Category: NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

KOBALT TOOLS 500

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

November 12, 2010

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

KOBALT TOOLS 500

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

November 12, 2010

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 SHELL/PENNZOIL CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Phoenix International Raceway and discussed racing for the championship, racing at Phoenix and other topics.  Full transcript:

ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO RACING AT PHOENIX THIS WEEKEND?:  “I’m excited.  This has been a great race track for us in the past.  Obviously I’ve raced here my whole entire career – coming up through the ranks and the track hasn’t changed a lot.  It’s something that we’ve been looking forward to in these last couple weeks they have been great race tracks for us so we’re looking forward to getting the weekend started.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE IN THE POINTS BATTLE?:  “I feel excited just for the fact that this is the worst we can finish in the points is third.  We have two great race tracks for us and we have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Whatever it takes to gain is what you do on the race track and what you do off the race track.  There’s really nothing else that matters at this point.  Just throw it all out there and if it gets rough, it gets rough – if it doesn’t then we just go race and see where it all falls in the end.  It’s still a no pressure, no lose situation for us and I like it.  I like coming from behind.  I like when people write us off – it’s kind of like or how everybody’s been my whole career.  You just go out there and it’s fun to come up and see everybody after that.”

WHAT MAKES IT SO DIFFICULT TO PASS THE POINT LEADER WITH TWO RACES REMAINING IN THE CHASE?:  “When you get in these positions and you’re racing like the three of us are racing right now, you just exceed the expectations that everybody sets for you a lot of the times, which is what we’ve done.  You just get in this incredible zone and the team’s incredibly focused on making the cars good and everybody is just performing at the top of their game in these situations.  It’s hard to make up ground, but when you have three guys in the middle of it then you can’t – there’s no defense.  I think when you get ahead then you can play a little bit of defense to be competitive or use strategy.  With everything so close, it’s all offense.  The tone has kind of been set that anything less than probably winning a race or two in the next two weeks – you’re going to have to go take it.  I think all three teams are capable of performing.  Denny (Hamlin) did it last week – he went out and took it at the end of that race and I think over the next two weeks, it’s going to be who takes that control and there’s no room for defense.  If somebody’s going to go out and win the race, you’re going to lose points.  You just have to go on offense and take, take, take.”

ARE YOU SURPRISED AT HOW YOUR PIT CREW MOVE VERSUS JIMMIE JOHNSON’S PIT CREW MOVE ARE PORTRAYED DIFFERENTLY?:  “I think when you do it in the middle of the race, obviously it’s going to be a bit more 100 percent and there’s no hiding.  For us, it’s been very beneficial.  We hadn’t gained a spot on pit road in the Chase and we haven’t lost one since we changed so the results for us have been very simple to look at.  I’m sure they feel like they’re in the same situation and it’s different.  I think it’s something that you obviously don’t expect to have happen in the middle of a race.  It’s just very open and everybody gets to see it.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT THE 48 TEAM CHANGED THEIR PIT CREW?:  “Everybody’s got weaknesses though.  I think on that particular day with the pit stall selections that you saw in that particular race – it was a very unique situation.  If I was them, if you can and if you qualify worse than the 11 (Denny Hamlin), I would pit right in front of them again just to do it all over.  We all loved watching it – it was great.  I hope it all happens the exact opposite way this week.”

HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOURSELF VERSUS THE OTHER TWO DRIVERS YOU ARE RACING AGAINST FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP?:  “I think our whole team is just a lot different.  Especially, it’s a lot different or we’re a unique bunch I guess you could say.  I guess you could categorize us as a little rough or hardcore type of racers that have come up through the ranks.  It’s just a little bit different than the other two teams.  I think you guys can figure it out.”

IS IT BAD TO TRY TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP FOR AN ORGANIZATION RATHER THAN AN INDIVIDUAL TEAM?:  “I think Mike (Ford, 11 crew chief) should take his own advice to his driver and not insert your foot into your mouth when you don’t do something that winds up being something that you say it should be.  I think the comments that he made after the race about being better than the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) team and all that stuff, I think he’s just trying to stir stuff up.  Whatever it takes to win is what you’ve got to do.  If there’s something wrong with that then I’m missing something.”

