Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Monte Carlo SS Press Conference Notes

DENNY HAMLIN, DRIVER OF THE NO. 11 FEDEX MONTE CARLO SS
MIKE FORD, CREW CHIEF
JD GIBBS, TEAM PRESIDENT, JOE GIBBS RACING

HAMLIN: "I knew right from the get go we had a very strong car. Even in practice we were a top two or three car. We just had to do something really small to make it a race winning car. I knew when we took off and just started pulling away that we had a really strong car but that we were going to have to keep up with the race track. We took tires only, no adjustments on that first stop to try to see where the race track was going to go and it just pretty much stayed consistent. It just tightened up a little bit and that kind of played into our favor and then we had our tire issue and then I thought our hopes were on the dashed. After we got back on the race track after that damage, it just felt aero-unstable. It disrupted the car quite a bit. It just didn't seem as fast as what it was. The whole crew just kept adding little pieces to the car. It seems like every single stop, they just added more pieces. Each piece that added made the car a little bit faster. We finally got it back where it belonged there at the end of the race."

FORD: "It wasn't an easy race by any means. It was a group effort. Obviously we had a fast car and we had our tire issue and we just had to pace ourselves and evaluate the damage and knew there was a lot of time left in the race and we did what we could with the time that we had. Every time we came back down pit road we had more to do. Really, we still had more to do than we could get to. Once it went back green for a while, we saw that we could run back toward the front and didn't think there was anyone that could outrun us so we opted to leave the car alone from that point and try and get track position and that worked out. We had a good car and the guys did a really good car. Denny did what the car would give him."

JD GIBBS: "For me, it's really been just a blessing. You look back a year ago, man we were struggling. We'd come to a race and Jason Leffler would get in a wreck right off the bat and all three of our teams were kind of hurting -- but mainly this FedEx group. But just to watch Mike and Denny team up toward the end of the year and all of those guys who were part of that stuggle come together was really impressive."

WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND FOR DURING THE RED FLAG WAIT?

HAMLIN:"Actually I was thinking about what I was going to eat for dinner (laughter). Honestly, our car was that good. I didn't think about the race whatsoever. I started to get a little worried when they gave us the one to go as soon as we crossed the line. But our car didn't fall off much. Even with the old tires, I think we ran one of our fastest laps there at the end of the race. I knew it was going to be our race to lose."

HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU PIT?

FORD: I'm guessing maybe seven or eight just to repair the car on top of all the normal tire stops. I lost count. I didn't write it down -- they were happening so fast. We were fortunate we could get it repaired."

HOW DO YOU GO FROM ONE STRUGGLING TEAM TO ANOTHER ONE AND PUT TOGETHER A WINNING PROGRAM IN A SHORT TIME?

FORD: "It is chemistry. What I saw when I talked to JD and Joe is there was the potential of the race team. I knew there was trouble in the No. 11 car with drivers and things like that but that the team was very strong. My whole career, I've worked with older guys and you try to work those guys into retirement and I wanted to get somewhere where you're working to win races and championships. You gamble a little bit but I was really hoping Denny would get in that car and that's the way it ended up. Our chemistry has been excellent since the firs time we went to test."

TONY STEWART SAYS THE WHOLE VIDEO GAME THING IS A MYTH AND YOU CAN'T REALLY LEARN ALL THAT MUCH FROM THAT

HAMLIN: "You don't learn anything set-up wise, obviously. But there are a lot of track awareness. When you go to a race track you've never been to before, you've got to find let-off points -- especially on a flat race track like this. You don't know where you are on the race track because it's just like running on the salt flats. You can't judge where your let-off points are. With the video games, they've got every tree and everything mapped out perfect. So visually, I know where my let-off points are. I still have to fine-tune that at the race track quite a bit, but still it helps with track awareness and I feel like it helped me. This is one of the very few weeks that I actually spent three days or so on the computer before I came. I hadn't really done that all year long because I'd been to these race tracks before."

WHEN THE SPIN HAPPENED, DID YOU THINK YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THE RACE WAS OVER?

HAMLIN: "Yeah, as bad as it sounded from where I was sitting, and all the mud and everything that was in the car -- I was just covered in mud -- and I knew there was substantial damage to the rear of the car. These things are so aero-sensitive that we had to make adjustments to compensate for that. Mike did a good job.

"Two green flag runs after that, I felt like we were still a top five car, but we weren't that dominant car like we were before. We kept making it better and better. Then, with about 100 laps to go, I knew we had a dominant car again."

WHAT IS THERE IN YOUR BACKGROUND THAT HAS BROUGHT YOU THIS FAR?

