Jeff Gordon Nextel Leader Chat at Charlotte

Jeff Gordon Nextel Leader Chat at Charlotte Audio File

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Monte Carlo SS talked with media about battling with teammate Jimmie Johnson for the title, his win at Talladega, changes to the CoT, changing his recent luck at LMS, and more

ON THE JEFF GORDON FOUNDATION ACTIVITY THIS WEEK: "It's one of my favorite days of the whole year. We do a go-kart event and then we do a dinner that night and it benefits the Hendrick Marrow Program and we've had a lot of fun and we raised $330,00 and it was also very successful. I appreciate you're bringing it up. We'll continue to do it and grow it and it gets bigger and better."

YOU ARE LEADING THE POINTS. RIGHT NOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CUT-OFF NUMBER IS TO HAVE A REASONABLE CHANCE OF WINNING THE CHASE AND AFTER SATURDAY NIGHT, WHAT WILL THAT NUMBER BE? "Whatever that mathematical equation is. You just can't answer that question right now. I'm sorry. You never know what could happen. Anything is possible. Guys can get caught up in wrecks, engines can blow, parts can fail, and tires can blow. If you could possibly figure out that those things were not going to happen and then ask me that, then I would give you a number. But I think still anything and anybody that's mathematically in it still has a shot. And I know that's not what you're hoping to get but that's the only way I know how to answer it right now. Jimmie (Johnson) came back from 200-something points out from this point on (last year). He never won a race though, he only finished second, I think, in like five straight races or something. So, can somebody do that? Yeah,sure. I would say maybe take, if you want to get a rough number, maybe anybody beyond 220 I think it's going to be very, very, very difficult."

HOW CAPABLE IS THE NO. 20 RACE TEAM OF TONY STEWART OF CATCHING YOU AND JOHNSON? "Oh, he's the most dangerous one out there as far as I'm concerned. He's far more than capable of doing it. Tony is so good at so many tracks. That team is one of the best out there. They don't even have to have us falter in my opinion, that they can make a comeback. I think the other guys outside of that are going to need the guys up front to have problems."

IS IT A DOUBLE-EDGE SWORD TO HAVE JIMMIE JOHNSON AS THE GUY YOU ARE GOING UP AGAINST? "It definitely has its challenges but I'd rather be faced with that challenge than actually a competitor because we do know what we have. And when one of us is strong and one of us is not, we share information. I want this championship to come to Hendrick Motorsports. If I can't win it, then I definitely want a Hendrick Motorsports teammate of mine to win it. Ever since Jimmie came on board at HMS, he's pushed me.

"And I think it's made me a better driver. And so I like the friendly rivalry, the competition that we built that has brought - I think it's elevated all the teams at Hendrick having the two of us being as competitive against one another, and the other teams as well out there. I think it's brought us all to a new level. Yes, it does have its challenges though. It creates some separation within the team, but that's normal. That's very common. To this date, it's still the best I've ever seen it as far as how we share information. We have so many systems in place that are always there regardless of the championship and who you're battling for wins. And yet we're fierce competitors. And so we're going to treat it accordingly. But right now, everything is looking good."

HOW GRATIFYING WAS IT TO WIN IN THE NEW COT AT TALLADEGA COMPARED TO THE OLD CAR? 'Honestly, going into the Talladega race, I didn't think that it fit my driving style and they way that I've won races on restrictor plate tracks. I was concerned with this new car because if you go back to the car that had the roof rail and the wicker on the back, I didn't feel like I really knew what kind of strategy to play out and how to make that work to my advantage. I was afraid that we were going to have the same situation with this car. Position means everything. We got in the right position at the right time. It was a very satisfying win for many, many reasons and that's just one of them. That's probably actually one of my most memorable wins ever. For years I've been asked that question and the inaugural Brickyard 400 always comes to mind. I might be changing that answer from now on because of the excitement on that last lap; and of course, having Ella in victory lane for the first time."

REGARDING JIMMIE JOHNSON, HOW DO YOU BALANCE OUT FRIENDSHIP AND TEAMMATES AND COMPETITORS ON THE TRACK? "In the past, it's just because we have a strong friendship and we're open-minded about things and talking about things and it kind of built up over time. If things continue on the way they are, it's definitely going to push the limits of it and put us to the test, which we both want it so bad. We both want to win. We both want to win the championship. I know Jimmie well enough to know that our friendship is as important to him as it is to me, but we're race car drivers and we want that championship.

"As long as you're not beating and banging on one another out there on the race track, then it's all about wins and who finishes ahead of who, and the points fall as they may with that. Up until that point, a friendly rivalry on the track we're competitors and off the track we can smile and laugh about it. Just like I wasn't happy; I didn't win the race at Martinsville because I felt like I had the best car and everything going for us to win it. It wasn't because he beat me, it's just because I felt like we should have won.

"I think he felt the same way after this past weekend. I think he felt like he was in position to win the race and he was upset and mad because he didn't get it. That's a true competitor. Those situations haven't come up a lot for us, maybe a little bit more this year than in the past, but we've continued to handle it very well."

REGARDING A PUBLISHED REPORT THAT CONGRESSIONAL AIDES WERE INSTRUCTED TO BE IMMUNIZED BEFORE COMING TO CONCORD, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NASCAR COOTIES? "You know, I probably shake about as many hands as the President does throughout the year. And I've never really considered that one as an option. So maybe I need to now. But there is certainly plenty of merit to building up your immune system. I've been one for years that used to get sick a lot. I went to a nutritionist. I take supplements. I eat better things. And now I don't get sick anymore. So maybe that could be an option as well."

DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON WHAT NASCAR MIGHT DO TO MAKE THE COT RACE BETTER FOR THE DAYTONA 500? "I've been saying for years, and I think we've finally convinced NASCAR, that they might even agree with us on this situation - me, as a driver. I think other guys feel the same way. Daytona and Talladega should be treated like Bristol and Martinsville. They're not the same race tracks. Even though they are restrictor plate races and they are more than 2.5-miles in length, they are not the same race tracks and you've got to treat them like that. I think the current package that we had at Talladega might work very well for Daytona. I know Goodyear has been working on developing a tire for there as well. So, I'd like to hear a little bit more and talk to them about that. But, I think more needs to be done for Talladega when we go back than necessarily Daytona. So I think this is a good place to start for the Daytona test in January; or if they do any other testing for Daytona, and then evaluate it there.

