Daytona. Last week was kind of horrible for us, but we still scored good points and brought the car to the end. Our goal this year is to make sure we finish every race. I think with the points system, you have to make sure you finish.”  

TODAY WE HEARD THAT JIMMY VASSER HAD A NICKNAME FOR JIMMIE JOHNSON, YOU WERE HIS TEAMMATE, DID HE HAVE ONE FOR YOU? “I don’t know. Ask him. I have no idea. (LAUGHS) I really don’t know, he probably did, it wouldn’t surprise me.”  

WHAT MOVIE DID YOU GO SEE THE OTHER NIGHT? “I watched [I am] Number Four. That was really cool. It was a good movie. Haven’t been to the movies in awhile so that was pretty cool.”  

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO GET ADJUSTED TO MARTINSVILLE AND WHAT IS IT LIKE? “It doesn’t take you. It is go, brake, turn, go, brake, turn. (SMILES) Is that a good description. To tell you the truth, the first couple of times you go there, it is hard because it is a lot slower than anything you’ve done and because you are going so slow and it is so flat, the car the slides around. It is more like a road course. It is in between a road course and an oval. For me personally, it is not that hard. Just have to make sure the car rolls through the center and put the power down. That is all that matters.”  

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE RACE AT THIS TRACK AFTER THE FIRST TWO RACES AND WHERE DO YOU THINK YOUR PROGRAM IS RIGHT NOW? “For us we decided to go a different way last week on the setup and everything on the car. It really bit us. I told Chip (Ganassi car owner) look at the bright side, we weren’t involved in the wreck, otherwise we would have probably been in the middle of that wreck. That is the bright side of it. The bad side of it is that we ran horrible and that is normally a good track for us so in a way we wasted some points there. Here we are going to run very similar to what we ran last year and we think it should be pretty good based on the numbers and everything. We are pretty confident the car should work good with the new nose. So, pretty excited.”

About Chevrolet:Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 140 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. 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 Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. 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 can be found at www.chevrolet.com.                       

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES KOBALT TOOLS 400 LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

March 4, 2011   MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and discussed the first two races of the season, what it feels like to win after a drought, his goals in his final season with Hendrick Motorsports and more. Full transcript:  

TALK ABOUT TWO RACES IN, BEING IN THE TOP-10, AM SURE THAT IS A GOAL YOU WANT FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR AND TALK ABOUT RACING HERE AT LAS VEGAS: “First of all, we’ve had good and not-so-good. We’ve had good results in the first two races. Certainly at Daytona, we had a great car, we got caught in a wreck, I think it was about lap 26 and got, what I would call, some pretty serious damage. Our team did a outstanding job of patching the car up and we managed to be very competitive and rebound with a great finish at Daytona. We were pleased with that. We were also caught up in a fairly early accident at Phoenix as well and got damage that would usually be a major setback and the guys did a good job with the quick repairs there that we could make. We were able to be more competitive than we would have expected based on the damage we had. So, we have two real respectable finishes where it could have been a disaster for us on both races.  The team is working well together. I am looking forward to this weekend. This is a really good race track for me. Love being here. Very excited about being here and anxious to get to work with my team.”

YOU WERE THE FIRST ONE IN VICTORY LANE TO CONGRATULATE JEFF (GORDON) LAST WEEKEND, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS GONE A LONG TIME WITHOUT WINNING AT TIMES IN YOUR CAREER, DID YOU REALLY RELATE TO HOW HE MUST HAVE FELT?  ALSO, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS WORKED WITH ALAN, DID YOU FORSEE GETTING SOME VICTORIES?“Yes on all accounts. I certainly identify. I know he was elated. I know the feeling. It was just two years ago that race that I experienced the same thing. I was real happy for Jeff. He’s one of the most incredible race car drivers in my lifetime. We don’t realize how incredible he is because we are used to it. He’s been here for quite some time. You finally get sort of numb to the fact, and every once in a while I’m reminded of what an incredible race car driver he is. He’s been great to me all the years prior to being a teammate and great to me since I’ve been at Hendrick Motorsports as well. I have a super soft spot in my heart for Alan and the guys that work on the No. 5 and was thrilled for them as well. To see their excitement and enthusiasm gives me more joy than I can describe. And yes, I expected Alan and Jeff to be world leaders. I do. I expect an enormous amount from them this year.”  

