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

ON RACING AT PIR: "It's a good track for me so I'm not too worried about performance. It's just a short track and it's hard to get away from one another. I think the goal is to find a safe spot on the track and log miles and try to stay out of harm's way."

YOU'RE RECORD IS PRETTY STOUT HERE, BUT DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS IS A HUMP YOU'VE GOT TO GET OVER? "I really was nervous about Texas, but we were able to perform well there. Phoenix has been a good place for us. We haven't raced for the win in all but one year. The other years we've been kind of a top five, top 10 car. So I don't feel that our expectations here are to really go out and dominate and win the race; we just want to get that same thing going and be in the top five. But the performance we had at New Hampshire and the performance way our cars have been running on the flat miles, I really think we have a chance to improve our finishing position here and be a threat for the win. We had a great car at Loudon but didn't have a chance to show it because of the spark plug wire issue. But I'm very optimistic about this weekend."

IS JUST STAYING OUT OF TROUBLE JOB ONE? "I can't go out and ride around in 15th or 20th and be comfortable. My job these next two weeks is to out perform the No. 17(Kenseth) and the No. 8 (Earnhardt Jr) and the No. 11 (Hamlin). I've got to outperform those guys."

ON RUNNING SO CLOSE TO MATT KENSETH IN POINTS ALL YEAR? "I've been looking at the No. 17 all year and I think the No. 17 has been looking at the No. 48. So it's not a new experience for me. But every point counts. It always does in the Chase, but now we're down to the nitty-gritty here. I'm very aware of where everybody is."

ON THE CHASE OVERALL "I really think the experience of the Chase has made me a stronger driver and a more mature driver to deal with the pressure and stress. The team has been in this position as well and they know what that's like..the butterflies when the car comes down pit road. I think we're stronger. I'm not saying we won't make mistakes, but I think we're a stronger team. I have a lot of confidence in that."

ON HIS STRATEGY FOR HOMESTEAD "Well, it just depends. If we all go clean from here on out and there are no issues, then the No. 17 (Kenseth) is the first priority and then is Denny (Hamlin) still in third? Junior's in third? So it all depends on how we leave here. Coming into this race, the biggest worry is the No. 17 and the next worry is whoever is third and that's Junior. It's just going to change going into Homestead next week."

IS IT SO CRAZY THAT YOU CAN'T KEEP TRACK OF WHO IS 3RD OR 4TH? "To be honest, I just tried this week to detach from racing and only do things that I enjoy doing and only try to put happy thoughts in my mind about Phoenix and about driving the race car. I'm just trying to stay in a happy spot."

WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO OVERCOME HAVING CHAD KNAUS SUSPENDED EARLY LAST SEASON AND MAKING IT THIS FAR IN THE HUNT FOR THE TITLE? "It wasn't a situation we wanted to be in and I think Chad learned a lot and this team learned a lot. The team was forced to be stronger because of that. It helped us mature. In just trying to find some good in the bad, it's made us a stronger team. It was a valuable experience and we learned a lot from it."

YOU'RE PROBABLY THE BEST DRIVER IN THE GARAGE WITHOUT A CHAMPIONSHIP. IS THAT HARD ON YOU? "This is just my fifth year in the sport. Championships don't come easily. I was talking to Bobby Allison before the Charlotte race. He said it took him like 12 years before he walked across the stage. He was just trying to help me understand that hey, this isn't easy. So don't worry about it. Just keep doing your job. You're a great driver and you have a great team. And he thought he was never going to win won and then 12 years later he walked across the stage as champion.

So with that in mind, I've only been here five years. I've had a great shot and we'll just keep working at it.

"In this sport there is only one winner each weekend. There is only one champion each year. I don't know if you just learn to accept to accept defeat in some ways. It's just part of it. You can't win every race and you can't win every championship. We're going to be in this sport a long time and I know deep down in my heart that we'll be champion at some point. I certainly hope it's this year. But we'll just have to see.

"If we win (the title), it will be the ultimate reward for what we've worked so hard for in building this race team and putting it all together. If we don't win it, we got off to a slow start in the Chase. There were things out of our control that really hurt us and limited us in collecting points. In my eyes, it's a miracle that we've been able to come back and race our way into this position and be here competing for this championship. So, I think we're definitely quite positive. But that's the way this team works."

ON GETTING SOME POINTERS ON PIR FROM KYLE BUSCH "I haven't talked to him yet, but I'd be foolish to not go to my teammates and ask them all for advice. You have to rely on them for different things. I flew over with Jeff (Gordon) on a helicopter this morning and asked him for all the little tricks about Phoenix that he knows. If there is just one small thing that any of my teammates can help me with on the track that I can put in my bag of tricks, it can make all the difference."

HOW MUCH PRESSURE IS THERE ON YOU NOW TO COME OUT OF PIR AHEAD? "It's not been a bad track for us. I think we've been in the top 10 quite a bit. I feel it's a good track for us to score points. I was real nervous about Texas and we were able to finish second there. This hasn't been the best track for us as far as race wins are concerned, but the way we've been stepping up at all of our bad tracks this year, I think with this being a good track for us, if we can just improve a little bit, we'll be in good shape and I think we can do that."