"But if I was going to make a recommendation, the first place I would go to is the wicker on the back. We have a one-inch wicker. I feel like for Talladega, that needs to be no bigger than a half-inch, maybe even a quarter inch. And I think it would be kind of cool for them to take it off altogether when we go to qualify. Let's qualify in the high to mid-190's. But when you have a piece that's consistent and manufactured, basically NASCAR hands it to us, if it's a piece like that, they why not be able to have one thing for qualifying and another thing for the race? So we put up the big numbers and see how fast we can go. And then we go draft and keep the speeds within a reasonable speed for safety reasons. That's what I would recommend for Talladega. As you get that wicker down obviously there is less drag and cars are going to go faster, there might be a restrictor plate change that needs to go along with that. Whatever restrictor plate works for the speed for what they're l ooking for, but I definitely think we need to knock that wicker down because it's dragging the car down too much and punching a little bit too big of a hole and the closing rate's a little bit too strong for Talladega. But it might work great for Daytona."

THE LAST FIVE RACES HERE, YOU'VE HAD FOUR CRASHES AND AN ENGINE FAILURE. WHAT CAN YOU DO THIS WEEKEND TO CHANGE YOUR LUCK? "The same thing we've always done and hope that this time it turns around. You know, I probably will look at what I did here in May. We had an awesome race car. We qualified terrible. The number one thing is to qualify better. We were higher up on the sheet today and I feel like we're going to be closer to being in the top 10 when the night's over. We did draw an early number so that's going against us a little bit. But then in the race, I was probably not being patient enough at that time. We had a great race car the last time we were here. And while I didn't have anything to do with Tony Raines getting sideways, I was pushing pretty hard to get by him at that time and I may have been able to avoid him had I been backing off a little bit more. So, I always look at what can I do different. When you have a blown motor and things happen around you, sometimes you can't do anything about that. You just keep approaching it the same way that you did when you won here or at a track. So I don't think there's a lot that we're going to do different than we have all year long other than maybe just be a little bit more patient in traffic and try to qualify better."

HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO PERFECT THE BUMP-AND-RUN MOVE WITH THE NEW CAR FOR MARTINSVILLE AND HOW MUCH WILL THE NEW CAR CHANGE THE WAY YOU RACE AT MARTINSVILLE? "It still works, I was just being kind to my teammate or trying to go about it as gingerly as I possibly could without making it just ridiculous. At that point in the season, it wasn't worth creating a huge stir because I still respect the heck out of Jimmie and we are teammates and we are friends. There was not the championship on the line at that point. So we go back there into that same type of situation and I'm really more focused on how to make my car turn the middle of the corner better to be able to actually get underneath them and complete the pass and not have to bump him or move him out of the way. But the bump-and-run still works, you just have to be more aggressive with it. You can't just go in there and tap a guy like you used to be able to because with the old car, the nose actually went under the bumper, lifted the rear tires and took a lot more grip away from the guy in front of you. So you didn't have to touch him very hard. This car doesn't do that, it just lunges them forward.

"So if you're going to do that, which to me is a last-resort effort and something that I don't want to do to anybody, but if you do you're going to have to really hit them hard."

DO YOU THINK THE NEW CAR WOULD SUIT TRACKS LIKE MICHIGAN OR CHARLOTTE SINCE YOU DON'T HAVE THAT OUT-OF-CONTROL SENSATION? "Can we move on to the next question? (laughs). I'm not saying you're not doing your job - you do it very well. I'm just trying to figure out how to keep doing my job if I answer that question honestly. I don't think it's any secret that I'm not a fan. I'm not a fan of the car. I think it was designed for Daytona and Talladega, I think that there was a reason why everybody rode around in the back last week. Because we just didn't want to be a part of that all day long. That kind of white-knuckle experience makes my eyes hurt and makes my head hurt a lot, especially when I hit things. So I think that they can make some adjustments to make it really suit what we need for our sport, for the drivers and for the fans there. Until you get a car that drives as good as the cars that we're running here, then as a driver you don't go and have one kind of a car and then go 'you know what, I think it would be great if we just went to a car that had half the downforce and didn't turn the middle of the corner'. As a driver, you want everything that's going to make it be better. But I also understand that we're trying to make the sport as competitive as it can possibly be, as entertaining as it can possibly be and for that, we want to work with NASCAR to try to perfect this car into truly being the car for the future of this sport. We just haven't gotten there yet. So I'm anxious to try and do my part to help that and I hope that NASCAR is open-minded enough to want to work with the teams and the drivers to make that happen. Just like there's only a few little things to improve it for Talladega, there's a few things to perfect it for the other tracks as well."

DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING ABOUT BATTLING A TEAMMATE FOR A TITLE BY RUNNING AGAINST TERRY LABONTE IN 1996? IS THERE A TREND TO DOMINANT DRIVERS WINNING TITLES? "The only trend is that usually the best teams and drivers win. It's hard to say really and truly who has been the dominant driver, though this year with Jimmie winning six races. They've had some bumps along the way. We've been extremely consistent and we've been able to win as well, and then Tony and his run. So to me it's really hard to say who has really been the dominant, strong team this year and that's why we're going to have an interesting Chase all the way to the finish. Then you've got Clint Bowyer who has come out of just being consistent and stepped it up a notch and now he's consistent and running up front. So that's what I love about the Chase, is that we really start to see who can step it up and who can shine.

"The only thing that I would say that I take from our experience with Terry Labonte and battling him for the championship is that kind of going back to talking about battling Jimmie and how you maintain friendships and things like that. Terry and I, I don't think we've ever once, in all the years that we ran together, had issues. Sure, maybe one time at Daytona and Talladega we weren't happy with one of the guys hanging us out. That's a very typical thing that happens. But we never had any confrontations, any issues. We went out there and we raced, our car with our team, the best that we knew how to do it. And we got the best finishes we could and then at the end of the day we saw where the points added up and who the champion was. And they did it better than us that year. That's kind of the same way I approach it. I don't take it personal, what goes on and I don't let it linger off the race track. It's much tougher for the guys that work in the shop though.

"If you really want to get the answers to those questions and create a story about that, you really need to talk to the guys that work in the shop. Because it's a lot different deal when you're in there day in and day out and you're wanting to be the guy that plays the middle of the road to help out Hendrick Motorsports but at the end of the day, you want that ring and you are committed to a specific team. Somewhere in the back of your mind it's there, even if you have a No. 24/No. 48 shirt on in the shop, somewhere there draws a line. That's when it gets a little bit tricky and starts to become a battle and a challenge.

