Jeff Gordon, Weekly Top-12 Hauler Chat at Michigan

Jeff Gordon Michigan Hauler Chat Audio File

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Monte Carlo SS met with members of the media and discussed his crew chief situation, the strong points of both Steve Letarte and Jeff Meendering, how he is approaching the next few races, aggression in the sport, Juan Pablo Montoya, racing at Bristol, on where his team is at, what numbers mean to a driver, Robby Gordon and what happened at Montreal, on Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his car number, Saturday Night Live, Meendering's new role, and again on car numbers.

ABOUT HOW THE TRANSITION BETWEEN CREW CHIEFS HAS BEEN SO SMOOTH: "I'm not so sure we haven't missed a beat. We didn't win any races. I think it just shows the strength of our team and I think we have a really strong team. I think that when you are a strong team you can move some people around and still be able to function well for a certain period of time. Steve (Letarte) has been instrumental in getting this team to where it is right now and I think the true sign of a good crew chief is that they can leave for a few weeks and things can continue on as normal. I think over the long term we're pretty excited about having him back. I think for the championship, his confidence and leadership I think is really going to pay off."

HOW ARE THINGS DIFFERENT NOW THAT YOU HAVE HIM BACK? "It's not going to be anything major that you see. I think that Steve and I just have really clicked right from the beginning with our communication. I think that Jeff (Meendering) did a great job stepping in. You just work with that person closely to try to fine-tune the car the best you can and I feel like we've hit it pretty good. Throughout the whole process, when we weren't on the track, we were on the phone with Steve and so he was as much a part of it as he could possibly be in those decisions. Obviously on race day, Jeff had to make the calls but Steve's been really, really good with just getting things prepared back at the shop for us and now he's here and I think that it's going to be continuing that communication that he and I have that's really good. Also those great calls that he makes up on the box on race day."

WHAT ARE HIS STRONG POINTS? "I think his strong point is common sense. He's very smart and he understands a lot of thing but he's not a guy that feels like he knows everything. He doesn't mind delegating the jobs to the right people and gathering information from others. He's not afraid to say 'I don't know enough about this subject, I've got to go to somebody that knows more' and then I think he's really good with the common sense side of things when it comes to those pit call strategy and things like that when you're coming down pit road and you've got to make a call. He's making a call with a lot of information and I think just his ability to have common sense about it and think clearly pays off."

IS THIS THE PERFECT TIME TO HAVE HIM BACK? "Yeah, just talking to him it's kind of awkward for him; he's not used to being in the garage area and he feels like he needs to go back out to his bus and call us in between practices. So it's going to definitely take a little bit of adjustment and I think it's great to have him back and have a few weeks for him to work and really fine-tune before we get to the Chase. If I could have had a six-week vacation it would have been only the more perfect thing and I would have come back and been ready to go too. And then we would have had four weeks to work together and get ready for the Chase."

YOU COULD STILL TAKE A RACE OR TWO OFF. "It's too late now, I needed to do that a few weeks back."

HOW ARE YOU APPROACHING THE NEXT FEW RACES TO GET WINS? "We're always trying to win and get bonus points. I feel like we've kind of lost an opportunity of getting those bonus points last week which was disappointing but that's behind us and we're ready to try to get it done again this weekend. The biggest thing is just trying to make the team and the cars as strong as they can possibly be and the good thing about Steve not being here is that he's able to work on some things and think about some things clearly without having to get the whole team prepared and be able to travel and go to the race track. So hopefully some of those things he's been thinking about, maybe we can make them work and pay off."

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WILL TAKE SOME MORE CHANCES? "Sure. We took a chance last week. There was no way we could have made it to the end of that race had those cautions not come out. So that's a risk worth taking and we took it last week so we'll do those same kinds of things."

WHAT KINDS OF GOOD THINGS DID JEFF MEENDERING DO WHILE FILLING IN? "I think he was just really solid. I think he did a really good job. He's been an instrumental part of this race team for a number of years and I think that he had to step it up and be the guy to lead us into race day and make those calls on the box. He did an excellent job with that. I thought that our communication was really good and so was fine-tuning the race car for racing."

WHAT IS THE LINE BETWEEN BEING AGGRESSIVE AND BEING TOO AGGRESSIVE? "I don't know. Obviously if you're aggressive and you take other cars out then that's too far. That aggressiveness that Juan (Pablo Montoya) showed last week, I don't think that was entirely his fault. They don't usually go back far enough in the video when they're showing clips on TV but obviously the No. 1 got into the back of him. Was he blocking the No. 1 and that's why the No. 1 got into the back of him? That's hard to say. I didn't really run around him a whole lot last week so I had no issues. I didn't have any issues with anybody being too aggressive."

DOES THIS SPORT DEMAND A CERTAIN LEVEL OF AGRESSION AT ALL TIMES? "Yeah, but you've got to know the limit of your aggression. We had a great shot of winning that race and by driving too aggressively into turn one, a wheel hopped and I spun out and lost the race. So it can happen in that sense or it can happen you drive into somebody and wreck other cars and take them out as well. I think that as we get closer and closer to the Chase, certain guys are going to get more and more aggressive and I think the rules that NASCAR - I don't know if they are rules but just the changes that they have made in the points system for this year - have also pushed guys to be a little more aggressive. I know how important it was for me to push last week and that's why I was, to try to get those bonus points. And that's the whole reason why they did what they did. Once you get in the Chase you'll see certain guys be real aggressive. You've got guys battling trying to get in the top 35; you've got guys trying to get in the top 12. You've got a lot of things goi ng on there. You've got some guys that just want to win like Juan Pablo and aggression is going to come from that."

