JEFF GREEN
NO. 66 BEST BUY HAAS CNC RACING CHEVROLET
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY PREVIEW

Q&A WITH DRIVER JEFF GREEN:

You’ve had some success at Phoenix in your NASCAR career. What do you think of the track? “Phoenix is great. They opened it up a couple of years ago coming off Turn 2. It’s kind of a tri-oval, but it’s backwards from the other ones we go to. That ‘Dog Leg’ on the backstretch is just something you have to set up for in terms of your traffic, but it doesn’t really affect you other than that.

“Turns 1 and 2 are so different from Turns 3 and 4 that if somebody hits it just right on the setup, they’ll show up the field. It’s just like other tracks we visit, in that you have to have a good handling race car to be successful.”

Since you raced a lot on Saturday nights when you were starting out, is there a special place in your heart for the night races? “I love night racing, but not necessarily just because I did it when I was younger. I like the fact that it lets us be home on Sunday, and it’s a lot cooler and more comfortable in the cars at night. The fans also seem to enjoy seeing the cars under the lights, so that’s a plus.”

You tested at Richmond International Raceway, and posted your best lap time in your last session on Wednesday evening (April 12). Did the test go well? “Yeah, we didn’t really make a ‘Bonzai’ qualifying run until that evening, and ended up with a pretty good lap. We spent the rest of the time trying a lot of different stuff on race runs. We took our time and just worked through a lot of things. I feel like we’ll be good when we go back there to race.”

Q&A WITH CREW CHIEF “BOOTIE” BARKER:

How did the test at Richmond International Raceway go last week? “It went well. We just tried a lot of different stuff during both days, then we put it all together on the second night and managed to put up one of the fastest lap times up until that point. All in all, it went pretty well.”

You say it’s hard to get a car to handle well at both ends of the track at Phoenix, since Turns 1 & 2 are so different from Turns 3 & 4. If you have to pick one end of the track to work on in terms of your car’s handling, which do you choose? “If you can get it done off of (Turn) 2, then you’re going to be all right, because coming off of 2 onto the backstretch is a good place to pass.”

How did you enjoy the off-weekend? “It was good and not so good. You get in a rhythm when you’re racing week in and week out, and you hate to break your rhythm. On the other hand, it’s good to take a step back and catch your breath for a couple of days.

“The problem is, you never completely put racing out of your mind and just enjoy yourself. You’re always thinking about something on how to make the car better and asking yourself, ‘What if we tried this? What would this do to the car?’ It’s really hard to detach yourself and be able to relax.”

JEFF GREEN’S HISTORY AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: In seven Nextel Cup Series starts at Phoenix International Raceway, Jeff Green’s best starting spot came in November, 2004, when he qualified 12th while driving a Petty Enterprises entry. His best finish came the following April, when he finished 21st, also in a Petty Enterprises car.

In four Busch Series starts at Phoenix, Green has two top-five starting spots (he qualified second in 2000 and fifth in 2001), and two top-five finishes (finishing fourth in 2000 and second in 2001).

HAAS CNC RACING’S HISTORY AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: In four Nextel Cup starts at Phoenix International Raceway, the Haas CNC Racing team’s best start and best finishing position both came in 2005 with driver Mike Bliss. Bliss qualified 23rd and finished 20th in the April, 2005, Phoenix Cup event.