WHY DO YOU THINK MIKE FORD MADE THE COMMENTS HE DID FOLLOWING THE RACE AT TEXAS?:  “The only good thing that comes from being cocky like that is you better win because if you don’t, you’re going to have to answer a lot of questions about your comments when you get done.  You create a lot more work than what you see initially when you say those things, if it all doesn’t go your way.  I think when you’re trying to intimidate the guy who’s won four championships in a row, I think you might need to go rethink your strategy and just go out and worry about racing because it’s not really something that was probably necessary.  He got all over Denny (Hamlin) at Dover for saying the things that he did about RCR (Richard Childress Racing) and the organization and how disruptive their team, in my opinion all the things that he said seem to be a disruption to his team and now Denny is going to have to come in here and answer all those questions.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT BEING 59 POINTS BACK WITH PHOENIX AND HOMESTEAD REMAINING?:  “My thoughts are just to go keep doing the same things that we’re doing and being in the position that we’re in right now, we’ve stepped up the finishes and things that we needed to in the Chase, but over the next two weeks it’s all about trying to win a race or two in the next two weeks.  This has been a great race track for us.  The average finish through the Chase is great, but it looks like this Chase is all about taking those wins and that’s the one thing that we haven’t done so far is win a race.  I think we have to over the next two weeks in order to keep control of our situation.”

IS THERE ETIQUETTE TO CHOOSING PIT STALLS AND DO THE TEAM MEMBERS HAVE TIME TO LOOK AT THE OTHER CREW NEXT TO THEM?:  “I think last week, when you look at the pit stop stuff, when you’re racing against a guy that’s running in about the same spot on the track, it becomes a total nightmare for both teams whether you’re in front or behind.  It becomes tough to make quality pit stops on the race track.  There is etiquette and you want to be around the slowest car that you can be around that you don’t think will be on the lead lap so they won’t be around and you can have an opening in and an opening out.  The pit stalls are a lot smaller here so who knows what’s going to happen.  I tend to get frustrated in those situations and just gas it and make sure that guy doesn’t stop too short.  It aggravates the rear tire changer because you just get a little too close to him.”

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO BOUNCE BACK FROM A TOUGH WEEK?:  “A lot of times hard, difficult situations are very inspiring.  It inspires the team to not want to go out and fall on their face and say that was a bad move with the pit crew swap and look what it did to the performance of your team.  So the driver gets motivated, the team gets motivated, everybody gets motivated to not want to fall on their face.  This place has been really good for that particular team so it’s probably not somewhere  that they want to go other than here.  It’s going to be an interesting weekend.  Everybody’s got their own feelings about things.  Everybody’s got their own feelings about things that were said last week, we all have our own feelings about where we are and what we need to do and how we need to do it.  There’s no way to see it all play out until you start practice and you see where your performance of your car is and you see all the things that happen.  I can tell you right now that we’re paying attention to everything that’s going on whether it’s things being said, heard, everything that’s going on the race track and just look for that one opening to pounce on somebody.  Pay attention to everything and just looking for any opening to gain an advantage over the other team in these particular moments.  I think we’re in a great position because of the pressure on our team is very low.  You’re not going to finish any lower than we are in the points, we have everything to gain with winning the championship, we have those two guys obviously going back and forth with each other and we’re just kind of sitting back doing what we need to do.”

HOW HAS GIL MARTIN’S LEADERSHIP AFFECTED THIS CHASE?:  “I think when you speak of Gil (Martin, crew chief), Gil is great for me because he’s very good with the people and that can be my short fall sometimes.  He’s very motivating, he’s very good in controversial situations in guiding the team and telling them what they need to do and keeping them away from the things that they don’t need to focus on.  Gil is very good as far as racing for the championship – win or lose, it’s all about racing for that championship.  You look back and that’s easy for us to say considering where we were last year.  We weren’t anywhere even close to where we are this year.  This is what you want to do.  You want it to come down to the end, you want to be a part of the championship race and in order to win it, you have to be in it so it’s good.”

