DAVID STREMME (No. 40 TUMS Dodge Charger)

ARE YOU HAPPY TO BE IN CHICAGOLAND? “It’s always nice to get back to the Midwest. We get to see a lot of friends and family. I grew up about an hour and thirty minutes from here. This is actually probably the closes track we run to home. It’s always nice. I came up last week for TUMS and went to the Taste of Chicago which was really cool. We did a lot of things with them and got to hang out. It was amazing just the following of the NASCAR fans and just how big it’s getting in Chicago. When you come to Chicago you always think of the Cubs or the Bears, or the Bulls when Michael Jordan was playing, but now NASCAR comes to town and everybody recognizes us too.”

ON THE TUMS PAINT SCHEME - “Earlier this year it was announced that TUMS was going to sponsor the car here and obviously the fit with the Taste of Chicago that went on here last week. It is just a big event. When you think of Chicago you think of Pizza. A lot of other things went on with the food and that so it’s pretty exciting to have them on board. Hopefully all the fans will be able to use it after their food intake from around the race track.”

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON TEAMMATES? “We got sat down after Mexico City and all of us in the Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates kind of got explained teammates. I have never had a problem with any of my teammates. Reed and I have known each other since before any of us ever even came on the NASCAR scene and hung out and got along with each other. With Juan Pablo coming in he and I get along really well on and off the track. We are very forward in helping one another. All of us have the outlook of for one of us to succeed we need the others to succeed also. That is why last year where my team was at it was terrible at how we started our season. We got better throughout the year and it helped us as an organization too. It’s pretty important to be able to help out one another. Last week drafting there were guy I was helping throughout the race and then I got hung out at the end. I was a little surprised at that but even non-teammates, people that I would consider to be a good friend, but you just have that. We’re all here to try and win and we are all very competitive.”

IS THERE ANY CARRY OVER FROM WEEK TO WEEK AS A RESULT OF HELPING PEOPLE OUT AND NOT GETTING HELPED IN RETURN? “I don’t think unless you got blatantly wrecked that you might have a little tally mark up. For the most part Daytona is way different than Chicago here. You don’t want to run into anybody here and tear up your fenders here because aerodynamics are very important here. The other thing that I learned throughout last year and this year is that we are all racing with each other for 36 times throughout the year. You have to get along. There are a couple of guys that I don’t really care for because they don’t show a lot of respect for other drivers, but you race and we are all out there to try and perform. I try to keep that to myself. For the most part everybody get along and we are all out here to try and put on a good show. We are entertainers and that is what we are here to do.”

ARE YOU HAPPY FOR YOUR FORMER TEAMMATES WHEN THEY WIN RACES? “Both Casey Mears and Jamie McMurray have won races this year and it’s cool. Casey I went to see him in Victory Lane in Charlotte and congratulated him, because I know how hard both of them have worked. It’s neat. Where we are at with our organization we are getting a lot closer to being competitive each week. We have just had stupid problems the last four or five races that we need to get better as an organization. It is really cool. I didn’t even know who won the race until after I got out. A lot of times it’s kind of sad to say it’s like that racing and going on. We were put in position where we had a car that could win and then we got wrecked on pit road. Then we were a lap down and trying to get back and get positions and the best finish we could. Then I was like, “alright who won?” and they told me and I was like that is cool. It’s definitely neat to see different winners throughout the season.

ON JAMIE MCMURRAY - “I called him this week and left him a message. I mean obviously he is busy, but Jamie about the time that I had come over to the NEXTEL Cup side. Casey on the other hand was there all year last year and we have remained really good friends. I went to victory lane to see him and thought that was really cool. I know how hard he has worked to try and get a win.”

YOU HAVE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR OF A VICTORY. WHEN DOES THAT DOOR OPEN FOR YOU? “I think you have got to do all the simple things right. I think a lot of guys that win two or three times a year are consistent throughout the year and their teams are real strong. I feel like my Coors Light team has progressed greatly from last year to this year and we have to put the whole package together. We were sitting really good in points until the COT races and as a company we weren’t ready. We weren’t as prepared I should say as we should have been. When we look at going to Loudon we were a lot more competitive there, but we still had some issue that happened throughout the race, so there is a lot of things that we have to continue to improve on. I’ll take a win any way you can get it – a fuel mile race or whatever. It is a team effort. About 20 cars a week can win a race but its just track position and getting up there. That is what I think makes our sport really cool compared to say football or baseball or anything else. There no matter what you have a fifty percent chance of winning and here the chances are slim. I keep trying and keep going but you look at some days and have a 25th place car and finish 10t. I mean I feel really good about it. It’s hard to look at that. I look at other series like IRL, I was watching the race not too long ago and a bunch of cars wrecked out and a guy went out and he finished 10th after fixing his car, whereas I couldn’t feel good about that. I think that is really cool about our sport, we have 43 of the best teams and drivers and that makes it tough.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GOING TO THE CAR OF TOMORROW FOR ALL OF NEXT SEASON? “It’s cool. I mean I love to race. It’s different because I see guys that are like, “I have this car” or “I don’t like it” but then they will go run a modified or late model or whatever. We are here to race. I think it is very fortunate for what we get to do traveling around the country and put on a show. Obviously they don’t drive very good but I know my team is working hard. From when I first got in it until when we got to Loudon it drove a lot better. I always use the analogy that we drive Mercedes right now and it’s like driving a Dodge Neon going to a COT car. Now it’s like we are in a Dodge Charger and getting better.

Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger)

ON CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY - “Chicago is becoming a great race track. I think it gets better each and every year. As the asphalt ages a little bit, as it gets a little greyer it loses a little bit of grip and makes for some great racing. We saw some guys last year run right up against the top all the way around. It’s coming into its own. It’s a lot of fun to drive. It’s always a little slicker and I think that creates a lot better racing. It should put on a good show for everybody Sunday.”

ON THE CONFLICT WITHIN TEAMS THIS SEASON - “That’s just part of the process, and now with the point system change with the chase it’s a lot more pressure on the teams to win and perform. With the pressure comes attitude and frustration and all those things. It’s a very difficult sport. It’s competitive. It can take you through the ringer and a lot of different emotions on any given weekend. Kyle Busch probably feels like he ison an island over there by his self. I re-watched the race and he wasn’t helping those guys and those guys weren’t helping him as far as drafting is concerned. He probably feels a little bit left out from the Hendrick camp being the odd man out and having to leave, so I can see where his grip is. I think Tony was just frustrated because he had the fastest car in the 500 and wrecked, and had the fastest car all weekend last weekend at Daytona. That is between he and Denny to work out and Joe Gibbs I guess. You see a lot of frustration. You see guys that are used to winning that maybe haven’t won a race this year and this point system is just tuff for everybody.”

ON CHANCES FOR MAKING THE CHASE - “It’s going to be tough for us to make the chase right now. We are more focused on trying to get this season turned around and being more competitive. Between the No. 9, No. 10 and myself we haven’t run the way we’ve wanted to this year. We think we know what direction we want to go in. We made a lot of changes in the past two weeks to our race teams moving some people around to try and spark some kind of relationship to get some communication between us. We are going to see if we can go from there. We’ll see. We have our fingers crossed that anything can happen, but the main thing is we just want to keep getting better every week when we show up.”

WHEN DO YOU START TO WORK ON THE COT EXCLUSIVELY? “I think we are getting close to that. I mean that is a great question. We are further behind on the COT than we are on the old car so we are getting to that point where there are only so many hours in a day. We want to have all our ducks in a row when we arrive at Daytona next year. We haven’t gone to that yet, but when we get to a point where we know for sure that we are 100% out of The Chase we will definitely focus a lot of attention on the COT program. ”

WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THE LAST OFF WEEKEND OF THE SEASON? “I am going home to play some golf. Spend some time with family. Spend some time with my mom and dad and all my friends that I went to high school with. Just hang out in southern Virginia – nothing extravagant. Vacation to me is sitting at home and not doing anything. Being a couch potato and swinging the club a little bit – so that is what I’ll be doing.”

HOW MUCH OF A GRIND IS IT RACING 17 CONSECUTIVE WEEKENDS? “It’s tough. The last stretch. It’s a long season especially when you are having a frustrating one. Going week to week to week, it’s tough to catch up when you are behind. It’s tough, but I think that is what makes this sport so competitive. If you’re crowned a champion, you have to go through a lot of ups and downs and you don’t get any breaks from it. You have to go each and every week, so I think it makes it fun for everybody at the end especially when you win the championship.”

ON RACING AT INDY - “It’s still very special. Indy is a great race track. There is a lot of history there - a lot of bragging rights. Everybody brings the best possible car, the best possible motor, everything they can possibly bring to be competitive. I definitely have Indy marked off on my schedule. We have been talking about Indy a lot the past month trying to get ready for that particular race. So we’ll see what happens.”

ON THE QUALIFYING PROCEDURE AFTER LAST WEEK IN DAYTONA - “I think qualifying is right. You reward the teams that show up every week to be a part of this show and the sponsors and the teams. I know Boris Said had the pole and didn’t get a chance to race, but Boris only races three times a year. You have to reward the guys that show up each and every weekend that try to go after it and made it on points and then attempts and things like that. That is why this rule is in place to take care of the teams and the owners that spend the money each and every week. I think qualifying right now and the way that it is set up is pretty close to how it needs to be.”

DO YOU THINK QUALIFYING SHOULD STAY AT THE TOP 35? “I think 35 is a good number. No matter what you do somebody’s feelings are going to be hurt. No matter what rule changes you make only 43 guys are going to be able to race each and every Sunday. If they change the rules and make it something else, then you are going to hurt someone else’s feeling again next year. You are going to be in the same boat and we are going to be talking about the same thing a year from now. I think the top 35 is a good round number. You have at least 35 great race teams. I think it is a good rule. I think we should keep it around to protect the owners that are involved in this sport and have been for a long time.”