"Even with that, you get through it and you make through it and it only makes you that much stronger the next year. When Terry and those guys. we won '95, it fired them up and they came back and won in '96. Fired us up and we went and won in '97 and '98 so to me, even if we're talking about these kinds of rivalries within our organization, it still only makes us better."

AS DRIVERS FALL OUT OF CONTENTION, DOES YOUR STRATEGY CHANGE? "That's a good question. That is a good question because when you first started asking it I was like 'no, our strategy doesn't change at all because we still have to battle hard because of the No. 48 and No. 07 and No. 20'. But as you asked that question, it made me think a little bit more that yeah, there might be some guys a little bit further back than say 200, that we might. you've got to be smart. Really, the strategy is that you've got to be smart. You've got to know when to be aggressive and you've got to know when to be patient. To me, that's what's going to win the championship, it's not about who you are racing and so we know that this is where Jimmie's strongest track, where Tony's strongest track is. We know that they're going to step it up so we've got to step it up too. If our stepping it up is still not as good as them, we've got to keep them in our sights. If those guys are going to win the race or run 1-2 then we've got to be third or fifth. And then we've go t to go do what they did at the tracks that we're capable of doing that at.

"That's the strategy. If you're racing a guy and he's putting a lot of pressure on you and you had to push yourself too hard and it's not smart and you know that that guy is not necessarily a guy that you feel like is a major factor right now then yeah, you're probably going to cut that guy a little more slack. But at the same time, if that's Jimmie or Tony or Bowyer, I might have to make that same decision just based on it's not smart for me to push this hard right now. I'm putting myself at risk of causing a lot more than this one position."

WITH JIMMIE JOHNSON'S QUICK SUCCESS IN CUP, WAS THERE EVER A TIME WHEN YOU FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT THAT OR WISH THAT HE WASN'T HAVING SUCCESS EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE THE OWNER? "I will say that that does help ease the pain a little bit at the end of the day (as an owner). That's about all that does. You know it's never, ever been an issue for me except for when I know we're capable of winning. When we're capable of winning the championship then the competitor in me feels like that we need to do our best and be our best and be in victory lane celebrating. There have been times along the way, if we're both honest, when we have felt both sides of it. The only thing for me that helps a little bit is the fact that I have won four championships. And I've done so much more than I ever, ever expected to do in this sport. And I've gotten myself in a position where I don't have to continue. There's nothing that says I need to do this or I need to do that, or I haven't done this and so this is what's left. It's not like that for me. I think that's the only difference between me and Jimmie. He's still trying to establish himself as one of the all-time greats. I 'm just trying to be competitive and continue to get that great feeling of what it's like to win races and battle for championships and hope that we've got what it takes to do it. If I think we've got what it takes, it doesn't matter who it is, I'm going to be mad if we don't get it done. And it's going to be a challenge personally, for me and this entire team.

"So, I've always been happy for Jimmie. Last year when he won the championship, I was thrilled. Man, I was extremely thrilled. They'd been knocking on the door for so long. And we were out of it. So of course I wanted to see him win it. This year, as long as we're a factor, then I don't want anyone else to win it. I want us to win it. But I can tell you if we don't get it done - even though I'm going to be angry and wish we had done whatever it took to have won it, at the end of the day, maybe a couple of days later (laughs), I'm going to be extremely happy for him, not because we're teammates, but because we're friends. And I think it's just a great part of Hendrick Motorsports that only makes our organization better. I don't know how to answer that for him because he's in a little bit different position.

"Again, he's at that point where I remember being at one time where it's great to win one championship; you want to start separating yourself from the rest of the guys out there, you've got to be a multiple champion. There is, to me, a huge difference from the guys that have won one championship, and none, and there is an even bigger difference from the guys who have won one and the guys who have won two. There is even a bigger difference between the guys who have won two and more than that. That list starts to become very short. And Jimmie wants to be on that list. So he's after a little bit something different and he's got that passionate desire and that's why he does as well as he does because he wants it that bad."

AS A DRIVER AT A PLACE LIKE THIS, WHERE YOU'VE HAD SEVERAL BAD RACES IN A ROW, BUT YOU TEAMMATE DOMINATES, DO YOU EVER START WISHING THE ODDS WILL TURN AGAINST HIM AND FOR YOU? "No, not at all. I've never wished anything bad on anybody. To me, if we really want to take control of this championship and continue on with the momentum we just came out of Talladega with, we've got go out there and finish ahead of those guys. If we go do that, that's going to get their attention. I'd rather go out and outperform them then ever wish anything bad upon them. And to be honest, I think we're capable of being just as competitive as them if we can get out car to the finish. Sure, we've got to make it go fast, but we've also got to think about how we get to the finish. We haven't been able to do that lately and I hope this is the weekend we get it done."

Jimmie Johnson Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Charlotte

Jimmie Johnson Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Charlotte Audio File

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Monte Carlo SS, met with members of the media at Lowe's Motor Speedway and discussed the weekend, the relationship between him and Jeff Gordon, how competition affects that friendship, racing at Charlotte, restrictor-plate racing with the new car and other subjects.

TALK ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING WEEKEND: "I'm really excited to be here. I'm running the Busch car, as you can tell by being in a fire suit already. So excited about the Busch race. I finished. I remember running well but I'm not sure where I finished in the spring race but I felt very competitive and hopefully I can win No. 2 in the Busch series and looking forward to the Cup race. We ran really strong all night long, led a lot of the event and at the end some strategy stuff worked against us and we didn't win the event. I feel like we're a little bit stronger now with our equipment and hopefully we can have the type of success we're used to having here. And get back into the points lead and stretch it out on a few other guys."

HOW DO YOU AND JEFF GORDON BALANCE YOUR RELATIONSHIP OUT AS THE CHASE MOVES ALONG? "It's something that we've been dealing with for a long time and we just understand that on the track, we're competitors and we try to help each other and work with each other as much as we can. But at the end of the day, I know he's trying to win races, he knows that I am and that goes for the championship battle as well. And I'm not saying that it's a piece of cake, and especially if we get to Homestead and it's Jeff and I fighting for the championship, it's going to be very challenging. But through it all and through the years and all the competitive moments that we've had, we've always had a lot of respect for one another and I don't see that changing or being any different. We've faced those challenges and try to still do our jobs and win the championship or win races and do whatever we can for the company."