HOW DO YOU ASSESS HOW MONTOYA HAS DRIVEN THIS YEAR? "He's really been pretty much right on par with what I've expected. I expected there to be a big transition trying to learn the ovals, trying to learn these heavier cars. But he's a very talented race-car driver and I figured he'd be fast. Not every single weekend but in some ways he's impressed me even more because he hasn't really had any issues with qualifying for the races. So that part has been good. He ran great at Atlanta, great at Indy. The road course we expected him to do well at. But Formula One is a very aggressive type of racing. The type of racing he's been doing in the past is very aggressive. And because the points systems that you have in those series, if you're really aggressive and you're out, you can make it up the next week the way the points. not in this series. In this series you've got to be consistent and you've got to stay out of trouble. So when you see a guy being as aggressive as he's been and there's contact, then you're going to start to questio n some of the judgment calls and you just hope the second half of the season that he started to see a progression of improvement. Some guys have been caught up in it and have had issues but I haven't had any issues. I've raced with him and we've raced good together. I haven't had any problems."

ON BRISTOL NEXT WEEKEND: "Where are we going next week? The thing is that the track is different. They've done all new concrete. Nobody really has any laps there. I think it's going to be like going there for the very first time ever. With the new car, I think we learned enough the last time we were there that we should be able to dial the car in but it's just going to be a whole new learning curve on the track this time around."

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHERE THE TEAM IS AT? "We're solid. I'm extremely happy but you always want to be better. That's the thing. You can't ever stop trying to improve. I think we are an awesome team right now just the way we work together, the way we don't panic, the way we've won together and lost together and the way we've been consistent this year. I think that's a championship-caliber team and I'm really excited about taking this entire team into this Chase. I feel like we've got an excellent chance to get our fifth championship and our first Nextel Cup, but it's going to be a fight. It's going to be a real fight and there's going to be tracks where we're not as good as some of the competitors. There's going to be tracks where we are as good or better. It's just going to be a fight every single weekend for 10 weeks straight."

ON HOW IMPORTANT A NUMBER IS TO A DRIVER: "It's disappointing that (Dale Jr.) is not going to be able to continue on with the No. 8. I don't quite understand all the reasons behind it but that's not my problem. It didn't mean a whole lot to him prior to being in the No. 8 but now he's in the No. 8, it means something. I think that over time, that will be the case with this new number. It's about consistency. I don't know. I'm pretty excited. Some of the numbers I heard being thrown around."

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE? "I can't tell you."

ON ROBBY GORDON AND HIS BEHAVIOR AT MONTREAL: "(Laughs) What kind of question is that? Now why do I want to get myself in middle of a situation that I'm not in? All I can say is, I've always respected the heck out of Robby. I'm going to say the same thing a lot of guys say, he's very talented but there's been instances where you question his decision making and you feel like there's times when he could have maybe done more and gone further because of his talent and you question why he hasn't but I respect him for trying to do things his way. I respect him for being out there in that single car team and doing more with than anybody else has. I've had my issues with him where I wasn't happy with him and lately Robby and I have been racing really well together so I don't have any issues, I don't want to create any. I might not agree with everything he does but that's not my battle."

IS HE AS STUBBORN AS ANYBODY OR IS THAT WHAT YOU NEED TO GET TO THIS LEVEL? "You got to remember, I was like the second Gordon when I came into the Busch Series. He was the high profile Gordon, locked in with Ford and everybody looked at him as the next prodigy to come into NASCAR and somewhere along the way shifts happen and my career took off and his seemed to kind of flatten out for whatever reason, I don't really know, maybe he just didn't get with the right teams and the right equipment but he's gone around the garage an awful lot and hasn't been able to seem to make it work so whatever issues those are, you have to ask his car owners and teammates and people he worked with."

ON THE CAR NUMBER SITUATION NEVER BEING A PROBLEM FOR HIM AND BEING THE NO. 24 FOR HIS WHOLE CUP CAREER: "But I'm not switching teams either and if I said 'Hey Rick, I'm going somewhere else,' one is he would say 'Well what about this lifetime contract you signed?' and then if I said 'I'd like to take the 24 with me' he would laugh at me. You know, I understand if Teresa wants to keep the 8 and use the 8 I think it's going to make it very tough for any other driver to get behind the wheel of that car and I think if she doesn't use the 8, I think that it's really a shame that he wasn't able to get it. But as long as she used it, she thinks there's as much tie to it with DEI then anything, then I understand why they wouldn't want to let go of it."

ON DALE JR.'S NUMBER FORCING HIS FANS TO GET NEW MERCHANDISE: "Maybe, maybe it could be a good thing, I don't know. I think that yes you can't deny the marketing but I think what Junior wants is he wants to be competitive. He wants to win and that's what our main goal is. We don't want to lose an opportunity at Hendrick Motorsports with what he can bring to the table and the marketing side so from everything I've heard, I haven't been in the middle of it a lot, but I'm pretty excited about the things that are coming from it and I wish I could tell you more. I just can't."

WITH ALL YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO SPONSORS, IS IT A GOOD WAY TO GET OUT OF CHANGING DIAPERS? "Yes and no, I kind of like changing diapers. I enjoy being a dad. It's a lot of fun. The problem is that with my job it requires me to get some sleep and if she's here or if I'm at home, I'm not getting a lot of sleep because of those diaper changes and feedings and all those things. I'm not trying to get out of anything. I wish she was here with me, it'd be great."

DOES YOUR CHANGING TABLE COME WITH JACKS? "(Laughs) No, we're not trying to do the fastest changes, we're just trying to make sure they get changed. Yeah, accuracy."

DO YOU SEE YOURSELF DOING ANOTHER EPISODE OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE? "I had a blast. It was a lot fun. I wouldn't mind just doing a Ricky Funk skit or something like that. That was pretty good. It's a big commitment. It takes a lot of time out of the schedule. Now that I've done it once I kind of have an understanding of what it takes but no matter what it's a heart pounding experience that I'm glad I've done once and I don't necessarily have to do it again but if the opportunity came up in the schedule and stuff to do it again then yeah I'd look at it. They make it fun and you've just got to be willing to laugh at yourself."