WHAT KIND OF FEEL DO YOU HAVE FOR THE SEASON RIGHT NOW?“You’ve seen some abnormal stuff. You’ve seen accidents, big ones at Phoenix, you’ve seen plenty of accidents at Daytona so you don’t get the full long-term lay of the competition right now. But it’s obvious that Carl (Edwards) and that bunch is going to be incredible and it looks like in my estimation it’s pretty much where the season left off last year. At the end of the season I see that pretty much carrying forward into this season. It’s still going to be a while. You know Daytona doesn’t count when you start stacking up the meat of the season because it’s different kinds of cars and different kind of logic in racing. So we only have Phoenix to judge from. And I got back to the last two or three races of last year and then going forward into this year and see it pretty much carrying forward from that. It’s interesting to see things kind of shook up here at the beginning of the year, but when you only have two races things can shake up and then over the long haul the cream sort of rises.”  

YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE FIRST TO SAY CELEBRATE WHEN YOU ARE IN VICTORY LANE BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE NEXT ONE IS GOING TO COME, IN THAT REGARD WHEN YOU GO THROUGH A SKID HOW DO YOU NOT GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU THINK DID I LOOSE IT, CAN I STILL DO THIS, DOES ALL THAT GO THROUGH YOUR MIND AT ANY POINT WHEN YOU ARE DEALING WITH A WINLESS SKID LIKE THAT?“Yes, it does. It all goes through my mind it may not someone else. I can’t speak for other people but in my mind it does. I went through a spell I think it was around ’96 where I could run second and it seemed like I ran second often, very often but I couldn’t get a win. I wondered about it a little bit then. When it comes later in your career then you wonder if you’re somehow not managing to be as effective. You know there’s all different things. Fear of failing, doubt, those things are what fuel me. That’s part of my fuel. That’s what makes me as effective as I am. So you just have to be sure and manage all those kinds of things so they don’t bring negative. You really have enough to fight with without allowing negatives to creep in and effect how you deal with situations, how you deal with people. Because if you let those things weigh on you and then you deal with these situations in not in as good of a way, not as a positive way, then you are going to be less effective because of it. That’s the biggest thing is trying to keep that in check and try to work hard and try to keep a good attitude. When I was young it was all about winning and that was it. For me now, it’s about the passion to do what I love and to do it well. It’s sort of a different grade and that helps me manage all the stuff and manage how I deal with situations much better if it isn’t all about the intensity of winning, it’s about the passion of doing what I love and doing it well and trying to find the positives in the good days. The things that you do and you did well even though you didn’t get the trophy, the things that you did do well.”  

WHERE DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR TEAM IS AT RIGHT NOW AND HAVE YOU GOT ANY SENSE OF WHAT THE NEW NOSE OF THE CARS ARE DOING OR WILL THAT COME THIS WEEK?“We weren’t as strong at Phoenix as we would have likes to have been. We made some adjustments and had two short runs before I was in the accident and I was more pleased with the car but I’m very slow to pass judgment so I’m going to look back on Phoenix and say that we needed to be better than we were and certainly will. You have to race to give the final evaluation anyway so we had that race and now we give that the final evaluation and then we decide what kind of hardware we want to try to work with next week. I’m excited about this weekend. This is a good one for us. Lance and our engineers and everyone feel really good. We’re excited about it. We’re in a building process right now of sort of building a foundation of what we like and what we want to use. All the Hendrick cars were on a little bit different stuff at Phoenix and we will continue to be on different stuff as we go forward for quite a while until we sort of all migrate toward what seems to be working best. That’s kind of where we are right now. We feel like we’ll gain momentum as the season goes on as we sort through the different stuff that we’re doing that we’re using for set up stuff. You know all I can tell you is I’ve been extremely pleased. The damage I got and the ability to still compete. I don’t know if that’s the new nose or if its luck coupled with a really tremendous job by the GoDaddy.com team and their repairs. The nose looks good and like you say we had damage and managed to do well with that damage which is a good thing.”  