WHEN DOES THE LINE OF FRIENDSHIP AND TEAMMATES END AND COMPETITION AND COMPETITOR COME IN? "The only way it would end is if somebody got upset and just decided 'I'm going to crash them'. I don't think that's Jeff Gordon's style and wouldn't see that happening there or on my side. Even if it wasn't Jeff, I would race the same if it's the No. 20 car or the No. 07 or whoever it may be. I'm going to race those guys with respect and how I like to be raced and race for this championship heads up. So there's really nothing different, even though the tension is building for the championship battle in general, it's really no different than any other time. If we get down to the last race, it will get more and more intense - but our relationship and the dynamic that we have as teammates, friends and all that - that won't change.

"I have no plans or intensions to crossing the line and take cheap shots on my teammate and car owner and friend. I know it's the same way with him. He wouldn't do that to any other driver on the track and I wouldn't do that to Jeff or another competitor. We race so often and against each other so many times a year, and hopefully for many, many years. You race everybody kind of how they race you and I race certain guys differently. Some guys work with me better but that dynamic is always there. Even through the most intense moments on track."

WHAT IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS HERE? "I think in general I just try to have an optimistic outlook and I carry that into here, also Martinsville. We probably had more success at Martinsville recently than we have had here at Lowe's. We've been up front and competitive here but I think Kasey Kahne won both races last year and then Casey Mears won this year so far. I'm very excited to come here and I get on track with confidence knowing that it's a place that works for me. We've been able to build our setups and have a good baseline and advance them each time we come here. So there's just a lot of good things going. Now if we get out there and we're no good on the race track, I think hit the panic button and wonder what's happened and hopefully that doesn't take place.

"But coming into it, we just have confidence in the car that we're bringing, the style of setup we're bringing. I know that my line that I drive around here and the techniques I use in the car have worked. Throughout the different paving surfaces and different things that we've had, and it's worked earlier this year. So just trying to remember the things we did here in the spring and try to build on that. So I'm just trying to be relaxed about it. There's no sense in putting more pressure on myself and the team coming in, there's already enough in the air. So plenty of that going around, as I said."

DO YOU HAVE IDEAS ON WHAT NASCAR MAY DO TO MAKE THE UPCOMING DAYTONA 500 MORE EXCITING, BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM TALLADEGA? "To be honest with you, the reason it was single file and boring racing had nothing to do. well, it did have something to do with the cars. The cars are too competitive and we were all afraid of running three and four wide all day long. So you have drivers break off into groups and I chose to be around guys that I knew have as much to lose as I did and pace myself through the day. And then up front, you had three Chase guys running the field up front and they took the lane right to the top and tried to control it and keep it single-file for as long as possible. I just think that the race and the result of the race and not being as action-packed is that 12 of us have a lot to lose right now. Just those 12 cars and the mindsets that they have, and maybe the teammates associated to those 12 cars, broke that whole pack up and all that energy and chaos that we typically have. Daytona is totally different.

"You need track position, you need to be up front and you've got about a five- to eight-lap window while the tires are still good to make passes and get position. And then we end up single-file because the tires fall off there. But I think the spring Talladega race will be wild and crazy and everything everyone would hope because it's still early in the year and you're not counting points closely at that point. But at the fall race, I would say in general, the fall Talladega race has a very good chance of being boring and it's just because the Chase contenders don't want to get in there and mix it up until the end. You've just got too much to lose. I really feel it was the Chase and not the cars at Talladega."

THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS YOURS TO LOSE - CAN YOU PLAY WITH THE LEAD OR WILL THAT BE A DIFFERENT PRESSURE? "I like pressure. I work better under pressure and I think the team does as well. I think our history shows that we do a better job of coming behind and trying to fight through issues. But I would like to have a chance of holding onto the lead. I'd love to be in that position and leave here and have a big points lead and get through Martinsville and stretch it out and have to defend. I think that our teams played plenty capable of doing it but the circumstances that could pop up and mechanical issues, being caught up in wrecks, I really have tried to focus on things that I can control and things that are going on now and not worry about too many outside things and just worry myself to death and over-think things and frankly, not enjoy my week. Last year in the Chase, when I started enjoying myself and getting away from racing for a day or two during the week, that's when things all started to fall into place.

"I think (Chad) Knaus has recognized that, I think our team has, and we've done a good job of trying to give all the guys and myself a little time, take a day off, get caught up, come to the track with a fresh mindset and not just punish yourself and pound yourself into the ground. With all of that, I think we're very capable of fighting from behind if we do get into a hole and/or leading if we somehow come out on top and have some success for the next couple weeks. I think either way, this team is ready for another championship and we're hitting on all eight cylinders."

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CUTOFF IS FOR GUYS WHO MAY HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN THE CHASE AND WHAT WILL IT BE AFTER SATURDAY? "I know you'd love a hard number for me to tell you. I think with 12 guys, the chances are more difficult to come back from as far back. I think that it's still possible and anything can happen; we've seen how the start of this Chase has started. I don't think that anybody is really out yet but unfortunately, when you're in that position and you're in a hole, you need a lot of guys to have problems. And this year, it's 11 guys instead of nine guys in the past.

"So I wouldn't count anyone out yet but it's getting very difficult for the guys at the bottom side of it. But we still have a lot of racing left. I think when you get two, three, four races out here in a few more weeks, it will become more clear as the Chase wears on. But as of now, if I were in an 11th or 12th spot, I still wouldn't give up. There's still a lot of racing left and you need to get every point that you can. You may be more aggressive but you still need to be out there points racing."

YOU AND JEFF GORDON HAVE BATTLED FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE. WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT EACH OTHER THEN THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO APPLY TO THIS YEAR? "I think more than anything, I left that experience with more respect for the situation of the No. 24/No. 48 shop and all the hard work that goes on in there and the fact that those guys worked together and as hard as they did to keep Jeff and I fighting for the championship. I also left there realizing how good of a race driver Jeff Gordon is and how serious he is about his career and the championship. I remember that from then and I see Jeff at the peak of his game right now and a serious threat. It doesn't matter which track we're at, he's up there and it's tough to outscore him. I'm excited about it. I really am excited for this year's Chase and I hope that it comes down to the No. 24 and the No. 48. Our company deserves it; there's so much hard work at Hendrick Motorsports that goes into it. That would be the perfect situation for us to be in. But then it would be tough and wouldn't be a lot of fun living it. But I hope we have that problem. That would be a good problem. "

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE NEW GUYS COMING IN AND HOW QUICKLY CAN THEY BECOME COMPETITIVE? "It's going to take years for these guys to be competitive. I think restrictor-plate racing and road-course racing will come easily for them and I think you can look at Juan (Pablo Montoya)'s stats and we all feel that Juan's done a great job coming in. But it's going to take them another year or so to get the oval stuff figured out and to give the team the descriptions that he needs to know what adjustments to do to the car. There's just that whole process that he needs to learn. Same with these other guys coming in. They're fantastic drivers but if you took one of us and put us in an F1 car, we'd go out an impress people but to really be there fighting for the win week after week, it takes time to develop those skills and it takes time to understand those cars. So I'm excited about it. I'm really happy to see the worldwide focus on our sport and other drivers that I know in Europe and see if these specialty races that I ran three years ago would just frown at us. When Jeff and I were over there, they wouldn't even pay attention. They wouldn't even come and engage in a conversation with us and now these guys are paying close attention to our sport so I'm excited for that.