WHAT ABOUT HELPING THE FOSTER KIDS APPEALS TO YOU WITH THE CONCERT COMING UP?:  “I think it’s just a tough time of year for a lot of kids that don’t have their families and things to lean on.  The foundation has given us a lot of unique opportunities to go out and just help in different situations.  It will give the kids a chance to be around something and get their mind off of things and get some toys for the kids and raise some money.  Sara Evans is going to headline the event and that will be fun.  When you don’t have family and it’s all about creating a moment that the kids will remember that ‘s positive and something that is close to Christmas and anything we can do to help that will be good.”

DO YOU THINK TEAMS HAVE TIP-TOED AROUND THE 48 TEAM FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS?:  “I didn’t agree – when things are going good, it’s one thing to be cocky around your team, but when you want to be cocky publicly, you have one place to go and that’s to back it up and you’re not going to back it up in this sport forever.  You might back it up this year, but you’re probably not going to back it up week in and week out forever.  There’s just nothing to be gained from it as far as the team standpoint.  It’s a crew chief for god’s sake.  No reason – I just don’t understand I guess.”

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

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

KOBALT TOOLS 500

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

November 12, 2010

 

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET met with media and discussed the altercation with Jeff Gordon last weekend at Texas, Chevrolet and IndyCar, what it takes to win at Phoenix, and more. Full Transcript:

 

ON RACING AT PHOENIX:

“Obviously we need to have a good weekend. We haven’t had the kind of results we’ve needed and that’s obviously been frustrating. But this is a track that’s been really good to us and we’ve been able to come here and turn things around a few times in my career and hopefully we can do that again this weekend. We’ve run really, really well as a team here. I think we finished second the last two races and this has been one of our stronger race tracks. Certainly we look forward to coming here and seeing if we can turn the ship around a little bit.”

ON CHEVROLET GETTING BACK INTO INDYCAR RACING IN 1012 AND DO YOU THINK ANYBODY IN THE NASCAR GARAGE MIGHT DO THE ‘DOUBLE’ AGAIN?

“Chevrolet is such a huge part of American motorsports. To not have an American manufacturer at Indy for the 500 is a disappointing thing. It’s great for the 500 and for Chevy to be back as an engine manufacturer back in the 500 I think is a really good deal for American motorsports. Chevy is so committed to motorsports and I think it’s a great idea. Chevy’s involvement here obviously is really, really respected. They’ve had a lot of championships and done a great job. I think it’s really cool. Some might say well, I wish they were spending that money here in NASCAR but the fact of the matter is that we need an American manufacturer for the Indy 500 and I think it’s cool that Chevrolet has stepped up to the plate.

“As far as doing the double thing, it’s just really hard to do. I think the guys that have the best chance of winning the Cup race on Saturday night, it would be a big distraction for them, you know what I mean? You just don’t hop into somebody else’s ballpark and go beat them. It takes a lot of preparation and a lot of work and effort to win an Indy race and it would just be really, really difficult to win both of them, obviously. But you never know what can happen. You would have to work on the scheduling some, for sure, to make it so it can happen. But I would be surprised to see it happen”

THIS IS THE TIGHTEST POINTS CHASE RACE EVER. I KNOW THE NO. 48 OF JIMMIE JOHNSON ISN’T AS STRONG THIS SEASON, BUT IS THERE ANY REASON WHY IT’S THIS SEASON AND NOT ANOTHER SEASON?

“I don’t know if it’s that the No. 48 isn’t as strong or if just other people have stepped their ball game up. Honestly, I think that the COT thing is starting to take affect; I think that the idea that NASCAR had about taking a lot of the things away from the teams to keep things a little more similar and create more chance for more people to win races, I think that’s started to take effect. There’s a lot of stuff going on that’s made the racing more equal. Last week after that incident (with Jeff Gordon), I went in the trailer and sat down and watched the race.