WITH THE NEW FUELING SYSTEM, SOME TIMES YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO GO AT THE DROP OF THE JACK, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE FUELER TO GO, HOW DO YOU FIGURE OUT WHICH IS WHICH AND CAN YOU SEE THE FUELER AND DO YOU KNOW WHEN HE IS DONE OR ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOUR CREW CHIEF?“Lance makes the decision on whether I’m going to go on the jack or go on him and he tells me before I get in the box which one I’m going to go on. That might be a dangerous thing because sometimes I get things on my mind and could mess that up but for right now that seems to be working. He tells me we’re going on the jack or wait on me. It is awkward and a year from now it won’t be but for right now it is a little bit awkward, the whole fueling deal itself. It’s not working smooth as silk you know and there are some concerns. Getting it full or not, this that and the other. But as we move forward on it we will get better and better with it. I cannot see the fueler so I don’t have a clue from that standpoint. When we do right side tire changes and we’re leaving on the jack that I just basically pretty much run over my front tire changer because he’s the last guy around and I dump the clutch about the right time when I know it’s gonna kind of brush him and he’s going to be okay. Beyond that I wait for a cue, if it’s a left side jack drop or the crew chief calling it.”  

CAN YOU DEFINE FOR US WHY PEOPLE ARE RACING SO HARD EARLY, IS THAT THE POINTS DEAL?“I don’t know. I feel like I need to take a breath myself. I feel very fortunate that I’ve managed to be in accidents and still be able to repair or continue and have good finishes. But you know it has caused me to reflect on that and to think about how maybe I address this week. Even myself, I’ve been up on it. That’s okay but when you’re up on it every second you’re bound to make a mistake sooner or later and for me when I make those mistakes I kick myself pretty hard more than once. I’m not looking forward to doing that. These are long races. They are very important all the way through. From the green flag, the start you fight for every position all the time, all the way through these races now a days, still I think it would do us all a little good to take a breath before the flag comes out and think about what we’re trying to really accomplish.”  

DO YOU KNOW WHY WE’RE SEEING THAT SO EARLY?“I don’t know. I don’t know why. I don’t. I couldn’t tell you. I know I’ve been a part of it. I’ve been one of them too. I’ve been just like the rest of them. So I don’t know why that is.”  

YOU’VE GOT TWO WINS AT MARTINSVILLE, EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS ABOUTTHAT TRACK THAT MAKES IT UNIQUE AND GIVES IT ITS OWN CHARACTERISTICS:“What makes it unique is straight fairly long straightaways and real sharp type corner. Not many race tracks are quite that extreme on the sharp corners and the long straighaways for the size of the track. Most race tracks are more round than that. So it’s extremely tough on brakes and it is also a race track where you can’t make up much as a driver. You’ve got to pretty much take what your car will give you. If you try to get more it will just hurt you. So from that respect it can be kind of frustrating. You really have to get your car working. From that standpoint it’s like all other race tracks, you make your car handle better than everybody’s you’re going to be the heat. It’s a unique challenge because the corners are so sharp and the straightaways are fairly long for a little race track.”  

THIS IS GOING TO BE YOUR 1052ND NASCAR START ON SUNDAY WHICH IS 133 SHORT OF RICHARD PETTY, DO YOU THINK THAT 133 IS OBTAINABLE AND WOULD THAT MEAN ANYTHING?“To give you my first response, no that doesn’t mean anything to me but that’s kind of shallow. When I look back on it I probably will be proud that there were quite a few quality starts in there and I’ll probably be proud of the quality of the level of competition that I brought to all those starts. The longevity is special especially since I didn’t get an early start. I did get an early start of course I had my major setback that cost me about eight years so I really didn’t get started in this thing until I was nearly 30 even though I had my first pole when I was 21 or 22. That’s kind of what I am. Not proud of so much of the number of starts but proud of the level I managed to bring to it. That’s the intensity. At this point and time I’m just happy that I can do what I love and still do it well.”  