"I do see this trend and think well, it would be great to have local short track drivers that are raised on the short tracks across our country get the shot. But there's still a great format for them to come in. The Busch Series, Truck Series, there's still a good opportunity for these up-and-coming young drivers to get exposure, get noticed and get experience. I think it's a good balance and I think it's good for our sport to have these guys in it."

TALK ABOUT YOUR DECISION TO RUN THE BUSCH RACE - IS THERE ANY CONCERN? "There's always a concern. There's no doubt I'm putting myself in harm's way to a certain degree on the track. It's something that I'd run the three races we decided at the beginning of the season and put all of that thought, really into this idea of me running Busch races three or four years ago when I started. Lowe's is good with it, Chad is good with it, I'm good with it, Mr. Hendrick is good with it and it's here and we'll just go run the Busch race and be smart. I feel with the safety advancements in the race track facility and our seats, I feel like I'm in good shape. I'm not too concerned about it."

IS RUNNING THE BUSCH RACE IS A BENEFIT? "Yeah, it really helps. I think, like today's format, go out and get an hour of Busch practice and then go get in the Cup car after, you just get a better idea of the track and this track can be kind of funny in the sun. So having an idea of grip and what to expect and kind of how the rubber is laying down and where the line is on the track helps the Cup session get started a little easier. I have fun doing this, especially when we run competitively. This year's been a lot of fun for me to drive the Hendrick Busch cars. The last couple of years we weren't so good and it's no fun running around 15th in the Busch car at this track that I do so well at, then I get in the Cup car and go win. I just kind of scratch my head when I'm driving home like 'why am I doing this'. To come and run and be competitive like I've been this year makes it well worth the time."

HAVING RUN AT MARTINSVILLE IN THE NEW CAR, HAVE YOU GUYS LEARNED HOW TO BUMP-AND-RUN OR IS THAT TACTIC NOW GONE ON SHORT TRACKS? "I think we're getting smarter with how to bump people and before, the way the bumpers lined up, a real delicate touch was all you needed. Now you can be a little more forceful and we've all adapted to that now and can certainly make the bump-and-run work. I don't think it matters on the size of the track, we have figured out how to use the bumpers and be efficient and effective with them. A little bit more force and you've really got to time it when you touch a guy. If you hit them too late, on the corner exit you're just going to accelerate them and move them along.

"But the careful balance is, if you hit someone going in, people get really, really sensitive about touching them on corner entry so you've got to catch them early enough to where you don't make them so mad and make them feel like you're trying to wreck them. You've got to catch them just before the center and give them a little nudge and break their rhythm to the center of the corner."

ON CASEY MEARS: "With Casey, I think Casey. winning that race here earlier this year meant the world to him and to the National Guard. I couldn't be happier for him, I know a lot of you saw Victory Lane running over there and I've got a picture of him from Victory Lane in my bus. I've just known him for so long and know how much it meant for him to win at the Nextel Cup level. I think the progress that he has made as a driver, that the team has made, the way that they've been growing together, it's sad to see them not be together next year but I think they're really getting on to the type of performances and finishes we're going to be familiar with seeing out of Casey Mears and what he does. He's doing a great job. Great feedback, learning the system at Hendrick. Every place is different and he's really adapted well and getting the results."

ARE YOU WORRIED THAT MARTINSVILLE MIGHT NOT BE AS EXCITING AS IT SHOULD BE? "I don't think so. I think at Martinsville we'll put on a good show. It will be like what we saw in the spring. I don't think you're going to have the same concerns of a 'big one' on the short track and taking out. You certainly have spins and catch four or five cars but you can't clean out 15 cars. So I think everyone will be back to normal and racing hard there. With the bumpers and how tough these cars are, we might actually see a more intense and exciting Martinsville than what we had in the spring."

DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JEFF GORDON: "We're certainly still close. With him now being a father, our social scenes have ventured in different directions. We still are very close with Jeff and Ingrid and spend time and go to dinners and do those things. Jeff lives in downtown, I live in South Park. We're still close, absolutely still close. As time has gone one, he's helped me get off on my feet and I haven't been in the situation of needing as much help with driving the car and maybe some of the business stuff and things like that. So our conversation is probably less on the work side and more on the personal side and how each other are doing and what's new and how many diapers has he changed this week and things like that. The friendship is still there and it's as strong as it's ever been. I think as years go on, from my side I respect him and what he's accomplished more and more, especially how he's carried himself through Hendrick Motorsports, through our sport.

"And the fact that he brought me into the fold and put me in the No. 48 car and how his leadership and the way things work between the No. 24 and the No. 48, it would be easy for them to be sour and to have the dynamic be too competitive and us not work well together. But Jeff's really been the head of that and has led the team through all of that. I have more respect for him today than I did when I started driving for him."

IF YOU ARE CLOSER, IS IT GOING TO BE THAT MUCH HARDER GOING DOWN TO THE WIRE WITH HIM? "I don't think so, because our relationship has been competitive even though we've been friends. There's no doubt he wants to beat me, we saw that last week. He made a move and got it done. But it's not that he hates me and wants to pass me or I hate him and want to pass him. We're friends and we have respect for one another on and off the track, but it comes down to the end of the race. That's what we're out there for is to get the job done. If we do get together and things happen, that's the stuff that puts a strain on our friendship or relationship. If you get passed and beat fair and square, that's one thing. But if you start crashing each other, that's where it would strain our friendship and I don't want to say we won't crash. You get into each other at some point because we'll end up crashing here this weekend on accident and it will be all over the headlines (laughs). But it would take a lot to jeopardize the friendship and it's just not in either one of us to do that . It's just not who we are as racers on track."

