Marcos Ambrose, driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion, and Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion, both have a chance to qualify for next week’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup if they can win and have luck fall their way in terms of the point standings. Both participated in a media session to discuss their chances.
CARL EDWARDS – No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion – YOU’VE GOT A TALL ORDER ON SATURDAY. YOU NEED TO WIN AND HAVE SOME HELP ALONG THE WAY. “Somehow I’ve got to hope for Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon to have bad nights and we’ve got to win the race, so those are two things that have to happen – I guess three if you count each of them as separate instances – but the only thing I can control is going out to win the race, so I’m gonna go try to win the race. I think that we have a car that can do it. We showed in the spring that we have a fast enough car to lead laps here and to challenge for the win, and I’m telling you guys, there is so much that’s gonna happen out here that it’s gonna be hard to keep track of all the scenarios as the night progresses. If Tony Stewart were to have a bad night, it changes a lot. If Jeff and Kyle have bad nights it puts a lot more pressure on us. I’ve seen a lot of crazy things happen in this sport, so that’s why I’m doing my best to not think about ‘what if we don’t make it.’ I’m trying to just focus on what I can do to win this race. I’ve got both fingers and all of my toes crossed hoping that it works out.”
YOUR FOCUS IS SINGULAR AND THAT’S TO WIN, RIGHT? “The first thing that we have to do, the only thing that we have to do is we have to win the race. If we don’t win the race, we have no shot. I know it must sound funny to you guys. I’m sitting here and haven’t won a race in 70 races or something like that, I don’t know how long it’s been – fifty-something races – but I’m gonna sit here and tell you that I can win this race and it’s gonna happen, that’s what we’re gonna go do, and that’s how race car drivers think. If we can do that, it is not far-fetched to see a couple guys having bad nights. With everything that’s gonna happen here in this race, I think that it truly could happen and I’m hoping that it does. That would be unreal to be doing that backflip on the front straightaway and to be in the Chase. That would be cool.”
HOW SURPRISING IS IT TO SEE GUYS LIKE JEFF AND KYLE ALSO IN THE SAME POSITION? “It makes me feel real good that Jeff Gordon is in as bad a position as I’m in. Guys like that are very good race car drivers – as good as they get – and it shows you how tough this sport is. A year ago we were cruising right now, dominating the points, not a care in the world, pretty sure we were gonna be contenders for the championship. Everything was great, and then you fast forward one year and it’s a whole different story. I think the true tragedy for us, we’ve talked about this a little bit, would be to not make the Chase and then have all of these things we’ve been working on come to fruition and go out and win six races or something and not even be in contention, so we want to be in it if we can. But I want to make something really clear, I’ve thought about this. I try to stay really positive. I try to look at the bright side and to keep my confidence, and at the end of the day, what we’re gonna do, I can guarantee one thing – we’re gonna come to every race this year, whether we’re in the Chase or not, we’re gonna do the very best we can to try to win. We’re gonna prepare for next year if we’re not in the Chase. We’re gonna use all of that energy we can to prepare for next year and go try to win the championship next year. As frustrating as it would be if we didn’t make it, it’s not gonna really change much of what we do. We’ve got to go be the best we can be all the time.”
DO YOU FEEL THE SPEED IS BACK IN YOUR CAR? “I talked to Robbie Reiser quite a bit today and Matt and Greg are first and third in the standings, so, obviously, our cars have the speed to lead the points, to be in front of the field, but we still aren’t dominant. We’re really close, though. We have different individual things we work on. The short track program, which is our weakest point; the intermediates, which we’re right on the verge of being competitive with the Hendrick guys. Greg was able to win at Michigan, but it took Jimmie Johnson having trouble, so I think we’re close there, and our speedway program, I think we’re as good or better than anyone, so I think we’ve got two out of three pretty good. If we can work on our short track program, we’ll be really good. Even with that being said, they’re leading the points right now – Greg and Matt – so we’re close.
