Category: NASCAR Cup Series

Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Subway Ford Fusion, sits sixth in the point standings and trails leader Jimmie Johnson by 247 points. He spoke about returning to Texas and a track he has had great success at over the years, after Friday’s first practice session.

CARL EDWARDS – No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion – CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR ATTEMPTS TO GET BACK IN VICTORY LANE HERE AT TEXAS. “Well it has started out great. I think Greg, Matt and I are 1-2-3 right now after the first practice. We are all very fast in qualifying trim, so hopefully we can qualify well. I am not sure if they are still giving away that shotgun for qualifying, but it would be really neat to win that. I feel like we have a good draw and a good shot at it. I haven’t run any race trim in practice yet, but Greg and Matt did and they look very fast. Hopefully we can run like we have run here in the past. That would be exactly what we need right now.”

HAVE YOU EVER DRIVEN AN INDY CAR AND WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN DOING THE DOUBLE? “I have talked to a couple of the Indy Car guys very briefly about what it is like to drive those cars. I would love to be able to do it. That would be a great challenge and something that I think would be a lot of fun. I don’t think that it would be smart for a guy like myself to just go over and try to run that one race. I think you would want to test and do all that stuff. If it were possible and if I had already won a Cup championship and there was no risk of messing up my season with injury, then I would definitely jump at the chance to do it. That would be something I would love to do.”

ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT ROUSH FENWAY AS A GROUP ISN’T HIGHER UP IN POINTS NOW AND HAVE YOU IDENTIFIED ANYTHING THAT IS THE REASON FOR THAT? “The biggest thing is that our performance has not been where it needs to be. We ran really well there for a stretch, but we have yet to have dominant race cars. In this sport you have to have very fast race cars to make up for the days like we had at California. If you take California out of the mix and just put us in our average finishing position there, we would be like 100 points higher as a group. In general I feel like we are doing a very good job with what we have at the race track. We are slowly trying to make the performance of the car a little better and if we can do that we will be good. I think gone are the days where you find an advantage and just dominate. I think it is all about who runs really well and doesn’t have any trouble. In my head, that is where I see it. If we can just run a little better and have some good luck we will be alright. You can’t run like we are running and have a little bad luck and expect to be in the top two or three of points.”

WITH THE ECONOMY HOW IT IS NOW, DO YOU FIND YOURSELF CONSIDERING SPONSORS THAT MAYBE YOU WOULDN’T HAVE FIVE YEARS AGO? “I think everybody in the sport has had proposals that come by where you say you don’t think it fits your brand or the brand of the team. I have been very fortunate to represent folks that make products or deliver services that I believe in. There have been some sponsors where I have said I would rather not participate in that, but I don’t know if that would really change for me considering the economy. I haven’t gotten to that point. I feel like we still have a really healthy group of sponsors. I think the thing that we talked about at Charlotte with Avon coming on, that is somebody that is right now outside of the sport. They are looking at it and thinking that it is a good spot to be and that is a good thing, which is a good sign. What has gone on with the recent elections and stock market and stuff has given people some more sunshine. For us, like I said, we haven’t gotten to that point yet. I feel like the sponsors I have I believe in and don’t have to compromise my integrity or anything to do something that I normally wouldn’t do.”

HOW DO YOU SEE THIS THING PLAYING OUT WITH THREE GUYS SEPERATED BY 38 POINTS. DO YOU THINK DENNY AND KEVIN HAVE A CHANCE? “I don’t think anyone can predict how this is going to end. It is too close right now between those guys. Past history would say that Jimmie will probably pull it off, but I think Denny still has more wins that anybody and he has done a really good job. He won this race in the spring and Phoenix is one of his best tracks and Homestead, nobody knows what will happen there. We will be running in the daytime, which will be a little bit different, so I think it is up in the air. I think it comes down to who has a mistake or a part failure or something. It could come down to the last lap of the race at Homestead, which would be pretty cool I think.”

DO YOU LOOK AT DENNY HAMLIN AS A THROWBACK TYPE OF DRIVER, HAVING COME FROM A TRADITIONAL, SOUTHERN, LATE-MODEL ROUTE TO GET HERE? “I don’t know. I don’t know enough about how Denny grew up racing or him personally. I don’t know enough about him to really put him in a group or label him as something. He is a good race car driver. He drives his heart out. I know that he raced late models and things like that in the Richmond area, but that is kind of the extent of what I know about him.”

DO YOU EVER THINK ABOUT RUNNING FOR OFFICE? YOU ARE PRETTY POLISHED. “ No way! I have spent enough time in Washington to know that job is way too scary for me. There is no way I could do that.”

NOT EVEN AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AS MAYOR OR SOMETHING? “No. What little I know about politics is that it seems like it would be the toughest job there is and I don’t want anything to do with that. I did run for class President one time. I did alright in elementary school and not so well in high school. I couldn’t do that, no way.”

IT SOUNDS LIKE ONE OF THE NATIONWIDE OPTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR MIGHT BE ALLOWING THE CUP GUYS TO RUN THE RACES WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP. HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING MORE? “What have you heard, I haven’t heard anything for a month or so.”

THAT IS ALL I HAVE HEARD, THAT CUP DRIVERS COULD RUN THE SCHEDULE BUT NOT RUN FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP. “I don’t know. I hope we can run for the championship. I am a principal based person. It seems odd to make rules that keep certain drivers out, based on where they race. I always think back to if I want to go race at my local dirt track they don’t treat me any differently. Right now Brad is doing very well, but I am not dominating or anything like that. I hope we can run for the championship and do what has been done historically. To me the greatest achievement in NASCAR would be winning both championships in one year. That would be spectacular. I don’t know if it will ever happen, but it would be a neat opportunity.”

ARE YOU GOING TO RUN NEXT YEAR? “I have committed to running the full thing, but I am going at it like I can run for the championship and I believe my sponsors are too. I don’t know exactly how it is all going to work out. I think I might be the only full time Cup guy potentially doing it. It would be nice to be able to do it, but I don’t know what is going to happen. It is kind of funny that nobody is saying anything about it. It would be nice to know.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TREVOR BAYNE COMING OVER TO THE FORD CAMP AND JUMPING INTO THE 21 THIS WEEKEND? “I noticed when I went over to sign in this morning that Trevor’s name, it looked like he was the first guy to sign in on the sheet. You can tell he is ready to go. I think he is a great guy. I am really glad he came over here because he will help our team. He is good enough that he could be part of the future of Roush Fenway racing. Hopefully he has success like he should. I think running this Cup car will help him. The more he can run the Cup car the better he will be in the Nationwide car. It helped me a lot when I started running it. It changed the way I drove in the other series.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

AAA TEXAS 500

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

November 5, 2010

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Texas Motor Speedway and discussed the championship Chase, racing at Texas, the final three races and other topics.  Full transcript:

HOW DO YOU FEEL WITH A THREE-POINT LEAD HEADING INTO THIS RACE?:  “It’s a lead – that’s all I’m concerned about is we’re up.  It’s an exciting year, there’s no doubt about it.  To have three drivers fighting for the championship right now, as close as it is, it’s a good time for our sport.  I certainly would like it as I’ve experienced in other years, but that’s not the case and it’s time to go racing.”

DOES IT FEEL DIFFERENT TO HAVE THE CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE SO CLOSE?:  “I don’t necessarily feel more pressure.  I think I feel more pressure trying to defend something.  The small margin that we have, it’s really easy to know what I need to do – I need to win the race.  I need to finish ahead of the 11 (Denny Hamlin) and the 29 (Kevin Harvick) and I think that’s going to mean me winning the race.  The week has been really easy for me where other weeks coming into Texas concerned the mind in more of a defensive mode trying to protect and worrying about things.  It’s all offense right now so I feel really good about things and feel less pressure for this Texas race than I did last year.”

ARE YOU AWARE OF ALL THE SCENARIOS?:  “Yeah and it was that was last year and year’s before.  That’ the difference, I am realizing and experiencing it this time around.  I didn’t think it would necessarily be this way, but it’s turned out to be this way.”