DO YOU THINK YOU WILL GET IN 133 MORE?“That’s a good question. That’s quite a lot of starts. I say it’s possible but I haven’t even thought about it. That’s four more years of nearly full-time of some kind of NASCAR competition so I don’t know. I can’t answer that question. That wouldn’t be one that I would go after as much as Kyle is coming after the all-time wins in Nationwide. A number like that would be something that would drive me more. I’m doing all I can do on that front now.”  

THE NEW FACES COMING INTO THIS SPORT SEEM TO BE GETTING MORE INTENSE COACHING FROM VETERANS, DO YOU THINK THAT DYNAMIC HAS CHANGED FROM WHEN YOU CAME UP?“It hasn’t changed in my career. I see it the same. I was being asked lots of questions in 1980 when I was short-track racing in late models. I was asked more questions then than I am now so what does that tell you? I’m not sure. I don’t see it much different. It’s just maybe covered more. It just used to be something that was private and nobody said anything about it and now this sport has all these eyes on it so its news.”  

OBVIOUSLY YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO OUT WITH A CHAMPIONSHIP BUT IS THERE ANY OTHER ONE THING, ONE RACE, ANDY PARTICULAR ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO THIS YEAR AT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS THAT WOULD CAP OFF YOUR COUPLE OF YEARS THERE?“I like to have goals that are obtainable. What I would like to do rather than pinning a ribbon on something as movable as a race or something like that would be, I want to leave Hendrick Motorsports where the drivers and the crew chiefs and the management there say they were glad that I was there, that I made a contribution. That was number one when I came there and it will be number one with me as I exit. I hope I can achieve that.”  

About Chevrolet:Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 140 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. 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 Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. 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 can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES KOBALT TOOLS 400 LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT March 4, 2011  

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and discussed racing at Las Vegas, good rebound and result at Phoenix, winless steaks and other topics. Full transcript:

HOW GOOD DO YOU THINK YOU WILL BE THIS WEEKEND HERE AT LAS VEGAS? “You never can tell.  Last year we ran really well here. We had a little trouble right off the bat in the first practice when I got in the wall. So, if we can not do that again, we will be a lot better off for qualifying practice. We laid out our normal plan, our normal week; normal everything. So, we’ll see.”  

DID YOU FIND OUT A LOT ABOUT THE NEW NOSE LAST WEEK IN PHOENIX, OR IS THIS THE WEEK WHEN YOU WILL LEARN MORE ABOUT IT? “I kind of forgot it was on there to tell you the truth. (SMILES) I don’t think you are going to see a huge difference. This week is definitely going to be a lot higher speed than what we had last week, so, if you are going to see something different, it is going to pop up this week. But, these cars have so much power, that you are going to see some fall off and things with the tires like you normally do. Then all that goes away and you just have to make your car handle.”  

HOW IMPORTANT WAS THE PHOENIX FINISH FOR YOU TO GET BACK IN THE HUNT? “It was a lot better than the start; that is for sure. When we wrecked, there I was like ‘Man, here we go again. Two weeks in a row.’ But, the car was really fast. I think if it just would have been straight, we would have had something for them at the end. But, to come back and get a top-five out of it is a pretty solid day for us considering the catastrophe of the first 67 laps that we had.”  

AS FAR AS POINTS, DID THAT HELP YOU FEEL BACK IN THE HUNT AFTER DAYTONA? “We just go race every week. If we do like we did last week, we won’t have a problem with points.”  