Clint Bowyer Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Charlotte

Clint Bowyer Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Charlotte Audio File

Clint Bowyer, No. 07 Jack Daniel's Monte Carlo SS, met with members of the media at Lowe's Motor Speedway and discussed the weekend at Charlotte, being in the top-three in points in the Chase, strategy in the Chase, trend of more open wheel drivers coming to NASCAR Nextel Cup and restrictor-plate racing with the new car.

ON THE CHARLOTTE WEEKEND: "We have worked hard getting ready for this race. We ran very well on the last mile and a half track, Kansas so we feel like we are prepared for this weekend. Hopefully all of that hard work will pay off."

ON HOW HIS TEAM MANAGED POTENTIAL ENGINE PROBLEM AT TALLADEGA: "Just lucky and very fortunate. I talked to the boss last night and he said I had about five laps left. Once everybody started having trouble, our game changed big time. We pulled all the tape off to keep it as cool as we could. I got out of the pack, to not turn the RPMs that we were turning in the pack. We didn't as good of a result as I think we could have, but, nonetheless, we did finish the race and that is a pretty good feat for me. I don't run very good there (Talladega)."

ON HOW NERVE WRACKING IT WAS AFTER TEAMMATES STARTED DEVELOPING ENGINE ISSUES: "Oh, absolutely! Once I saw the first car, Jeff (Burton), he caught on fire right in front of me, blowing up and then the next one, then Harvick radioed in and said he lost a cylinder. I mean, you know you are next. You are just waiting your turn. We just tried to do everything we could. That God it held off."

ON LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE IN EQUIPMENT THROUGHOUT THE CHASE: "The equipment is what I have the most confidence in. It is our experience that we are behind. We are racing some pretty good company up there right now for this championship. We just have to make sure we are polished with everything we do. We can't make any mistakes and so far, so good. As the Chase goes on and the pressure keeps building, we have to do better. We know we have to keep stepping it up week in and week out. We certainly know what we are up against; we can't afford to have weekends like we did last weekend. You know, you put 40 -50 points on me, you can't have those weekends. You have to stay solid. It isn't going top-10s anymore, it is going to take wins and top-fives."

ON HOW MUCH FUN BEING IN THE THICK OF CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE IS: "Absolutely, it is a lot of fun. It is a blast. I am really excited about being in the situation we are in right now. It is every driver's dream to be racing for a Nextel Cup championship. We are right in the thick of things. It is up to us, we have everything we need from Richard (Childress), Jack Daniel's and everyone else, we just have to make it happen.

ON IF THE FUN IS STILL OUT-WEIGHING THE STRESS OF BEING IN THE CHASE: "It is still on the fun side. I am enjoying where we are at. It is exciting being parked up there between those guys in the garage. It is a dream come true and just have to work on it. We know what we have to do. We just have to go out to do it. The pressure is still on those guys. They are still answering the question on how they are going to win the championship. We aren't getting asked that question too much yet. We just have to keep doing what we are doing. Keep racing the race tracks and trying to finish the best we can week in and week out. If we keep doing that, hopefully when we get to two or three to go, we will be racing for a championship."

ON IF CHASE IS NOW BETWEEN FOUR DRIVERS: "No, I look back, I definitely think there are four or five cars that can still win the championship. Certainly, all eyes are on the championship, we have to keep an eye on second and third, and finish the best we can too. You can't just go for broke and end up crashing out of races and end up fifth or sixth, that won't be a successful year in my opinion."

ON IF HE HIS GAINING FANS AS RESULT OF SUCCESS: "I don't know, you would have to answer that for me. It is certainly gratifying to see more Jack Daniel's hats in the crowd. That is what it is all about. It is all about winning races and fans and the better you run in this sport, the more attention and exposure you get, like it or not. Hopefully we are doing the things people like and hopefully we can win a championship for them."

ON GETTING COMMENTS FROM FANS THAT THEY HOPE HE BEAT THE HENDRICK CARS: "Everybody likes a winner, but they don't like a winner that wins too much. Those guys have certainly gotten accustomed to winning and winning championship. Hopefully we can be a deal breaker for them."

ON FOREIGN DRIVERS COMING IN TO NASCAR CUP RACING: "It certainly says a lot about our sport and the way it is headed. A lot of guys who make a lot of money in other sports are coming over here. I have mixed emotions about it. But bottom line is they are good race car drivers. Juan (Pablo Montoya) has proved that it can be done. He has struggled from time to time, but he has also won a Nextel Cup race this year and has done pretty good in my book and will only get better, as their equipment improves and he gains some experience. I think that has opened the door for a lot of other guys to get in.

"I think it is good for our sport. I just don't want to see young drivers like myself lose chances of getting here because of a big name getting a freebie-anyone in the Busch Series, touring Series, weekly series. It is a lot of hard work and dedication on a lot of people's parts. Lots of sacrifices in people's lives and families to try to get to this level and it was for my family. I hate to see too many of those spots taken by people with a big name that have already been successful in other sports and just think 'Hey, let's try this out, if it works, it works, if it doesn't then it doesn't"

ON WHERE GATHERING SPOT IS IN EMPORIA KANSAS THIS WEEKEND: "Man, I don't know. Probably Russ Sports Bar and Grill will probably be a good spot."

ON HOW MUCH SUPPORT HE FEELS FROM PEOPLE IN EMPORIA WHO HELPED HIM GET STARTED: "It means a lot. When you go back home, after the Kansas race, they sent my souvenir truck back to Emporia and it sold out in a town of 30,000 people. It says a lot about the support we have in Emporia. I am grateful for that and it is a lot of fun to go back there."

ON NEW GENERATION RACE CAR BUMP AND RUN: "It is definitely different than these cars. It seems like you can get in to them, you just don't lift their wheels off the ground and spin them out. I think that is a positive. I got angry at a guy at Richmond and I was going to knock him out of the way, he had done the same thing to me. It just kind of shoved him forward; I thought that was pretty cool. I think it is going to be better for us. When things get tense, sometimes that is a good show for the crowd, that seems to certainly be what the fans in the stands want to see is us losing our minds and getting in to each other and rubbin', it is still going to be the guy with four fenders on his car at the end of the race that is going to win.

"First of all, you don't need to move people. It is just every now and then you come up on somebody that isn't having a good day and isn't very happy but they want to race your tail off, you just let them know you are back there."

ON HAVING RICHARD CHILDRESS AT THE TRACK: "I want him here. He is our boss, he is our leader. Maybe come New Hampshire time, that is going to be Burton's race to win, we are going to find a good hunting trip for Richard, but anything other than that weekend, we want him here."