 

“And I’m watching the speed monitor and I’m looking at the top 20 cars. And the top 20 cars, there was like a tenth of a second difference between the fastest guy and the 18^th place guys. I mean it was just so crazy close and that’s a factor of multi-car teams. That’s a factor of people becoming more familiar with the car. It’s a factor of Goodyear bringing better tires and making the cars drive better. I think it’s all those things. It’s more people coming to similar results on the race track and that’s made for a tighter Chase.”

YOU ARE AN ARTICULATE DRIVER IN THE GARAGE AND CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MORE INTELLIGENT DRIVERS OUT THERE. DID IT REALLY KIND OF SURPRISE YOU THAT YOU WERE IN A PHYSICAL ALTERCATION LAST WEEK?

“I wasn’t surprise I was in a physical altercation; I was surprised I was in the initial altercation. When it all happened, I thoroughly expected to be in a physical altercation. The thing obviously got out of hand really quickly prior to the physical altercation and it is what it is. I hate to be 43 years old and still learning, but I am still learning. Jeff (Gordon) and I have raced together for 20 years and obviously we’ve had issues. If you race with your best friend in the world for 20 years you’re going to have issues. It’s just competition. I left the facility Sunday surprised I was in all of it, not just the physical altercation.”

WE’VE SEEN THAT BEFORE FROM JEFF GORDON AT TIMES DURING HIS CAREER. DID YOU EXPECT IT?

“I could tell by the gait in his walk and by the look in his eye that he wasn’t coming down there to talk (laughter). It’s all funny now.”

THE INCIDENT BETWEEN YOU AND JEFF GORDON MADE MANY, MANY RACING AND NON-RACING TV NEWS SHOW, FIRST IS IS OVER OR WILL IT REPLAY HERE AND THEN DO YOU THINK THAT IS GOOD FOR NASCAR? “For the first part of the question, I feel like it is over. Like I said earlier, it is a learning…it is a chance for me to learn. A chance for both of us to learn. I took the brunt of the responsibility and I will continue to do that, but as far as I’m concerned and I’m not going to speak for Jeff (Gordon), but as far as I am concerned it is race on. We’re here this weekend to win this race and obviously tensions have a possibility of being a little high because of what happened last week. But the reality is, we are here to win this race and so is he. I don’t feel like this thing will continue on.

“The whole debate about what’s good for NASCAR, what’s not good for NASCAR, I don’t know. I know that fans on the back straightaway thought it was cool. I could hear that. I’m torn between what is good for NASCAR and what is not good for NASCAR. I try to conduct myself in a way that will make me and my kids and my sponsors and everybody proud of me even when things aren’t good. You can certainly cross a line. I come to the race to race. I don’t come to the race to be part of the show. When I hear people describe these events as show, that perturbs me a little bit; I’m here to race. I understand that this is entertainment for people. I get it. I’m a sports fan. Sports are entertaining for me. But, I’m not here to create a show. I’m not here to be involved in that stuff. I’m here to race. I want the race to be the show. That’s my take on it.”

WHAT’S THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECT OF RACING HERE AND THEN WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GO FAST HERE AT PHOENIX? “The difficult thing is that both ends of the race track are so different. You can see the front straightaway is downhill. If you look right there, you can already see that you are sitting perpendicular to the turn one wall. That is a very very sharp corner. That turn one happens really, really quickly. You have to transition your car from going straight to turning very, very quickly in one. In three and four you have a really, really long sweeping corner. So both ends of the race track are completely different. You brake completely different. It is a real challenge to get the driver in sync with both corners and to get the car in sync with both corners. That is the most challenging thing about the race track. That is what makes it hard. That is what makes it fun. That is what makes the people that run well here, that is their advantage is that they can do well in both corners.”

AFTER THE ACCIDENT YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING UP TO ACKNOWLEDGE JEFF (GORDON), THAT YOU KNEW WHY  HE WAS MAD, BUT THEN DURING THE TELECONFERENCE AT ONE POINT, IT SOUNDED LIKE YOU SAID YOU WERE ANGRY WITH HIM TOO: “To be perfectly honest, when the whole thing went down on Sunday, it all happened so quickly that I didn’t 100% know what happened. I obviously didn’t mean to wreck myself and obviously didn’t mean to wreck him. When Jeff came and he let me know that he didn’t like the way I raced him, I went to accelerate, like I did say Sunday, I went to let him know ‘Hey, I got it’. But also I didn’t understand why he was as mad as he seemed to be. That was just frustration. Then the rest of it was just…I honestly don’t know how to explain what happened after that, I really don’t. That is really it.”