"The biggest thing is that I was able to make the best of every opportunity that was handed to me. JD happened to be at that test I was at where they were picking out their drivers and I happened to be there running really fast times and impressed the right people when they were there. At that time, driver development was really big. Gibbs started heading that way. They said they'd never done that before with young guys. They'd always looked for the veterans. They signed me up and said they would see what happened. They really didn't have a place for me right then. They said to just hang on and see what opened up. But that kind of opened up the truck ride in the fall of '04. We qualified and finished in the top 10 in our first truck race. That led to the first Busch race where we finished in the top 10 at Darlington. We just made the best of every opportunity. Then I got the opportunity to run this FedEx car and I knew it was something I could do."

ON THE TURNAROUND OF THE TEAM

JD GIBBS: "All the decisions I make are questionable in my dad's eyes. At that time, he had just got done going six to 10 with the Redskins. And we're struggling down here. The whole process of getting everyone on board. It was just a blessing from the Lord to be able to do this and put together the guys we had. All those guys had a chance to bail last year to bail. I didn't have a chance to bail, however. We stuck it out. And for those guys to go through all those hard times and come back the way they are now, solidifies everything."

ON THE VIDEO GAMES, HOW GOOD ARE YOU? HOW COMPETITIVE ARE YOU? AND HOW MUCH COULD IT PREPARE YOU FOR THE SPIN?

HAMLIN: "I like to think I'm pretty good. I race with probably the best in the world. There are people overseas racing with us. Brad Davis and Kevin King and myself are on the pecking list of who's good and who's not. I race with those guys all the time and they teach me a whole lot. I'm pretty competitive. The spin thing, at Dover last week was probably the most interesting thing. Everybody made a big deal about Jimmie. We did about the same thing, only we were a little bit closer to the wall than he was. I thought it was a blown motor to begin with. The car started shaking. It jerked the wheel out of my hand. I was kind of at the mercy of the gods."

DO YOU PLAY WITH ANYBODY ELSE IN THE GARAGE?

"Of course, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Me and him and Martin run quite a bit. We have a lot of fun and that's how me and Dale Jr. have gotten so close over the years. I've heard him say that he has beat me and he is a liar. Never, ever, ever."

YOU'RE 9TH IN POINTS NOW. IS IT TOO OUTLANDISH TO COMPETE FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP AS A ROOKIE?

HAMLIN: "I see a lot of the same things with this team that the No. 20 car did starting next week at this time last year. It's all going to be based on eliminating your mistakes and bad problems. The first eight races, every other finish was outside of the top 30. We had ourselves a hole, but we were a top 10 car contending every single week. We just had bad luck. It seems like these last five or six weeks that we've been running top 10's about every week, we've just eliminated our problems and we're just showing our potential as a race team."

FOR JD, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE PROSPECTS OF RUNNING FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP WITH THE NO. 11 CAR?

"Is it possible? Yeah, it's definitely possible. You just have to be real careful and just worry about each race. You can speculate all you want. We've got the people to do it. It's just a matter of focusing on each race. We learned that with Tony last year.

FOR MIKE, WHAT WAS THE MAIN DAMAGE TO DENNY'S CAR?

FORD: "I would say we fixed 50 percent of the damage on the car. The key thing was when the tire came apart, it destroyed both batteries that we had in the car. We had to replace those and the door that held the batteries in had to come off so there was no way to hold the batteries in. So we had to find a way to secure the batteries -- that was the first caution. We stopped several times just getting the batteries in the car. Then we started sealing up the crush panels one at a time. That's where we ended. It went green for a while after that and we saw we had a competitive car and we were starting to gain track position. I would say we fixed the more 50 percent first."

Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Monte Carlo SS Press Conference

TONY STEWART, NO. 20 HOME DEPOT MONTE CARLO - Finished 3rd:

Q. Why don't you give us just a brief account of your day out there today.

TONY STEWART: Drove 500 miles, and the damndest thing is I ended up right back where I started. I didn't get anywhere today.

Q. Nicely done.

TONY STEWART: We just had a solid day, started 18th. We got by five cars in the first lap, caution came out and then we just kept working our way to the front and got in a series of green flag stops with we were in two different groups out of sequence on fuel stops. Still, the whole time we basically were a top 5 car that whole time no matter what.

I'm just glad to finish and that it ended up the way it did. We were a little worried when Biffle came down how guys behind us would go, but there were enough guys between us that I don't know how many spots he got, but I'm sure he got three or four there towards the end. I'm just glad that we kept the track position we had and finished where we finished.

Q. With the white flag and then the restart, did either one of you think you had anything for Denny?

TONY STEWART: There was no way we were going to deal with Denny obviously. Track position is so important here, and we were with him on the point at the restart. I mean, he got there for a reason, because he was the fastest car. Probably the first lap was the only lap where anything could happen while we were really tight there.