ON THE ROUSH CARS BEING STRONG LAST YEAR IN THE CHASE "Last year, all five cars were just so strong week after week. Roush is still strong now at every track, but it's been one guy at that event. It hasn't been all five at the same time. Being inside of a big organization, I know how difficult that is to do. This year, they look more like a normal big team.

Last year they were a super team. This year, they look more like a normal multi-car team. It's just tough to get all that stuff working the same and each driver and crew chief styles working the same. Last year, I was really impressed with what they did."

ON RACING AT HOMESTEAD "It's a good track for us. We went down and tested there. I'm optimistic going down there. I think we'll be good."

THIS YEAR, WHAT RACES WERE THE BEST AND THE WORST FOR YOU? "I'd say this year the best and worst weekend was all in the same. It was the Daytona 500. To have Chad Knaus suspended and to have all the negative publicity and then to be able to come back and win with all that pressure made it the best and worst."

IF YOU COULD TAKE BACK ONE THING THIS YEAR, WHAT WOULD IT BE? "I think it would be the Talladega race. It's against my racing style to even say this, looking back at how important each point is, setting Junior up to pass at Talladega in the end, would it have been better to sit there and ride second, or to let Brian (Vickers) get a run on me and finish third? Looking back on that, that was a lot of points lost in this Chase. Right now, we're only 17 (points) up, but I could be 100 and something up right now. If I could take that one back, I probably would."

DID YOU ATTEND JEFF GORDON'S WEDDING? "I knew it was going on, but it was a very small wedding and no, we didn't attend. They wanted to keep their situation very low key so they could really enjoy the experience and not have any (media) issues. Even when I got married, photos of us leaving the church ended up in the Enquirer and in all sorts of various publications. It's crazy to see the attention that NASCAR is getting. Jeff Gordon, being a four-time champion and all the things surrounding that, if he did it in the United States or if anybody really knew about it, it wouldn't be as intimate or be the ceremony they wanted. So I understand the situation he's in. It shows again how big our sport is."

ON SWITCHING TO IMPALA SS FOR THE CAR OF TOMORROW "Any time the manufacturers chose a new vehicle, I think it benefits the race teams. There are some good things coming with the Impala SS. Monte Carlo has been there for a long time. We'll get some new excitement and new eyes on the Chevy brands. On top of that, on the racing side we know it will be a better product. We're looking forward to learning that car and maximizing it so that we can try to get an advantage on the competition."

HAVE YOU HAD ANY EXPERIENCE IN THE COT? "I tested in at Talladega. It was really basic and easy and forgiving. I don't have any intermediate track experience with it. I'm just going off what my teammates have said. The cat still needs a lot of work on intermediate and short tracks. On superspeedway stuff, I think they're going to have a great package."

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT JEFF GORDON HAD GOTTEN MARRIED? "We knew in the back of our minds. There was enough stuff that we could put together and there were some small comments from them. We knew how important it was for them to keep everything quiet. We had a suspicion. I saw it on Regis and Kelly of all things (laughs). And then when Jeff got back in town last night, I got a phone call from him saying you probably heard, but I'm a married man."

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON? "Oh, everybody has a day job. Jeff's wife has had a successful career and Jeff has had a successful career. But where they're at in their lives is they have the same interests and same views on life and I'm very happy for both of them."

BEHIND THE HAULER CHAT WITH KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 REESE'S COOKIES MONTE CARLO SS:

ON STRATEGY FOR THESE LAST TWO RACES: "You just have to do the same things you have been doing all year. Go in and try to put yourself in position to win the race. If we can't win, we can't finish out of the top-five to have any chance going in to Homestead. We need to win one of these next two races to put ourselves in that position and that is all you can do, is all you can do. That is what we are going to do, stay focused on the things that we have been doing and try to continue doing those going forward. "

ON THOUGHTS OF CHASE IN CURRENT FORMAT AND WHAT, IF ANY, CHANGES THAT SHOULD BE MADE: "I think it has been good for the sport. I think, obviously, who would talk about race 26 if it weren't for the Chase. It adds a lot of excitement to the final 10. I think it has done what it needs to do. As far tweaks, I really haven't, to be honest with you and it sounds bad to say, I really haven't paid attention enough to analyze it. I know from our standpoint, it has been very up and down but it seems like it has been very up and down for everybody and kept everybody in the mix for a long time during the Chase. I think it has been pretty exciting the way it is."

ON SATISFACTION OF RESOLUTION BY ALL PARTIES OF POST-RACE INCIDENT AT TEXAS: "By the time I could get to work on Monday, I think Ray (Evernham) had called three times. I have never dealt with Ray at all, but he is by far one of the most professional individuals I have ever spoken with. I think everyone handled it as professionally as we could for as unprofessional as the situation was. All parties involved, NASCAR, Ray, us, everybody handled it as professionally as they cool.

"Obviously emotions run high after a race when things don't go your way, I don't think they ever need to venture that far out of the drivers handling things themselves. It was just unfortunate, but luckily everyone is all right and we will go on."

