BEHIND THE HAULER CHAT WITH JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S MONTE CARLO SS:

Q. Is it beginning to bug you at all that you haven't won with all these top 5s?

I haven't really thought about it. I look at it and feel that I've qualified. (Inaudible)

Q. You'd like a win at every track, but would you like to get one for (crew chief) Chad Knaus at his home town track?

Definitely. I'd love to get it for him. I think we satisfied that desire a little bit in Charlotte, and that's kind of everybody's new home track where everybody sort of migrates to. So we satisfied that to a certain degree, but personally I want to win at Fontana, and I know deep down inside Chad would like to win here, and I would like that, as well.

Q. ESPN is making a big deal about when they get the full?time Busch Series contract next year. Can you foresee ESPN making a big deal out of it, that it could become an NFC?AFC type situation for NASCAR?

I don't think that the Busch Series is designed to be as big as Cup or can be. There obviously a lot of talent coming down, but if you don't have top drivers there on a regular basis ?? we have some of the top drivers but not all of them, it's a great series, but I hope everybody keeps in mind that that's a series to get us all prepared for Cup. I certainly think NASCAR wants to keep it that way to get them groomed and ready for the Cup Series and Busch Series. I don't know much about what ESPN is doing, but hopefully people keep that in mind so the Busch Series stays strong and growing and we're able to grow the Cup Series.

Q. For someone who trying to get noticed in Busch and came up through Busch, do you feel for the guys in their developmental stages that maybe that forum is fading away fast because of all the Cup drivers racing in Busch?

I wouldn't say the Busch Series is that way. If you look at the quality of cars out there, there's some guys trying their hands, trying to get out there. Also there's some guys trying to get starting money and really don't have the effort to put forth. When we see 50 solid teams there, well?funded teams and then we're sending people home in well?funded cars, I think everybody then will be in an uproar. But until then I think it's doing a great job for the Busch Series regulars and the guys coming in.

The part where I worry is your local Saturday night race. There's tracks shutting down all over the place. That really, I think, is going to affect us as time goes on because kids aren't able to get out and race as much as they could. Series like ASA have gone away. Late model divisions are all struggling. There's a lot of struggling going on below the major racing arenas, and I hope that those guys can continue to produce some talent because that's where I came from, as well.

Q. How's your car for this race?

What we did here last year and what we have set up is much different this year. Really I'm coming in with a complete sheet of paper and we've been running well in the mile and a half, so I have a lot of confidence coming in.

Q. Is there some pressure for these guys trying to make the Chase at this point in the season?

There's a lot of pressure to perform. Compared to the pressure years ago before the Chase, it was sometimes more intense and other times less intense, but if you look at it now, you've got 10 guys minimum that have a shot at winning the championship, and we all know that when you have a bad year and you're sitting 500 points out that it's not your year and we're also accustomed to that. I do feel like they have a lot of pressure on their shoulders, but at the same time they're right on the brink of a great opportunity of what's available.

That's why the battle of the Chase has always been in line with the drivers and the teams. There's rumors of expanding that to 15, and I think heading in that direction, that's going to dilute or semi?dilute the concept of having a great year for whoever it is that can be the top driver for all 36 races. If we expand it to 15, I think it takes some importance off of how hard it is to make the Chase and to be in the Top 10.

Q. You've had a couple approaches going into the Chase when it gets to this time of year. Anything different this year?

I wouldn't say anything major. We're still in that same mindset, same attitude. We're a lot smarter, we're a lot stronger, and hopefully we won't make the mistakes we've made in the past and we'll keep plugging along and do what we need to do.

Q. Next week we're going to Loudon. How do you guys attack that track when the next time we're at Loudon it's the start of the Chase?

We look at the Phoenix race and also Richmond. There's things that can carry over from those two tracks and put a lot of importance on those. We're testing at Milwaukee and working on our flat track program and our mile program to make the cars better.

We put a lot into the Loudon race coming up. It's an important one. The first one was really important because it gets you ready for the second one, which is the first race of the Chase. We've got our eyes on it. We didn't fare well there the last couple years, and we know that's a track where we need to pick up our performance. Hopefully we can do it this year.