WHEN YOU WENT THROUGH AN EXTENDED WINLESS STREAK, DOES IT EVER PLAY ON YOUR CONFIDENCE? DO YOU EVER QUESTION WHETHER YOU CAN DO IT AGAIN? IF YOU ARE GOING TO WIN AGAIN? “Deep down you know you can do it, but, on the surface, you are not getting the results that you think you should be getting. I think once you get those results, it’s really…it is more relief than it is excitement to tell you the truth. You could see that through Jeff’s (Gordon) celebration last week. We still have to teach him how to do a burnout (LAUGHS). It is just such a relief for yourself, the team and everybody involved because..the best thing about it is when he gets here today, he won’t have to answer than same question that he has answered for two years. That goes away and as a person, you just get so tired of answering the same question. You don’t really have an answer for it because you are doing everything you can do. Your team is doing everything they can do. There is really nothing else you can do and you know you can win, you’ve done it before, and all of a sudden, you just don’t. That just shows you how hard it is.”  

WHEN YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT, DO YOU EVER WORRY ABOUT SELF-CONFIDENCE ISSUES; TAKING A TOLL ON PERFORMANCE? “The best thing I can relate to you is California last year. We were going to win that race and I drove the thing into the wall with two laps to go instead of just being patient and trying to force the issue. Once you get out of that winning mode and you start trying to force things, you start screwing more up than you help. You just have to tell yourself to do the things you that know how to. Sometimes there are obvious wakeup calls like we had last year.”  

WHEN YOU GET THE WIN, HOW LONG CAN YOU SAVOR IT? “It is over this week. (LAUGHS) This is a sport that you have to take the good with the bad and you can’t favor the good over the bad because they can be equally as affective to you next week’s performance as each other. As you have a bad week, you shake that off and you go to the next race and as you have a good week, you shake it off and you go to the next race. Obviously everybody has a lot of confidence when things are going well, but that over confidence can do the same things that under confidence can do to you on the race track. They can be as equally detrimental to everyone to each other.”  

HOW DID YOU SHAKE OFF WHAT HAPPENED IN CALIFORNIA [LAST SEASON] FAIRLY QUICKLY? “I hit the wall (LAUGHS). Just trying to get too much out of the car. From a driver standpoint, you know what the limits of the car are and sometimes you push it and in that particular instance, it was running the high line and hit the wall. Heck, we had just run Jimmie (Johnson) down from two or three seconds back and gave it away. That is things you go through as a driver.”  

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO WIN AT CALIFORNIA BEING FROM BAKERSFIELD? “As a team, we have gotten a lot better there. We have been in contention to run up front and race for some wins now, so that is a long way from where we were five years ago. It is fun to go to these places. Obviously this West Coast swing at the beginning of the year for me has a lot of friends and family and people that show up. It is fun to race in front of them.”  

WHEN YOU HAVE A BAD PIT STOP, IS IT MORE FRUSTRATING WHEN HAVE BAD CAR OR MORE FRUSTRATING WHEN YOU HAVE A MORE MEDIOCRE CAR BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOW DIFFICULT TO COME BACK FROM IT? “I think they are all equally frustrating. Last week was the most frustrating just for the fact you are running sixth and you come out about 28th and then you wreck. It could have ended our day.”  

DO YOU WATCH THE FILM AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS ON THOSE STOPS? “I can tell you what happens on every pit stops because I see it all. I know exactly what happened on both bad pit stops last week [at Phoenix].  

DO YOU OFFER SUGGESTIONS OR IS THAT GIL’S (MARTIN, CREW CHIEF) DEPARTMENT?  “HMMMMMMM. I don’t think that is Gil’s department. There are full-time employees that coach those teams and train them. For the most part, they did a good job last week. It is just that we can’t have two disasters.”  

IS THE UPCOMING OFF WEEKEND WELL PLACE? IS IT A PLACE TO LOOK BACK AT THE FIRST THREE RACES TO SEE WHAT WENT ON? “I think for us, it is more about just looking at the Cup teams and the Nationwide teams and all the parts and pieces that go with it and making sure they are all headed in the right direction. It is so early in the season, I wish it wasn’t there to tell you the truth. We have two early off weekends and you look at the TV ratings and the momentum the sport has and you wish that those things weren’t there. We will use them as wisely as we can. No big plans, just making sure all the racing stuff is heading in the right direction. When we get to the third off week of the year, then you will be ready for it.”  