Like Kurt said, when you got the one, there was enough dirt down there still, they did a great job cleaning it up. It was very impressive to see what kind of condition they got the track back in in such a short amount of time. There still was enough dirt down there that it could have gotten pretty interesting. Everybody got through that pretty easy and it really didn't lead to any opportunities like we were hoping for. But in all reality, unless Denny had a problem down there, I don't think Kurt and I could have done anything with him.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about Denny's development? Since he's come on the Cup circuit, he's really taken off and had the same kind of success you had since you left Busch.

TONY STEWART: Yeah, it's awesome. It's been a big transformation over the winter and it's not been so much equipment and this and that as much as just losing Bobby Labonte and gaining J.J. Yeley and Denny Hamlin, Denny and J.J.'s fresh attitude and just the fresh attitude in the shop with two totally new drivers coming in like that. It's kept everybody pumped up.

They're both ?? J.J. hasn't taken off obviously as quickly as Denny has, but he comes from a totally different background, too. I think the good thing is days like today are what makes me happy. Even if I would have won the race, without those guys somewhere close, that makes you worry a little bit more, but to have the 1st and 3rd place cars in the group, that's what gets the whole team excited and the whole operation excited. We're doing things right right now, it's just a matter of squeaking here and there and keep going the same direction.

Q. What about his performance in particular? What is it about this kid? A lot of rookies don't come out and win 14 races.

TONY STEWART: A lot of kids haven't had great cars, and that's the thing. He's got cars just like what J.J. and I have. We all have the same equipment. You know, you put young guys in good cars and they can go out and win right away. That's something you didn't see ten years ago. In this era, everybody is looking for a younger and younger driver, and they can get in good cars right away and do well right off the bat. You've got to have that talent, and he's got that talent and that drive and desire to win races, and that's what ?? you can put really good drivers in there, but if they don't have the drive and desire, they're not going to win, and Denny's got it.

Q. The safety barrier may have saved Jeff Gordon's life. Can you comment on what that has brought to the sport the last few years?

TONY STEWART: It's awesome. I don't know who ?? like I said, it's been so long since we all went through the press announcements of how that all came about, but the group that developed that, we all owe a ton of thanks, and there's no way we can repay them for the added security and peace of mind that they've given all of us as drivers, let alone crew members and crew chiefs and car owners. You definitely know with the speeds that we're running nowadays and the improvements and updates in technology that's involved in making the cars go faster, those walls haven't changed for years. Having the invention of soft walls has been something that is definitely a great addition and complements the speeds that we're now running.

Q. Tony, can you talk about physically how you got through the day and how your shoulder is feeling and so forth?

TONY STEWART: I'll be honest. I mean, I don't know what's going to happen when the adrenaline wears off, but honestly, I feel like I could run another 500?mile race right now and still feel the same. I didn't have any problems all day, even when the car was loose and you had to use your right arm to backsteer the car, didn't have any pain that we had the last two days and like we had at Dover.

I'm excited. I mean, we're going road course testing Tuesday at VIR and I'm real excited to see how my shoulder does through a day of testing. I think that will be a telltale sign. I'll be honest, I think this is the last time we'll talk about the shoulder because I think we're back again. Definitely by next weekend it's not going to be an issue.

Q. Is there something to playing a video game prior to the race?

TONY STEWART: Let's put an end to this right now. They're playing video games because they're 18, 20 years old, just like we did when we were 18, 20 years old. It gives you the physical layout. Are you going to learn a lot? Probably not. These guys are not here because they're dummies, and trust me, a video game did not make them an instant genius on Pocono. The fact that they're rookies in good cars are why they're doing well at Pocono. It makes for a great story so print it the way you want, but video games are video games and race cars are real race cars. There's a difference.

Q. Tony, being the most senior member at Joe Gibbs Racing now, what kind of role have you taken on in terms of talking to Denny and J.J. and guiding their development and giving them a sense of what to look for in that first victory?

TONY STEWART: Basically I'm just there to answer questions, really. They're both really good guys, and you can talk to them about a lot of things, but a lot of it has just got to come from experience. You can kind of give them foresight on what to expect, but until they get out there and do it, it really doesn't click. What we've found is it's better to let them go out and then if they've got some questions about something, come back and ask, and it seems like it's more effective than to say this is what you've got to do. Everybody has got different driving styles so you can't tell them what to do, they've got to do it their own way.

Now, being the elder statesman, I guess, of the group, I'm just there to ?? when those guys have a question about something, most likely I've been through it or will understand what's going on and can help give them that knowledge if there's something that they don't understand.

Q. What kind of sense can you get from Denny, though, about his development, about his potential?

TONY STEWART: Probably that I was going to be able to help him more off the track than on the track. He's wild and crazy like me, which I like. But on the track, I don't think there's anything I need to tell him; he's done an awesome job. But there still may be that day where something might come up and he'll need some help and he'll come and ask.

That's the good thing about these two guys; they got there for a reason. They're talented guys but you can't tell them everything. There's some things they have to feel for themselves and then ask questions.