DO YOU FEEL YOU’RE OVER THE HUMP AS FAR AS YOUR CAR BEING FASTER FOR SATURDAY NIGHT? “Yes, we are getting over the hump, but we’re not over it yet. I know what it’s like to have the fastest cars in the garage. We don’t have the fastest cars in the garage right now, but we’re better. On average, over the last two years, we’ve been the best we’ve been over a couple years, and last year we were very, very good at the beginning, it lulled, and we’re coming back up. We’re not as far off as we’ve been.”
WILL YOU AND CHAD BE TOGETHER NEXT SEASON? “I don’t know what we’re gonna do next year. Robbie and I talked a little bit about that today. Chad has been doing a great job. I don’t think we’ve really given him time. He’s just figuring out how I am and we’re just working through it, so my goal would be to work with Chad for the rest of the year and be able to make a very good decision with Chad being part of the decision-making because we’re still at the point where he’s telling me things that I’m doing wrong that he doesn’t like and I’m telling things that I don’t like. We haven’t really figured each other out.”
SOME OF THESE RACES GET SO HYPED UP AND THEY END UP BEING CALM. YOU’RE PROBABLY HOPING FOR A WILD RACE, RIGHT? “Yeah, I’m hoping for an insane race. I want things to just be off the chart. I want rain delays and oil on the track. I want things to happen. I need this race to be insane. I need people running out of fuel and crazy cautions and four-wide down in turn one, that’s what I need and I’ll take whatever I can get.”
IF DALE JR. IS LEADING AND YOU’RE IN SECOND – KYLE AND JEFF HAVE FALLEN WAY BACK – WHAT DO YOU DO ON THE FINAL LAP? “If Kyle and Jeff are in the positions they need to be, I would not want to be in front of our 99 car at the end of this race if it meant the win. We have to win and that’s all there is to it.”
WHATCAN YOU BRING FROM THE SPRING RACE? “There are a couple of things from the spring race. Number one, we were very, very good for the first three-quarters of the race. Two, I think Tony was the best car and I got to race with him long enough to see where he was beating us and we’ve tried to address that. I think those are two things I learned. Number one, we can do. And two, I know where we got beat, so unless somebody comes up with some really great stuff, I really think we should be competitive.”
WILL YOU BE CAREFUL ON YOUR RESTARTS? “Yeah, I’ll be really cautious on my restarts and I’ll make sure to know whether I’m leading the race or not. That was crazy.”
DO YOU EVER THINK OF THAT RACE AND THE SITUATION YOU’RE IN NOW AS BEING THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY? “Yeah, I do. I think about that race a little bit, but you just never know. If it hadn’t gone that way for us, Kyle wouldn’t have his win. There are so many things that happen in this sport. I’ve had races that I never should have won that I’ve won, and races that we were dominant and we didn’t get. I never feel like the sport owes me anything.”
HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THE FRUSTRATION OF THIS SPORT? “This sport will toughen you up in a number of different ways. There is pressure every week. The first couple weeks I ran Cup, I thought there is no way these guys can do this every week. There’s so much hype and pressure and the microscope is right on you the whole time, so I’ve learned over the years and through some of these battles to deal with the stresses and not let them affect the way I perform. So that’s what I’ve worked on the last couple of years. I feel like if I bring my A-game every week, no matter what’s going on outside the race car, no matter what happened the week before or what’s on the line, if I bring that A-game every week, that’s my job. I got tested pretty hard last year at Homestead and I think that was probably something I’ll always go back to and that helped me to have this confidence.”
DOES THE SEASON SEEM LIKE IT’S FLOWN BY? “This season has been a blur to me. I go back and pick it apart and I can’t believe all the points we gave up and the problems we had. It doesn’t feel like it’s been a long season. To me, I know it sounds silly, but it feels like the season hasn’t started. I haven’t gotten my feet under me. I feel like we haven’t gotten going, but it is what it is. We’re 25 races in and this is where we’re at, so there’s nothing I can do about it. I’d give anything to go back and run a couple of those races over and get some of those points.”