ON LAST NIGHT'S FINAL SOUTHWEST SERIES RACE: "This is the Daytona for the West Coast stuff in the Southwest Series cars, or whatever they call them now. I grew up racing here, started in 1995, came to races here a lot before that. Watched Carelli (Rick), Hornaday (Ron, Jr.) and all those guys race here a long time. You don't ever want to see something go, but I think the direction of the East and West Series is a good direction just for the experience of the younger drivers to have the opportunity to get more adapted to the cars they are going to race as they move through the ranks. On that side of it, I think the direction is right. You just don't ever like to see change like that and do away with a division. It has been a big part of West Coast racing for a long time."

ON POSSIBILITY OF TYING ALL-TIME SEASON WINS IN NASCAR BUSCH SERIES: "On the Cup side, we have had a great year. If we had all sat here last year at this time and said 'Hey, are you going to be two races to go and still in contention for the Cup championship', you guys would have all probably snickered a little bit and said, 'Yes, that's a long-shot'. We have to keep track of how far we have come on that side. But the Busch side had just been one of those years that all of us might not get to be a part of again, just for the fact of how the whole year has gone. The record is a reality for us to get and have all been talking about. Who ever thought we would get a chance at one of Sam Ard's records, the all time win record for one year. In this day and age, it is kind of unheard of. We are really excited to have the opportunity. Our year has been great, we will see what happens from here, but it is something we are definitely shooting for."

ON NOT CHANGING CHASE FORMAT TO ALLOW HISTORY TO COMPARE CHAMPIONS TO CHAMPIONS WHO HAD SAME PATH TO GET THERE: "There is always something to be said for consistency and you can compare. I don't really know what exactly there are thinking about changing, so it is hard to understand whether it will affect it in that way or not. I think all in all, the Chase format is good for us, until they say what they are going to change, it is hard to say what the reaction would be."

ON DIFFICULTY OF MAKING THE DECISION TO GO FOR A WIN AND LET CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY: "That isn't hard for us. We just do that every week when we are in position. It is all about putting yourself in that position and with wins as hard to come by as they are in this sport, when you get the opportunity, you have to go for it. If that is the wrong mindset, I don't know. But if we are in that position, we are going to go for wins. Tony (Stewart) is a classic example of what the Chase creates though. Those guys went outside the box, started changing their cars, changing some of the things that they did and have hit on something that they like, and they are winning races. It is kinda neat to see the guys outside the top-10 go outside the box and they become the story at the end of the year, so it kind of balances things out on you guy's side of things just because they are out performing well and winning races. It keeps it exciting when you have those top-10 guys are racing for a championship and the other guys doing things they normally wouldn't do."

ON DIFFERENCE OR FINE LINE OF PUSHING THE FINE LINE OF THE RULEBOOK TOO FAR: HARVICK - "What is the difference?" REPORTER - "I don't know." HARVICK - "I don't know either and I don't want to know, I don't want to know the difference." "You take your areas that are gray and you try to push them harder there than you would than if you had less rules. The box is small and you have to take those areas, work as hard as you can within them to find out what those limits are. The only way to find out is to go too far. That is kind of the balancing act I guess you could say. But that is hard to balance in this sport because you don't want to get in trouble, but you also have to push it as hard as you can."

ON POINTS DIFFERENCE NUMBER LEAVING PHOENIX TO HAVE A REALISTIC SHOT AT CHAMPIONSHIP IN HOMESTEAD: "I think we need to be within 30 points. 30 or less, that is what I think, but what do I know."

ON WHOEVER WINS THE CHASE BEING CONSIDERED THE SEASON'S BEST DRIVER: "I think so. We all knew the rules coming in. Tony (Stewart) probably doesn't win Kansas if he was in the Chase, he wouldn't have won there and they probably wouldn't do some of the things that they have done developmental-wise on their cars or whatever they have done, I don't know. They probably wouldn't be where they are, though I don't know for sure, winning this amount of races. That is a unique situation the Chase creates."

ON SAM HORNISH, JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, A.J. ALLMENDINGER COMING TO NASCAR: "Since I have been in the sport, I have never seen the amount of drivers come from the open wheel side until now. Obviously, I think Juan started something that everybody paid attention to because his coming is pretty well publicized. It seems like he has a good respect for how hard it is and understands, like last week at Texas, going to the mile and one half race tracks was a struggle for him. But he is going to get it. He is really good. I don't know anything about Sam or A.J. and I haven't gotten to race against Allmendinger yet, but I think they will do fine. But it is going to take some time to get to where they need to be. They aren't used to being inside cars, banging on the sides of each other, bouncing off the wall, just doing all the things that happen here that are so much different compared to what they do. I think it is going to take some time for them to get used to. I think they can all drive, it is just a matter of getting that last couple of tenths out of the car you need to get out of it. It is just a matter of how much time it takes. Chip (Ganassi) has made a commitment to Juan to take that time, whatever it is, to get him to the point of where he needs to be -- letting him test and race, and all those things that we all got to do when we started. It is just a matter of how patient the other ones are going to be with those guys. They are going to tear up some stuff, they are going to wreck, they are going to run good, they are going to not run good, they are going to do all kinds of different things. It just isn't going to be consistent for a while."

ON PHOENIX BEING LAUNCH OF GOOD SEASON WITH WIN IN THE SPRING: "It definitely got the ball rolling for us. When we won here, the momentum shifted our way and we were able to carry it away from here all the way to the Chase. It got it going for us."

