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

HOW HARD IS IT TO GET AROUND PIR? "It's very difficult because you have such a tight radius in Turns 1 and 2 versus Turns 3 and 4 and the banking is different. It throws some challenges at you. I'd rather have a loose race car and make sure that I can get through 1 and 2 and I'll deal with it loose off of 4. With that being said, we haven't been the most competitive over the last few times here. Maybe I need to switch that up and go the other direction. But we've been learning a lot and our mile program in general is getting a lot better for us."

ON THE BUMPER CHANGES FOR TALLADEGA NEXT WEEK: "It's going to be good racing. We're all going to adjust to whatever the rules are and try to go out there and win the race. I feel very good about the race obviously since we won the Daytona 500. I'm excited about the new car we've had to build and take there. Hopefully it will be better than what we had at the 500."

WHY ARE WE SEEING MORE DRIVER ARGUMENTS AND ROUGH DRIVING LATELY? "I think that stuff has always been in our sport. The media is doing a much better job of being involved in our sport and knowing the personalities of the drivers and what takes place at the race tracks. I don't see it any more than it's been. I just think that a lot more people are aware of it and smarter to understand what's going on."

OBVIOUSLY YOU WANT TO WIN ON SATURDAY, BUT WHAT RESULT WOULD YOU BE HAPPY WITH? "I'd be real happy with a strong top 10. A top five would be great. If we can go out there and lead some laps and compete well, I'll be real happy."

ON THE VALUE OF TIRE TESTS "At the tire tests, we're there on Goodyear's time. We have to work through test figures for them. There is some knowledge that you get by being at that test session and getting a head start on the tire that they're going to bring back. On top of that, you do get some track time and we're allowed to have our data and get current data.

"On top of that, it just helps to further your relationship with Goodyear and better understand them and communicate with them and work with their engineers. So it's definitely a benefit to go to a tire test. We had one unfortunately earlier in the year at Lowe's Motor Speedway. We crashed a car, which was the downside, but we did learn some things to understand more about the tire."

ON RETURNING TO LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY "It still, in my opinion, drove a lot like Lowe's always has. Granted, it was much smoother and faster, but it still had the characteristics I look for. I feel like I can go back and be very competitive and hopefully keep this streak alive. But with the new tire we're taking there and with the new small fuel cell and everything it's really going to be a crapshoot. I think a lot of the instances are going to be on pit road and how your pit strategy plays out with a real hard tire and a small fuel cell. It's going to be a much different race at Lowe's Motor Speedway than we've ever seen."

EVEN THOUGH IT'S STILL EARLY, DOES THE SEASON ALREADY SEEM LONG? "No, I don't think so. The year has been going by fast. In some ways, I think it has been a longer year for me than in other year. But at the same time, I think I'm learning and understanding the sport more and how I should approach things. There have been a lot of 'ups' at the start of the season. And when I look back, that's all I see right now. I'm very proud of the team."

IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIFIC YOU'D LIKE TO WORK ON IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS? "Richmond, Phoenix, and Loudon -- that size track and that combination, we've been a little bit off. We've been a top 15 car, but we need to be a top 10 and really a top 5 to race for this championship. So, that's where we're a little soft right now and we're working real hard on that."

DOES YOUR WIFE (CHANDRA) HAVE A JOB ON THE PIT BOX? "No, not on the pit box. I love her being there and being a part of the team. This sport is so much about family. She helps me stay focused on my career and I love having her there because that's what the whole week has built up to is that event. At the same time, she has a career on her own and she's modeling and doing different things.

"So she doesn't get involved in the race team aspect of it; she's just there to support me and tries to keep me pointed in the right direction."

ON THE GIRLFRIEND INCIDENT AT THE TEXAS RACE TWO WEEKS AGO: "Yeah, I have just a couple of comments on that. One, you're never supposed to go to another team's pit box. That's a delicate subject. Secondly, I think it was a shock to everyone -- and I'm sure Nicole (Lunders, Greg Biffle's girlfriend) is regretting the fact that she did that since there was so much attention drawn to it. I believe she didn't feel that people were going to be paying attention or really even care what she did. I know that she and Greg have a relationship with Kurt (Busch) and (girlfriend) Eva (Bryan) and that they know each other and talk to each other. I think everybody was shocked and surprised at how big the thing really was and what it turned into."

