MBNA 400: A Salute to Heroes - Jeff Green Notes

Jeff Green Notes, Quotes: MBNA America 400
‘Main Concern at Dover: Stay Away >From Wrecks’

This weekend Jeff Green and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team head to the one-mile, concrete-surfaced Dover (Del.) International Speedway for Sunday’s MBNA America 400. Green returns to the track where he first took the reigns of the famous #43 during the latter part of last season. Green finished 16th in his first race with Petty Enterprises.

Green, 41, is the only driver to have raced for the sport’s biggest names. Throughout his career, he has driven for Cup’s most legendary names, such as Junior Johnson, Felix Sabates, Richard Childress, Dale Earnhardt, and now Richard Petty. Green is in his first full season driving the legendary Petty Enterprises #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge. The 2000 NASCAR Busch Series champion, he holds the record for the largest points margin after winning the championship by 616 points. He is also a two-time NASCAR Nextel Cup pole winner, winning poles at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and the pole for the 2003 Daytona 500.

The thoughts of #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge driver Jeff Green heading into Dover:

“The main concern at Dover is staying out of trouble. When a wreck happens, it’s usually pretty big. How many times have we seen a one or two-car spin end up being a five or six-car wreck? You can get yourself in trouble pretty quickly at Dover- it doesn’t take much.

“This is a high-banked track. The turns are severely banked but, even more crucial than that, the straightaways are severely banked. Both are banked in such a way that when something happens, everything that must go up definitely comes down. Cars slide down the banking and just start collecting more and more cars. This is a self-cleaning track you might say. If you’re in the wrong position at the wrong time, there is no way of getting away from the wreck. It’s the nature of the beast that is the ‘Monster Mile.’

“Accidents are going to happen when you’re racing. There isn’t much we can do about that, and sometimes things beyond everyone’s control happen too. Dover, because of its concrete surface and other factors, is really tough on tires. The biggest concern we have is something happening quickly and sending you into the wall. You usually hit the wall pretty hard when you hit at Dover. The track is so fast that the wall comes up very quickly. It’s comforting to know that Goodyear gives us the safest and most reliable tire they can, but accidents still happen.

“The tires are going to be key this weekend. The new race tire we have is going to be different than what we are used to at Dover. The new tire on the concrete surface is going to react differently. It has been great so far this season, but it’s tough to know what to expect racing on a concrete track as long as Dover. Dover is not Bristol - both may be concrete surfaced, but Dover is longer and faster. The tires are going to wear differently and we’ll need to figure that out when we get there.

“Dover is demanding and challenging enough as it is without concrete. The concrete just adds a different perspective to the racing. The surface is rough. The car shakes around a lot. It’s a race that is a lot tougher on your body than most. You have to be mentally prepared for a long race at Dover. You have to be just as tough mentally as physically because the race takes a toll on your entire body.

“The concrete also gives you the sensation that you’re going faster. The way the cars feel and drive over concrete gives you that illusion. It’s different, but everyone adapts to it. It’s pretty cool and I like the feel of going fast.

“Dover is a good track and it has been good to me in my career. It’s a tough track, but I’ve had my own success there. I’ve won in the Busch Series and I’ve had a few decent runs in the Cup car there. I am looking forward to getting back to the track this weekend with this Cheerios Dodge team. Hopefully we can have another good weekend.”