ARE YOU GOING TO DARLINGTON [FOR THE TRUCK RACE]? (LAUGHS)  “You never know.”  

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT BRISTOL? “Bristol is a lot different than it used to be. Lots of room. You are going to have a lot of green-flag runs. Much easier race track to drive on than it used to be. You have to take care of your car a lot more than you used to need to so you are able to keep up. It is a fun place to race. When you get there, you will see if it is high or low as far as the groove goes and you have a lot of options as a driver.”  

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GOT A LOT OUT OF YESTERDAY HAVING AN EXTRA DAY IN THE NATIONWIDE CAR? “Yesterday was a disaster for us.  (LAUGHS) It is a good thing we came yesterday or we would be in deep trouble for race day. It is tough being on the back side of the garage there. They needed to open the garage a couple of hours earlier to get everybody through inspection. We had some issues we had to work through yesterday.”

About Chevrolet:Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 140 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. 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 Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. 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 can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Kingsford Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing

How does it feel to be in the top-12 in points this season? “A lot of hard work by the guys at the shop.  We have come off of the past two weeks have been a strong effort — a good start to the season.  We’re looking forward to this weekend.  It always builds confidence when you run good, have good finishes and get a good start to the season.  Hopefully we can continue that.  Watching the hard work that everyone puts into it and all the resources and everything that we have to work with — not leaving many stones unturned as you might say.   There’s a lot there to look at.  It gives me confidence when you get to the race track knowing that you should have all the stuff, it’s just a matter of putting it all together when you get here.”

Has the attention your team has received this week in the media helped their confidence? “That does work out good.  We have a sponsors conference today at the hotel that Tad and Jodi (Geschickter, co-owners) are at, then we have a dinner for all of our sponsors there tonight.  Again, when you have a couple good weeks, things are starting off good, solid for everybody — it helps out and when you get your name out there and the sponsor’s names out there, it definitely helps out.  All of our sponsors are happy about that.  Really looking forward to having dinner with them tonight and hopefully have a good meeting today.  I made a comment this week, I think we’re doing a lot of the right things and I know that’s good for all of us.  Hopefully we can continue that.”

Are the crashes that have occurred in the first two races of the season be a sign of what’s to come this season? “I think Daytona is Daytona and there were more single car accidents or two or three (accidents).   Obviously Daytona happens, that’s kind of where you have that — you’re kind of expecting that.  Phoenix last weekend, I think it was where NASCAR had a competition caution at lap 40, which was the right thing for the rain we had the night before, but when you had a caution at lap 34 or 32, pit tires, go back out, gas, no gas, two tires, four tires, no tires — whenever you mix all that up, things like that happen.  The track was still a little slippery at the start of the race.  I’ve been at Phoenix before and come off turn four and the track would be blocked.  They’ve had big accidents there before.  I don’t really count it as a trend, I just count it as that just happened.  It’s happened there before.  It could happen again.  I hope that we don’t see it for a long time because no one wants that.  Hopefully that’s not a trend that we’re seeing, and I don’t think it is.”

How does having a veteran crew chief like Frank Kerr on your team? “I think Tad (Geschickter, co-owner) coming to the Cup Series two years ago, this is his third year, obviously a lot Nationwide races and a lot of good drivers, good people.  This organization is still his organization.  I think Frank (Kerr, crew chief) is one of those guys that’s a hard worker.  He knows his stuff.  You still have to be surrounded by good people.   He is willing to have that, like every team can’t do it on their own, he’s no different.  He understands that we have to have people to help us do things and all that.  I think it’s very positive.  I think he’s a great asset and very positive to the team, to Tad’s organization because of his experience.”

