Denny Hamlin and Mike Ford
#11 FedEx Chevrolet
Pole Position
Press Conference Transcript
HAMLIN
It's happened so fast for me that it's really been tough to sink it all in. I've been given great cars every week by Mike. You know, I feel like any driver could do what I'm doing right now with the equipment I'm being put in. It's just been really good and hopefully we'll ride this wave into next year and hopefully have a shot to get into the Chase.
MIKE FORD, CREW CHIEF
Yeah, with the driver changes we've gone through with the #11, after the first three runs with Denny I realized that we could win races with him. And he's very patient. You wouldn't know that he hasn't run more than a couple of races in the Cup car. He's patient, methodical and knew if we started at that point, that we could work on it and eventually get poles and hopefully wins.
YOU SAID ANY DRIVER COULD DO WHAT YOU'VE DONE, BUT OTHER DRIVERS HAVE BEEN IN THAT CAR AND HAVEN'T DONE WHAT YOU'VE DONE. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
HAMLIN
I really don't know. I felt like that when I got in this car, I got in at the best time. Things were starting to get worked out with the team and they got caught up. They got in so many wrecks earlier in the year that they got behind on cars and preparation that when they finally did get caught up, I got in the car and they've been great. I'm used to the Busch cars and don't really have a lot of Cup experience, so I didn't really know the difference between what's good and what's bad. I just try to make them feel good for me and that was enough today.
TALK ABOUT THE WEIGHT OF GOING OUT AND GETTING POLE, BUT STANDING THERE AND WATCHING PEOPLE TRY TO KNOCK YOU OFF THE POLE
HAMLIN
I went through it two hours before that in Busch qualifying. We were on the pole forever and got knocked off with three cars to go. That was tough but I'll definitely exchange it for a Bud pole.
HAMLIN
My birthday is coming up in a few days, so this is a great birthday present for myself and I hate that the year is ending, but I'm really excited about next year. Now we get to go to Daytona one week early and get in the Bud Shootout, which is a huge accomplishment. It's definitely going to be a great winter. It's great to end the year on a good note. You can think about that over the winter and build on it. And we saw what Biffle did at the end of last year and he built on it and carried it into great runs into this year. So, we hope to do the same thing.
RE: DOES HE REMIND OF YOU OF ANOTHER DRIVER? RE: COMMUNICATION
FORD
I think part of the reason that Denny and I have been able to run well of the bat is that he's very similar to Bill Elliott. He's very smooth in a race car. There's nothing he does to try to force something there in a race car. So, that's really helped me get over the hump and understanding that the driver has very similar traits to what I'm used to.
HAMLIN
And, Bill Elliott is my hero. Actually, my first race car was a purple-and-white #11, oddly enough. I got that number from Bill Elliott back when he was back racing the Budweiser car and he's somebody I always looked up to and Mike was always the guy he looked up to when he was running good or bad. I didn't know him back then, but I tell you, he's done a great job with me and I feel like I've been with Mike for years and this is only our sixth race. So, hopefully it will build on a good future.
Jimmie Johnson
#48 Lowe's Chevrolet
2nd position
Press Conference Transcript:
"This is go time. To get a top-two qualifying effort is really important. Obviously I would have liked to be on the pole. The pole-sitter has an advantage at this track. I just want to lead a lap quickly and get that part out of the way and settle in. We had a great race car yesterday in practice. We didn't make a qualifying run so I didn't know what to expect today. I think there was a small advantage with the weather and going out early. But it really hasn't heated up out there. So I'm not sure how much of an advantage that was. But things have worked out well and we're very pleased with the car. Like I said earlier, it's go time and it's time to get to work."
ON DENNY HAMLIN CAPTURING THE POLE:
"Congratulations to him. There's nothing like your first pole -- especially in a partial season and in getting prepared for the following season. That's going to do a lot for his confidence."
ARE YOU MORE KEYED-UP HERE AT THE END OF THE SEASON, OR ARE YOU MORE RELAXED?
"Nope, it's go time. There is no more relaxing. I hope I'm relaxing after the trophy has been raised in victory circle or whatever it is at that point in time at Homestead. But it's go time. That's all there is to it."