DO YOU TRY TO NOT FOCUS ON THE ‘WHAT-IFS’ IN THESE FINAL RACES?:  “We all have different strategies and what works for each team and driver.  The ‘what-ifs’ are always in the mind and they find their way in especially when you’re just about to fall asleep and they find you when you just wake up.  Over the years and through experience, I’ve found ways to deal with those thoughts.  I’m in a standpoint of just thinking offense and myself and this team, we’re trained to go out and perform.  We know we can go out and win races.  We know these are three really good tracks for us.  We need to go out and do what we should do and need to do.  Those thoughts are there and you need to learn how to deal with those emotions and understand how that pressure makes you respond and act.  Again with the last four years and how they’ve turned out, I have a lot of confidence in those areas.  I’m in a great place and ready to go racing.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO SET A TONE WITH TODAY’S PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING?:  “On a funny note, we will make the most of the day and if we qualify 43rd we’ll find a way to find some silver lining and put a spin on it.  It might not necessarily come today, but it might come in tomorrow’s practice session or you finish the race well and build some confidence in the fact that you recovered from a poor qualifying position.  Without a doubt, winning the pole today and getting that first pit box, having a good day today starts things out on the right foot.  We’ve seen, especially these three Chase drivers respond well to qualifying bad. 

“We’ve all qualified poorly at a race in the Chase and driven to the front.  I think the teams are strong enough and smart enough to not let a poor Friday affect their weekend.  The one thing it does do obviously is put you in harms way so you need to get through the first 50 or 100 laps without any incidents and it increases the risk factor, but I think mentally the teams are all probably strong enough to tolerate a poor day today, but I’m certainly hoping for the best day I can have.”

DOES THE CLOSE CHASE MAKE IT EASIER ON YOU?:  “Fun – you have fun when you have good results and we’ve had good results so the fun factor has been high.  Texas and Phoenix have been really good tracks for us and we’ve always raced at those race tracks.  Then you Homestead we’ve been a little more conservative.  I don’t think we’ll have that luxury this year at all.  I feel like over the years we’ve prepared for this situation and the way we operate as a team, we never want to leave any points on the table – I think we’re geared up and ready for the final three and can race for it.  It is making things simple. 

“To expand on that some more – I have to expect the best out of the 29 (Kevin Harvick) and the 11 (Denny Hamlin) and the way they’ve been running and average finishes and the finishes they have at the final three tracks – I have to go out and win races.  It’s real simple and almost comforting in a way.  It’s real easy to know what we need to do and there’s nothing to protect.”

HAVE YOU AND CHAD KNAUS HANDICAPPED THE OTHER DRIVERS AT THE FINAL THREE TRACKS?:  “I’m not sure Chad (Knaus, crew chief) spends a lot of time going through that stuff.  I know he watches a lot of tape and understands how races unfold.  I don’t think he spends a lot of time – myself, I’ve preached this for years up here, yes, you may have had a great year or great race the week before and the past is the past.  It’s all about the present.  It’s what you do at this point in time.  If I look at the past, I can find things that give me confidence in my records and in my opponents records and I can find a lot that would freak me out so I’m not even going down that road.  There’s just no need for it.  Live in the now and do everything I can today.”

WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE FEEL SOMEONE ELSE NEEDS TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP?:  “If the roles were reversed, I would be saying the same thing.  As a competitor, you’re tired of the same guy winning.  I guess I understand where they’re coming from and what they’re saying – I don’t necessarily agree with it.  I think it would be great for someone to win five straight.  It’s just a little humor on each side there.  He (Kevin Harvick) and his fan base and the 11 (Denny Hamlin) and their fan base – they want to see their guys win and they want to see a change at the top.  I know myself and my fan base, we like how things have been and hope to keep it up.”

 

WILL YOU TAKE MORE SATISFACTION IN WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP THAT IS A TIGHT POINTS RACE?:  “I don’t know.  Initially I react and say not really because the reason we had a lot of points is because we went out and won races and the amount of wins we had in the Chase – it’s not like we backed into a championship and just kind of stumbled upon four in a row.  I don’t want to take anything away from the stretches we’ve had and the races we’ve won.  We’ve won a lot of Chase races.  I guess I’ll know more if that comes together and I can look back on my emotions then.  Right now I’m really proud of how we won these races and taken a lot of pride in winning 19 of 64 Chase races right now.  That is pretty tough to do so I don’t want to take anything away from the past.”

HOW DO YOU VIEW LAST YEAR’S TEXAS RACE TO PREPARE FOR THIS RACE?:  “Everything that goes on in a driver’s career, you learn from, especially the mistakes that you make.  In my opinion, last year’s crash started on Friday.  I went out and had a very fast car and drove a conservative lap and ended up 12th.  If I would have gotten the car fully committed to running a hard lap, I could have been maybe on the pole or fifth or wherever it was and wouldn’t have been where the issue took place on the race track.  You learn those lessons and those lessons have worked for me and are good for me, but every driver has his own style.  It’s just that stuff that works for me might not work for the 11 (Denny Hamlin) and may not work for the 29 (Kevin Harvick) or anyone else out there.  Over the years, I’ve picked up my lessons along the way and know what I need to do and feel very confident with where I am mentally and what I need to do this weekend.”

DO YOU WORRY ABOUT THE WRECK HERE AT TEXAS?:  “That’s the reality we live with every weekend.  In previous Chases, when I had a big points lead and Bruton Smith has a fat lady singing over on the balcony, nobody wants to believe me and say that this thing isn’t over and you have to run the race.  You have to play the game.  That’s the reality drivers and teams deal with all the time.  It may seem predictable and stats may show something, but until you go out there and take the checkered flag, nothing is guaranteed.”

HOW MUCH ARE YOU A CREATURE OF HABIT THIS TIME OF YEAR?:  “Every year has been different.  I would say in ’06 and ’07 I used golf to really distract my mind from the racing stuff and just get out and unwind from the weekend and kill some time and things like that.  Training has been a really good outlet for me through ’08 and ’09.  This year the training is still very much a part of my work week, but I’ve found a lot of great experiences and time and a distraction in a very positive way has been my daughter.  To spend time at home, to figure out how to make bottles, how to feed and just all the things to go along with being a parent has been an amazing distraction for me. 

“At the end of the day, you have to make sure you go to the race track recharged and refocused and really nothing present on your mind.  The way this year has gone, I’ve showed up at the track in a great place mentally, refreshed and ready to go.  I’m very fortunate that my daughter sleeps through the night and I hope that continues through the Chase especially.  That’s the goal for any athlete is to show up to your race or your game with a clear mind and ready to go.  I’ve been able to find things over the years.  It’s been different each year and it’s been working well.”

HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE KEVIN HARVICK AND DENNY HAMLIN ON THE RACE TRACK?:  “In racing situations, I would say both are very respectful in the give and take of the race.  When push comes to shove at times, I think the tolerance that some people have is a little different.  I would consider Denny (Hamlin) maybe more patient in some situations than Kevin (Harvick).  I would put myself more on the patient side as well.  You learn the rhythm on the race track and how each driver works.  You know if you’re holding someone up, you look in the mirror and you know how long you can hold that guy up and how patient they will be with you.  With Kevin, I probably need to give up the spot a little earlier than someone else.  That flow not only exists for those two guys, but with everyone.  Once you get out there racing door to door with the 11 (Hamlin) and the 29 (Harvick), I’ve had great races with both of them.  There’s a list of guys that you get side-by-side with and you know they’re going to steal the air off the side of your car and we do that in general, but they’re really going to make life difficult for you.  Those guys are going to race you hard, but they’re going to give you room to race.”