Q. What do you hope to gain in Indianapolis and is there something you apply there to other races along the way?

It's pretty unique. What you learn there doesn't really apply for any other ?? maybe some stuff at Pocono. There's some things we've seen at Pocono that we can take to Indy and vice versa. Hopefully we're able to do that, but Indy is special in its own right. It's been a track that's been really tough on the No. 48 team. We're going to be there ready to go and eager and hopefully find what we need so we can be competitive when we go back to the race.

Q. What makes Indy such a special track for you?

Well, the history speaks for itself. The track is kind of rectangular shaped and much different than anything else we run on, so it's unique in its own right, its own setup, and there's nothing that we can carry over from any other racetrack.

Q. Do you feel Matt Kenseth coming? Even when you get to the end it starts all over again, but do you feel the pressure of someone else coming? Do you watch them and look at the points?

The way the Chase works out, I don't really look at one guy, I look at who's inside the Top 10 and who's putting together consistent races week after week, and Matt has certainly been one of those guys.

I also think the No. 20 (Tony Stewart) has had a tough little part of the season. He said last week that they're back on track. There's quite a few guys that I look at, and with Matt in particular and some weeks I'll gain 25 (points) on him and other weeks I'll lose 25. Last week I lost a lot more than that. Matt is one of those guys that I kind of worry about every week.

Q. How hard is it to know that it's within your grasp this time of the year? Can you define at all how difficult it is to be at this elite level at the top of the points?

I guess my experience over the last couple years I try not to let that pressure get to me. Once the pressure is on there's nothing you can do about it. I think my experience allows me to stay relaxed and calm and I really am evaluating myself, making sure that I put everything on the table. We can't control everything, we can only control certain things. Last week I was disappointed, I got lose in a three-wide situation and made a mistake and ran out of racetrack and ran Bobby into the wall.

Looking at those things I think how could I have changed that, how could I do a better job and not lose points, and really just challenge myself.

I've been in this situation, had every different approach I can think of for the past four years trying to be a champion and it hasn't worked. I'm going to keep staring myself in the mirror and do the best job I can.

Q. How good do you have to be to be at the top of the points? How good?

You've got to be ?? not only the driver but the team, you've got to be the best out there. I think that this new format has shaken things up some, and it allows people who have had a rough part of the regular season a second shot at a championship. Unfortunately I haven't been in that situation, but once we get in the final ten, I think the way the championship has been determined, those guys have been the best guys in the Chase.

Q. Do you have to be flawless?

It depends what you mean by flawless. I think you have to make it through without any DNFs, but no major issues. Tony (Stewart) proved it last year, you don't need to win a race in the Chase, and there's nothing against that, that he didn't win a race in the Chase. He finished second and said I'm cool right here. That's why I get nervous when I hear different ideas coming along to promote racing.

We're doing everything we can out there to win races out there, and our sport is still about consistency and I think the championship should reflect that.

Q. What's it like when your car is on a roll and your car is performing at a high level?

Really you're trying to stay confident, even if you have a track that you're trying to qualify. You know the car has got it and you just have to find the little adjustments you need to wake it up.

Q. Do you enjoy coming to a market like Chicago? I know you've been up here other than race weekend, but do you do anything interesting and fun?

Well, I lived not that far away from here in Milwaukee. There's been some traffic driving through town and I'm frustrated like everyone else driving through Chicago. But I've had some great times, won my first event here in Chicagoland. As the weekend wears on we'll have some free time. A major market is important for the growth of the sport.

Q. You've run well here, but without winning would your mental approach to this weekend be any different if you had won a race here previously, or is it the same approach you would take at this track?

Same approach. Things change so much from year to year that you can't really count on previous wins giving you an advantage coming into the next year's race.

In 12 months a lot has changed since then. I do have confidence that we always seem to run well here year to year, so that trend shows me a lot of hope but a lot changes in 12 months.

Q. Why is Chevrolet so successful here?

I think it obviously is a great product and we're working on a new body this year, so I think we're starting to see that. I think the drivers are driving on tracks that really suit them.