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF TALLADEGA, SEVERAL OF THE NEXT RACES ARE AT NIGHT. DO YOU ENJOY RUNNING UNDER THE LIGHTS OR WOULD YOU RATHER RUN IN THE DAYTIME? "No, I'm good with night racing. It typically means that we're home on Sunday and can have a bit or normalcy in our lives. I have no issue with it. I think the night races in general are very popular. We just had a few on the schedule and the fans loved it and the teams loved it and that's why we have more now. So I'm definitely a fan of it now."

DOES IT MESS UP THE ROUTINE ON RACE DAY? "Good question. As we become more familiar with the scheduling of the night races and how to work it out. The week before we get there, I just make sure my schedule is adjusted and mentally prepare the right way to sleep in or do whatever I need to do to."

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE RACE AFTER THE RACE -- GETTING TO THE AIRPORT? "If you're not in the top five and don't do any media, you race back and change (clothes) as fast as you can. You have the golf cart positioned in such a manner that you are quick to it and quick to the helicopter pad. And then you're out there bartering with the helicopter service about why you should leave before anyone else. Hopefully you do that.

"And then at the airport, our pilots have learned where to park and how to park so that they can in line as fast as possible to the taxiway. From there hopefully you get out and get going. Of course the racer in all of us is looking at planes that perform so that we can beat each other back home and we're standing on the tarmac back home or Charlotte or wherever it is, laughing at your friends as they're pulling up. So it's a race.

"The flipside to that is not racing out of there. You can slow down and let everybody do the mad rush. You can sit in the motor home and cool down and take a shower and get something to eat. There really isn't a clean way to do it. That's why the travel is probably the hardest thing to deal with in our sport."

ON NOT HAVING DAYTONA 500 WINNING CAR AT TALLADEGA: "We built a new car to take over there. Our backup car, the car we ran in the Shoot-Out was strong. But Chad being as competitive as he is, he felt the Daytona 500 car was stronger and he wanted to replicate that and hopefully build one a little bit better. So we have a new car we are taking there and really just get out there and be as smooth and calm as we can. Talladega really promotes four wide racing and that is a risky environment out there when that takes place. I learned a lot winning the Daytona 500 and how calm you really can be and have a shot at the end of the race. I am going to take those lessons I learned there and apply them at Talladega."

ON CONFIDENCE GOING TO TALLEDGA WITHOUT TESTING NEW CAR BECAUSE OF NEW TESTING RULES: "The guys at the shop really document everything they built and put on the cars, all the templates and measurements and all those things. It is very scientific which allows us to build the same car all over again. We can practically do and are proving that on a daily basis with our downforce cars. Once we find a body combination, we are able to produce them and build them within a small tolerance and after that we have the shakedown rigs and also the wind tunnel to help us document to help us understand where the car is at. From all that, we can get it real close."

ON MAKING TALLADEGA A DAY SHORTER EVENT: "The less time at the track, the better everyone feels. But, we are on the road so much, any time we can spend another day at home to get the race cars ready or spend another day with family, it is all appreciated."

ON FORD AND DODGE CLOSING THE GAP TO CHEVROLET ON RESTRICTOR PLATE RACES: "I would have to say that some of the Fords, especially the Roush Fords, are pretty strong. I don't think that it is make related as much as it is team related and the teams that Chevrolet has are very, very strong in restrictor plate racing. It is a great, fine product as well; there is no doubt about that. Everybody is working really hard. If you look at who runs a Chevrolet, they are all very strong restrictor plate teams."

ON NEW BUMPERS FOR TALLADEGA: "I think NASCAR put a good rule in place with all the bumping and side drafting that took place at Daytona that took place, I think we should see a relatively calm race at Talladega. At Daytona, it is much narrower so you didn't have four-wide racing. Talladega is much wider and the four and five wide racing is what starts some of the wrecks. We will just have to see what takes place."

BEHIND THE HAULER CHAT WITH KYLE BUSCH, NO. 5 KELLOGG'S MONTE CARLO SS:

IS THE SUN A BIG FACTOR IN SATURDAY'S RACE? "In the spring, it's more of a factor out of Turn 4 than it is down the front straightaway in the fall. There is going to be a little bit to be said about that as far as the drivers go. But we'll all put enough duct tape on our windshields and on our visors where we can try to shield it as much as possible."