IS DENNY HAMLIN ONE OF THE LAST SOUTHERN LATE MODEL DRIVERS TO MAKE IT BIG IN SPRINT CUP?:  “I’ve never really thought about it.  I guess you asked the question because there’s some facts behind it.  I guess he’s the most current, I don’t know if he’s the last.  There are a lot of great short track drivers still in the Carolinas and in the South running and certainly hoping to make it through the ranks.  I am drawing a big blank as far as the other guys.  I feel very fortunate to have had guys ahead of me like (Tony) Stewart and (Jeff) Gordon have opened the eyes of owners and sponsors to say, ‘Hey, you don’t have to grow up in these vehicles to make it.’  It certainly opened up the world for me to come here.  I am just drawing a big blank.”

About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

Kurt Busch Open Interview

AAA Texas 500

Texas Motor Speedway

Tweets by TeamDodge

www.media.chrysler.com

KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger)

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU GUYS (TEAM) TO FINISH SEVENTH OR HIGHER? “If you’re the champions, it’s obviously the best spot. When you’re second to 10th, that’s the other segment and if you’re 11th or 12th, you’re a couple of odd men out. We hope that we’re able to improve our point’s position. It’s just a feather in the cap or a statistic to look at when you look back at it over the years and see that I finished seventh rather than 12th. That’s something that we’re pushing for and right now, we have to worry about the present which is to finish off these final three races strong. We also have to look forward to the future at Penske Racing, with what we can do these next three races to give us better direction for where we need to start in 2011. We have the new nose that was announced today with Dodge and Penske working together to help end this conclusion with the drag versus downforce and the look of the nose and I’m excited about what that brings us. We’ll get it into the wind tunnel here shortly and get it on the cars and into testing. You’ve got to worry about the final three races and worry about the future at the same time.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW THE NEW NOSE WILL HELP YOU? “I’ve seen positive remarks and others where it’s a step back. With the shape of it in general and how it looks, I’m excited about that because it looks more like what our cars need to look like. Where still not to where the Nationwide cars are. Those cars look great, that’s how our Dodge Challenger looks out on the track. You’ve got the Ford Mustang; I don’t know what happened to Chevy and why they didn’t do the Camaro. Those are cars that we need to have out on the race track representing our sport and that our fans can relate too and get back to that old cliché of ‘Win on Sunday’s and sell on Monday.’ This new nose, we’ll see how it shakes out. We have our fist test with it down at Daytona on December 8th and 9th, doing the tire test, checking out the banking. We’ll have the new nose on it then.”

HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH STEVE ADDINGTON EVOLVED THIS SEASON? “I feel we were on the same page right away with just the way that we talked about cars, our approach seemed to mesh well – what was important and what we needed to work on and long-term, short-term scenarios. As we’ve gotten into the Chase, that was a great achievement for both of us. The way that we swept the Charlotte races back in May was huge, not just for the team, but for him to settle in at Penske Racing and feel like his was carrying his weight. It’s been a great year. We look for more in these next three races. But we know that we have some work to do to get our program back around and competing for top-fives each week. We just can’t expect it to happen. We need to work on it together. It’s just easy to be on the same page with Steve because we’re both up front with one another.”

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE 2004 STRETCH DRIVER, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT WAS LIKE? “It’s amazing what the Chase format does to the nerves and to the teams and the drivers. I remember Jack Roush’s famous speech before the Homestead week and that was, ‘We have to prepare to fail.’ I’m looking at him going, ‘This is the speech being given before we head to Homestead? I’m confused.’

“There are so many emotions and so many different thoughts. Nine weeks can turn into nine months or these nine or 10 weeks can turn into nine or 10 days. It’s amazing how it all happens and when you’re in that groove that (Jimmie) Johnson’s been in, like I was in ’04, it seems like everything just clicks. There’s nothing that you second guess. You’re always in the right groove and you never have to look back. You just keep looking forward at what the next task is.”

WAS THE 1992 NASCAR FINISH THE BEST STRETCH RUN OF RACES IN NASCAR HISTORY? “I remember that I was glued to the TV. It was a Ford year that year, watching Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, and Bill Elliott going to Atlanta to duke it out. The way that those three had a shot at the championship is, in a sense, what our Chase format is. If ’92 is considered the best year ever and here we are in the Chase era, why can’t the Chase be accepted? That’s what I’m still trying to figure out. We want to have as many guys eligible for the championship going to that last race at Homestead. That year in ’04, when I won (the championship), there were five guys mathematically eligible for the championship. That’s what we want to see every year and we have a great shot at it this year with the three guys that have separated themselves. Over the years in general, it’s been a two-horse race coming to the end. But ’92 sticks out and ’04 sticks out for sure.”

IS IT STARTING TO SINK IN THAT YOU ONLY HAVE THREE RACES LEFT DRIVING THE NO. 2 CAR? “It’s bitter sweet. It’s tough to jump out of the car and think that these are my last few races. To know the opportunity with Shell/Pennzoil and jumping over to the 22 car next year, race fans have been really supportive. I even saw a guy at Sam Hornish’s bowling tournament last night with a homemade Pennzoil hat on, getting ready for next year. But we still have some things to accomplish with the Blue Deuce and that’s to go out as best as we can with this Chase and the possibility of winning in these last three weeks. We talked with the guys in Milwaukee about doing something special for the final race, but really, it’s just amazing driving the car and feeling the reputation that it has. They were big shoes to fill when I jumped in and took over for Rusty (Wallace). I was just starting to feel comfortable in those shoes and the change came about this year. When business deals come up like that and Roger Penske is asking you to do something, you’ve got to go with Roger. Brad will take care of the car. He’s a young guy. He’s 26-years-old and eager to win. That’s the legacy of that car, to win and be up front every week.”

WHAT WOULD A NATIONWIDE TITLE MEAN TO ROGER PENSKE? “That’s definitely an interesting situation because Brad has to finish 21st of better this weekend, but I hope that he keeps his eye on the bigger picture and that’s to bring Roger the team championship; we’re behind on that. I’m not sure how many points we are (behind), maybe 80? A lot of people are saying, ‘OK, Brad’s going to win the championship this weekend,’ but that’s for the driver’s side of it. We really have to take a step back and take a look. Roger doesn’t quite have that championship trophy sitting on his desk yet until the end of Homestead because those Gibbs guys are putting up a battle for it. It’s interesting. I hope Brad is able to go out there and do his best job for the team the next three weeks because he’s definitely a shoe-in for the championship. I want him to focus in on the Penske side of it.”

HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE LINES THAT A TEAMMATE HAS IN HELPING ANOTHER TEAMMATE WIN A RACE? “The way that I’ve always looked at teammates is the fact that if we’re there working together, the whole program is going to do better. The philosophy that I’ve lived by, I don’t know if it was just an unwritten rule that we had at Roush Racing and that I have at Penske Racing – you’re there to help each other, but you’re there to race each other. I guess the quote is that we work together six days a week and we go race on the seventh. We’re racers. We all want to win at the end of the day.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

AAA TEXAS 500

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

November 5, 2010

 

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET met with media and discussed sponsorships, the close Chase, Jimmie Johnson going for another championship, and more. Full Transcript:

 

REGARDING THE RACE AT TEXAS THIS WEEKEND:

“We are just really looking forward this second trip to Texas this weekend because we ran so well here earlier in the year.  But obviously with the way things ended we feel like we have some unfinished business to do here at Texas so I am really anxious to see how our set-up from not only the last time we were here but what we have learned since then to keep up the changing competition and improving competition and I think we are really looking forward to applying that this weekend to try to get that win.  Obviously we understand as well as anybody that we have not won and how important it is for us to win and also the fact that we are fourth in points and we not only have to keep pushing to get that win but to keep ourselves as high up in the points as possible.”

WITH THE ECONOMY THE WAY IT IS, DID IT CHANGE THE WAY YOU APPROACHED OR ACCEPTED SPONSORSHIP NOW?