ON CHALLENGES OF PIR: "The hardest part here, is the ends are so much different. It isn't as bad since they moved the wall out, but one and two are a lot tighter than three and four. When you get your car working down in one and two, it usually to loose in three and four. It is kind of a balancing act to get your car where it needs to be to work at both ends. A unique race track is a good thing. It creates a few different challenges than normal to get both ends right."

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

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MARRIAGE: "Thank you. It's been an awesome week. I've been very fortunate to meet a great girl and be able to get a second chance."

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO GET MARRIED NOW AND TO GO TO MEXICO TO DO IT? "I just wanted it to be private and small and intimate with friends. I can't say too much. You're going to have to read more about it next week in US Weekly. I gave them the exclusive."

WE (NASCAR MEDIA) FOLLOW YOU ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY. WHAT ABOUT US? "Oh, I'm sorry."

WHO DID YOU TELL? "I didn't tell anybody. It was really just family. Rick Hendrick was there but I consider him family. And it was Ingrid's (Vandebosch) family and that was it."

IS US WEEKLY GOING TO HAVE PICTURES TOO? "Yeah, we brought our own photographer down there. One of the biggest reasons why we did it is that we got contacted immediately when we announced the engagement by magazines and people wanting an exclusive on it. I'm not one to do things like that. But they wanted to make a contribution to the Jeff Gordon Foundation in order to do it and that's what sold us on it and allowed us to have control over it. We controlled the photographer and everything that they'd get access too."

AS A RACE CAR DRIVER WHO HAS SOLD HIS WEDDING PHOTOS TO US WEEKLY, IS THAT SURREAL TO YOU? "It is. I wasn't expecting to get all the phone calls and things from the different magazines. I think that going through the divorce and all that being public made it a little bit more news. All I know is that I'm happy and I'm excited. This is a great time in my life. We had an amazing week. Everything couldn't have been more perfect. It's really the way I wanted to do it. We're going to celebrate with all our other friends and family members that weren't able to be there later in the year."

WHAT WAS INGRID'S REACTION TO HONEYMOONING IN PHOENIX THIS WEEK? "She's a patient girl. She can wait. She knew what the schedule was. She's happy."

WITH NEXT YEAR'S BUSCH SERIES GOING TO MONTREAL, DOES A CHANCE TO RACE ON AN EXISTING F-1 TRACK ENTICE YOU AT ALL? "Yeah, I'd love to race at that race track. But when I look at the schedule and how those guys are going to have to do that, it seems pretty crazy to me to go back and forth like that. It's definitely something I will not do, but I'm jealous of the guys who get the opportunity to do it because I'd love to race on that track."

DOES IT SHOW HOW FAR NASCAR HAS COME WHEN A MAGAZINE WANT'S AN EXCLUSIVE ON A RACE CAR DRIVER'S WEDDING? "I'm blown away all the time with this sport and how it's grown. I'm very fortunate to have had success in this sport. I just never dreamed as a kid growing up that even if I ever made it to this level that it would be anything like it is. And then once I got here, to see how things have changed over the last 14 years and the growth outside of just pure racing and how the drivers and fans have this relationship and the attention that the personalities get beyond racing is pretty incredible."

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE GIRL YOU MARRIED? "Yeah. You can't find too many Belgium girls. They usually stay in Belgium and settle down in Belgium. So I feel very fortunate that her type of upbringing and life that she's led compliments mine and I think mine compliments hers. Yes, she's glamorous, but she's very down to earth if you ever get to know her. She's shy. But she's somebody that when you get to know her, you just realize that she's a real person and she's very sweet and very loyal and just a great, great person."

DOES SHE PLAY FANTASY FOOTBALL? "No, but she knows what's going on because I feed her all the information whether I'm winning or I'm losing and she could probably care less. She acts like she's interested (laughs)."

YOU WERE THE FASTEST IN PRACTICE "Yeah, married life is treating me good so far. We had a good day. I feel like the team has really made good strides since we were here last time. And I feel like the car is really strong. We won practice and that's about it. Can't say anything else until we get through qualifying. But we drew a good number and we've got a good car and I'm excited to see where we end up."

JEFF BURTON SAID TONY STEWART IS THE BEST TEAM RIGHT NOW. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT HE'S BEEN ABLE TO DO IN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS? "I wouldn't disagree with that. They've been solid and Tony has always been a solid driver. A lot of us are really thankful that they had whatever issues to keep them out of the Chase because he would kind of be embarrassing the rest of us. I expected them to be a real threat for the championship this year based on how they ran at certain times in the season and how they ran last year. So it's kind of a surprise they're not in the Chase, but it's no surprise they're running as good as they are."

DOES LESS PRESSURE HELP? "That does help. Everyone handles pressure in different ways. We found out that last year when we fell out of the Chase. We were just able to go out and focus and do our thing. There is something about being relaxed like that that allows you to go out and perform even better.

"That's what Tony (Stewart) has done. He's gotten the headlines. But he's not going to get the headlines when it's all over because the champion is going to get that. It just builds momentum for them for next year."