Q. Do you give them any kind of advice on temperament?

TONY STEWART: I'll have plenty to give them on that, trust me (laughter). Like I said, I want to see what he does here. I think he's on the verge of something big down the road.

No, they're good kids just like I was. I was a kid when I joined the deal, and the good thing is if there's anybody that can tell them how to stay out of trouble, it's definitely me, so I can definitely keep them well?rounded from that aspect.

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT MONTE CARLO SS - Crashed on lap 190:

ARE YOU OKAY? "I don't know how, but yes, I am. I've either got a really hard head or those guys at Hendrick Motorsports just build an awesome race car because that was one of the hardest hits I've ever taken. I think we broke a right front brake rotor going into (Turn) 1. That's probably the worst thing you could ever ask for in a race car is to have the brakes go out going into Turn 1 at Pocono. Between the soft walls and the seat and every safety device we had in there, I never got knocked out. I was surprisingly feeling pretty good other than just a bit of a headache. They (infield medical staff) just wanted to watch me in there for a little bit, but I'm fine.

"It's unfortunate. We lost track position. I had a pretty good car at the beginning but lost track position and couldn't get it back."

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CINGULAR WIRELESS MONTE CARLO SS - Finished 9th:

ON THE RACE: "It was really disappointing. I don't know. I was speeding or they wouldn't have called me for speeding. I just don't understand how I was speeding and I need to understand. Actually, we were about 100 rpm lower than what we thought we could be because I knew that nobody behind us was pushing and I knew we couldn't catch anybody. So I'm just a little confused about it but I'll get with NASCAR and let them walk me though it and learn from it. It was disappointing.

"These guys did a great job. The engine was great. The engine was unbelievable. The car was good. We didn't have anything for (race winner, Denny) Hamlin. But for everybody else, I thought we were right there with them. We had a second or third place car and finished ninth with it. But we'll keep fighting."

ON THE ISSUE OF SPEEDING: "It's interesting that a lot of people got caught. Like I said, if I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't have done anything different. That's what's confusing to me. Normally when I make a mistake, it's real clear to me. But this one's not clear to me. But again, I know they made the right call. We've just got to figure out what we did wrong."

BRIAN VICKERS, NO. 25 GMAC MONTE CARLO SS - Finished 4th:

EVEN AFTER YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT FRIDAY YOU GUYS DIDN'T MISS A BEAT "These guys just rallied this weekend. They did a good job overcoming a lot of stuff that was on top of them this weekend. I'm real proud of them. I think it just goes back to the bottom line, like I said Friday morning. I'm still 100 percent committed to this team as long as I'm here and Hendrick Motorsports. All this guys on the team said they are behind me as long as I'm here. We proved that this weekend."

WHAT FUELED THIS PERFORMANCE? "The decision that was made based on years of past experience, not just one race. The fact remains I am proud of these guys. They rallied. This has always been a good track for us, a good track for the No. 25 car."

ON THE FINAL RESTART "We were a little tight going into that final restart. We needed that caution and that red flag to let our tires cool down. Me and Matt (Kenseth) had a heck of a battle there. We had a lot of fun."

TALK ABOUT THE SPEEDING PENALTY: "The speeding penalty hurt us. On the restart with five to go we were right there with the guys. If we had car to win the race, we would have passed them then. I'm not going to sit here and say it cost us the race, but it certainly didn't help. Coming to the end of pit road, my spotter was like, 'Go, go, go' and my reaction, you know you hear that voice in your head and you just hit the gas and it cost us the speeding penalty. But I want to go on record and say that is still my responsibility. It doesn't matter if I have someone screaming in my ear 'Go, go, go' or not, it's my responsibility. I'm the one behind the wheel."

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S MONTE CARLO SS - Finished 10th:

ON THE DAY: "We had another tough day but the guys did a great job and just like last week we never gave up. We did what we needed to do and we were able to get a top 10 out of the day."

TONY RAINES, NO. 96 DLP HDTV MONTE CARLO SS - Finished 16th:

ON THE RACE: "It was a decent day. I struggled with the car all day. We had one long green flag run there, where we were pretty good. We were just tight all day. Real tight in traffic and real tight by ourselves. I don't know if that's the body we want to run here (in July) or not. We got it a little better on a few of the stops, we just never got it completely the way we needed it. But, the way the car ran, I'll take 16th."

TRAVIS KVAPIL, NO. 32 TIDE MONTE CARLO SS - Finished 19th:

"Today was a really good day for us considering how much we struggled yesterday. I would never have thought a 19th place finish was possible but we hung in there and the changes me made throughout the race really helped. Track bar did the trick. Gary and the guys worked so hard and it paid off. The car started out bad but turned into something very respectable. We really thought today would be a test session to prepare for the July race but it turned out to be even better. I'm really happy for everyone on the Tide team.