UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 - John Andretti Notes

John Andretti Notes, Quotes: UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
‘You can’t predict who will be good’

For the sixth time in NASCAR Winston Cup history, John Andretti and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge will travel west to compete in this Sunday’s UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Opening in 1998, the track has seen four different drivers visit victory lane, with just one able to win twice. This race is one of the richest on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit paying out a purse of over four million dollars.

Andretti is in his sixth consecutive season with Petty Enterprises with over half of his NASCAR Winston Cup starts coming for the legendary organization. Andretti’s vast racing experience ranks him as one of the most versatile and talented drivers on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit. He is one of only two drivers to win in two different major racing series and also win two or more major NASCAR Winston Cup oval races. Winner of the 1991 Gold Coast Grand Prix in Australia, one of CART’s premier events, Andretti was also a winning driver in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1989 in the series then known as IMSA.

The thoughts of Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge driver John Andretti heading into Las Vegas:

“We had a good test session earlier at Las Vegas. We tried a couple different things. We worked in race trim, and we worked in two different directions, and we felt like that we came out with two good packages. We didn’t work very hard on qualifying stuff, but we did put on a qualifying set-up and made four different runs. The car was pretty fast so we were pretty happy with that.

“Vegas has been tough on us during qualifying in the past. We had an engine go bad on us in qualifying there one time, and we haven’t been super fast there. I feel pretty good about qualifying this time, a lot better than what I have in the past. Race-wise, we still have to see where the track is going to go because getting our car ready for two laps is a lot different than getting it ready for a race run.

“Vegas is a big race and that’s why you see a lot of guys test there. It’s also a track that you can learn a lot from and the weather is pretty cooperative. I don’t think the crew guys mind going to Vegas either. Overall I think people look at it as a good place to go because it’s the first place we race that is that flat and where aerodynamics play a big part because of the speeds. With the new body styles and the new templates, it just made sense for us to go out there and test.

“I don’t know what the racing is going to look like at Vegas. Anytime that you bring the field closer together it makes it tighter, and it can make for more problems because everyone is closer together. That is what racing is all about. You have got to be smart enough to take care of yourself, and be aware of what’s going on around you.

“Vegas has been pretty good about being more than a one-groove race track. I remember a few years ago when Jeff Burton won this race on the outside (lane). You can work your way around Vegas and figure out a better line. Turns One and Two there are 50 different lines going around there. It’s one of those races where I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of difference. I think overall with all the changes, like any other race, you’re not going to be able to predict who’s going to be good.

“The cars are somewhat closer together now. The rear spoilers are the same and NASCAR is trying its best to get the rest of the cars similar. We at Petty Enterprises can build two Dodges that can fit all the templates, but they still end up as two completely different race cars. Everybody still has their own special ways and it’s always going to be that way. That’s where the teams should make the difference. It shouldn’t be that we are going to go way out there in left field because we know that that’s better, and not have the other guys do it because they don’t have the resources. We keep moving things around, but there is a smaller box to move around in, which makes it more competitive.

“It’s a big weekend for Dodge, and I think Dodge has always been enthusiastic about its return to Winston Cup. They have been very supportive of all their teams. I think that if you have an issue you can take it to Dodge and they will try to resolve it. It can be a question in performance, to improve your own, or to learn more about what’s going on with Dodge. They have done a lot of research of their own and seem to share that information equally. I think that they do as good as a job as they can do and still keep all their participants happy. I think they would love it if we all shared our information and have us race each other in our Dodges. That’s just never going to happen. It can be hard for some teams to get two team mates to help each other as much as Dodge wants us to help. It’s a great thought, and as far as the other manufacturers, we are a tighter group than any other.”

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