IS IT COMFORTING TO COME TO A TRACK WHERE YOU RUN WELL? "I like coming here anyway. This was my first-ever Nextel -- back then, Winston Cup -- race that I ever watched. It's a place where it's a lot of fun to drive. I really enjoy it. The dogleg down the back straightaway down in Turns 1 and 2 being different than Turns 3 and 4, so everything that this place has as far as characteristics, is kind of cool."

TALK ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH KURT BUSCH "He's been a tremendous help at every step along with way. Being my brother and giving me the support and everything I've needed over the years is pretty great. The relationship we have together is a lot of fun. We can race ATV's and whatnot when we have some downtime. But overall, as far as him helping me out throughout my career, I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him being able to giving me some advice."

GROWING UP THE YOUNGER BROTHER, WAS KURT ALWAYS NICE TO YOU? "No, he wasn't always nice to me. We had some battles. I'm the younger brother who always wants to do what the older brother does. With him being six and a half, seven years older than I am, makes it difficult for me to go do the same things that he does. When he gets the drivers license at age 16 and I'm only 10, he doesn't want to hang out with his 10-year-old brother. He wants to go out and hang with his friends. I've always had that to battle with."

WITH ALL THE RECENT CREW CHIEF CHANGES, WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE IF THAT HAPPENED WITH YOU AND ALAN GUSTAFSON? "They wouldn't shift my crew chief, I'll tell you that. I've got that in my contract now. He ain't going anywhere."

HOW IS THAT TO DEAL WITH WHEN THAT STUFF HAPPENS? "Well, they're just trying to change the chemistry around a little bit I guess. Kurt (Busch) went through it a couple of times back at Roush Racing. There are some things that they do that are different than what we do at Hendrick Motorsports. We've never really had to go through a crew chief swap. We've been able to put teams together to make it a better relationship that moving around crew chiefs in general. Maybe that's what works for their organization compared to what works for ours."

YOU AND KURT BUSCH ARE AGGRESSIVE ON THE TRACK. ARE THE BUSCH BROTHERS SOMETIMES MISUNDERSTOOD? "We drive hard, man. That's what we're out there to do. We're out there to drive hard and win races. That's what we enjoy doing. We're not here to lay back and run between 15th and 30th. We're out here to win races and do the job that our sponsors and car owners want us to do."

ON MAKING HIS 50TH CUP RACE START THIS WEEKEND "I never thought I'd make 20. It's pretty awesome to make 50. It's pretty awesome for Delphi and Kellogg's and Carquest to come up with this special (paint) scheme that we have for this weekend is something that's pretty special. We're excited about that and hopefully we can bring it into victory lane again."

DO YOU FEEL MORE CONFIDENCE HERE NOW AFTER WINNING LAST NOVEMBER? "Not really, no. It's just a track that I tend to run well on in the Busch Series and now in the Cup Series. I like coming here. It's a lot of fun. I enjoy this place and the differences between the corners and the dogleg down the back straightaway, but nothing that tends to give me any more confidence."

ON BEING CITED FOR RECKLESS DRIVING AFTER THE RICHMOND TEST "I was coming out of the gas station and I laid on the pedal a little too hard I guess and went about 20 feet in less than 10 mph and pulled into the KFC gas station and stopped in order to allow some pedestrians across who had just finished eating their dinner and I went into the drive through and was done with my order before I ever saw any lights in my rear view mirror. I got a ticket for reckless driving, which I don't consider it was reckless driving. But obviously the law is what it is and the officer who pulled me over you know.

"I've got the utmost respect for all of them because they have a job to do and they never know what they're getting into or what they're dealing with. The only to put this deal to rest is to go to my court date on May 23rd and see what happens next."

ON THE BUMPER CHANGE FOR TALLADEGA "There will be a little bit different racing. You're not going to be able to bump as much or as hard as we have in the past. But I think everybody is going to save their stuff until the end of the race and they are definitely going to start beating and banging then. That's when it's crunch time anyway and when you normally see a lot of stuff happening in the last 30 -- especially in the last 20 laps."

BUMPING AND BANGING AT RICHMOND IS OKAY. DO YOU LIKE THAT KIND OF RACING? "At Richmond, you try not to bump and bang because that place is awful fast short track. It's a very fast place for the size it is. It's a place that I tend to run well at. We're taking the same car back there that we finished 4th with last year both times. Hopefully we can have a strong run there. Richmond, for it's size and for it's characteristics, is a place that a lot of drivers like. It's a place where I can see it being changed a little bit. I wouldn't build another one exactly like it. I would change it a little bit to see if you could make something better."

DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT KURT BUSCH'S CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH AT THE DIAMONDBACKS-GIANTS GAME AT CHASE FIELD TUESDAY NIGHT SAILING OVER THE CATCHER? "I did hear a little bit about it, but wasn't exactly clear on what happened, but I guess he missed home plate by quite a bit."

ARE YOU GOING TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT THAT OR TRY TO WORK WITH HIM ON IT? "He used to be a pretty good ballplayer and probably a little bit better than I was. I'm not sure what to account for on that one. It is what it is. I know when I threw my first pitch out, I hit home plate pretty well. It was at the Atlanta Braves game a couple of years ago."

ARE YOU PLEASED WITH YOUR PERFORMANCE IN NASCAR CUP SO FAR? "I'm happy with the numbers I've put up so far, but I think there can still be a lot more that what I do have. I'd like to be more successful than what I've been. I'd like to have more than just two wins. I'd like to have finished better than 20th last year in the final point standings. "Right now, I wish we were better than 7th. You always wish you were better. So to say we're happy with it, yeah. But to say we're overly happy or overly excited about it, we're not.

"I've always had high expectations for myself and put myself on high criticism. Sometimes maybe I do overdrive my cars but that's because I'm trying to go out there and win the race. That might be my problem where I need to settle down and get into a rhythm of how to win races. But I've got seven Busch Series wins, three Truck Series wins, and two Cup Series wins, so something's going right for me, I guess."

ON THE ALL-STAR RACE, HOW TOUGH IS IT FOR THOSE GUYS WHO HAVE TO ADVANCE THROUGH THE OPEN? "It's very tough. I was fortunate enough to be in that race for my very first time to understand what exactly it's all about. That race is awfully tough. You definitely have to have a good handling race car and a fast race car to be able to transfer through. There is some pit strategy involved too because when you come down to it, you can either stay out there the whole run or you can come in and get new tires. But this time around it's going to be a different story with the way the tires are going to be. The tires are going to be so hard it's not going to make a whole lot of difference. But if your car is ill handling, you're going to have to come in and do something. Otherwise, you're not going to have a shot, period. This is going to be a lot different race than what you're accustomed to over the past years.

"It's a race where there's a lot on the line. You either win and move on, or you go home. If you can move on, that's basically an extra test session for the 600, so it's a race that you want to be involved in, the All-Star show."

BEHIND THE HAULER CHAT WITH TONY STEWART, NO. 20 HOME DEPOT MONTE CARLO SS:

ARE YOU CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT YOUR SUCCESS EARLY IN THE SEASON? "I'm anticipating that the rest of the season is going to carry on, but this is the first time in my Cup career that we have this kind of start to the season. We're obviously very excited about it. But it's still a week-to-week deal. There may be some trick set-up next week that comes down that somebody finds that makes everything that we're doing right now obsolete. This is a series and in all racing in general -- no matter what division or type of racing you're in, the technology is always taking it to the next level. So what's good this week may not be good next week. You have to keep that in the back of your mind. You can't get complacent and be over-confident that you're where you need to be all the time."

ON THE RECENT CREW CHIEF CHANGES AT ROUSH RACING: "If you don't feel like your program is where it needs to be and you feel like you need to make that kind of change, then that's what you need to do. But over the years that (crew chief) Greg (Zipadelli) and I have been together -- winning two championships and never finishing worse than seventh in the points -- I think we've got a combination that's pretty good and pretty successful. So, it's one of those deals where if it's not broke, don't fix it. Getting the crew chief/driver combination to work that well together is probably the hardest piece of the equation to get. So if you can get that, you do everything you can to protect it."

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCES THIS WEEKEND AT PIR? "We had a good run here last year. I think we finished fourth. So, there are definitely no complaints there. We've just got to keep doing what we've been doing. We were third quickest at the end of this practice session for qualifying and I feel like my race package was really balanced. So we'll see where everybody else is at, but so far I'm pretty happy with the weekend right now."

IS IT HARD TO KEEP THINGS FRESH BETWEEN YOU AND GREG ZIPADELLI "No, it's easy. The goal has been the same for seven years: to come here and try to win the race. That part of it has never changed, so you don't have to try to keep everything fresh in that way. There are days we don't get along and there are days we struggle with each other. But at the end of the day we know what we're here for and we know that no matter whether we're struggling with each other or having a perfect day, we know what the goal is at the end of the day and no matter what our opinions are, we're both in the same frame of mind when it comes to wanting to win. So it really makes it easy from that standpoint to keep doing what we're doing. We're having more fun now than we've ever had. So it seems to be easy to keep it going right now."