BEHIND THE HAULER CHAT WITH JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CINGULAR WIRELESS MONTE CARLO SS:

IS IT HARD ON A DRIVER TO RUN TWO RACES A WEEK?

"It's not the driver. for me it's not the number of races I run, it's all the work we do during the week. The reason we run the Busch Series is because it's convenient. You can do it on a weekend -- Saturday or Sunday. You're not gone from home more than you would be otherwise. It's awfully convenient. That's the reason that allows us to do it, and the advantage of doing it - is the competitive advantage. If you and your team are willing to put the work in to do it there's things you can benefit from."

HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK THE SPONSOR/DRIVER RECOGNITION BENEFITS THE DRIVERS?

"I don't blame UPS for continuing to do Dale Jarrett. Jarrett is a highly respected winner that has done an awful lot for our sport. At the same time they need to understand that the car owners that have financial liability in this thing, not the drivers. We just have got to be careful pulling sponsorship from car owners. It's a little bit of a slippery slope. I don't blame UPS certainly and I don't blame Dale Jarrett certainly. Had that team been competing at a higher level like they were four or five years ago then neither one would be looking to make a move. That is the competitive nature of our sport. At the same time I have a tremendous amount of respect for what the car owners - their financial liability in this thing compared to the drivers. The drivers have no financial liability. We have expenses, and getting us to the racetrack and those kinds of things. But our expenses are miniscule compared to the car owners' and the sponsors are the bloodline and the heartbeat of what the car owners are able to do. We just have to be careful to always respect that and understand that."

DO YOU FEEL BAD FOR ROBERT YATES TO LOSE THAT SPONSORSHIP?

"I do feel bad for him. At the same time, UPS has spent a tremendous amount of effort and money in promoting Dale Jarrett and Dale Jarrett representing and becoming a part of UPS. For race fans, when they think of UPS they certainly think of Dale Jarrett and their marketing campaigns have been very successful, much the way Cingular has. So yeah, you feel bad for Yates in losing a sponsor.

At the same time, it is because the good marketing campaign that UPS has done and because of the image and reliability of Dale Jarrett. Jarrett's not going to embarrass you, he's going to always put forth effort. He's a good spokesman for our sport and for his sponsors, so all those things coupled together, Dale Jarrett's value is very high to UPS. And it's hard to recreate that."

ARE YOU A HAPPIER PERSON TODAY; IS IT MORE FUN TO COME TO THE TRACK WITH YOUR RECENT SUCCESS?

"It's definitely more fun to come to the race track and my competitive life is certainly more enjoyable, although no less intense and no less pressure filled. It's way more fun to be competitive than not competitive for sure. At the same time, we're not in the Chase yet. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We haven't been winning races; there's a whole lot of things we haven't done. My focus is on the things that we need to get done and the things that we haven't done rather than looking and being all happy about where we are. Certainly we're excited about where we are and I feel good about that but there's an awful lot we haven't done. My focus is on that rather than jumping up and down celebrating the gains that we have made. We have made huge gains; all of RCR has made huge gains. We've got to do it again and again. It's a moving target. These teams out here will push you and force you to be better than you thought you could be and work harder than you thought you could work. If you don't do that then you'll get left behind."

IS THIS RACE MORE IMPORANT THAN ANY OTHERS?

"I don't think so. I just think we've got to be careful not to put a whole lot of emphasis on any one race. I certainly understand there's a tremendous amount of emphasis for guys racing for the championship about Infineon because a lot of things can happen there. Certainly Daytona has the opportunity and it did impact a lot of people in the Chase. But I think that going to Chicago and New Hampshire, you can still have a very bad race, but who gets in the top 10 isn't going to be because of what you did in one race, it's because of what you did in those first 26 races. I just think we can't put too much emphasis on any one race."

DO YOU ENJOY TRACKS LIKE CHICAGO?

"Without a doubt. I think the thing that gets lost on the media and the fans is that we do this every week. And once we get in here, we don't know where we are. We know where we are because of the race track but not because of the city. However, there are some cities that separate themselves. Chicago has to be one of the biggest sports towns in America. It's fun to be able to be here and compete in front of an audience that is one of the best sports audiences in the U.S. With a long term history in football and baseball and obviously basketball, it was very successful with the Jordan era, it's fun to go to a city that has that rich history in sports."