WILL OFFERS START COMING IN FOR JEFF MEENDERING AND WOULD YOU LET HIM GO? "It's probably very likely that that could happen. We had top 10s every week and he's a talented guy and knows a lot about race organization, our race team so it's our job to make sure that he's in a position to stay here and to be with a competitive organization and team but that doesn't guarantee anything. You never know what's going to happen and it happens every day in this garage. There's always a team that's looking to see who can be beneficial to their team and see if they can offer them something they can't refuse. If he gets an offer he can't refuse then we'll talk about it and we'll understand his decision but it's our job to make sure that we keep him here as long as we can because he's a great asset."

WHAT'S HIS BEST QUALITY? "He's just very knowledgeable. He's a racer. The guy has been racing short tracks for so many years that he's been a driver before so he understands the car from a driver standpoint and as a mechanic and I think his knowledge of being at Hendrick Motorsports and knowing all the details that we go through to make a strong team and working with not just myself but other crew chiefs and drivers. Those are all benefits to any person that can take them a long way in their career."

DO YOU FORSEE A SYSTEM WHERE NASCAR WOULD HAVE A DRIVER KEEP HIS NUMBER FOR HIS ENTIRE CAREER EVEN IF HE CHANGES TEAMS? "Man, I don't know. I haven't thought about that one a whole lot. I just know that when I came along we didn't have a team or a number and so we had to build a team. Then we had to go to NASCAR and find out what numbers were available so that's the whole issue, just finding a number that's available. Now, as long as you stay with that team then that number is going to stay with you.

"I don't know I think I kind of like the number be with the team more so than with the driver. It's just there's certain instances where that number and that driver become synonymous - Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Richard Petty, myself - and that just doesn't happen a lot and so now I think that when it does happen it makes it tricky to work around but I kind of like the way that they have it."

Denny Hamlin Weekly Top-12 Hauler Chat at Michigan

Denny Hamlin Michigan Hauler Chat Audio File

Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Kinko's Monte Carlo SS, met with members of the media and discussed the addition of Kyle Busch to Joe Gibbs Racing next year, how he'll fit in with Tony Stewart and Kyle next year, the advantage of having Kyle as a teammate, the leadership efforts and relationship with J.D. and Joe Gibbs, what he'll do over the next four races to prepare for the final 10 races, how he handles speculation about what manufacturer they will drive next year, Chevrolet's success this year and how it affects his opinion regarding manufacturers, the teammate situation during the Chase, changes in Kyle since last year, on the grey area between being aggressive and too aggressive, the challenge of being patient, if he's tested at Bristol and the possibilities of Kyle winning championships.

Select quotes from driver interview:

ON WHAT KYLE BRINGS TO JOE GIBBS RACING AND HOW IT WILL AFFECT THE TEAM IN A POSTIVE WAY: "Well I think just his speed and talent is going to be a huge asset. I think he's going to bring sponsors because guys are going to want to join up with him because they know he's going to be part of this sport for years to come so I think he's very attractive to sponsors and I think really just his talent is going to force me and Tony to be better. Me and Tony right now are feeding off of each other now to push each other to be better than the other because ultimately there's a rivalry amongst teammates on who's going to be the best of the teammates so when he's winning like he is, that's fueling me to go harder, go harder and when it's the other way around it's vice versa so I think when you have a third element in there that's just as competitive it's going to really just push us to be better and that's what I'm excited about next year."

TONY STEWART SAID ON HIS RADIO SHOW THAT IF HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ASKED ABOUT KYLE LAST YEAR HE WOULD HAVE SAID NO AND THAT HE HAD A LOT OF GROWING UP TO DO BUT THAT THIS IS PERFECT RIGHT NOW. DO YOU AGREE? "I definitely think so. I think Kyle's definitely changed a lot over the last year or so and I mean he's still only 21, 22 years old. He's a way better driver than I was at that age. He's got a whole lot more experience and everything but really he's maturing faster than what I thought he would and in my opinion he'll be a guy that's going to be a champion probably within five years."

ON WHAT J.D. AND JOE GIBBS DO THAT HAS IMPRESSED OR SURPRISED HIM THAT HAS BEEN EFFECTIVE IN WORKING WITH THE DRIVERS: "I think personally J.D. is one of the better car owners to drive for just because he's kind of like us. He's our age. He kind of relates to us. He jokes around a lot so really J.D., I think he's there a little bit more than the other car owners. The other car owners they're the big part of the company but when J.D. walks through the shop everyone's not scared of him. They want to talk to him because he's a funny guy and he's very personable so I think that's a good part about driving for Gibbs. But when you see the coach walk in that's different. He's the intimidating guy but he's not at the shop all the time so J.D.'s there running things and I think it's just a good balance that everyone and all the employees and the drivers can really relate to the car owner and have a good relationship with him and I think that's why it's going to be so good for Kyle to come here."

WHAT WILL YOU DO OVER THE NEXT FOUR RACES TO PREPARE FOR THE FINAL 10? "You got to make sure you don't wreck race cars, that's for sure, because we don't want to get behind on getting these things ready for the Chase because we know which ones really we want to have lined up to run in the Chase. We are still going to run them in these next four simply because we still need to get some wins. We got to be somewhat careful, yeah we can throw a little bit of caution in the wind when it comes to pit strategy but as far as on the race track really I got to be careful to not get ourselves in trouble and get ourselves behind."

Tony Stewart, Weekly Top-12 Hauler Chat at Michigan

Tony Stewart Michigan Hauler Chat Audio File

Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Monte Carlo SS, met with members of the media and talked about Kyle Busch joining Joe Gibbs Racing, his strong personality and how it fits with JGR, what role he played in Busch joining JGR, racing at Bristol next weekend, what he likes about Bristol, dirt-track racing with Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer, Brad Coleman in the Busch Series and whether or not Kyle Busch is of championship caliber.