BEHIND THE HAULER CHAT WITH JEFF GORDON, NO 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS:

ON NUMBER OF CREW CHIEF CHANGES THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON: "No, it really doesn't surprise me. If things aren't going your way, it is better to do things now than wait too long is my opinion. It only takes five or six races to get a feel for the chemistry among the people on the team and who is working out well and who is not working out well.

ON HAVING MORE FUN THIS SEASON OVER LAST SEASON: "Every race is hard work. It is competitive so a lot is on the line, but we are running a lot better. I think the team has improved in a lot of areas. We are definitely having more fun. Things have been going our way a little bit better than they were last year. Yet, we still know we are behind in some areas and need to continue to get better at."

ON GETTING THE CAR RIGHT FOR THE RACE AFTER THE SUN GOES DOWN AFTER PRACTICING IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY: "I always question when NASCAR puts a qualifying session the way that the do here. You basically give a huge advantage to the luck of the draw. I didn't get that luck of the draw. We drew 18th in qualifying order. Basically we have to run one or two tenths faster than the guys at the end of qualifying because they have a lot cooler race track and better grip. It would be nice if we were all qualifying right now. That would be much better, we all get here sooner, get a little bit earlier practice. Plus it is a night race and we need more practice for the race in the late afternoon and evening tomorrow."

ON CONFIDENCE COMING INTO THIS RACE AFTER LAST NOVEMBER: "It gives us a good base line to come into this race track and feel like that we have something that is competitive. We are close so we can just start working from there. We qualified well and raced well here last time and want to the same this time."

DO YOU ENJOY NIGHT RACES? "I do enjoy night races. I like the consistency of the track conditions. I think that, other than Richmond, I like racing under the lights everywhere. I only say that because I have won races during the day at Richmond but seem to have a heck of a time running there at night. That place really does change a lot at night. For the most part, I love racing under the lights anywhere we go."

DOES A NIGHT RACE CHANGE YOUR PRE-RACE ROUTINE? "No, because it is the same amount of time for everybody. You have to go out there and run as fast as you possibly can and get the speed out of it and the feel for it. You can't put too much weight on what you learn during the day. You try to throw in that factor of the track cooling down and the conditions changing a little bit later. Other than that, it is pretty much the same."

ON PASSING AT PIR "I was saying that this is not as difficult of a track to pass on as Bristol or Martinsville and places like that. Track position is still important here, not as crucial as some places that we go to. The groove widens out pretty good here. We have seen guys come from the back to the front here. No matter where we go, how easy or hard it is to pass, I want to have track position from the start to the finish if I possibly can."

WAS THIS TRACK FUN IN A SPRINT CAR? "It is a lot of fun. I never ran here in a sprint car but I did in a midget and a Silver Crown car. The midget was a blast here. I think I won the Silver Crown race here but finished second in the midget; it was a lot of fun. There are a lot of things I didn't have to worry about in those cars that you do in these things here."

ON COMPARING HIS TEAM THIS YEAR TO LAST YEAR'S TEAM: "I think overall we are a better team. Our pit crew is better, our chemistry is there, and the confidence in everybody is there. I think we are still lacking a little speed on the faster tracks. I have been saying since the beginning of the year that Texas was our real test. We went there and we were anywhere from a 10th to a 12th place car and we not had the tire problem and I think that is the difference. We know we have gotten better, but we have more room to go to catch up to the guys in the 9, the 99, the 20. It doesn't have a lot to do with horsepower; in fact, I don't even think it is horsepower. I think more of it is the attitude of the car, which has to do with the aero, and the chassis combination to make that aero work the best.

ON KYLE BUSCH PERFORMANCE: "He is a great driver, I have always thought he was a very talented driver. I think there are some places where he shows his patience and he really excels. And there are some other times he doesn't show his patience and it catches up with him. But that is to be expected from a young driver like himself. I think with the talent he has, the team that he has, the way they have been building, there are a lot of great things to come out of those guys."