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU CAN DO WHEN YOU'RE OUTSIDE OF THE CHASE THAT ARE DIFFERENT THAN BEING INSIDE THE CHASE? "You just don't get caught up in all the little details. Every little glitch and vibration and things you're like, who cares? Big deal. It's just not that pressure and tension that you carried in your stomach or on your shoulders or whatever it may be. When you're more relaxed, you concentrate better."

WITH HORNISH JR AND MONTOYA ARE IN THE BUSCH RACE TOMORROW, IS NASCAR WHERE YOU'VE JUST GOT TO BE NOW? "NASCAR is the most popular and the highest form of motorsports in America. There's no doubt about that. I don't think anybody ever questions that. Would they rather be driving a rear engine, high downforce, winged car? Probably. A lot of times all of us would. But stock cars are very competitive. They put on a great race. They're very difficult to drive. They're challenging. The fans and sponsors have caught on. You can't deny that. Sam (Hornish Jr.) and Juan (Pablo Montoya) have both accomplished just about everything they set out to do. I know Sam certainly has. Juan, if he had won a Formula One championship, that's about the only other thing he would have to check off his list. But they've accomplished everything and now here they are in their career with an opportunity to go and prove something else to themselves and everybody else; it's a new challenge. I think it's awesome. I think it's great."

DO YOU THINK WE'LL EVER SEE MICHAEL SCHUMACHER IN A ROAD COURSE RACE? "I don't know what kind of guy Schumacher is. But one of the things that impressed me the most about Juan's decision is that he had the guts enough to do something so different and know that the pressure and microscope he was going to be under, but yet he still was able to make that decision. I give him a lot of credit for doing that. If Schumacher was able to do that, it would only elevate him up in my book to a whole other level."

IS JIMMIE JOHNSON ANY DIFFERENT THIS YEAR? "None other than he's in a different position. The team has momentum. I don't really see where he's any different other than he's just in a better situation. In the past, he hasn't been close enough to control his destiny; where I think now he's more in control of it. The whole team is."

WHAT'S YOUR STRATEGY THIS WEEKEND? "Oh, I'm just thinking about going out and winning races. When you're as far behind in points as we are, you can't focus on the championship the way some of these other guys are. We've got to focus on just driving the wheels off the thing and taking risks and trying to win races. If something were to happen to those guys ahead of us, and in some way magically put us into position, then yeah, we go to Homestead and maybe race differently. But right now, we're not racing any different than we have been the last several weeks."

WHAT CITY IN MEXICO DID YOU GET MARRIED IN? "When you see it next week, you'll know it wasn't cheap."

DO YOU HAVE A TIMETABLE FOR HAVING CHILDREN AND HOW MIGHT THAT CHANGE YOUR MINDSET WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR CAREER? "You know what? I'm going to answer all those questions after next week. Let's get through next week.

"Let's just say that it was a beautiful, beautiful time with family in a beautiful place in Mexico and I'm glad I did it this week."

ON THE RACE THIS WEEKEND "We made a race run and it wasn't as good as we wanted it to be, but the car's got great potential and then we put it into qualifying mode and we were fast. But we've got to make a few adjustments to be fast after the pole. So we're obviously focused right now to get those adjustments made and then we're also thinking about what we're going to do to the car for tomorrow morning's practice."

ON THE HOMESTEAD TRACK "I love that track. We went down there and tested. It's going to be a really awesome race because the groove has moved all the way to the wall - and that was in testing. My only concern about Homestead is when they're starting the race we're going to have another Atlanta situation, which we had at Homestead last year, but the track's fantastic. We were decent. We need to be better, but we're decent."

WAS THERE A DECIDING MOMENT IN YOUR YEAR? "Chicago. Probably winning at Chicago. It was nice to get the win at Sonoma. And I think that gave us some confidence. But I think that win at Chicago - and maybe even just the run at Michigan, when we were running good; and then we were able to win at Chicago. It just gave us a whole different outlook on the direction we'd been going in with our set-ups and our race cars to really be good on those 1.5-mile tracks that we struggled so much on last year."

IF YOU COULD, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD TAKE BACK OR DO DIFFERENTLY THIS YEAR? "If I could do anything different, it would be in Talladega when I lost the lead there. I feel like we could have been in a little bit better position when the crash happened had I made a little bit different decision when we were leading, we might not have been so far back and been caught up in that wreck."

HOW HARD IS IT TO KEEP YOUR PRIVATE LIFE PRIVATE? "Well, I'm certainly no Tom Cruz or like any guy in the entertainment business that has a very difficult time. But I feel like the type of celebrity we have in this sport is the best kind. You get to live your life for the most part, but yet that's changing constantly. The sport is getting bigger and more popular and you do have to be somewhat guarded sometimes to maintain that privacy."

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

ON THE RACE AT PHOENIX "Well, this is certainly one of my favorite race tracks. I think that these one-mile and three-quarter mile race tracks that we run on are a tremendous amount of fun, and they put on great races for the fans and for the competitors. We certainly look to rebound from last week, and try and build some momentum for the next two weeks, but it is certainly one of my favorite race tracks and I enjoy coming out here."

ON VULNERABILITY OF NO. 48 AND NO. 17 TEAMS TO HAVING BACK LUCK: "I think they are vulnerable. We have seen it throughout the Chase that there is no team that is safe from having things happen. This is a high-action race track where a lot of things can go on. Neither one of them can afford to finish 12th or 15th and still win the Championship. I think they both have to go and try to run very well, as does everyone else. Every team is vulnerable.

