Chevy Rock and Roll 400 - Jeff Green Notes

Jeff Green Notes, Quotes: Rock & Roll 400
‘It’s about the Championship, but don’t forget the rest’

The final race before the start of the NASCAR’s Playoff - “Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship” - this weekend Jeff Green and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team head to the .750-mile Richmond (Va.) International Raceway for Saturday night’s Rock & Roll 400. This being the 26th race of the season, only the top 10 drivers, or ones within 400 points of the current leader, will be eligible for the 2004 championship after this weekend.

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 Richmond:

“It’s the ‘final countdown’ you can say towards the championship chase. This race means about everything for a good handful of guys. People have been talking about this race all year. Who is getting into the championship battle and who isn’t? It’s finally here and, sure, it means a ton for those guys battling for the 10th position. But, let’s not forget about the rest of us either.

“For this Cheerios team, Saturday night is just as important as next week, or as California was a week ago. Our strategy just doesn’t change that much. We’re not in the championship chase so we’re not worried about it. We’re still trying to gain as much as we can in points, but we’re not going to win the title. Good finishes, wins, and continuing to build - that is our focus now. I think that’s still as good of a story line as any if we’re racing up front on Saturday.

“I’m a little concerned that too much focus might be put on the guys in the championship chase. We’ve had our share of bad luck this season, and a lot of that luck has put us out of the championship chase. Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t win races or run in the top five. If we are, I want to know that the cameras will be on us. I know that everyone will want to follow the championship contenders and how they are doing, but the rest of us still deserve coverage too if we’re running well.

“I’d hate to see too much emphasis put on only the guys in the championship. It’s not good for the other teams, sponsors or fans. We can’t be following the guy running in 25th just because he’s in the top 10 in points and not pay attention to the leader or guys in the top five. The championship is everything in our sport, but we can’t punish the teams outside the top ten either.

“Cheerios, Ferguson, Coca-Cola, Dodge, STP and our other sponsors are still putting a lot of effort and resources into this team. They joined up for 36 races and deserve the rewards of coverage - no matter if it’s the 10th race of the season or the 26th. There are a lot of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson fans out there, but I know some Jeff Green fans that want to see our progress on race day too. I just hope that we’re not going to put all of our eggs into the basket of the championship contenders the next two months.

“Don’t get me wrong, the new points system is exciting. I think it brings a lot of excitement back to the sport, especially now, at the end of the season. Although nobody really ran away with the points this year, it’s really going to tighten up the field. If I was in 10th after Richmond and then, suddenly, only 45 points behind the leader, yeah, it’s a pretty good deal. If it was like it is now, back when I had won my Busch championship by 600 points, well, I don’t know if I would have been too happy about that. The whole deal is to create excitement and hopefully get some new fans. I think NASCAR has accomplished those goals.

“The excitement is really going to start next week, but this Saturday night will set the stage. We’re on a pretty big stage, and the championship contenders alone can’t fill the entire area. I understand that they’ll be in the center, but the supporting cast is pretty talented too. This Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team wants to steal some of that spotlight. That’s our goal this weekend and the rest of the season.”