“You have to understand that while the economy has been tough, we still had a tremendous amount of interest; which to me was very encouraging.  But to put the whole thing together, all the nuts and bolts and all the pieces you have a lot unique conflicts that happen with every sponsor we have ever had you know.  Because you have existing agreements in the organization with other cars and you have sponsors that are going to stay on board, and you have all these different and unique dynamics that come into play that when it really comes down to signing on that dotted line it’s a very difficult process. 

“And we have been very fortunate over the years that Dupont has typically signed up before they had to and before that process really came about.  It was like ‘yes, we are going to resign’, so I think to me the real sign of the economy was that they felt like they had to cut back and I have seen it with their entertaining at the race track and the number of people that they are entertaining through hospitality which is a big, big part of their sponsorship but the fact that they wanted to stay on board was very exciting because I want to end my career with DuPont on the car because they have been that kind of company for us. 

“Have we been approached by licensing, merchandising, and sponsorships and endorsements over the years that we have said no to?  Absolutely.  You would be amazed at some of the things that come our way.  You can’t say yes to everything, so you have to pick and choose and I felt like we did that process this time as well, but we probably didn’t have quite as many to choose from.”

 

WERE THERE SPONSORS IN AREAS WHERE YOU JUST DON’T GO?

“You can use your imagination (laughs).  I mean you get approached by anything and everything, so the good thing is that there are a lot of people that love the fan base that we have.  I will do some research and see if there is one that I can share with the group.”

SO JEFF GORDON BEER IS NOT COMING ON THE MARKET ANYTIME SOON?

“Well, we’ve got those…….(laughs)”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED HERE EARLIER THIS YEAR WITH JIMMIE AND HOW YOU GUYS TALKED ABOUT IT AND CLEARED THINGS UP?

“Yeah absolutely. There has always been inter-competition between the teams at Hendrick Motorsports and that is a very positive thing but you don’t want it to get to the point that it starts to cause conflict and I think a couple of misunderstandings and just the heightened sense of competition in our organization and the fact that everybody out there wants to beat Jimmie Johnson because he has been the guy to beat and we had a car capable of doing that at Vegas, we had a car capable of doing it here at Texas and you know I think after we made contact and after some of the things that were said that Rick Hendrick is a great mediator in things like that and he knows what good friend Jimmie and I are, but he also knows what fierce competitors we are. 

“And those two things don’t always go together and I think what was important was important to Rick……….and it just needed to become more aware to all of us and on our teams, is how important it was to work together and share that information and to be able to be open and honest about things even if there is a conflict.  So yes, we did talk about it and I think that it strengthened our relationship because of that.”

AS MUCH AS YOU WANT TO WIN, THIS CHAMPIONSHIP IS VERY CLOSE AND IT COULD COME DOWN TO THE BONUS POINTS AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND. DO YOU HELP WHEN/IF JIMMIE JOHNSON REALLY NEEDS THE POINTS?

“I pushed him at that end of that race last weekend (Talladega). I could have gone a different way to have gotten myself in maybe a little bit better position but I thought at the time that it was risky for me to make a move to the outside, so I thought better of it. I thought I’ll just go in here and push him and see where we can go. Had the white flag not come out, I think we were going to make even some more positions. But, that’s an instance and we’re going to do everything we can to win the race here this weekend. And to me, if it’s leading one lap, that’s one thing. But if we’ve got a car that’s capable of going out there and dominating the race and winning the race, then we’re going to go out there and we’re going to do that.”

 

HAVE YOU GOTTEN ANY FLACK ABOUT WHEN YOU SAID ON THE RADIO AT TALLADEGA THAT YOUR ENGINE WAS BLOWING?

“Well, I’ve been out of the country this week. I’ll be honest with you. My wife is turning 40 so we celebrated her birthday and I’ve been out of touch with everything until I got back last night. So, I haven’t heard anything like that but I laugh at it as you said it because trust me, in a situation like that as much as I rode around the back all day, I was not about to lose that lead. I still don’t even know what happened to the engine or what was going on there and I’m anxious to know and talk to those guys (crew). I’m just focused on Texas now and I can just promise you that there was no foul play there. I was doing everything I could to win that race.”

WHY DO YOU THINK SO MANY OF THE COMPETITORS SAY THAT FOR SOMEBODY ELSE BESIDES JIMMIE JOHNSON TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE SPORT AND FOR HIM TO WIN IT AGAIN WOULD BE BAD FOR THE SPORT?

“Because they want to win? (laughs). I think that there are probably two sides to it. I think that, and I tell Jimmie this all the time, and this in a way kind of happened to me and what he’s going through is far more impressive than anything I ever did. But ten years from now, or even 20 years from now, you’ll look back on this time and go wow. You will just look at how impressive it is and how impactful it’s been to the sport and how chances of it ever happening again are near impossible. And I think it will be respected more and appreciated more and probably looked at in a positive way. But right now, I think that people are looking at the ratings, at attendance, and trying to figure it out. They’re trying to figure out what we have to do to re-engage the mass of fans that we’ve drawn for so long. We’ve got incredible fans and avid fans, but it’s obvious that those numbers are down. And we have more measuring tools and more media outlets and all those things now so we have ways of measuring it. I personally don’t think it has anything to do with Jimmie winning four or five or six or however many (championships) he wins because I think each one that he wins makes it that much more challenging for the other ones to pull it off and to take that away from him and I think it should engage fans in even more ways to be anxious to see somebody do that. And, plus he’s building his fan base up while doing it because of how impressive it is.

“But I don’t think there’s anybody here in this room to day that would disagree that if Dale Junior was going for the championship and what that would do for us. I think we all know that. Shoot, let’s put Danica Patrick in there as well. We all know what draws the mass number of fans and what gets those spikes in there. But there is no control over that and Jimmie and Chad (Knaus) and that No. 48 team are the best team out there and they’ve shown it year in and year out and they deserve what they’ve accomplished and if you want it you’ve got to go get it. That’s to me, the challenge to every other team including myself out there that has to happen. But I’m not sure who said that. But to me, I think it’s somebody who just wishes things were reversed a little bit.”

WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU WHEN PEOPLE WERE SAYING THIS ABOUT YOU?

“The one thing that I say that is different, because I get asked this a lot and I have conversations even with Jimmie and Rick Hendrick and other people about this, is that my first championship came against Dale Earnhardt, Sr. That championship grew fans because at that point in the sport, at that time, there was just a tremendous amount of growth that was happening. Me being so opposite of Dale, just being young and brought up in racing in a way where there was a camera presence and sponsorship awareness and all these things was just a total opposite of what Dale was and what he represented at that time that it was growing his fans and their hatred toward me and growing my fans and an appreciation for that rivalry. That carried to me for a while and while there were a lot of fans out there that didn’t like that we went on and won three more championships, to me it didn’t impact the sport in a way. But, we weren’t going through some of the economy things.

“I think it is kind of a coincidence and it is really unfortunate I think for Jimmie because I really hate to see somebody like that who is that good; that’s dominated like that; that’s done what they have done and be put to blame for some things that are totally not his doing. I just wish that weren’t the case. I think what he is doing, you have to put yourself in his shoes, what he is doing is unbelievable. I think somebody should be applauded for that and somebody should recognized for doing such great things, not have this kind of shadow on it that it’s not good for the sport.”

HOW EXCITING IS THIS TRACK GOING TO BE FOR FANS THIS WEEKEND? “This track has really turned into just a fantastic track. When we first came here, it was a really, really challenging race track; fast; transitions were really abrupt, it was hared to even stay out of the wall. But as the surface has worn and as we’ve gotten the cars handling better at this track, it’s to me just become on of the premier tracks. It’s always been one of the premiere facilities if not the premiere facility, there is no other place like this, but the race track itself has really come into its own and made great racing as well. The groove has widened out. I think the fans are going to see a heck of a show this weekend as is pretty typical at Texas. But, it seems like it gets better every time we come here.”