Select quotes from driver interview:

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT KYLE BUSCH JOINING JGR? "I'm happy about it. Same thing I said a couple of weeks ago when everybody asked me about it. I think it's a great opportunity for Joe Gibbs Racing. He's the best young talent out there in my opinion so I think we definitely got the right guy."

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ANOTHER STRONG PERSONALITY JOINING JGR? "I think it fits right in with it. I think that's why he's a perfect fit for our organization. He's got the same passion and desire that Denny (Hamlin) and I have to win races. If you don't have guys that think the same way you do and feel the same way you do, it's hard to work together. So having somebody like him, I think, is going to make him a perfect fit for our organization right now."

WHAT ROLE DID YOU PLAY IN GETTING KYLE TO JOIN JGR? "Not much, really. I think Joe Gibbs Racing in itself speaks for itself. I don't think you have to work hard to get people to come over there. I think what Joe and JD have built and all the crew chiefs, the reputation of this race team speaks for itself now. Everybody looks at the Hendrick organization as the super-team; I don't think we're very far off of that. I think if we're off we're not very far off of them, by any means, in that category. I just don't think Joe's been around as long as Rick (Hendrick) has to establish himself as that."

Jeff Burton, Weekly Top-12 Hauler Chat at Michigan

Jeff Burton Michigan Hauler Chat Audio File

Jeff Burton, No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS, met with media members at Michigan International Speedway and discussed the AT&T sponsorship situation, running the Busch Series race here this weekend, the impact of the Car of Tomorrow in the Chase races, characteristics that make MIS a popular track and Juan Pablo Montoya.

ON THE DECISION MADE THIS WEEK ON THE RULING REGARDING AT&T SPONSORSHIP OF THE 31 CAR: "Well certainly it is not something that we want to be dealing with at this point in the year, but it is what it is. AT&T is committed to being in the sport. They are going to everything in their power to be here. It certainly has the potential to be a distraction but this team is really focused and full of very mature people who have been around a long time. We are paying attention to the races and things ahead of us that revolve around competition. That is what we are focusing on."

DOES IT IMPACT YOU WHETHER THEY ARE THERE NEXT YEAR OR NOT? IF THIS DOESN'T FALL IN AT&T'S FAVOR, DO YOU HAVE TO GO AND LOOK FOR ANOTHER PLACE TO DRIVE? "The chances of me not being at RCR next year are very, very, very slim. Richard and I have a commitment with each other and it would take a very odd set of circumstances for that to happen. We feel good about where we are as far as funding. Certainly the decision this week . makes that more challenging than it was before that decision. A lot will happen in the next little bit for sure but we will just have to see where it goes."

HOW DOES RUNNING THE BUSCH RACE BEFORE THE CUP RACE HERE HELP YOU IN THE CUP RACE? "I think that running the Busch race here, honestly is just a lot more about fun than it is help. We have run this race track a long time and we pretty know what to expect, not that we know that we are going to come here and run well, but there are not a whole lot of surprises . around something that we would learn in the Busch car. To be honest, this is a fun race track. There is a tremendous amount of challenge to win a race here. I come here to run the Busch race, because it is fun. I think it does, anytime that I am on a track I think that it harbors the opportunity to learn something. This is one of the tracks that we don't have a tremendous amount of chance to learn a lot."

ON THE OWNER POINTS AND DRIVER POINTS SITUATION IN THE BUSCH SERIES: "Since the year started it's been our goal to win the Owners Championship. We knew that we weren't going to win the Drivers Championship, but it has been our goal all along to win the Owners Championship. It is like anything else, anytime you set a goal, that becomes the primary focus trying to get done. So, we are putting a lot of effort into it. We feel like we have a reasonable chance at it. We know that there is a lot of racing left and it is going to be hard, but you know, we are putting a lot of effort into it and we feel good about our chances. The No. 60 car is a really strong car. The No. 21 car obviously is a really strong car. We are just laying it out there and just seeing what we can make happen. For us, it's fun. You know, I mean, all of the pressure is on the No. 60. The No. 60 has had a tremendous lead for a long time and with no worries what so ever and now they don't. We don't have anyth ing to lose. They don't want to split their Championship up, but for us, no one was talking about us winning the Championship anyway, we were internally. All of the pressure is on them and we are just having fun with it. We are having a great time and we want to keep the pressure on them and make them think about it."

CREW CHIEFS FOR THE NO. 24 AND NO. 48 COME BACK THIS WEEK. THAT WHOLE EPISODE WHERE THEY DECIDED TO SIT DOWN A COUPLE OF CREW CHIEFS, DO YOU THINK IN THE PUBLIC'S MIND THAT IS A NON-ISSUE OR IS A CREDIBILITY ISSUE FOR THE SPORT? "Well, I don't know what the public thinks. I don't think that it is a non-issue. I think that sending two crew chief's home is a significant penalty. There is no question about it. With technology today, with the way race teams are run today, it is not the same kind of penalty that it would have been fifteen years ago, there is no question about that. It is, none the less, a penalty that you would not want to have to serve. It is not a non-factor. I think that we need to look at how we penalize teams. I am a believer that strong penalties are a good idea. I think that strong penalties are a great deterrent. Small things don't have a whole lot of impact. Big things have a major impact. So, I am not opposed to driver suspensions and or crew chief suspensions. I do find it odd that crew chiefs are suspended a lot longer than drivers are. I don't really understand that. I believe, the bigge st penalties are points. When you start taking points away, that is what get's your attention."

WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT THE BIGGEST IMPACT OF THE CAR OF TOMORROW IS GOING TO BE IN THE CHASE? "Well, that's a huge impact. I mean - half of the (Chase) races are Car of Tomorrow races. So, if your Car of Tomorrow program isn't where it needs to be, then your chances of winning a Championship are much diminished. That is what makes the DEI cars, right now, if you look at what the DEI cars have been able to do with their Impala SS stuff, you know they have been really fast recently. That makes them really dangerous. Obviously McGinn's cars are running well, the Hendrick cars are running well. To me, it is 50% of the ball game. You know Car of Tomorrow races are the same as the regular season. You have got to be good in regular season and in Chase season with the Car of Tomorrow to make sure that you can win a Championship. They make up so many races that you have got to be able to do it well."

HOW DO YOU THINK THAT CAR IS GOING TO ACT AT TALLADEGA? "I don't have a clue. I haven't driven a car, with a wing on it, at a big race track. I don't know. Believe it or not, I have zero opinion on what it is going to act like, other than it is going to probably drag differently than the cars that we have today, there is no question about it. What the effect of that is, with forty-three, well funded operations out there, I don't know. It will be an interesting race I can assure you that."

HOW DOES WHERE YOU SIT IN THE POINTS STANDING AFFECT THE WAY YOU DRIVE IN THESE LAST FEW RACES BEFORE THE CHASE? "Well, we are obviously in a position of need. Need to get ourselves in the Chase. That is the focus number one and goal number one is to get into the Chase. To do that we need to have good finishes, we need to run well, we need to compete at a high level, we need to get the best finish that we can, which by the way is what we would do anyway. We certainly don't want to put ourselves in a situation that we didn't have to be in because I did something silly, or we had a mechanical problem, there is no question about that. But at the same time, you have to compete at a high level. You don't not run hard in these cars and expect to finish this. This competition is too tough to do that. So, we are going to go out and try to win the race. If we can't win the race then we are going to try to finish second. If we can't finish second then we are going to try to finish third. That is what we try to do every week. That i s what we will do this week."

WHAT ARE THE CHARICTERISTICS ABOUT MICHIGAN THAT MAKE THIS SUCH A POPULAR TRACK? "Well, I mean certainly the fact that we have multiple grooves has a lot to do with it. There are a lot of options for drivers. You can run up by the wall. You can run down by the white line. A lot of room with wide straight-a-ways. It is just a fun race track but it is not one of those tracks that, it doesn't have an overwhelming amount of grip. It is still a fairly low grip race track. You still have to drive the car, you know, this isn't one of those race tracks that you can just point the wheel, you have got to be driving it. The grip level is way down, but it is a big wide race track so it is fun to drive, options for the drivers. It is pretty well laid out."

YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE LAW SUIT AND HOW IT IS GOING TO AFFECT THIS TEAM: "There are a lot of questions that still have to be answered to be perfectly honest. Certainly the focus of this race team is to compete for a Championship, to number one get in the Chase and number two (inaudible because of garage engine noise) that is what our focus is on. There are a lot of things that are going on that are going to affect what happens in the future. We honestly don't have control over those things. We kind of have to wait those things out. AT&T is committed to being in this sport and they have been here for a long time and they want to continue to be here. Obviously this makes it another hurdle, or a hurdle that you have to jump over. We honestly don't know what all of that means to be perfectly honest."

DO YOU HAVE THE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE "WHAT IF'S"? "We have no choice but to think about the 'what if's.' Obviously, AT&T is committed to us. We just signed a long term commitment with them. They are committed to being with us for a long time; they have expressed that over and over and over. We believe that to be the case. So, you know, there is the reality, that if AT&T is not aloud to put their logos on a car, at some point that might not be beneficial to AT&T anymore and at the point, something might have to change. That I don't know, but I do know that they are committed to us. That we have a long term agreement with them because they want to be here, they want to be at RCR Racing and they want to be in this sport and this ruling makes that more challenging."

IN YOUR OPINION, SHOULD THESE EXCLUSIVITY RULES BE RESOLVED? I MEAN IS IT A DETERRENT TO SOME TEAM OWNERS? IS IT HURTING THEM? "This case has never been about NASCAR's right to grant exclusivity. That has never been questioned. The question of this case has everything to do with what AT&T was told that they could and could not do. I don't think that anybody in this sport has a problem with the exclusivity that NASCAR can grant, including AT&T. This case has been about what AT&T was told that they could and could not do. It is AT&T's interpretation that they were not told that they could not change the brand. That is what this whole argument is about. It had nothing to do with NASCAR's right to grant exclusivity. This case certainly requires NASCAR to look at things differently. To make sure that everything is spelled out very clearly to everyone so that we don't have this situation again. It is NASCAR's charge to do what is good for the overall good of the sport. We respect that. It is our charge to make sure that we have the funding that it takes to have race teams and I think that NACAR respects that. The areas that are being questioned in this case need to be spelled out more clearly in the future. But it is not about NASCAR trying to grant exclusivity. We support NASCAR's right to grant exclusivity. We have benefited from that, the sport has benefited from that, there is no question about that. That has never been a question. The question that AT&T has had from the beginning has everything to do with what they were told that they could and could not do and it has been misrepresented by people that it has been about NASCAR's right to grant exclusivity. That is not the case. That has never been the argument nor will it be the argument. The argument has everything to do with what the grandfather clause stated that AT&T could do."

LAST WEEK YOUR TEAMMATE SAID THAT JUAN PABLO MONTOYA RUNS OVER SOMEBODY EVERY WEEK. NOW I KNOW THAT HE WAS ANGRY AT THE CAR, BUT IS THERE A FEELING IN THE GARAGE THAT MONTOYA IS BEING TOO AGGRESSIVE OUT THERE? "Montoya has put himself in many situations that someone else has come out the loser; there is no question about that. He is trying to feel his way through this thing. He is an aggressive driver. He has come here to win, immediately, and he is driving accordingly. He doesn't necessarily have the experience in these cars to drive as aggressively as, say, Jeff Gordon can and still get by with it. It's still a learning process, he has been in the middle of more stuff than most people have; there is no question about it. No one questions Montoya's ability to drive a race car, at least no one that I have spoken to, it is just a matter or him getting the experience to go along with the ability that he has. Certainly there's a lot of different ways to learn and he has chosen to learn by sticking it in holes and finding out what will happen rather than looking back at it later and thinking I wonder what would have happened if I had done that. I can't fault him for that. I am not saying that he is wrong. I am not saying that he is doing the wrong thing, but he is certainly, he has been in more than the average driver has been in."