I DON’T KNOW IF YOU HEARD THE COMMENTS THAT MIKE FORD MADE LAST WEEKEND, KIND OF THROWING IT IN THEIR FACE, KEVIN (HARVICK) WAS KIND OF OUTSPOKEN ABOUT IT SAYING THAT’S JUST NOT THE RIGHT THING TO DO, HOW GOOD IS HE AT PLAYING MIND GAMES? “I think Kevin is very prepared. I think Kevin is ready to win a championship. I think Kevin is in a great position to win a championship. I think he is ready to go. I don’t if Kevin is playing mind games; I think he is just telling you how he feels. That is the cool thing about Kevin is you know exactly where you stand and exactly how he feels. I don’t think Kevin is playing games. I have no idea what the comments were but know Kevin well enough to know that he’s just telling you what he believes to be true. He’s not a mind game kind of guy. He’s just straight at you; this is how it, this is how I feel and what you are getting from Kevin is what he honestly feels.”

HOW DOES THE FALL AND SPRING RACES DIFFER WITH THE SUN GLARE AND VISIBILITY? “This track historically has been a difficult track for visibility with the sun setting, and getting into Turn 1. It’s very difficult. It is really, really hard to see. I know it sounds silly, but I can’t remember if it is the spring race or the fall race where it is the worst. I’ll have to go back and look through my notes. I just don’t remember. But, when the sun is setting, getting into turn one, it is very, very difficult to see even in qualifying, it is hard to see getting into turn one. That is an issue. You have got to be able to see the corner. When that sun starts to set, it is very hard to do that.”

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

Ford Racing’s three Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers held
their weekly Q&A sessions at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday.
Transcripts from Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards follow:

MATT KENSETH – No. 17 Valvoline Ford Fusion – HOW MUCH ARE YOU PAYING
ATTENTION TO THE OVERALL POINTS BATTLE?  IT’S CLOSE FROM 1-3 AND THEN
4-10 IS PRETTY TIGHT AS WELL.  “You kind of look at it when you get
home and see where you moved up to in points or moved back to in
points, but, other than that, I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to
it.  You just try to finish the best you can every week and hope to
finish as high as you can in the points at the end of the year once
the championship is not attainable. 

WHAT ABOUT WITHIN THE ROUSH
FENWAY TEAM.  ARE THERE BRAGGING RIGHTS FOR BEING THE TOP FINISHER?
“Not for me.  Greg and Carl would have to answer for themselves, but I
want to do the best I can for our team every week.  If we had it our
way, we’d be 1-2-3 in points and battle it out.  I want those guys to
finish as high as they can, but just like everybody else in the top 12
I want them to finish behind me.  You want to do the best you can for
your respective team and car.” 

WHAT ELSE DO YOU WORK ON THESE FINAL
TWO RACES THAT YOU CAN USE AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR 2011?  “You do this
during the year as well, but every off-season you try to look at all
aspects of your program from personnel to equipment to driving to pit
stops – everything.  Certainly, the more recent races are always the
freshest in your mind, so you want  to get some momentum and you want
to get the best finishes you can the last few weeks, so you’ve got
something to look at and evaluate over the winter.  Like I say, you
want to try to win the races – you want to try to win every week – but
it’s important for us to finish strong.  We did move up to fifth in
points, so it’s important for us to finish as high as we possibly can
and get some momentum going into the off-season.” 

WHAT’S THE MOST
DIFFICULT PART OF RACING HERE?  “The hardest part is both ends are
quite a bit different, so to be good down in one and two without being
too loose off of turn four is probably the biggest thing.  There’s a
little bit of a compromise, but you want to get your car to work as
well as you can at both ends that are a lot different.” 