WHEN YOU WERE IN THE THICK OF A CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE AS IT CAME DOWN TO THE END, HOW DID YOU HANDLE EVERYTHING AROUND IT? WAS THERE A TEMPTATION TO KIND TO GO INTO BUNKER MENTALITY AND SHUT EVERYTHING OUT? “In ’04 when Kurt (Busch) won and we were in a pretty tight battle there, it’s just different if you are leading versus chasing. To me, the advantage that Kevin Harvick has is that he really has nothing to lose. He’s the chaser there, so they can really go for broke, there is really no threat of losing third and so they can just really make gutsier calls. I think when you are the leader, you are on the fence there.

“You want to make sure you have fast race cars but when it comes down to some of those gutsy calls, it is a coin flip whether you do it or not and that hesitation can sometimes not work in your favor. I think the real pressure and the toughest part to be the leader in a tight group like this in a tight battle. The nice thing is that they have done it for the last four and they have great experience and confidence so if anybody can do it, they can. I think it is unique for all of them. I know how bad Denny (Hamlin) wants, how bad everybody wants to knock that No. 48 off that pedestal. there is a lot of motivation, but, each race that goes by, the intensity increases and the pressure increases because of how much is on the line. To those three guys, this is every single thing they’ve worked for their entire lives to be right here in this position.”

 

About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion, comes into this weekend 8th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings after gaining three spots in the last two races. He spoke about this weekend prior to practice.

MATT KENSETH – No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion – HOW DO YOU FEEL WINDING DOWN THE LAST FEW RACES? ARE YOU READY FOR THE SEASON TO BE OVER? “I’m not really ready for it to be over. You know what the schedule is, so I guess you are looking to the end of the year. I really enjoy these next three tracks coming up though.” H

OW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS TRACK? “Good. This has always been one of our better tracks in the past. I look forward to getting out there and seeing how competitive our stuff is.

WHAT KIND OF ADJUSTMENTS DO YOU THINK YOU NEED TO MAKE FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON? “We are just taking it one race at a time like we always do. We won’t really know until we get on the track here. We are trying to bring our best stuff, trying to get the best finishes we can here the last three weeks and try to learn as much as we can that will help us next year.”

HOW WOULD YOU SUMMARIZE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE SO FAR THIS SEASON? “This season has been frustrating for me and we expect more. It was good that we made the Chase and all that, but we expect to win and be a contender for the championship. We haven’t been able to do that for a few years now. We have to keep moving forward and try to make every part of it the best we can and try to get better.”

AS A FAN OF RACING, NOT AS A DRIVER, AS A FAN, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE 2013 REDESIGN OF THE CAR? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE FORDS LOOK DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER MANUFACTURERS? “I don’t know. I think they look a little bit different now. I understand NASCAR’s need of making the cars as close as they can so nobody has a distinct advantage aerodynamically. I didn’t particularly love this car, so I am looking forward to maybe if they redo things a little and see what it looks like. We get a new nose for next year which I think will help the cars look nicer. I don’t know what it will do with how they drive. NASCAR keeps working hard to make the cars look better and perform better on the track to.”

WHEN YOU LOOK AT NEXT YEAR, WHAT THINGS CAN YOU TAKE FROM THIS YEAR INTO NEXT SEASON? “Every week I think you learn something. I certainly have made my share of mistakes trying to hard for sure. I think the main thing is that you look at all aspects of your program and try to figure out how to make yourself better and make your program better.”

WAS THERE ANY TRACK WHERE YOU THOUGHT YOU FIGURED IT OUT? “There are certain tracks that are easier than others. We have been to some of our best tracks and not ran good and been to our worse tracks and ran okay, so I guess not really. It is just constantly trying to make your cars drive how you want them to at all the different tracks.”

AT TALLADEGA WE SAW JIMMIE JOHNSON GET HUNG OUT TO DRY A LITTLE BIT. IF PUSH CAME TO SHOVE, WOULD YOU HELP THE 48 TO WIN A RACE? “I didn’t see any of that, but I think you are always going to try draft with people that have drafted with you or helped you or whatever. At the end of the race you are all going to do what is best for yourself. No matter who is in front of you. If you feel like pushing him will get both of you to the front, then that is what you are going to do.”

AFTER LAST WEEKEND IT IS VERY TIGHT AMONG THE TOP THREE, WHICH OF THE THREE WOULD GET YOUR HELP IF THEY NEEDED IT? “There is nothing you are going to do to help anybody at any of these three races. One race a year, maybe two now that they repaved Daytona, can you really help or hurt someone on a race track. It is one against 42 like it is every week.”

 WOULD YOU WRECK ANOTHER CHASER TO WIN A RACE? “I wouldn’t wreck anybody to win a race intentionally. I race everybody the same all the time. I don’t think the racing really changes. I know you guys probably think it does. Maybe if someone has a real big lead the last race it might change a little, but I think you race someone the way you do all year. If you have a problem with somebody then I don’t think you care if it is in the Chase or not. If you take care of it like we have seen somewhere a few weeks earlier and vice versa. If a guy races you clean all the time and you race him clean then that isn’t going to change. I think everybody should race everyone the same all year no matter what the points are.”

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT PHOENIX? “I haven’t ran particularly well there since we introduced this car. In the spring we ran pretty competitively, so the hardest thing there is to get to turn really good in one and two and still not be too loose down in three or four. That is what you work on there.”

DOES THAT MEAN YOU LIKE IT OR HATE IT THERE? “I like Phoenix. There aren’t any tracks that I really hate. I really enjoy going to Phoenix. It is a really good track, for a short track.”

WHY DO YOU THINK SOME PEOPLE FELL LIKE THERE SHOULD BE A NEW CHAMPION? “Probably because everybody would like to beat him. If I don’t win it, then yeah you have friends and stuff you would like to see win it, but I just hope the best car each year wins it. If the best team wins it then I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. I think the fastest car is supposed to win the race and the best team and car is supposed to win the championship.”

GENERALLY IT SEEMS LIKE ROUSH FENWAY HAS SOME GROUND TO MAKE UP STILL. IS THERE ANY ONE OR TWO PLACES YOU CAN POINT TO THAT YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE LACKING? “There are probably a couple of spots you could look at. I think you have to look over the whole thing. I think we have made big improvements from where we were earlier this year, but I don’t think we are where we need to be at to be in serious contention for a championship. I think that is where management, the sponsors and everybody wants to be. We are going to have to look at that over the winter and continue to improve. There has been a lot happening there in the last year and it is definitely getting better.”

IT LOOKS LIKE WITH THE NEW SPLITTER COMING NEXT YEAR, FORD WILL GET TO TWEAK ITS NOSE A LITTLE BIT. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THOSE CHANGES AND HOW THEY MIGHT HELP YOU? “I am not really familiar. I have to be careful not to speak out of turn, but I assume we are trying to make it looks more like what the Chevy looks like because it seems like they are the best and their headlight area is a little different. There is not that many areas you can work in anymore, so I am sure we are just trying to get caught up with everybody else.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

AAA TEXAS 500

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

November 5, 2010

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Texas Motor Speedway and discussed Chase contenders, racing at Texas Motor Speedway and other topics.  Full transcript:

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT RACING AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY?:  “It’s a fun race track.  This is a really difficult race track – the way the banking changes going into the corners here is really odd.  It’s a very unique race track and obviously you have the bumps at both ends of the race track that make a huge difference.  There’s a lot of challenges here, which is what makes it fun – the fact that it is hard is what makes it fun in my opinion.”

WOULD IT BE GOOD FOR THE SPORT IF SOMEONE OTHER THAN JIMMIE JOHNSON WINS THE CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR?:  “I think most people want to see a different champion and I think that’s just based on the fact that no one driver has all the fans.  If Jimmie (Johnson) has 20 percent of the fans, that’s an incredible stat considering all the other drivers, but that means there’s 80 percent that don’t want to see him win.  So I think from that standpoint, I think that’s what people are talking about is that the majority of the fans want to see someone else win.  With the exception of maybe Junior (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), I think the majority of the fans want to see anybody else win because it’s not their guy.  I think that’s really what it boils down to. 