I speak from experience; just because you are leading the points, you are not protected from bad things happening to you. It can happen here, as well at Miami, so that is part of the sport that is perhaps the most frustrating; is that there is always danger lurking and stuff that can happen to you. So, without a doubt, you are not protected by that by any means."

ON NO. 31 AND RCR'S PERFORMANCE REVIEW AFTER 2006 SEASON IS OVER: "It is. I won't lie to you; this has been a down week for us. I thought that we have done a really nice job in the Championship. I thought we prepared very well, and still are prepared. I think we came in with the right attitude; we had some things that we needed to do a better job of controlling, and there were some things that we couldn't control that got us. This has been kind of a hard week, to try and get over last week. I look at this race and this year as kind of a character-building year. It has been a year that we have put ourselves in a position; it has been a year that we have proven to ourselves, which is really what counts. We can do this, and we do deserve to be here, and we have to go take advantage of it.

When I came to the No. 31, we built a three-year plan, and we have executed on that three-year plan very well, but the tale of our plan will come next year. But I feel really good about the position that we have put ourselves in, but unfortunately we haven't been able to take advantage of it, but we are here to fight for third or fourth and you never know what can happen. One of the other guys can have trouble and you can end up second, so that is what we are here to try and get done, and what we are trying to do. We have done a nice job, and we shouldn't forget that. At the same time, we are so focused on winning this Championship that when it became very difficult to do this late in the game. It is hard to move onto the next thing right now."

ON HOW GOOD CAN BE BAD, AND VICE VERSA (IN THE CHASE): "I am apposed to the separate points system. I think that it is fundamentally incorrect. Lets paint a scenario of what could happen this weekend; lets say that Matt Kenseth wins the race, and Jimmie Johnson is the second best Chase car, does Jimmie deserve to get the second best points when there were thirteen cars separating those two. I think he doesn't. I think that we are judged based on how we finish, in relationship to the 42 teams that you are racing against, not the nine that you are racing against. It is fundamentally what we do. We are racing these other ten for the Championship, but to win races you have to beat 42, not just ten.

I think that to have a points system that eliminates the other 32 cars does not reward you, nor does it penalize you, based on how you did in the race. You should not be judged on just the other guys you are racing against for the Championship; you should be judged against the whole field. I think it is fundamentally wrong, but I see the point as to why some people would be enamored with the ten-race points system. I understand the theory behind it, but the way you get home-field advantage is by beating teams that didn't make the playoffs, if that makes sense. If you are playing a four and eleven team, you still have to beat them. If you don't, that still goes in the loss record, so that is the way this deal should work too; when you are racing a team that is thirty-fifth in points, but they beat you on that particular day, then they beat you and I think your points should be received accordingly. I think you are still racing 42 cars, not nine, and that is my opinion. If bad hurts more than good helps, then you can't do bad. That is the rule; that is the points system.

The team that takes advantage of the points system and does the best job in the points system, whatever that may be, and then they are the deserving champion. So, you can't lose the Championship, and say, well maybe if the points were different; it doesn't work like that. If they give me a mulligan every time I had a bad shot, I might could shoot a seventy-two. But, they don't do that, so for me, I just don't believe that if Tony Stewart is in the Chase and is beating me by six positions, that he shouldn't be rewarded for beating me by those six positions. I just don't think that is fair to the team that is doing a good job. It penalizes the team that is doing a good job, that is my opinion."

ON WHAT THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF BEING IN THE CHASE MEANS: "That scenario certainly gets painted. The Buffalo Bills went to however many Super Bowls they went to and never won; some people say they were losers, and some people look at it more realistic standpoint and say, hey they were able to put themselves in position, they just weren't able to capitalize. When you set the bar high, then the expectations are high. And that is what you want in your life and what you want in sports is to be a part of a team that sets the standard really, really high. When you don't have that, people look at that and are disappointed. And if Jimmie (Johnson) for whatever reason, was not to win the Championship this year, certainly the conversation would be, well they haven't been able to close it out, but not by any means take away from the accomplishments that they have had over the last four years.

It is hard, I finished in the top-ten in points six years in a row, and I look back on that and that is a heck of an accomplishment, and we never won a Championship, and for that I am disappointed. We just never got it done. It is the same with Jimmie; I never looked at it as being losers, I saw it as we were still learning and still trying to get it done, and circumstances and mistakes just never let us get it done. The same way I look at what we have done this year, circumstances and mistakes on our part is what took us out of contention, but the positives shouldn't be forgotten."

ON JUDGING THE CHASE AND THE SUCCESS OF IT SO FAR: "I think it has been around long enough to make that judgment. I think that whatever the rule is, I think there will be disagreement about if it is the right thing to do or not, but my personal feeling is that it is a positive thing and that it is good for our sport, and I am a proponent of it. I think that it is clear that it has been good for our sport, and I understand that there are some traditionalists that would probably disagree, but I am not sure there are many more traditionalist that what I am, but I really like the era before I came in. I think that it has taken us to a different level, I think it has brought a tremendous amount of attention to our sport, and for that, it is a positive thing."