DO YOU LIKE
TO STAY INVOLVED IN RACING DURING THE OFF-SEASON OR JUST GET AWAY
ENTIRELY?  “I don’t really know of many races, except for the Snowball
Derby, which my son is running that again this year and it’s the same
weekend that we’re out at the banquet in Vegas, so I don’t know of any
other off-season races before we start in February.  It’s not like
we’re off a real long time and not in a car.  It’s only about a
month-and-a-half.” 

ANY THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS FOR THE KENSETH’S?
“For the last eight or nine years we’ve been spending Thanksgiving at
our cabin up in Wisconsin, so we get both of our families together and
hang out there for a few days and relax.  We eat a lot, watch some
football and play some football and that’s about it.” 

DOES THAT
RECHARGE YOU IN A BIG WAY?  “I don’t know that I really need any
recharging.  I’m good.  I could keep racing or I could have a month or
two off, so I’m not sure I really need recharging.  I feel as good
right now as I did when we came out here in the spring, to be honest
with you.  I don’t really need recharging, but I always look forward
to spending time with my family whenever I can.” 

DO YOU SEE JIMMIE
COMING BACK AND WINNING THE TITLE?  “Well, everybody is different.  I
wouldn’t beat against those guys until they lose one.  I wouldn’t have
bet against them the last four year and I wouldn’t do it this year
either until it’s over, but it’s interesting.  The three guys up there
are all quite different, their teams are different, their driving
styles and approach, I think, are different, so, in my opinion, the
chase for the championship is pretty interesting this year to see
which one of those three guys is gonna be on top when it’s all over
next week.”

ARE YOU ENJOYING THIS BRAVADO COMING OUT OF
THE 11 CAMP?  “Not really.  I wish Denny would have been careful last
week and let me win (laughing).  I would have enjoyed that more than
their bravado and winning and doing all of that.  I was happy to be up
there racing for a win last week, but, like I said, I think it’s an
interesting chase and there are a lot of good storylines for everyone
to follow.  When I get home it’s interesting to check it all out and
see what all went on.” 

HOW DO YOU FEEL AT THIS POINT IN THE SEASON?
“I feel the same I felt probably the first time here.  I don’t really
feel any different.  I’m not really wore out and I’m not necessarily
ready for a break, although you always look forward to an off weekend
and the holidays to spend some time with your family, but I feel good.
We just came off a good run last week, which was encouraging, and put
a little spring in all of our step, so, hopefully, we can finish the
last two weeks like that.”

GREG BIFFLE – No. 16 3M Ford Fusion – WHAT’S THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECT
OF RACING HERE?  “Probably the difference in the corners.  It’s like
two different race tracks, almost and it kind of makes it challenging
but fun.   Turn one and two are completely different than three and
four.  One and two is like more of a short track corner and then three
and four seems like it’s a lot more larger and faster because it’s a
little bit wider and sweeps.  That’s probably the most challenging
thing.” 

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GO FAST HERE?  “It takes a car that
turns really well and you can get the balance between the two ends
right.  That’s the main thing.” 

WHAT’S THE VISIBILITY LIKE?  “It’s
terrible.  It’s the worst race track we go to for visibility because
the sun goes down right over the top.  There’s a hole between the
grandstands and however it works out, it seems that the sun is in your
eyes for the longest period of time.  That makes it really difficult
to get your braking zone and get side-by-side.  It’s really, really
hard.” 

DO YOU LIKE RACING HERE?  “Oh yeah, I love it just because I
grew up in the northwest and I’ve raced here a few times in the
southwest tour.  It’s a fun race track.” 

WHO DO YOU THINK WILL WIN
THE TITLE?  “I think Jimmie can do it.  I think that Kevin can do it
and I think Denny can do it.  It’s whoever makes the least amount of
mistakes these next two races.  The least amount of mistakes on pit
road, racing room on the race track with other drivers, whatever it
comes down to – pit decisions – it’s gonna come down to obviously the
best finish, but a lot of times it’s minimizing spots on the race
track.” 