“I think what Jimmie’s done is incredible.  It should be respected; it should be a lot of reverence for it to be honest because it’s an incredible feat what they’ve been able to do and to be in the hunt again.  I think I told you all last week, when Tiger (Woods) beats the field by 18, everybody watches.  When he’s down by four, nobody watches.  It’s an interesting phenomenon, but at the end of the day it’s the majority of people who aren’t a fan of anyone and they want to see somebody else win.”

HOW DO YOU SEE THE FINAL THREE RACES PLAYING OUT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP?:  “I see the real possibility of it staying this close.  For racing with all of them, you start looking and now you have three people that are really close and now you start to dissect how good they are at every race track.  You can make a case that all three of them are really good at all three of the next three race tracks.  They’ve all performed very, very well.  We have three different style race tracks coming up that they’ve all performed well in all three styles.  I think it could be really close.  I don’t know who you would pick, honestly looking at it.  If I was an odds maker, I don’t know who I would pick.  I think it is truly an equal race.”

WHAT DO YOU WORK ON THE FINAL THREE RACES?:  “I think for us, this has been a fun year and it’s been a really discouraging year all at the same time.  For us, I want to see us be able to execute.  We’ve run well, we’re fifth or sixth in laps led, we were in that same area in number of races led.  Our performance has been good – not been great, but it’s been good.  Our average finish and running position is much higher than our average finishing position.  That’s why we’re in the spot that we’re in.  For us, I want to see us continue to run well.  That race, we led early in the year, we had a really fast car at Phoenix early in the year and last year we led a lot at Homestead.  These are three races that we perform very well in last time we were at the race track.  I want to see us be able to do that, but I want to see us get the finishes that we weren’t able to get.  For us, that’s what the next three races are about.”

HOW MUCH DO TEAMMATES HELP IN THESE FINAL THREE RACES?:  “I think if you start letting people win, I think that’s the extreme integrity issue.  I think that for years people have let people lead laps and those kinds of things and those things will happen when possible.  I hope we don’t get to the point where people let people win races.  I really hope we don’t get there.  I have a major problem with that. 

“Let me tell you something, if I was second in points and I had a teammate win the race and had I won the race, I would have won the championship, honestly I wouldn’t’ want to win the championship in that regard.  No matter what you think, you’re always going to know that you probably shouldn’t have won the championship.  I just think there’s a huge, huge integrity issue with that kind of thing.”

DO YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE TO BE WITHIN 30 POINTS OF THE LEADER TO HAVE A CHANCE IN THE FINAL RACE OF THE YEAR?:  “It improves your odds, there’s no question about it.  You guys have been around racing long enough to know that anything can happen.  A guy can cut a tire, a guy can break a motor, a guy can make a mistake, could have a wrong pit stop at the wrong time – all those things can happen and take a guy that had a 25 or 30 point lead or even a 70 point lead and now he doesn’t have it.  If someone goes out and maxes out with points with laps led and wins the race, that’s a big swing in points right there compared to a guy that runs 12th.  It certainly makes the odds better, but it’s not inconceivable that a guy could go into Homestead 45, 50, 55 point back and still win the championship.”

WOULD A TEAMMATE NOT RACE A CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDING TEAMMATE AS HARD FOR A RACE WIN?:  “Kevin (Harvick) and I at Martinsville is a great example and I don’t want to bring up a bad subject, but since then Kevin and I had a great chance to talk and Kevin in no way expected me to not race him for the win.  He wasn’t looking for me to let him go.  He wasn’t looking for me to not race him for the win.  He wasn’t looking for any of those things.  I think there’s a fine line – I think that you will cut them a little bit of slack to make sure you don’t cause them an incident.  I think that you will see that, but I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of pulling over late in the race and giving a guy a spot because again, I just think there’s an integrity issue.  I think people will cut them slack and that’s acceptable.”

WHAT MAKES YOU SAY DENNY HAMLIN AND KEVIN HARVICK HAVE AS GOOD OF A CHANCE AT THE CHAMPIONSHIP AT JIMMIE JOHNSON?:  “Because Jimmie (Johnson) winning the last four championships doesn’t win him this one.  His results over the last seven races and the upcoming three races will determine whether he wins or loses.  The results of the other people are going to determine that.  If past success guaranteed you future success then the same people would always win.  You have to go out and earn it.  You have to go out and do a better job than your competitors.  Jimmie doesn’t start this race with bonus points because he had four championships and the guys he’s racing don’t have any.  This championship is going to be won based on what happened in the last seven races and the upcoming three races.  Certainly he has a statistical advantage because he has four championships, but perhaps he doesn’t have a realistic advantage is that makes any sense.  I’m probably not saying that well, but again past success doesn’t guarantee future success.”

WHAT WOULD CONCERN YOU IF YOU WERE A CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER IN THE FINAL THREE RACES?:  “The first thing is speed and that’s an obvious statement.  But with speed you are afforded mistakes.  If you’re not fast enough then every mistake that you make and some of them aren’t big glaring mistakes and only the driver knows he made them.  Every mistake is very, very hard to overcome.  With speed, you can withstand a bad pit stop a little better because you can make it up.  You can withstand a mistake by the driver on a restart.  You can overcome things easier.  So the very first thing that you have to have over the next three races for everybody is speed.  Then from there, it’s doing the right thing at the right time and that goes into the thousands of opportunities to do the right thing.  From a driver’s standpoint, it’s making the right decisions and having the ability to follow through on those decisions and for the crew, it’s the same thing.  It’s hard to pinpoint every little thing, but it all hinges on how fast your car can go.  If you don’t have the speed that you need then it’s very difficult to mount a challenge to do all the things that you need to do.”

DOES EXPERIENCE HELP THAT PROCESS?:  “I want to think it helped and I want to believe that experience – when you experience things, you learn from them and then you’re able to apply what you learned.  That’s what I want to believe.  If not, I’m in trouble.  There’s no question that Jimmie (Johnson) has the most success from a championship standpoint, race win standpoint and almost every parameter you can measure – he has the most success of the three.  But the other two are very confident people – they believe in what they’re doing, they have conviction in what they’re doing.  They’re not the kind of people that you’re going to easily push over.  I think that’s important.  They have the mindset that’s required.  Kevin (Harvick) is very relaxed and I haven’t been around Denny (Hamlin) much, but Kevin is very relaxed and enjoying the situation.  Experience is a good thing, but a lot of it is attitude about where you think you are and where you think your team is.”

IS IT HARD FOR CLINT BOWYER TO THINK ABOUT WHAT HE COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT THE PENALTY?:  “I don’t really think that he’s (Clint Bowyer) raced differently.  Clint’s an aggressive racer and I think that was a heavy burden on their shoulders.  Obviously at the end of the day, if you add 150 (points) to what Clint has now, that’s where he would be.  That’s easy to say.  I think that thing was a really difficult deal and it’s hard to imagine and know what would have been the what-ifs and all of that.  I think that from their standpoint, again it was an opportunity to learn something; it was an opportunity to be better going into next year.  There’s no question, I definitely think that Clint wanted to prove to everyone that they could win without cheating and I think that means a lot to Clint.  Clint wants people to respect him, he doesn’t want to be viewed as somebody that was cheating to win a race.  That really offends him.  I don’t know if he’s been racing differently or not, but I do know that it means a great deal to him that the people in this room and the people in that garage and the people in the stands don’t believe that he’s a cheater.  To be able to win a race after all that and go through tech – I think that means a lot to Clint.”

DO THE DRIVERS LOOK FORWARD TO COMING TO TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY?:  “There’s a lot of energy to this race – the fans really come out and support this race a great deal.  From day one this has been a highly attended race.  I think the drivers appreciate that and understand that it’s a special thing.  Every driver is different – some drivers like some race tracks and some drivers don’t like that same race track.  It really depends on the individual and it depends on the situation they’re in.  This is a really odd time of year.  There’s people that just can’t wait to get it over, there’s people that don’t want it to end, there’s everything in between – this is a really interesting time of year.  I think all in all this is an enjoyable race track.”