ANY WORRIES GOING INTO THIS RACE?

"Well, it bothers me that we haven't won, whether we were first in points or 30th in points. Our goal coming into this year was to put ourselves in a position to win races more than once a year. We've continually put ourselves in position and we felt like if we did that we could win races and I feel like that. I feel like if we continue to do what we've been doing we would get our wins. It's a matter of time. If we don't continue to do what we're doing, we won't get our wins. So for us, we're concentrating on what we have to do for this week and what we have to do next week. We're taking one race at a time, but we're coming here trying to win this race."

WHAT IS THE FEELING THIS YEAR KNOWING YOU NEED TO PROTECT YOUR POSITION?

"I don't think that we can't protect, I think that if we get complacent we won't be in the Chase. There's nine races left and we're just over 100 points worth of protection. That's not a whole lot of protection. That can get eaten up into pretty quickly in one race. You can't just protect. You've got to go out and run well. The thing for us is if we go out and do what we've been doing from a competitive standpoint, we'll be in the Chase. But it's not easy to do that. We're not a good enough team - nor is any team in the garage - that can just say 'we can just step back and easily finish in the top 10'. It's not easy to do that. What we've got to do is continue to push, continue to make improvements, continue to try and improve our cars, continue to try to make our teams stronger and make all of RCR stronger so that we can take advantage of it. But no team in the garage can protect at this point with the exception of the No. 48 and the No. 17. Those teams can protect, but from third to 15th, it's time to go."

THERE'S MORE COMFORT THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR, RIGHT?

"Last year, what we were going to have to do was get our way into the Chase by not having bad races and by other people having bad races. That was the only way we were going to get in. We weren't fast enough running our way in from finishing fifth and fourth and seventh and 10th. We were going to have to finish 16th and 12th and 18th and hope people had trouble. That was going to be the only way we got in. Just because we weren't fast enough, and that's what we tried to do and ultimately we didn't. For us today, we come here thinking we have a chance to win and it's about trying to make that happen."

ARE THERE SPECIFIC THINGS YOU'VE BEEN PUSHING THIS YEAR?

"Well, Scott Miller has come in and done a really good job. We've been really impressed with his professionalism and level of preparedness. He's getting the most out of everything that we have, I think. All of RCR has stepped it up. The key to success in this business is unloading fast cars. If you unload fast cars, you find out that well, the driver doesn't get on pit road they're going to report we don't do a good job of making changes to the car during the race.

You find out problems that show up more when you're running well. When you're running 18th, they don't show up because you're running 18th. All your focus is on trying to figure out how to run well. When you run well, you start to see all the little things that you could do even better. Those are the things we've been able to approach this year and try to make better."

IS THE MORE MONEY INVESTED STARTING TO PAY OFF?

"I think the investment has been there all along. It was the collective effort more so was the problem than the willingness to spend money. We have a much better effort today from all of our programs within the company understanding that the reason they are there is to serve the cars and to make the cars go faster. With that unified effort we've seen better results."

HOW PIVOTAL IS THE FIRST RACE GOING TO LOUDEN (AFTER CHICAGO) AND HOW DO YOU ATTACK THAT KNOWING THAT THE SECOND RACE AT LOUDEN IS THE FIRST RACE IN THE CHASE?

"I think it is important. If you leave there after the first race having a good performance than you have a lot to build and you can try to make fine adjustments to your program to try to finish it off and get a win or get the best finish you can. If you go there and run 40th than you're back on your heels a little bit trying to figure out the best option is when you do go back. I think the first race in any two-race venue is very important."

HOW ABOUT THE BRICKYARD?

"I think that every race has taken on more importance, the Brickyard included. The cool thing about the Brickyard is you get a really, really prestigious high-paying, high-profile race in the middle of the year. I think it builds a lot of excitement for our sport and our fans. A win in Indy is certainly for a lot of people, is something they would love to be able to say they did. You add the championship factor into it and Indy becomes a pretty important race."