ON THE POTENTIAL OF GEORGE GILLETTE BECOMING A PARTNER - “I have met George a few times. He is a great guy. He is very down to earth and a very approachable person for who he is and what he has done. He is a great man. We are still working through things to try and get that all finalized. You guys wouldn’t believe how much paper work is involved, how much negotiating and how much this and that is involved when you talk about acquiring a big thing like a race team or something like that. I think it is going to happen. That is my opinion. How soon? I don’t know. We have definitely enjoyed having him around the race track the last few months. I think they have really got the NASCAR bug and we would love to have them a part of the Evernham family so we will see what happens.”

WOULD THAT GIVE YOU KIND OF A JUMPSTART ON NEXT YEAR - “I think if it does happen, I would really like to see it happen this year. To get everyone acclimated to what’s going on, what is going to happen and what everyone expects from everyone so when we get to Daytona next year we get a good solid foot print in the ground and get off to a good start. I don’t know. I am kind of like you guys right now. Waiting and listening to see when it might be finalized and work out all the bugs. Finally get the papers signed.”

KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger)

LAST YEAR A LOT OF GUYS WERE RUNNING HIGH. DID YOU CHANGE THAT MUCH IN YOUR LINE? “It’s changed a lot. It takes rubber a lot quicker now. It seems like it’s wide. The track is definitely worn out more so, you’re gonna have a better race, side-by-side. More groove.”

IT’S THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON AS YOU KNOW AND YOUR NAME IS MENTIONED IN A COUPLE OF PRINT AND INTERNET REPORTS ABOUT MOVING ON, LEAVING RAY AND IS THERE ANY TRUTH ABOUT THIS? “Yeah. It’s got it’s own little deal. It’s pretty neat to be talked about and have some different options with partners and teams whatever. As myself, I’m with Ray Evernham through 2010 and whatever he decides to do that’s his deal and whatever he decides to do, I’m behind him. You know the different sponsors, we talk to them all the time. It’s neat to have people to talk to and what happens, I have no idea, but Dodge and all of the Dodge Dealers do a great job on our car and we thank them for everything they do.”

WOULD BUD TAKE YOU AS A SPONSOR AND YOUR PERSONALITY? “I think there’s lots of sponsors that would fit me. I mean, I can do whatever anybody wants. They just have to put a good deal together and right now we’re doing an awesome job with Dodge and the Dodge Dealers. Its like we sell as just as much apparel as most of the guys. You know, if things go really well at the souvenir trailers. Yeah, I could go with Bud. I could be with anything they want me to be if they really want to, we could do it. I don’t really know what happened or what will happen, but we have a lot of different things going on.”

HAVE YOU HAD ANY LENGTHY CONVERSATIONS WITH THE BUDWEISER PEOPLE? “I never talked to anyone or at any other place other than Dodge Dealers and what we having going on with them.”

ARE YOU RUNNING THE BUSCH RACE (AT MONTREAL) DO YOU HAVE THE WEEK OFF? “I have a week off. I’m excited. I’m doing some travel as a sprint car owner with The World of Outlaws week and then go to Mexico next week and have some fun and just take sometime to myself. And be all ready for Indy in two weeks. I’m excited for Indy and the Allstate 400. It’s probably the funnest race for me all season long and hopefully we get everything turned around and we’re really strong at the Allstate 400.”

WHAT MAKES THAT SO SPECIAL, GIVEN YOUR HISTORY WITH OPEN WHEEL? IS THIS THE PLACE YOU ALWAYS DREAMED ABOUT? “As a kid, you dream about it and watch it. Whether it’s the Brickyard 400 or the Indy 500. It doesn’t matter you watch that place and when I was growing up the Indy 500 came on early. I always remember my dad waking me up and make breakfast and watch Indy all day. It’s one of the biggest races that we would watch every year, between that and the Daytona 500. I’m excited because it’s a big part of racing.”

IS THERE ANOTHER SIDE TO YOU? YOU SAID YOU COULD BE ANYBODY THAT A SPONSOR WANTS. A LOT OF FANS ARE WONDERING, IS THERE ANOTHER SIDE TO YOU? “It’s whatever fits. They put Big Red on Montoya’s car. If they think that’s a good fit, then maybe it will.”

IS IT FLATTERING TO YOU THAT SOMEBODY LIKE BUDWEISER WOULD WANT YOU TO REPRSENT THEM? APPARENTLY, THERE’S ONLY FOUR DRIVERS THEY ARE INTERESTED IN AND YOU’RE ONE OF THEM. “It’s very flattering. They’re one of the greatest sponsors in sports and in racing. It’s very flattering that I’m on their list and that Ray Evernham is on their list. It’s a big deal. It feels good when you’re on that type of a list.”