About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

FORD FAST FACTS – Texas

• There are 13 Fords participating in the Lone Star 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

• Trevor Bayne will pilot the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford at Texas, marking the 19-year-olds Sprint Cup debut. Bayne joins David Pearson, A.J. Foyt, Cale Yarborough, Curtis Turner and Glen Wood who all made their Cup debuts in the No. 21.

• Ford has 9 all-time NSCS wins at Texas, most of any manufacturer.

• All three Ford “chasers” have claimed victory at Texas Motor Speedway.

• Carl Edwards leads all drivers with three wins at Texas, his most recent coming in back-to-back fashion in 2008.

• Matt Kenseth is currently tied with Mark Martin and Tony Stewart with 10 top-10 finishes and with Jeff Gordon with seven top-5 finishes all-time at Texas. Kenseth was victorious in the 2002 race.

• Jack Roush leads all car owners with seven career victories at Texas.

Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, is looking for his second career with at Texas Motor Speedway Sunday. Biffle talked about past success and finishing the year on a high note.

GREG BIFFLE – No. 16 3M Ford Fusion – HOW WOULD YOU SUMMARIZE YOUR SEASON THUS FAR AND WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO AT TEXAS TODAY? “We are going to try to qualify on pole, we have won with this Red Cross Ford Fusion car before. I love this race track. Our mile-and-a-half program has been stellar. Our Chase hasn’t been what we were hoping for. It is a win and then dead last, then fifth and then last. We are working hard to get some wins here at the end of the season and get the best finish we can.”

ANY ADJUSTMENTS FOR TEXAS IN PARTICULAR? “Not really. We have been looking at what we did at Kansas, California and Charlotte and have tried to come here with the best plan we can.”

GENERALLY IS SEEMS LIKE ROUSH FENWAY HAS SOME GROUND TO MAKE UP. YOU GUYS HAVE GOTTEN BETTER BUT STILL AREN’T QUITE THERE. ARE THERE SPECIFIC AREAS YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE LACKING? “That is a great question. We feel like we have really closed the gap on the mile-and-a-half tracks. We know that the short track program still needs to improve. We felt like our restrictor plate program is really good. I got really good finishes at Talladega, almost won the Daytona 500, then go to Talladega this last week and we were way off. It is an ever evolving cycle of being fast one week and not the next. It is like you try to figure out why because we expected to go to Talladega and be very good. We go there and qualify 34th in race trim. The car is not going to get any fast than that, and that was disappointing. We will keep working on it though and figure out why we aren’t as fast as we need to be.

AT TALLADEGA WE SAW A LOT OF GUYS PUSHING TO HELP GUYS GAIN POSITION, WOULD YOU EVER HELP PUSH THE 48 TO THE FRONT TO HELP HIM WIN A RACE? Well, we never got a chance to work with the 48 in Talladega, but we did help out the 11 quite a bit because he was going up through the field. I’ve never had that opportunity. Really, whatever will benefit you is what you do. However that works out. I wish the top lane would have went a little better than the bottom, but that is the way it goes. We ended up 19th.

WITH THINGS SO CLOSE WITH THE TOP THREE GUYS IN THESE LAST THREE RACES, THEY ARE ALL GOING TO NEED SOME HELP MORE THAN LIKELY. WHICH ONE OF THE THREE ARE YOU GOING TO HELP? “They aren’t getting any help from me. The 16 is out there to win and I am going to show all of them respect just the same as I would expect them to show me in these final races. I am going to race them all fairly and let it be decided amongst themselves.”

WHY DO YOU THINK THERE IS A SENTIMENT THAT THERE SHOULD BE A NEW CHAMPION? “I don’t necessarily feel that way. Everybody looks at it as Jimmie has won four in a row and they maybe are ready for something new. In my eyes, the best team should win. Right now, there are three of them that are neck-in-neck in how they are performing and it is going to be close when it comes down to it. We will just have to wait and see.”

EVERYONE IS GOING TO A NEW SPLITTER NEXT YEAR AND NASCAR HAS ALLOWED FORD AND DODGE TO TWEAK THEIR NOSES. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HOPE TO GAIN WITH A NEW NOSE? “We are hoping to get even with the other cars is what we are hoping to do. NASCAR has allowed a slight change in the front configuration which is good. We sort of match the other two manufacturers I think with what the car changes are going to be. Everybody has a common lower which I think is important to have that common lower. We keep our identity that we are a Ford Fusion, but we are going to get to match up the aero advantages that the other cars have. That might make a little bit of a difference, but it is such a minor change that you probably won’t see it performance wise.”

ANY LITTLE BIT HELPS THOUGH RIGHT? “Well, where it will help the most is probably the mile-and-a-half program which we are already really good at. We need help on the short tracks and it won’t make much difference there, which is what I was getting at. If it makes any difference at all. It is really more a cosmetic change than an aero change.”

FANS SEEM TO REALLY LIKE WHEN THE CARS DON’T LOOK THE SAME. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU AS A DRIVER WOULD LIKE TO SEE? MORE IDENTITY? “I think so. In the Nationwide series, they have really done that. They have brought Mustang back and some of the other cars back that the consumers can really identify. They are really excited about it. The changes that are coming down the line with the Sprint Cup cars will be well recognized as well.”

WERE THERE ANY TRACKS THIS YEAR THAT YOU JUST FELT LIKE THEY CLICKED AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE IT FIGURED OUT NOW? “It is funny because that happens and you feel like you have something figured out and then you go to a place where you are usually really good at and then you aren’t so good. Kansas is a place we have always been good at, we have won there. Darlington is a place we have always been really good, but we weren’t good there this year. That is a little discouraging. You sort of shift the power. One track where you think you will be good you aren’t and another track where you think you will be mediocre you are good. You are always fighting to be the best at every place.”

IF YOU LOOK BACK ON THE YEAR, IS THERE ONE THING THAT YOU CAN TAKE WITH YOU INTO NEXT SEASON? “We need to continue to get our short track program better and better. Mostly Martinsville for me. We qualify well there and ran well for half of the race, but we are still working on that short track as far as I am concerned. We need to continue to be better there.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

AAA TEXAS 500

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

November 5, 2010

 

BOBBY LABONTE, NO. 10 GANDER MOUNTAIN OUTDOORS CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Texas Motor Speedway and discussed racing at Texas for his brother Terry Labonte and other topics.  Full transcript:

DO YOU ENJOY RACING AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY?:  “I grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas and watching my brother race on the short tracks there before moving to North Carolina.  Texas World Speedway – I got to race there a couple times actually on the road course.  That was the biggest thing that I’d ever seen as far as race tracks goes besides the quarter-mile and half-mile tracks.  I got to race here a little bit even after we moved to North Carolina, we came back to race.  To come back here is awesome.  We were able to be back of a select group that came down and blew up part of the soil here and got the track started.  Dale Earnhardt, myself, Jeff Gordon and Terry (Labonte) came down here so it was kind of cool that we got to see this place as virgin soil as you might say.  To come back here year after year and see the fans come out to see this race track.  The way it is, when you come down 35 and you look at the lights, it’s like it resembles huge stadiums and big time events.  It’s really cool to come back.  It’s a good race track, love coming down here for the fans and the friends that we have.  Twice as good this year and this time because I get to drive my brother’s car so it’s even better.”

HOW DID IT COME TOGETHER TO DRIVE FOR JTG-DAUGHERTY RACING IN 2011 AND WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS?:  “I’m really excited about that.  Tad (Geschickter, team owner) and Brad (Daugherty, team owner) came to my motor home in Chicago and they told me that Marcos (Ambrose) was leaving and they asked me if I would be interested in driving their car next year.  About five seconds later I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’  Then I said, ‘Hold on a second, let me think about it, yeah, okay, I think it’s still fine.’  So really I was overwhelmed and thrilled that they asked me to drive their car and especially to get a contract signed and sealed by August, which the past couple years hasn’t been like that. 