ON SOFT BUMPERS FOR TALLADEGA: "I like it because it is going to take a lot of the bump drafting out of play. I still think there is going to be some happening, especially late in the race. I think it will make guys have to think a little bit more about how they pass. That goes back to the type of drafting I learned early on when we used the air to push the cars around instead of the bumpers. I like that, I am curious to see how we are going to be able to manage that, because a lot of guys really like to use their bumpers so we will see how that goes."

ON NEVER WINNING HERE: "This really isn't a short track. It is a flat track, but it is a tricky track. You have one and two higher banked, three and four are very flat. It definitely is a place that challenges everyone. We have been close. I don't know. We just haven't hit on it right. I think some of it is me and trying to learn some things to help me drive the track a little bit better and also giving good information back to my crew chief."

ABOUT PRESSURE OF HAVING TO RUN THE NEXTEL OPEN TO ADVANCE TO THE ALL STAR RACE: "I think it is obvious in 1993 how much pressure there was when I was in that position, I spun out leading the thing. I think there is a lot of pressure for those guys. It is an important race, everybody wants to be in the All Star Race and you can win the All Star Race coming through that race as we have seen done. I am always anxious to watch that race. There is a lot of excitement in that race, a lot of crazy things happen."

HOW WAS YOUR CAR TODAY IN PRACTICE: "Pretty good. We made a couple of race runs and tried some combinations to be ready for tomorrow. Thought that went pretty well. We made two qualifying runs and each time we picked up speed. We unfortunately have an early number in the order, we drew 18th. I think there are a couple of things we can do to improve. We are just going to get everything we can out of it because we know guys are going to go faster the later it gets."

ON PRESSURE TO GET INTO TOP-10 IN POINTS EARLIER IN THE SEASON "It is. You have 10 less races to do it in so I think that everybody is pushing to that next level by making changes in their teams early on to make sure they are heading in the right direction. You are much better off making drastic changes now than you are 10 races from now because you are probably going to miss the Chase if you do it then."

ON BENEFITS OF TIRE TESTING "I would like to get a call from Goodyear to do a tire test because they haven't called us to test for a while. I feel like we have paid the price a little bit. We have called them and asked them why we aren't tire testing. It is a huge advantage these days with the limited amount of testing we get -- especially if they go to a race track where we don't get to test. Most of your time is dedicated to Goodyear. You will spend the first two or three runs working on getting a good balance under the car and then the rest of the time doing whatever they need to have done. The difference is now days, they seem pretty much come to a test with the tire they plan on having for the race. So you get to spend most of your laps on the actual tire and adjust to that actual tire. While in the past they put on several different sets and bring you in and out to feel them out. You never knew for sure which tire you ran on was the one you were going to race on. They have learned a lot more at the factory on what to bring now so it is even more of an advantage."

ON GETTING OUT OF THE TRACK AFTER THE RACE; "It depends a lot on how your day goes. If your day has gone bad, you can't wait to get out of there in a hurry. I have actually kind of slowed my pace down. Obviously the helicopters are the fastest way to get out. But now days, there seems to be a line at the helicopter pad because even the fans are using the helicopters to get out of here.

"I usually have a golf cart or a mule or something to get me over to the helicopter pad, get on it and go. I haven't driven out of a race track in a long, long time, it has saved on not getting a lot of tickets."

ON HOTTEST TRACKS - IN-CAR TEMPERATURE; "I think Indianapolis in August because it is a very demanding track. Daytona in July. Here this weekend could be right up there. I think you have a combination of actual temperature and its physical as well. If we race there in the daytime, a Bristol in August would be right there as well, then Sonoma and Watkins Glen. The Glen isn't typically as hot. The road courses are typically the most demanding tracks then the high bank fast tracks. Darlington falls off so much it isn't that difficult to drive, you just have to drive it right to stay out of the wall. The races we have right side windows inside the car, it gets really hot in those cars."

ON HOW CLOSE DRIVING A BUSCH CAR IS TO DRIVING A CUP CAR: "I think that in some ways they have gotten closer because you see Busch drivers come out and do very well in the Cup Series. So I am guessing that there is a good feel they are getting there to come out in the Cup Series. I think there is a big enough difference that once you get experience that it is worth going over there and running. There might be a few opportunities to try some different setups on the car. I did it for about three years there and just the running back and forth and the distraction to my Cup team, I didn't think it was worth it especially on the hot weekends when it took so much out of me on Saturday. I think the guys that are doing it for money. I don't think they are doing it to learn something for Sunday -- maybe a little bit they are -- but I guess they just don't get paid enough on Sunday."