MBNA America 400 - Jeff Green Notes

Jeff Green Notes, Quotes: Delaware 400
‘Giving Jayski a full-time job’

This weekend Jeff Green and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team head to the one-mile Dover (Del.) International Speedway for Sunday’s Dover 400. This race will mark one year since Green took over the reins of the famous #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge. In his first ever race with the team Green drove to a 16th-place finish after climbing to the front all day from a 41st starting position.

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 Grand National 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:

“I think this team has gone through a lot of changes in just one year. We’ve made a lot of changes since this time last year, and it’s all in an effort to win. Change happens all the time in this sport. That’s part of the deal. It used to be called ‘silly season.’ One point, just a few short years ago, changes used to start right about now. Everyone hopped onto Jayski (a NASCAR racing rumors site – www.jayski.com) and started to look at the rumors. Today, for the good fortune of guys like Jayski, it’s a year-round process.

“I got this ride last year in September. There was a time when a driver change like that might have been pretty early. Not today. Owners, drivers, crew chiefs, and everyone down to the tire changers are always changing constantly. Teams are looking for the best of the best and they can’t afford to wait around. The pressure we have on us, and now the points system the way it is, you can’t wait months and months to make necessary changes.

“The points system has made it to where there are almost two separate seasons. The first season is the first 26 races to qualify for the ‘chase for the championship’ while the second season is the chase itself. That makes running up front in April and May just as important as ever to make sure that you are in position to be in the chase in September. That’s why ‘silly season’ has turned into the only season. This is a performance sport and getting the key people in place is so extremely crucial.

“It keeps a guy like Jayski pretty busy. A person who not everyone really knew five or six years ago has become one of the most influential people in the garage. You see your name on his website and people are talking about you. It usually means that a change is coming. You try not to pay attention to it, but a lot of drivers do. I know that we’ve given him a full-time job.

“I’ve been on both sides of the equations. Luckily, I feel like I have a good home at Petty Enterprises. I feel confident with the way this team is headed. I’ve been in situations in the past where I haven’t always felt welcomed. I don’t feel that way here, and in this past year I’ve been working as hard as ever to get Petty Enterprises back to the front.

“Having been on the other side of the fence, however, I know how tough it is when you are in a position where you are not happy. There are probably some situations out there like that right now. It has been a long season - one with added pressures with the new points system. Everyone is looking at their goals set at the beginning of the season right now. Some were probably met and some were probably not met. Maybe that changes the outlook of an owner, a driver, crew chief or whoever. That causes change.

“It’s a year-round process, but the next few months are pretty intense for some guys. It’s nice to know that I’m not in that position. The ones that are in it probably aren’t sleeping that good. It’s hard. The only thing you can do is drive as hard as you can each week.

“I don’t know because ‘silly season’ is year round if that is good or bad. I know you don’t hope to be in it. It’s just part of the deal. The best thing you can do is just to never stop working hard. We’re not in the ‘chase for the championship’ this season, but we plan to be in it next season. This Cheerios team plans to keep working hard the rest of this season and all of next season. We’ve made a lot of changes this past year, but we haven’t ever stopped trying to move forward.”