ON NUMBER OF POLES ACHIEVED THIS YEAR (4) AND FEELING ON POINTS BEING REWARDED FOR POLES: "I've never thought rewarding points for poles was a good thing. I think that our races are long enough that we shouldn't be forced to spend an hour and a half on Friday just working on qualifying, and if points were rewarded just for qualifying, then you would have to spend more time focusing on it.

Let's be honest, how many people watch it; at the end of the day, not that many people watch it. It is not as exciting as the race, and I think the more time we spend in race practice, the better the race is. So my problem with paying points for qualifying is that the focus should remain on the race. The race is what people come to see, and ticket sales and television viewership shows that. The more time we have to spend on race set-up, the better the race. The reason why, is that the car that unloads good today is not going to get a whole lot better, but the guy that is not so good, has three practices to get better. It closes the gap, and makes the competition better. The lower amount of practice that we get, the worse the races are, and so that is why I don't want to see points paid. I think it takes focus away from what people are coming there to see."

ON WHERE THE FOCUS SHOULD BE AT DURING THE CHASE: "If the Chase leaders are in the front, then it turns into the Chase picture. The huge advantage we have against any other sport is that our playoff system works, is because every week the best teams play each other. Every week, the fourth and fifth place team plays each other and that doesn't happen in other sports, except for golf. We get a tremendous advantage when the people that are pulling against me, because they like Jeff Gordon, they get to watch the guy they don't like race against the guy they do like. It is Duke/Carolina every week, and when you get this far into the Chase, and Duke and Carolina are racing each other for the Championship, and for the race win, it doesn't get a whole lot better than that.

So, the race should be about the story for television should be about the Chase, because that is the biggest thing going on, and how the race affects that Chase. But Sunday's race is the most important thing that we are doing; what the race becomes about is up to the individual fan, although his exposure to the race is through the media. You guys (media) have a tough job. You shouldn't go into the race thinking we should talk about this, the story should be told as it develops. You can't take focus away from the Championship hunt, because that is what we are doing, it seems like we have run for three years to get to this point, with two left. You can't ignore the Chase because it is in your face, as it should be."

ON FEELING ABOUT THE PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, AND ALSO ABOUT BEING FINISHED WITH 1.5-MILE TRACKS FOR THE SEASON: "I think that the thing I like most about our sport, and our series in general, is that the diversity of race tracks that we run on is great. I know we talk about the mile-and-a-half tracks and there is no coincidence that the No. 9 always runs good at the bigger tracks, but every mile-and-a-half is different to us. They all have their own personalities. This style race track and these types of race tracks I think are the best. I think Richmond and here are great because the action is close. There is always something going on, and the racing is better. To us, Texas and Atlanta are completely different; they are not similar at all. If you run well at Texas, you should be able to take that car to Atlanta and have similar results, but it is not necessarily true that you could bring that car here and have the same results.

ON THE HARDEST THING ABOUT PIR: "The hardest thing about here is it is so tough to pass. You will get multiple grooves and you will get guys that run the top, and guys that run the bottom. It is hard to run side-by-side with those multiple grooves, so completing a pass here is really difficult. If you catch a car and you are just a touch faster that he is, it is hard to finish that pass off."

ON SUGGESTIONS FOR REWARDING WINNERS MORE IN 2007 SEASON: "The only way that you can do that is by paying more money or paying more points. There is no other way to do that. I still think that what we ought to do, is I think you should have to lead a lap under the green flag. I think pay the winner more points, but not a ridiculous amount of points, leading a lap bonus has to be under the green flag, and the other thing I would like to see is thirty fifth on down, pay the same amount of points. There are a couple of reasons for that; I think it makes for a better points race, and the second reason is, if you are running thirty fifth, the only reason you aren't running thirty eighth is you got the wreck out quicker than the other guys. You got in a wreck or had an engine problem early enough in the race that you had time to fix it, versus later in the race where the guys don't have time to fix it.

I just think that the points race would be better, and I think that at the end of the day, the minimum speed rule is a good rule, but it has created a situation where things aren't as safe as if you were able to put the thing in the trailer. What does finishing thirty-sixth add to the quality of the race? A lap car riding around just trying to stay out of everyone's way does not add to the quality of the race, I would like to see it just pay the same amount of points. How can you argue that paying more points for winning a race is wrong, I don't think you can argue that point."

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

ON COMING TO PHOENIX: "It's just a neat place for me. I remember coming here years ago and watching Terry Labonte win here at my first ever Winston Cup race. And to be able to win here last year is pretty special. This is the only Hendrick Motorsports car to go to victory lane here. It's been great. We've had a lot of great experiences. We can't complain about that. We had a tremendous start to the season and middle part of the year and we ran really well. We just haven't been able to produce the results that we needed here in the Chase. That's been a little bit of a struggle for us. But we feel like we had a strong enough run throughout the Chase. It just comes down to just being able to have some good luck sometimes and being able to be competitive, which we have been. We're excited about next year already."

ARE THERE THINGS YOU'VE LEARNED IN THE CHASE THAT YOU CAN APPLY NEXT YEAR AND IN THE FUTURE? "Yeah, I think some of the things we can work on to be better in the Chase is qualifying a little bit better. At Loudon, it's not what made us wreck on lap 3 was qualifying bad. We probably could have taken some different chances there, and been better off. But we got wrecked at Loudon and we blew up at Dover.