IS THAT A CASE OF NOT UNDERSTANDING OR FOLOWING THE UNWRITTEN RULES THAT THERE SEEM TO BE SO MUCH OF IN THIS SPORT? "You have got to understand that he hasn't been in this arena in any more of a fashion until last year. The things that he is learning are things that he has to learn. I am not sitting here saying that he is doing the wrong thing. His inexperience, in this style of car, has put him in some positions that a Jeff Gordon wouldn't have been in. But Jeff Gordon was in those things when he was a rookie. It is just a matter of experience; it has nothing to do with talent. Again, everybody learns differently. Some people learn in a fashion where they want to make sure that they don't get involved in anything, they don't want to cause any incidents, that is what they are comfortable learning with. In Montoya's case, his effort has been on being aggressive, letting people know that he is here to win, letting people know that he is here to win immediately and through that he has been in a little more than he would have, had he done it the other way."

Jimmie Johnson, Weekly Top-12 Hauler Chat at Michigan

Jimmie Johnson Michigan Hauler Chat Audio File

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Monte Carlo SS met with members of the media and discussed his team being back together after the crew chief suspension, getting back on track for a successful season, racing at Michigan, the intensity of the racing heading into the Chase, Juan Pablo Montoya's racing style, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. joining Hendrick Motorsports, racing the Impala SS in the Chase, on not having Chad Knaus around, the weather here, racing at Bristol, being a spectator in racing and having a special '57 Chevy paint scheme for Sunday's race.

Select quotes from driver interview:

ON HAVING THE TEAM TOGETHER AFTER THE CREW CHIEF SUSPENSION: "We have the band back together so we're excited. It's been a long six weeks without him (Chad Knaus). We're very proud of the team and the effort that we've put out through all of it but there's no doubt that we've been less of a team without Knaus at the track and we're happy to have him back."

HOW MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE AND INTENSE TO THE RACES GET TOWARDS THE CHASE? "They get more and more intense. A lot of it depends on where you are in the points. I think it's a relaxing period of time for the guys in the top five. Everybody near that 12th position in the points, it's pretty brutal right now getting ready for the Chase. Your whole season is based on getting in the Chase. So there's a lot of pressure in those areas right now."

DOES IT REALLY MATTER IF CHAD KNAUS IS NOT HERE ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY? YOU CAN STILL COMMUNICATE WITH HIM. "Without a doubt. We did a really good job without him being here but he's in a way, the decision-maker for the team. Not having the decision-maker there and having that responsibility fall on my shoulders or on Ron Malec's shoulders or Lance McGrew's, we kind of decided as a committee things that we wanted to do. But we're not in that position at all times. We did a good job with it but it's not our role, it's not what we do. So to have Chad back and him be the decision-maker, the guy that all things funnel and all information funnels into - and his job is to worry about that - will take the burden off of myself, off of the other guys and we can all focus on our independent jobs a lot more."

WHAT DOES THE '57 CHEVY PAINT SCHEME ON YOUR CAR THIS WEEKEND MEAN TO YOU? "I think it's a great program. I wish we could get some real wood on the side of the car. That would be a cool touch to it. Excited about it - I'm a fan of that period of time and I'm in the process of collecting different muscle cars now so I'm excited to be a part of the program."

WHAT KIND OF CARS? "I have a '69 Camaro and I just saw a '51 Chevy coupe that I fell in love with at a photo shoot the other day and I'm trying to acquire right now so we'll see how that goes."

Kyle Busch Weekly Top-12 Hauler Chat at Michigan

Kyle Busch Michigan Hauler Chat Audio File

Kyle Busch, No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Monte Carlo SS, met with media members at Michigan International Speedway and discussed his move to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, leaving Hendrick, approaching the Chase, following University of Michigan football, driving at Bristol next week and a possible Busch campaign in 2008.

Select quotes from driver interview:

ON HIS APPROACH TO THE CHASE: "If we come out of this weekend with a strong run and, unfortunately for a couple of other guys, they have trouble then I think hopefully we can put ourselves in the Chase through just starting the last three races. I think we're pretty good right now - we're not as good as we want to be - but with four more races to go we've got a legitimate shot of climbing up to fifth in points. If we can do that, it would be pretty cool."

ON HAVING FUN AT BRISTOL (WHERE HE WON IN MARCH) BUT NOW HAS NEW (CONCRETE) TRACK SURFACE: "Well, it's different. It's completely different now. There's no aspect to that place that's the same. We tested there in a truck and in a Busch car . our Cup test got rained out. It's definitely going to be a different race, that's for sure. I definitely looking forward to it, not knowing what it will all entail. I've heard that Late Model races there have been really, really good. It should be fun.

Clint Bowyer Weekly Top-12 Hauler Chat at Michigan

Clint Bowyer Michigan Hauler Chat Audio File

Clint Bowyer, No. 07 Jack Daniel's Monte Carlo SS, met with media members at Michigan International Speedway and discussed racing in the Busch Series, best racing lines at MIS, strategy as the Chase approaches, crashes at the Glen, being aggressive when driving, racing for fun mid-week, secrets of success at Richard Childress Racing, handling the stress and approaching next week's night race at Bristol.