Kevin Harvick Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Charlotte

Kevin Harvick Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Charlotte Audio File

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Monte Carlo SS, met with members of the media at Lowe's Motor Speedway and discussed the Chase, Martinsville and starting his racing career in late models.

Selected quotes from driver interview:

ON IF HE HAD NOT LOST A CYLINDER AT TALLADEGA, WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN OUTCOME: "We were up there in the mix the whole time. We have been snake-bit not only in the Chase, but it has been that way all year. Three out of the first four weeks in the Chase has just kind of gone that way. We just have to keep the performance level up. All four weeks, our cars have run really good. That is all we can do. The rest of it, you just kind of have to laugh at and hope that it turns around."

ON ANY OTHER "WILD CARD" RACES LEFT: "I think at this point, for us, the have all been wild cards. I mean if it is going to happen, it has happened. We got two flat tires the first week of the Chase. The second week we had another flat tire. Kansas was ok; we finally got to finish at least one race where we ran but last week, Talladega, all the engine failures. It is just one of those things where you keep the performance level as high as you can keep it and the of that stuff is just kind of out of your control, you just go back and rewind and try do to it better the next time you go back to that particular race track."

ON FEELING LIKE HE IS STILL IN CONTENTION FOR CHAMPIONSHIP: " The way this thing has gone, there is not telling what is going to happen. So we will race like we are in contention until the last week or until somebody tells us we have to quit."

ON TAKING MORE CHANCES TO GET BETTER FINISHING POSITIONS: " If we could have finished 10th the first three weeks, finishing 10th would be ok. If you can finish 10th, you need to finish 10th. We have had top-five, top-10 cars and had trouble and finished 20th with them, so I would have taken a 10th."

Kyle Busch Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Charlotte

Kyle Busch Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Charlotte Audio File

Kyle Busch, No. 5 Kellogg's / CARQUEST Monte Carlo SS met with media and discussed his mindset coming into the weekend, unexpected things that happen at LMS, whether or not he can win the title, on working with his teammates, the relationship between Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon during the Chase, how much drivers want to win championships, on keeping the balance of competition versus friendship, on racing the CoT at Martinsville, his overall thought on the CoT, on driving Late Models en route to NASCAR Cup, his fondest Late Model memory, on the influx of international drivers to Cup, how a good finish at Charlotte can help him in the Chase, having the dark cloud move off him, and how he stays upbeat.

Select quotes from driver interview:

WHAT'S YOUR MINDSET COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND? "I'm just trying to get back in the Charlotte form. I'm looking forward to Lowe's Motor Speedway. I like being able to run here. It's a good track. It's a fun track. It's been pretty good to me in the Trucks and Busch cars, but we've had some tough luck in the Cup cars. So I'm just trying to turn that around this time around."

SOMETHING WEIRD ALWAYS SEEMS TO HAPPEN HERE. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT SATURDAY NIGHT? "No, not really. It's always different. But I think it'll be a pretty cool race. We'll be able to move around a little bit. You'll see guys running the bottom and guys running the top. It just kind of depends where their car likes to be and where it runs better and where they feel more comfortable. So, it should be a pretty good race."

CAN YOU WIN THE TITLE? "I think there is still a chance there. We've got an opportunity to do so, it's just going to be really, really hard with the way Jeff (Gordon) and Jimmie (Johnson) run week in and week out and with them leading the points. So, there's a chance. We'll see."

WHAT ARE YOUR OVERALL THOUGHTS ON THE COT? "The same as they've always been."

IF YOU HAD NASCAR'S EAR, IS THERE ONE THING THAT YOU WOULD CHANGE? "It needs a whole new makeover."

THERE ARE TWO RACES REMAINING THIS YEAR FOR THE COT. IS THAT GOOD OR BAD? "It don't matter. We've got a good enough program here at Hendrick Motorsports where we've run good in all the races. So I think our worst finishes have been due to either bad preparation on our part of being involved in a wreck. The only time that we ran bad was in Richmond, where we finished 20th. All the rest of them I think have been top 10's."

IS CHARLOTTE AS GOOD A PLACE AS ANY TO CLIMB OUT OF THE HOLE YOU'RE IN NOW IN POINTS? 'It is. We've run well here in the past. We've been fast. We just haven't ever been able to finish well, for whatever reason. We get caught up in a wreck here or there or wherever and we wrecked while leading, we wrecked while running third, and we wrecked just after changing a battery. It just doesn't seem to matter what we do; we always seem to wreck. But it's a fun place. I love this track. It's my favorite track. We're just trying to turn things around here and get going in the right direction."

Denny Hamlin Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Charlotte

Denny Hamlin Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Charlotte Audio File

Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Kinko's Monte Carlo SS, met with members of the media at Lowe's Motor Speedway and discussed how practice went, what it's like to fall out of contention for the championship, what it will take to get back in contention, his expectations for Charlotte, characteristics of the track, how far behind his team is, on his expectations for Martinsville, bumping at Martinsville, progress with the new car, suggestions for the new car, whether or not he looks forward to the final two races with the new car, international drivers coming into the sport, what the most important thing is to winning at Martinsville, which races are wild cards, the importance of late models in his career, his fondest memory driving those cars, late model drivers, racing a Craftsman Truck with Kyle Busch at Martinsville and what he may gain from that for the Cup race.

Selected quotes from driver interview:

IS THE PRESSURE OFF FOR YOU RIGHT NOW? "It is for us. We don't feel the pressure of being a part of the championship battle, at least not right now until maybe some guys falter. Our goal is to get back to the top five and if we can do that then we still have another very successful year. And that's very feasible for us."

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GET BACK INTO CONTENTION? "It just takes runs like we had last week to get the spark back in the race team. Even though you have tough luck for a couple of months, one good run will spark a team to find something deep down inside them that they didn't have before. The driver needs that every now and then as well. Last week was a big, huge hurdle for us. We've never really ran well at superspeedways and to run as competitive as we did and come away with a good top-five finish, that's what we needed to kind of get our whole end of the season back on track."

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR POSITION IN THE STANDINGS RIGHT NOW? "We're a long ways behind. I feel like right now that the tunnel of light is starting to close a little bit on us but we're not even halfway through the Chase yet so it's tough to say. Those guys. we need three guys, really, to have maybe one or two bad weeks for us to get within a reachable distance where we could outrun them. Right now, the way that they're running and the luck that they're having, we're going to have to try to get all we can get and right now that's just top five."