The things I've learned this year have just to kind of settle down and get into a rhythm and run the race and just been there at the end. Leading every lap in the beginning and middle part of the race doesn't pay anything. It's about being around at the end. That's more of what we've been able to learn throughout the year. We haven't been able to apply it throughout the Chase, but hopefully we can try to build on that the rest of the year."

YESTERDAY AT BONDURANT, YOU RACED GO-KARTS LIKE IT WAS THE DAYTONA 500. DO YOU GUYS ALWAYS RACE SO HARD - EVEN FOR FUN? "Yeah, that's what it's about. This sport isn't easy, that's for sure. We were having a great time and it was a lot of fun and anytime you get three Cup drivers or three NASCAR drivers or three of any drivers for that matter out on the race track - whether it's go-karts or drag racing or AMC-whatevers, you're going to want to race each other with your heart. It was just a lot of fun out there yesterday at the Bondurant school. And it's cool. Those go-karts were the first time I've ever experienced anything like that because of the speed of the things. You were just hauling the mail going down those big straight-aways. Denny (Hamlin) and I learned that the draft plays a big role and whoever was leading was screwed because we're pushing the air. It's just like Daytona. The guy behind you is just sucking right up behind you and being able to pass you, so we were kind of using the sling-shot and everything else."

LAST WEEK YOU STOOD WITH TERRY LABONTE FOR HIS RETIREMENT PHOTO. DO YOU SEE YOURSELF LIKE THAT SEVERAL YEARS DOWN THE ROAD? "There's going to be a huge transition period from where I'm at now to that. Just coming into this deal and racing the way I raced last year, I didn't make many friends. This year we kind of turned it around there in the middle part of the year and really started racing well and everything. The thing you want to be able to do is to be well-liked when you retire. I know right now, I'm not close to retiring and I'm not close to being liked. So I've got some room to grow there."

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE DEBUTY CALLING YOUR BROTHER "KYLE" WHEN HE DEBUTIZED HIM? DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT? "No, I didn't even know anything about it. All I know is that it was Kyle Busch Day at Avondale about two weeks ago. That's all I know about."

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO HELP (YOUR TEAMMATE) JIMMIE JOHNSON DURING THE RACE OR PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING? "Yeah, as a matter of fact, he called me last night and we're going to sit down and meet here in a little bit and talk about this race track a little bit and discuss things about how to make him a little bit better and whatnot. You know, he runs fine here. He's always been consistent and always probably a top 10 car. But he wants to be a winner. I'm not saying I'm not any better than him. I know I'm not any better of a driver than he is. But for some reason, I've had success here. For him to be a little bit better, or anybody to be a little bit better, you always want to go talk to the guy who has had the most success at that particular track. Of course you go to Jeff Gordon at Martinsville. You go to Jimmie Johnson at a place like Atlanta or something like that. Jimmie is going to come over and we're going to talk about Phoenix and hopefully try to make him a little bit better during practice and everything today. It's kind of like Kansas. Here's a quick story about that. We were racing at Kansas and I was leading the majority of the middle part of the race there and running up top and whatnot. Jimmie moved up and he was following me. We came out of the pits after a pit stop and he came out in front of us and I couldn't pass him. He was taking my line and everything else. So I came over the radio and said, 'How many times out of 10 does the student beat the teacher?' So I'm thinking if I give him too much advice about this place, I'll see the same thing on Sunday."

OTHER THAN YOU BEING IN IT, HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE THIS CHASE TO THE FIRST TWO? "I'm not sure. The way you break it down, this one is a little closer than the first one. I don't remember last year. I know Kurt (Busch) had a big lead all the way up until Atlanta and lost a little bit after Atlanta because he blew up. But then he was able to hold the lead almost through the whole Chase. This year, you've seen some lead changes up front. You saw Matt Kenseth have it, Jeff Burton have it, Jimmie Johnson have it, and I don't remember who else has been up there - Kevin Harvick too. It's all about having consistency in this thing and having some luck. There are five guys up front who are 100 and some points apart who still have the opportunity to win this thing."

AS A YOUNG DRIVER, HAVE YOU COME TO UNDERSTAND AND REALIZE THE PROCESS OF PAYING YOUR DUES IN THIS SPORT? "Yeah, that just came more so from Rick Hendrick and just talking to him about some different things and what not. A lot of people understand and know that I came into this deal already on the downside. I already came in guilty by association through Kurt (Busch) and then being associated with Hendrick Motorsports. There are still people out there that still accuse Rick of being a fraud from his Honda deal. It's pretty insane for people who don't know the whole truth and everything and all the facts. It's tough that way. You're associated with Kurt and with Hendrick and then Jeff Gordon. People don't like him for various reasons or Jimmie (Johnson) for various reasons. A lot of people don't like Brian (Vickers) now for various reasons and I've just never really been liked. I don't have a problem with it. People who are around me and know me like me. I've got a whole team that's been with me for two straight years that don't want to go anywhere but stick with the No. 5 team. They've been talking about doing a crew swap and everybody said they'd leave if they did that. It's great to have that support behind me and all the backbone structure that goes with it."