Select quotes from driver interview:

ON WHY RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING REGULARLY HAS THREE CARS RUNNING SO WELL: "One big engine working really well. Everyone at RCR is working really well and giving us good equipment. Preparation in the shop is first but the three crew chiefs and all the three drivers getting along and all pushing each other to be better is a large part of it."

ALL THREE DRIVERS SEEM TO BE QUITE DIFFERENT. HOW DOES THAT WORK? "Yeah, with Harvick you never know what to expect, with Burton you always know what to expect - the right thing, someone to learn off of. With me, being new to all of this, it's awesome. It's a perfect blend to learn from. I'm definitely very fortunate. I think that I've now caught up experience-wise to them - it's not just them running good and the third team running bad. If we have eighth-place cars, we're all running around eighth . six, seventh, eighth.

WHAT'S BEEN THE KEY TO THIS? "Working together has been the biggest thing. Teamwork and all of us pushing each other to be better."

WHAT'S JEFF BURTON'S ROLE? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU CAN ALWAYS EXPECT HIM TO DO THE RIGHT THING? "He's very experienced, he's very polished, on and off the racetrack. You can always count on him doing the right thing and that's pretty hard to come by in this sport. There are a lot of egos in this sport and he doesn't seem to have one. He'll swallow his pride every time and it's something you can learn off of."

DO YOU ASK QUESTIONS OF THOSE GUYS? "Absolutely. Harvick - I'm a little closer to Harvick, he's a little younger and speaks, a little more, my language. But definitely Jeff Burton is a go-to guy. If I have a problem I go to him and you know with Jeff Burton what he tells you is from his heart and the truth."

Kevin Harvick Weekly Top-12 Hauler Chat at Michigan

Kevin Harvick Weekly Top-12 Hauler Chat at Michigan Michigan Hauler Chat Audio File

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Monte Carlo SS, met with media members at Michigan International Speedway and discussed his approach to races leading to the Chase, the challenge of making the car work at Michigan, the incident involving Juan-Pablo Montoya and having fun racing in mid-week.

Select quotes from driver interview:

ON RACING AT MICHIGAN: "I like this place. It's a lot of fun to race at. You can move all over the place and if your car's not working you can make it work, from the inside to the outside and go from there. If you can make your car work low, that's the place that I prefer, but a lot of guys prefer to make it work high. So it's one of those places where you can move around and make things happen."

HAVE YOU HAD A LOOK AT THE TAPE AND SEE WHAT HAPPENED (WITH JUAN PABLO MONTOYA) LAST WEEKEND? "I've had a look at the tape and what I've seen is what I saw in my mirror: a car dart to the right, block and run into the side of me."

DOES HE DRIVE AGGRESSIVELY OR RECKLESSLY? "He drives like he doesn't know what he's doing, to be honest with you. He goes out, he can run fast but he's all over the place and every week it seems like he runs into a different person. In four weeks it's cost us a couple of hundred points and he shrugs it off like he doesn't really care about anybody or anything, that he's just here to race. You make him mad and it's: 'Well I've got a five-year contract and I'll just wreck you every week.' It's hard to talk to him and he doesn't really respect anyone around him."

IS YOUR OPINION SPREADING IN THE GARAGE? "My opinion is pretty widespread. I'm not the only one with that opinion. Everybody's tired of tearing their stuff up for no reason."

Martin Truex, Jr. Weekly Top-12 Hauler Chat at Michigan

Martin Truex, Jr. Weekly Top-12 Hauler Chat at Michigan Michigan Hauler Chat Audio File

Martin Truex Jr., No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS, met with media members at Michigan International Speedway and discussed the races leading up to the Chase, Juan Pablo Montoya's driving, having Mark Martin as a teammate and the cars of his dreams (both classic Chevys).

HOW WILL THE NEXT FOUR RACES (LEADING UP TO THE CHASE) AFFECT THE WAY YOU DRIVE? "I don't think much changes. Obviously, to get in the Chase is a big deal and all, but we need to go out on form, we need to run well, so we won't take any unnecessary risks by any means but we need to go out there and race hard. To get out front and maybe win it."

ON NOT MAKING THE CHASE: "It's not that fun, you have to perform to be in it, if you don't perform you don't want to be in it anyway as you want a shot. We've been running well, we've had up and down few weeks here and hopefully this will be a turnaround for us. It's a good track for us and I really look forward to the race this weekend."

ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR LEAD OVER 13TH PLACE? "You never know. Anything can happen out here in these deals. I'm happy with my race team - they're doing a great job for me. Last weekend was a really good run for us. I was really happy to get out of there with a decent finish. If we can get through Bristol with a decent finish we'll be in good shape. We should run well here, we did last time, and we look forward to California too. We'll see what will happen - but anything can happen we'll just see if we can run well."

DOES ANY ONE OF THE FOUR TRACKS GIVE YOU AN ADVANTAGE? "Considering how we ran here and California earlier in the year, these two certainly. Bristol's a sort of wild card, anything can happen there. I think we can run well at them all, it's a matter of getting the finishes, getting comfortably into the Chase and we can go racing from there."

MONTOYA IS GETTING A LOT OF CRITICISM OF HIS DRIVING. HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS IT SO FAR? "I think he's done a great job coming from the cars he's raced before. You couldn't get two more different cars. You come in here and for him to have the success he's had I think he's done a great job."

DO YOU THINK HE'S TOO AGGRESSIVE? "Sure he's aggressive. It seems like he's always on - or over - that edge. The more experience he gets, the more he'll be able to keep himself out of bad situations. He's doing a fine job."

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY AGGRESSIVE? "When you see him race he's always real close to somebody, always pressuring. If you're trying to pass him, he's doing all that he can do to fend you off no matter what position it's for, no matter what part of the race it's in. It seems like he's always racing really, really hard. Like it's for the win. He's a fierce competitor."

BUT HE'S NOT THE ONLY ONE LIKE THAT, IS HE? "No there's others."