YOU SEEM A LOT MORE SUBDUED THIS YEAR THAN IN PRVIOUS YEARS:
"Last year I learned a lot of lessons. One was that you do all you can. I made some mistakes last year in the car -- letting the pressure get to me too early I crashed a car at Kansas -- trying to make something of a bad day. If I would have just finished that race in 20th position where I was running at the time, I would have easily made up the eight points and it would have been a different championship. So even thought it is a 10-race format at the end, there is an element of survival there. I want to do my best job possible and get everything I can out of the car every lap, but not make any mistakes. Still this year, I've made some mistakes I regret, but it's part of racing. When you're out there laying it all on the line, sometimes you step over it and other times you're on this side of it. It's been good and very uneventful for us.
"So everything is good. Our team confidence is high and everything is rolling. We're in much better shape this year than we were last year at this point in time."
HOW DOES THIS YEAR FEEL VERSUS LAST YEAR?
"Personally, I'm smarter and better prepared for the pressures that come with the Chase. A guy like Tony Stewart, who has been in this pressure-cooker before, is more relaxed too. A guy like Carl Edwards feels some extra pressures and your mind is doing some different things. It's hard to handicap it. Carl has done an amazing job. But this year, I can tell I'm much calmer and I understand what's going on."
DO YOU STILL FEEL LIKE YOUR DESTINY IS IN YOUR OWN HANDS?
"If we win and Tony is in 7th or 8th, that would cover it. That's not an unrealistic goal. Top 10's are very difficult in our sport. You don't have to have a bad day to finish 7th. That's a good day. Last week, I was fifth and Tony was sixth. So I don't think that's unrealistic. We have two races to do it in. If I can finish three or four spots ahead of him in the next two races, that would take care of it."
TONY STEWART SEEMS RELAXED TOO:
"Yeah, that's what makes us both so dangerous I believe. If you watch football and baseball and the pitcher is in the final game of the World Series and he's standing on the mound sweating bullets, you sense a mistake coming. But when you see somebody calm and relaxed, you know he's in control. That comes from experience. Tony has won a lot of championships and is already a Cup champion. Unlike me, I feel like I've got to do this. I don't have a championship. I know Tony would like a second one but I think it's like winning your first race. You have to win your first race. So we're both calm and relaxed. Both of our teams are in the same situation and I really predict this dog fight to the end and a battle between the home improvements."
Bobby Labonte
#18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet
5th position
Well, it was a little too loose. And to be honest, I'm glad that it was loose. You know, I'd rather be a little loose right now than a little too tight. Because, I'm afraid in the race we'd get too tight. It was still pretty good. We didn't quite get off of Turn 2 like we wanted to, and Turn 4 was still a little bit too free. Still, overall it was alright.
Jeff Gordon
#24 DuPont Chevrolet
10th position
I'm very happy. We drew a bad number, really, and pulled off a pretty decent lap and hopefully we can stay in the top 10. If not, then hopefully up towards the front. We really worked hard on our race setup so I hope that really helps us for tomorrow. And you know, I'm pretty happy. We picked up a lot from yesterday.
Robby Gordon
#7 Harrah's Chevrolet
12th position
Yeah, a pretty good run for us. We made an adjustment there and we tightened the car up. I didn't really know what it was going to be like. It was just a little snug, down one and two and into three and four, rolling through the middle. But, I'm pretty pleased with that. This will be our first top 10 qualifying besides road courses if that happens, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I know we're safely in the show and that's what is most important for us.
Dave Blaney
#07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet
13th position
Well, the tires weren't quite ready to go that first lap, so I probably just drove it a little easier than I should have, could have, whatever. The car had a little bit more in it the second lap, I just probably didn't get it all. But, the car has been good all weekend. We've really been happy with it so we're excited about tomorrow.
BOBBY HAMILTON JR., NO. 32 TIDE CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "We made qualifying runs all day yesterday -- for four hours. We had to get in (the field). We'll pay for it tomorrow, but we had to get in. We'll do what we can during the race and adjust on it the best we can. We'll have a decent start. But we'll have to work on it. But the main thing was to get in."
JOE NEMECHEK, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "This CENTRIX Chevy has been good since we unloaded. We got this thing really good in race trim. We made a qualifying run and I thought we may have something for them today. The biggest thing is that you're car has to drive good here and I think if this CENTRIX Chevy drives in the race like it did in practice, I think we're going to have a good car tomorrow."
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 GM GOODWRENCH CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "It was a good lap. We were just a little bit free in the center, but other than that it was a pretty good lap. Hopefully that'll get us somewhere in the top 10 or 12 and track position is really important here. So hopefully we can do that and have a good Sunday."