“So that was exciting.  I’ve already been to test with Frankie Kerr (crew chief) and the guys at Gresham.  We plan on going to Orlando in a couple weeks and a Goodyear tire test in December.  Rolling right along with that; and again just looking forward to that association and that relationship.  Tad, we talk a lot, more so now than we did after the first couple weeks, but we talk a lot trying to get stuff squared away for next year and just real excited about the opportunity that I have going forward next year.  A great race team, a great group of people, great staff there at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) that they’re working with and a lot of resources to have.  Can’t wait for obviously a couple weeks to test and next year to get started soon.”

HOW WOULD THESE SPRINT CUP CARS LOOK AT TEXAS WORLD SPEEDWAY TODAY?:  “I think the last time I was there testing was 1995.  I know Greg Biffle was down there testing a couple years ago and speeds were like 220ish, you know.  Without soft walls, that’s probably not very good.  Are they going to change Fontana to that?  Is that what you’re trying to say?  You suggested that?  I wouldn’t suggest that if I were you.  I don’t know that would be any better.  Richmond would be a better type of track.  I don’t know.  It’s been a while, but when I went down there in ’95 and ran the whole track instead of just the road course and part of the track, it’s really, really fast.  It would be great racing I know because it probably could be multiple lanes too.  You have a lot there, but I’m not sure that would be any more conducive to greater racing than we have at some places that we come to like this place.”

HOW DID IT COME TOGETHER TO DRIVE FOR YOUR BROTHER TERRY LABONTE?:  “It came about, obviously my year didn’t turn out like I thought it would be at the start to drive for one team.  Been driving for James Finch and he’s given me a great opportunity to drive a few races for him and even drove for Robby Gordon at Loudon and then when Terry (Labonte) was going to have his team going – he went to Richmond and didn’t make the race and he asked me that night in the motor home and he said, ‘Man, I should get you to drive my car at Charlotte.’  I said I was in so he called Billy Stavola on the phone and we had a three-way conversation right there and next thing you know it kind of happened and then after Charlotte, I was kind of like, ‘I would love to be able to drive your car at Texas.’  Then they called me a day later and they asked me if I would so it makes sense.  It’s a great race team. 

“Billy and Terry started this deal off early in the year, they’ve got three races they were going to run and trying to build for next year and I think they’ve got a great start at it as far as putting things together.  I hope they can continue with it and I just hope for a good run.  Terry and I have both driven like each other’s cars at times and work out of the same shop together and all that.  He’s been my agent for years as far as when I have a call that I have a question about, I let him answer it for me sometimes and even vice versa.  I was the guy that Eddie Dickerson called to get with Terry for him to go drive for Hendrick’s (Motorsports) one time.  Anyway, it’s kind of cool being able to drive for him.  We spend a lot of time together so it’s a lot of fun.”

WERE YOU GETTING CONCERNED ABOUT BEING ABLE TO GET ANOTHER RIDE LIKE JTG-DAUGHERTY RACING?:  “There was times that you didn’t know – you were hoping and watching the phone waiting for the phone call.  Tried to do as much talking as you can, but it’s kind of one of those things, the best way to put it is that you just live by faith and just what happens, happens.  You’re not sure and if it hadn’t of happened then that’s just the way it is.  Very fortunate and blessed that it happened.  Obviously there were times that you weren’t sure what were going to take place.”

WHO IS IT TOUGHER TO DRIVE FOR – YOUR DAD OR TERRY LABONTE?:  “That’s easy – my dad.  My dad’s a lot harder to drive for than Terry (Labonte).  I drove for my dad for years and he was my crew chief and everything.  He wasn’t hard on us, he was just very determined.  It was probably a little bit more difficult with him.”

HOW HAS RACING AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY EVOLVED FOR THE FANS?:  “Everything is bigger and better in Texas, obviously.  I can state that it‘s a truthful statement.  Just the fans here – over the course of the years they’ve really been supportive of the race track.  They come out here for the week before the race, start parking and tailgating and stuff like that.  The amount of fans that showed up for this event the first several times and knowing the support the track gets.  This is a great market.  Bruton Smith (owner), Eddie Gossage (president) – they do a great job promoting it.  There were times that we would come here early on that there were more fans here for qualifying then there were at other tracks for the race.  It’s just one of those events that people plan for and it’s a great market area.  The fans always see a great race and they always have a good time here.  There’s a lot to do here around the area so it makes for a good place for race fans to come and view this event.”

HOW HAVE YOU EVOLVED AS A RACE DRIVER?:  “A lot of things have changed with the cars, people and engineering resources, teams, teammates over the past few years.  At (Joe) Gibbs (Racing), I had a lot of that there with Tony (Stewart).  That kind of gave me that little bit there and then fast-forwarding to this opportunity with JTG (Daugherty Racing) with Martin Truex and David Reutimann as teammates at MWR (Michael Waltrip) Racing is kind of going back to where I was or where I felt like I was at with Gibbs Racing.  A great opportunity.  I know that the resources that are there that you have to use, the staff that’s there that you have to believe in and the support that you have from the manufacturer and everything else is what makes the difference nowadays.  Knowing that they have that gives you confidence and gives you confidence every time you sit in the race car, gives you confidence every time you go to bed at night just knowing that the next day you’re going to be better. 

“Hopefully you can take the experience and what’s good about experience and bad about experience is that you don’t want to hold onto it too much because in a lot of ways it can bite you because you can’t do the same thing over and over again, but hopefully you can take the experience that they have and the new stuff that makes the cars go faster today, might not have been the same years ago so you have to try that.  Not that we didn’t do that for years, but you just have to be more on your game and realize that it’s there.  Hopefully the experience pays off, but I don’t want to get stuck in a rut either and say, ‘Well, I’m used to running x and that don’t work no more.’  You have to be careful with it and ride the center of it instead of being one way or the other.”

HOW HAS THE RACING CHANGED AT THIS TRACK OVER TIME?:  “The best thing about race tracks is aging – either hard winters or long summers.  Of course you can go too far and 30 years later it might need a repave, but at the same time, this place here – from the first time here until now has obviously changed quite a bit.  It has a lot of characteristics in it now that you’re able to drive around and drive through and stuff like that with bumps in the corners.  I love bumps in corners because it gives you something to work on.  If it was just smooth as glass and wide open then it gives you less to work on. 

”It comes down to the race and what we were talking about earlier today and this week was qualifying is going to be a certain speed, but race pace is going to be something else so you really have to know what you think the race pace is going to be in tomorrow’s practice because it’s going to slow down enough where it’s going to change the attitude of the race car and you need to change your setup for 20 laps into the run rather than just the first five laps.  That really, you have to guess a little bit and that’s good about the race track because you can practice fast and then race pace will slow down.  So you work on that and you have to sometimes make some guesses at it, but that’s what makes the characteristic of the race track better and that’s why it’s so much better now than it was at the beginning.  It was good at the beginning, but it was more at the bottom of the race track and now it’s gotten to where Juan Pablo (Montoya) will be up top and Martin Truex will be on the top and some other guys will be in the middle and some guys on the bottom so that always leads to better racing I think.”

 

About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (Nov. 5, 2010) – The new Dodge Charger nose has been approved by NASCAR for the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season. The development of the Charger nose has been a cooperative effort by Dodge Motorsports Engineering and Penske Racing and gives Dodge better brand identify for the Charger while remaining within the NASCAR approval process.

“With the introduction of the all-new 2011 Dodge Charger for the street, we worked closely with Penske Racing to develop the Dodge brand identity while maintaining neutral aerodynamics within the NASCAR rules,” said Dave Bailey, Senior Manager of Dodge Motorsports Engineering. “Coupled with NASCAR’s new common lower nose for 2011, the revised front end carries the image and character of the Charger forward in true Dodge performance fashion.”