SHOULD DRIVERS HAVE THE NUMBERS OF THEIR CAR, OR SHOULD IT STAY WITH OWNERS? "So when you retire, you give up or they retire the number? I don't know, it's just a number. You ask Dale Jr. I'm sure he ain't too worried about not having the 8. I was over his shop months ago and he was picking out numbers then. So. Things like that get made into a lot bigger deal than they really are. I think your name is the biggest thing. As long as you've got your name, you've got the only thing that really matters. A number's a number. These numbers have been on millions of other race car before we even started racing. What's the big deal?"

HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT FOR YOU TO LEARN HOW TO RACE, HOW NOT TO RACE WHEN YOU FIRST CAME IN? "I learned fairly quickly in the Busch series because when I first started racing for DEI I was running up front pretty much every week and I was very fortunate to run with many of the Cup guys. Seeing how they did things. So I learned a lot in a fairly short period of time."

HOW MUCH OF A HELP IS IT GOING TO BE TO HAVE MARK MARTIN AS A TEAMMATE? "I'm really looking forward to it. He's a great team leader, a great motivator, he's been great for team morale and everyone's looking forward to having him and has a lot of confidence in his abilities. He's going to be a lot of fun to work with, great to learn from, there's so many things he brings to the table for us that I look forward to tapping into in the future."

DOES MONTOYA NEED TIME TO LEARN THE NUANCES OR DO YOU NEED TO LEARN TO ADAPT TO HIM? "I really haven't had any trouble with him so I can't say. Last week, the deal on the road course was he blocked, I got into him - he blocked which wasn't right and I probably shouldn't have got into him. I took full responsibility for that. But other than that I really haven't had any trouble. I've seen him do some things, I've seen him racing really hard at times when I probably didn't agree with it but, hey, that's him, it's his car, he's driving it. I was behind him and Stewart when they got into it . a few months ago. They were racing really hard when it didn't really seem to matter. He'll figure it out. Who's to say what's right or wrong?"

HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO HIM SINCE LAST WEEK? "No I haven't. I called him and got his voicemail but didn't think to leave a message was the right way to go about it. Hopefully I'll see him around this weekend. I'll go find him here and we'll talk about it."

AS THIS WILL BE YOUR FIRST CHASE, DO YOU FEEL THE PRESSURE? "There's definitely more pressure. We wouldn't want anything any more than making the Chase. That was one of our goals back in the wintertime. One of them was to win a race - we've done that. We could have won a couple. Making the Chase is a big deal. It's huge for our sponsors, huge for everybody on the team, especially with the things that have gone on with the announcement of Jr. leaving, and getting a new teammate with Mark Martin, and merging - there's a lot of new things going on there's nothing we'd like more than to start all that off with getting in the Chase and doing a good job for everyone."

ON FEELING CONFIDENT ABOUT THE CHAMPIONSHIP GOING INTO THE CHASE: "It's hard to say. I thought a few weeks ago that we did. It's been kinda up and down the past few weeks and I'm not sure really what's going on. I feel great about our Impala SS cars, that we can run well and have a shot to win with that and there are some other tracks in the Chase that I think we can run really well at. I think we can have a really good shot, but it's a matter of finishing the races once you get in there. You can't have any troubles. You finish every race competitively you'll have a chance. I look forward to that. But first you've got to get in the deal."

YOU'RE RUNNING A 57 CHEVY PAINT SCHEME. DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL MEMORIES OF THAT CAR? "I wish I'd been around in 57 to have a new one! There's two cars that I don't have that I really want. One of them is a 57 Chevy, the other's a 69 Camaro. Hopefully in the near future I'll have both of them."

Mark Martin, Driver Availability Hauler Chat at Michigan

Mark Martin Michigan Hauler Chat Audio File

Mark Martin, No. 01 U.S. Army Monte Carlo SS, met with members of the media and discussed his '57 Chevy paint scheme, on the No. 8 staying with DEI and car numbers in general, racing on the new surface at Bristol, on the unwritten rules in racing and on racing opportunities for kids.

Select quotes from driver interview:

WHAT DOES THE SPECIAL '57 CHEVY PAINT SCHEME MEAN TO YOU? "I'm from that era, kind of. The '57 Chevy was still a very, very cool car when I was young and it was the race car of choice when I started - the '55, '56 and '57 Chevys make great race cars. We raced them on dirt and that's where I got started."

YOU ACTUALLY RACED THEM? "Oh yeah. I raced two years in them. They had a great frame to make a race car out of. Where I came from in Arkansas, they were even used in late models. They would put late-model bodies on '57 frames. It made a really nice race car. So the '57 Chevy really is not totally foreign to me."

DO YOU THINK THAT THE NO. 8 STAYING AT DEI WILL AFFECT DALE EARNHARDT, JR.'S FANS? "It should matter to a lot of Dale Earnhardt fans that the number stays with the owners, just as the No. 6 did with Roush. In this business the standard has always been that the number stays with the owner and the driver has his superstardom to carry wherever he may. It's a touchy situation that I don't care a whole lot to be in the middle of. Four weeks ago I didn't have a dream that I would ever even be working at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. And now, with the tremendous respect that I have with Dale Earnhardt and every member of his family, I have to be careful with that. All I know is that standard procedure for the owners to build equity in the number, that's what stays with them. The drivers take their superstardom wherever they may. When you make that choice to go. Dale Earnhardt won the rookie of the year and his first championship in the No. 2, then raced the No. 15 and then he raced the No. 8 on Dale Earnhardt, Inc. cars all through the '80s. If you do the history instead o f look at the last five or seven years, if you do the history and present it, then there's a whole different thing to it besides race fans. Dale Jr. made a choice to make a change in his career, to change his path and to give it a new start and to go put himself in a position to go win his first championship and I think that's great. But that also came with the chance that the number would stay with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. where it has been since 1984."