EVERYBODY IS LOOKING AT THE TOP 3 BUT 4-10 IS TIGHT AS WELL.
HOW CLOSE ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION TO IT?  “Fourth through tenth we’re
paying attention to because that’s where we’re racing for our spot in
the points.  It’s clear they’re paying attention to the top three
because we led 234 laps last week and they didn’t even interview us,
so it’s obvious they’re paying attention to the top three, which they
should – that’s the championship – but if we would have won we would
be fifth in points right now.  We were clearly on our way to winning
that race.  There was no doubt and then the shifter broke and all I
had was third and fourth gear.  That was unfortunate, but we still
finished fifth with the problems that we had, which is really good,
but to think I was 10th or 11th or 12th in points, and if I would have
won last week we’d be fifth, that’s a huge difference, so I do pay
attention to how tight the points are because we are that close.”

WHAT ABOUT AMONG THE ROUSH FENWAY TEAMS?  “We’re really tight as well
and probably the one thing that I saw that surprised me the most is
it’s like the top three and then the rest of the field.  I’m surprised
to see that it’s not kind of staggered out a little bit.  It’s the top
three within 50 points and then fourth through whatever is almost 50
points, so it’s kind of odd that there’s that big of a separation and
everybody is still so tight.”

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE BRAVADO FROM THE 11
TEAM?  “I don’t know.  I look at last week, if you want to take last
week, we were better than all of them.  We kicked the 11’s butt.  We
kicked the 48’s butt.  All day long nobody could even challenge us
until the shifter broke and then they challenged us because,
obviously, I didn’t have all my gears to get up to speed.  Now, can we
do that every week?  That’s a different story, but you’ve got to play
some games with them and I guess that’s why I say that because last
week was last week and we spanked them the entire race.  But that’s
only one week and you’ve got to do it for 36 to win a championship and
get spots in the points and get talked about.  But if I was in that
position I’d be doing the same thing and it’s self-confidence as well.
‘We’re better than the 48.  We’re gonna beat them.’  Those kind of
things, that’s confidence.” 

HOW MUCH DO MIND GAMES PLAY A ROLE IN
THIS SPORT?  “You can only do so much, but you can get under
somebody’s skin a little bit, I guess.  I don’t really pay attention
to it.  I worry about my car and how fast my car is gonna go today and
qualifying good so we get a good pit spot and we’ll let them talk
about whatever they want.”

DENVER, Colo. (Nov. 10, 2010) — As the 2010 Sprint Cup season is winding
down with the penultimate race scheduled for Sunday (Nov. 14) at Phoenix
International Raceway, Regan Smith is looking at the final two events as an
extension to the 2011 season.

“If you have a bad race during the season you only have to wait four or five
days before you get back into the car,” said Smith. “That’s not much time
for reflecting and feeling down. But it becomes a different scenario at this
time of the year, you want to end the season knowing that you’re gaining and
picking up speed. If you’re on the other end of the performance spectrum you
have nearly three long months to think about it. Ouch!”

The good news for Smith and the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team is that
they’ve been closing out the year with their best racing of the season  But
with two races remaining, Smith wants to make sure the recent performance
level continues and there’s not a detour.

“We’re so excited about the future of Furniture Row Racing that sometimes we
lose a little patience,” explained Smith. “We want the baby steps to become
giant steps, but we know better that this is not the way the improvement
meter works.”

If you take away the Martinsville race (Oct. 24) where Smith got hit and
shoved into the wall, the team’s performance in the last 10 races is a vivid
sign of improvement. In nine of the last 10 races, Smith has posted three
top 13s and five top 20s, including two 12th-place finishes. Smith’s average
finish during this period is 19.11 compared to an average finish of 26.66
for the first 24 races of the season.

“That’s an increase of seven positions — a nice jump,” said Smith. “Now if
we can improve another seven positions we’ll be looking at Chase material.
But we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, we have a long way to go, but
we’re on the right track with our Furniture Row Chevrolet.”

Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 will be Smith’s fifth start at the one-mile
Phoenix oval. At the Phoenix spring race, he finished 26th.