IF BRIAN FRANCE CALLED YOU AND ASKED YOU ABOUT TWEAKING THE CHASE FORMAT, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?

"That's a tough question. I'm a real fan of the way it works now, but I will tell you when if first came out I thought it wasn't a good idea. I thought about it for a few days and I decided it was a very good idea. I kind of have the same thoughts now. I want to kind of hear what he's got on his mind. I don't think that we should necessarily make it easier to get it; I think the thing that makes any sporting event exciting is the intensity level that increases as the stakes get higher. That's why the playoffs in football are exciting. That's why the NCAA basketball tournament is exciting. So the fans come to sports to watch great events and great events are events that have a tremendous amount of intensity. Anything that we can do to ratchet up the intensity is good for the sport."

BEHIND THE HAULER CHAT WITH KYLE BUSCH, NO. 5 CARQUEST MONTE CARLO SS:

Q. How would it feel to finish the year in the top 10 and go to New York for the banquet?

I mean it'll be something special. I mean, we get to go to New York, and if you're not fighting for 11th place you get to go there, but if you finish 12th you're off for the month of December. Hopefully I don't have to have that and hopefully I don't have to rebook my life for December and I don't have to go any earlier, I can stay where I'm at.

Q. Have you talked to Kurt Busch about what it's like to go through those last ten races?

No, I haven't, really. I kind of hung around him a little bit a couple years ago when he was in the Top 10, and I got a little bit of a feel for what he was going through and stuff like that. There's definitely a lot of emotion, a lot of highs, lows, goods, bads. You try to make do with what it is and make sure you're in the right place at the right time.

Q. What did you see his team do that worked in '04?

They had good luck on their side when they had bad luck. You have a tire fall off in the middle of a race and still come back and finish 5th. You've got to have that. You've got to be able to come back from diversity and make sure that you're able to bounce back from that stuff.

Q. Is there any particular track you're looking at more than any other one?

Not really. I haven't even looked at the schedule. I don't even know what's coming up. Chicago has always been a particularly good place that I seem to run well at. I don't really know what else is in there.

Q. Pocono, Indy, Brickyard, Bristol?

I think Indy will be good for us, Bristol you never know what happens. Michigan comes up again, so I think those two places we can have a really good solid run at. There's definitely some areas where we can improve, but I think that we can be Top 10 contenders.

Q. Talk about your momentum coming into Chicago and how you feel about it.

Well, the biggest thing is just to have a good solid weekend. We haven't had that at all. It'll be good to come out here to Chicago and chase some points. It means a little bit more, but we've definitely got to keep everything going and make sure we can stay within the Top 10.

Q. What's your strategy?

You can't really change it up. It is what it is. Every week we try to win races. If you try to change too much you get yourself in more trouble than just trying to stay on the same project.

Q. Talk about Chicago.

Yeah, I like Chicago. It's a good place for me. I tend to run well here. I haven't had much success here on paper, but I've been able to run well.

Q. Talk a little bit like bouncing in and out of the Top 10. Is it nerve?wracking? Is it fun?

Well, it's not fun, but it's just something that we don't want to do. We want to make sure that we stay on the right page and stay in the Top 10. We need to make sure that we are there for when we get down to Richmond and we have a shot to stay in the Top 10 for the Chase. We just have to go about the races the way we have been all year long and try to keep ourselves up front.

Q. Is it more stressful than you thought, having to worry about it every week?

No, it is what it is. I'm not going to be fired if I miss a stage, so I don't have to worry about it. We want to get in it, of course, but it's not a life?or?death situation for us.

Q. You're in your second year and maybe you're not expected to be there yet?

It's like I said, I'm not fighting for contracts or anything like that. It's not something I need to worry about. But we do definitely want to be in the Top 10. We want to solidify ourselves week in and week out, and we definitely want to do that to put ourselves in the Chase.

Q. Talk about what it would mean to get a win.

Jeff Gordon I think won because he always wins the road courses. He hasn't been able to win a mile and a half or two?mile or Bristol or Martinsville or anything like that. For us, we didn't win until the second half, especially the later part of the season. But that doesn't give us any reason why we haven't won yet.