How does a lack of winning for some time affect your ability to win? “That’s tough and that’s one of the toughest things about our sport.  A lot of it is about momentum and a lot of it’s about confidence — it’s about your race team.  You could be close — sometimes you see a guy finish second three or four times and then when he wins, he wins like three or four in a row because the confidence level.  It’s amazing.  There’s no doubt that it’s hard on you.  If you’re used to winning races and things like that — the sport is humbling and passes you by or weeks go by and the next thing you know you’re like, ‘Crap, I haven’t won one in three weeks, I haven’t won one in 10 weeks.’  You see guys that go through it all the time.  Fortunately or unfortunately, there’s never anybody that from A to Z in their career is completely dominant or completely — they don’t have their dry spells or have their times and moments.   Again, that’s good and bad.  It does weigh on you, obviously and it was great to see Jeff (Gordon) win last weekend.   Hopefully — he was able to go through the offseason and build his confidence with his new team and they come out to Phoenix and ran real strong.  They didn’t qualify that great, but they ran strong in the race.  It’s so competitive that there’s sometimes when a 10th place finish or a fourth-place finish or an eighth-place finish is sometimes a moral victory to help you get to that.  That’s where I had said a few weeks ago about — in our situation and most anybody the same way, if they don’t have the good weekend one weekend, they can’t let that bother them for the next three weeks in a row because they could have an opportunity if they keep their head on straight and keep their attitude right and keep their confidence up.  It’s not easy out there when a guy like Jeff Gordon hasn’t won in two years.  With the same team that he’s been with since day one too at the same time.  The confidence is huge.  I know that Jeff winning that race — I’m sure his week — he wasn’t questioning himself, but I’m sure it’s got to be a relief off his shoulders.”

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Kingsford Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing (continued) What benefit does the team have to putting a past champion like yourself in the car? “I like to think that I’m not going to say anything about me other than I’m a small part of it.  Hopefully I can contribute the time that I’ve had and the experiences that I’ve had to it.  We all have to do it together.  If we can look back or look ahead at the crystal ball in six or eight months and think, that was a perfect match right there.  I hope that the crystal ball tells us that and that’s what we’re working towards and hoping that the experience levels and the excitement and the experience that we have inside the depth of the race team, it’s not a new team depth-wise.  Hopefully we can use that for our advantage.  In my mind I believe we have a good group.  We haven’t worked together that long but we have a good group and hopefully we can make the changes that we need to make week in and week out to be better on the race track.  With the people that we have, I know we can do that.”

Can you explain racing at Martinsville and is it a track that is easy to overdrive? “Martinsville is a great track and I love going there, obviously, first of all.  It’s tough.  One good thing about it is that the tires do give up enough grip — usually after a 40 or 50 lap run you’ll see them fade and you’ll see changes in the cars balance and everything where it goes from one extreme to the other.  It’s still pretty much single groove in the corners.  You can make a pass on a guy that might be a little slower.  It’s kind of difficult to pass at times, but then it’s easier to hit somebody at make a run at it instead of here (Las Vegas) you don’t want to do that as much.  There, you’re not going quite as fast.  I think it’s an exciting track.  I think it’s exciting for us and the fans to go to.  He’s right, it’s kind of hard because everybody is so close and I’ll never forget this one time, we were there a few years ago and I remember Brett Bodine and Gary Nelson, they were looking at the lap times and everybody was within two-and-a-half tenths qualifying — everybody.   One of them made the comment, ‘Isn’t that great?’  I thought, no, really it’s not.  When everybody is so close how are you going to pass.  Fortunately, when we go there, as the race goes on and progresses there’s rubber on the track and your car does change and little bit.  That helps out a lot.  I think it’s good to have cars that give up grip or have to try different lines.   You can enter high, you can stay on the bottom — you can do a few things.  It’s a difficult place to go to nowadays with the way our cars are — to come in and get tires if you’re in 20th place.  You come in and get four tires and you have 20 laps to go — I’m not sure how far you’re going to advance, you know what I mean?  Unfortunately the cars are so close and those lap times are so close that doesn’t quite happen.  You see the guy either dodge a wreck or cause one to get past guys.  That kind of lends into exciting racing at the same time.  Anyway, I agree with him, but to me, it’s still one of the better, exciting tracks that we go to and you still have to race the track no matter what.  If you can save your stuff and be there with 100 laps to go in a good position, you can have a chance still.”