Martin Truex Jr. Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Charlotte

Martin Truex Jr. Weekly Top 12 Hauler Chat at Charlotte Audio File

Martin Truex Jr., No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Monte Carlo SS met with media a discussed what he would change about the CoT, having two CoT races left on the schedule, on racing at Martinsville, and recent bad luck.

Select quotes from driver interview:

THERE ARE TWO COT RACES LEFT ON THE SCHEDULE. IS THAT A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING? "It doesn't seem to matter. We seem to run well with both of them, so we're optimistic about all the races the rest of the year. As soon as we get rid of this bad luck that's following us, we'll be fine."

WHAT DO YOU NEED AT MARTINSVILLE TO BE IN CONTENTION FOR A WIN? "I haven't figured that out yet. For me, it's been brakes. I've had trouble with my brakes every times I've been there and that's really hurt us. We've been fast throughout practice and thought we had a car that could run good and we had trouble with the brakes from the get-go of the race. So hopefully we'll get it figured out this time and maybe we'll be able to talk about that some other time."

EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT TALLADEGA AND MARTINSVILLE BEING THE WILD CARDS. HOW DO YOU LOOK AT IT? "The way it's been going for us, they're all wild card right now. The past three weeks we've been tore up. So, two of them weren't our fault and one we broke an engine. So it doesn't matter where you go. Things can happen to anybody out here. Some places it's more likely to happen than others, like Talladega or Martinsville, but it doesn't matter where you're at. Things can happen anywhere."

Mark Martin Driver Availability Chat at Charlotte

Mark Martin Driver Availability Chat at Charlotte Audio File

Mark Martin, No. 01 U.S. Army Monte Carlo SS, met with members of the media at Lowe's Motor Speedway and discussed relationships with the older drivers, his schedule for next year, what he's learned about Dale Earnhardt, Jr., international racing stars coming into the series and whether or not they can be competitive, whether or not Montoya could make the top12 next year, whether or not the Chase reflects the best driver from the regular season, whether Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson will win the Chase, talking to Aric Almirola and what he may bring to the team, on being impatient, how this year has been for him, starting the season leading the points, the best thing he's been able to do with his spare time, the races he did and did not want to go to, how he spends time with his son, whether or not his son races, if he watches the races that he doesn't go to and his impression of the recent Talladega race.

Select quotes from driver interview:

DO YOU HAVE A SET SCHEDULE FOR NEXT YEAR? "Yeah, you can pretty much copy this one, the '07 for '08. But Kevin can get it for you if you don't have that. It's basically the same schedule, same races. Same 26 races - two All-Star events and 24 point races."

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW THIS YEAR HAS GONE FOR YOU? "This has been the best year of my life by far. I can't believe that the season is winding down. It's the first one that I can remember in forever that I have felt that way and it's because I've had a chance to have a break and because I've been so happy. It's certainly been the best year of my life. I've really enjoyed working with the U.S. Army team and making the move to a new group. Working with Chevy, all the changes have been all positive for me. Being able to be a part of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. is a real honor for me. It's a challenge. It opens up a new challenge. There are things there that I will be able to do probably for a long time based on my amount of experience that I have and all the youth that is there in the company at this time. They have great, fabulous people and talent in all aspects of the company and they welcome me with open arms. The wealth of experience I have, to bring to that. I'm living a dream."

DO YOU WATCH THE RACES YOU DON'T ATTEND? "Every one. Every practice, every qualifying, every pre-race show, the race. I'm a race fan."

Casey Mears Driver Availability Chat at Charlotte

Casey Mears Driver Availability Chat at Charlotte Audio File

Casey Mears, No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Monte Carlo SS met with members of the media at Lowe's Motor Speedway and discussed racing for a win at Charlotte, helping his teammates, his feeling about next year, transferring momentum from this team to his new team, his feelings about the new car, what he would change about the new car, winning the Coke 600 and how it helped his momentum, on the significance of a first win, where he put his trophy, how happy his parents were after his first win, the replay of his win, what is different about this race than the Coke 600, moving over for Kyle Busch at Dover so he could gain Chase points, how his team has improved and open-wheel drivers coming to NASCAR.

Selected quotes from driver interview:

HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR TEAMMATES IN CONTENTION FOR THE CHASE? "You can't really help them, you just try not to hurt them. I think that there really isn't a whole lot you can do. We're out there to go racing. The only thing I can do is if they're catching me and they get to me, maybe let them go by a little bit easier rather than hold them up for three laps. Beyond that, there isn't a whole lot I can do. We've just got to go out and run our race and we're out here to score as many points as we possibly can too and we're really trying to get to that 13th spot. We've had discussions about that and everybody understands where we all stand. The biggest thing you try to do is not hurt them."

FOR THIS RACE OPPOSED TO THE COKE 600, WILL YOU MAKE YOUR MOVE SOONER? "No, I think the only thing that changes is the middle part of the race. The way that you approach the beginning of this race is still very similar. There's just less time in the middle of maybe riding a little bit, just not giving it 110% where you're kind of conserving just a bit. That time where you start getting geared up for the end of the race starts a little bit sooner but in a lot of ways, you approach it the same way you do the 600. It's just not quite as long."

AT DOVER, YOU WERE RUNNING FIFTH AND KYLE BUSCH SIXTH, AND WERE ASKED TO MOVE OVER BECAUSE HE WAS IN THE CHASE AND YOU WEREN'T. WAS THAT HARD FOR YOU? "Oh yeah. I'm a competitor. I didn't sign up to drive race cars to go backwards, I signed up to go forward. You don't ever want to have to do something like that. At the time they asked me to do that, my first thought was 'hey, that would be the right thing to do' when you think from a team's perspective. At the end and after I did it, I was a little bit frustrated with it. We've talked about that and I think everybody knows where I stand and I know where the team stands and anything that I can do to not hurt the team is probably important. And at the time we gave Kyle five points - I guess it's four or five points for those positions - and it was with intensions of helping them be good in the championship. When you see next week they get taken out and they lose 120 points, (you think) 'how much did my five points help, and I lost the top five'. So I don't know. I guess at times it's frustrating but I think that for the most part, we all understand where everybody's at. If I can do something to help those guys I think that, like I said, in the middle part of the Chase we're focused on doing that and not really worried about that. The thing is is that my teammates run so well so if I'm inside the top five, nine times out of 10 there's going to be one of those guys behind me. We're just going to go racing and whatever feels good at the time, I think towards the end of the year, some of that stuff will probably come into play a little bit more but for right now we're just focused on having good finishes."