We've had a couple opportunities to do so. We had a good run at Bristol, we had a very good car at Martinsville. We were running good. We jad a very good car at Charlotte. There's definitely been some areas where we had a decent car we could have won with, but we didn't capitalize on it.

Q. On going for a win versus points racing .

It really depends on circumstance. You know, if you're running 4th and you feel like you have a shot to go for the win, do it. But make sure you're doing it in a relatively easy fashion. You don't want to put yourself in a tight spot where you might get yourself in trouble or have an opportunity to spin out or do something like that.

The biggest thing is to, like I said, the points race a little bit, but still, you want to be able to go out there and try to win a race, as well.

Q. Do you pay attention to the points every week?

I haven't even looked at this week's points. I don't know where we're at. I know we're 8th but I don't know how far ahead or whatever we are. I know it's not much, but we just need to keep building on that and keep moving forward.

Q. You've been flying Jeff Dickerson back and forth with you. How important is it to have the same spotter at two different tracks for you?

It's important because I'm really used to Jeff Dickerson and he's been a great help of mine. There's a couple other spotters out there that I've been able to work with, and some of them I can't really get a feel for them. It makes it easier to just take my spotter with me. There's plenty of room on the helicopter, plenty of room on the plane. It's easier to make sure you're better off safe than sorry.

Q. What do you feel is the biggest challenge to get through the points to make sure you're in the Top 10, car ready, driving, emotion? What are the challenges that you have to deal with the next time?

The biggest challenge is just to try to make sure you stay out of trouble and you keep your nose clean and be there at the end of the race. You don't get paid very many points for trying to go after a win and finishing 43rd. The biggest thing is trying to make sure that you don't put yourself in a position that will take yourself out of the race. You just want to make sure that you have a car capable of doing what you need it to do, and if you struggle around a little bit, you're just going to have to struggle that day and go on to the next week and hopefully have a better one.

Q. Doesn't that go against the natural nature of a racer?

It's very much so against my natural nature.

You know, I want to go out there and win every race, but in reality you've got to step back and think about things and understand that there's 42 other guys out here, also, that want to win every race. It's tough to do that. There's guys out there that have won multiple, multiple races in their careers that haven't won a race this year or haven't won a race the past two, maybe three years. It's definitely difficult to try to go out there and do everything right every week, but I try to do as much as you can and keep as much as you have control of in control.

Q. If you're in the Top 10 and still hanging around at the last race, how do you guys attack that racetrack?

The biggest thing is to do what we did last year. We had a good car that we knew was capable of running well, and it didn't perform very well. We ran 2nd all day, it got a little loose at the end and we finished 4th.

The second race we didn't take that same car back that we ran the week before, so we kind of struggled a little bit. We didn't fare very well, and there's some areas of improvement there. That's why we built a second car that's exactly like it, so when we come to that situation we can take one of the cars for one race and have the other one ready to go and don't have to worry about taking a car that we don't feel is capable of running up front.

Q. Do you like Loudon?

I do. Loudon is a good place. It's fun for me. I don't tend to run there well for whatever reason, but I enjoy that place. It's a difficult place to pass at, and it's hard for some drivers to be able to make some moves. All in all, it's a pretty racing facility, and it's fun when you're up front.

Q. Will you go up to Richmond before the race?

I don't think so. I think there's plenty of good races that are coming up where I feel like we can run well. There's Bristol, a couple others, and I think we can do well at Sears Point. It's just a matter of trying to stay out of trouble. Bristol is one of those places where you just never know what might happen anywhere else. There's always things that are going around, and you don't know what's around the next corner.

Q. You're a points racer, though, right?

Well, you try to points race, but you also try to go out there and get a win. We don't have any yet this year, so we want to try to make sure we put ourselves in victory lane. But also we want to make sure we solidify ourselves in the chase for the last ten.

Q. We heard at the media center that there might be elimination through the chase.

No, I haven't, but it probably wouldn't be a bad idea. I wouldn't know how they would do that, though. Now they're really talking about football and how all that works. They say they don't want it to be a playoff system like the NFL, but that sounds a whole lot like it, doesn't it?