IN YEAR’S PAST THERE HAS BEEN A HANGOVER EFFECT FOR THE GUY WHO CAME IN SECOND. DOES ANYTHING CHANGE WHEN THAT HAPPENS? “I think it’s just chance, but it’s true. In 2008 it was me. We finished second and we were terrible in 2009. So lately it’s been the second-place guy who has struggled, but I don’t know if there’s anything to that, but it’s rang true. That’s the way it’s been lately.”
IS THERE GREATER POTENTIAL FOR SOMETHING CRAZY TO HAPPEN IN THE RACE SINCE A HALF-DOZEN GUYS NEED A WIN TO GET IN? “What’s gonna make this race crazy is if there’s a caution like last week. If the race gets strung out – everybody knows who has fast cars halfway in the race – and if it just goes green it will probably be a fairly calm race. But if we get a caution with five to go or six to go, it’s gonna be insane. There are gonna be guys staying out on 100-lap tires and blocking. It’s gonna be crazy. If I’m not leading it, I hope we get that caution and I hope we get a chance to make something happen, but I believe – to me – I feel like the hype is real. There are a lot of guys with a lot on the line willing to risk a bunch, and if the circumstances are right, you’re gonna see an insane race.”
HOW WILL THIS RACE BE ANY DIFFERENT FROM PAST RACES? “It’s a little different when you know your whole season is riding on a finish and lots of times you don’t get that chance. If you’re running 10th on a restart and the leaders go away, it really doesn’t matter what you want. There’s nothing you can do to get yourself to the lead. When the craziness happens is when a guy has a shot and he knows that’s his only shot. You saw Jeff Gordon last week, I heard what he said after the race about how he questioned himself and he thought, ‘Man, I’m getting soft, and I should have taken that chance.’ Everybody has done that all year and its built up to where I think people will be taking the chance no matter how nice they are as people, I think if they can get it, they’ll have to. It’s your job.”
ARE ALL BETS OFF AS FAR AS MOVING GUYS OUT OF THE WAY IN THIS RACE? “I truly think in a situation like this that nobody is gonna blame a guy for going for it and being a little aggressive. There’s a difference between wrecking somebody and trying to ruin their night or just moving them out of the way to win. I think there will be more acceptance of that stuff this weekend just because there’s so much on the line. It doesn’t mean the emotions won’t be there, but I think people will understand it better after they calm down.”
SO IF YOU’RE IN THIRD PLACE AND JEFF AND KYLE ARE IN FRONT OF YOU WILL YOU JUST TAKE THEM OUT SO THEY FINISH WAY BACK? “(Laughing) I never make a plan. I never say what I would do because you never know what the circumstances are gonna be, but I wouldn’t change the channel if that scenario is presented. That’s just the way it is.’
IF YOU DON’T MAKE THE CHASE WILL THAT CHANGE THE INTENSITY OF THE FINAL 10 RACES FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM EVEN THOUGH THERE WILL BE A NEW CAR NEXT YEAR? “I’ve thought about this a little bit if we don’t make it, I didn’t think about it a lot, but I’ve thought about it a little bit. There are a couple of things we can do. Number one, we can build our team to be the best it can be for 2013. Even though it’s a different car, there is still a lot of stuff we can do. But I think more importantly I can help Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle to be the best that they can be, so they’ll virtually have a test driver over here in Carl Edwards and the 99 team, and we can help them to try things in practice, we can give them more information than we normally would, I can help them with any advice during qualifying, during the race – anything I can do to help them to win is what I’ll do, and I think that could be a beneficial thing for our team.”
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO GET AT LEAST ONE WIN THIS YEAR? “We really want to get wins, so that would mean a lot. We want to win. I texted with Darrell Waltrip this week and he was right. He said, ‘Just win. That fixes everything. No matter what, just win some races,’ and he’s right.”
EVERYONE SEEMS SURPRISED YOU’RE IN THIS POSITION. “It’s no good that people don’t think of you right off the bat, but it’s fine with me. I’ve had all the expectation in the world and I’ve had no expectation. I’ve let people down and I’ve shocked people, so it doesn’t matter to me. I’ve been through enough now that we’ll just go do whatever we’ve got to do and if it works, it works and if it doesn’t, that’s just the way it is.”
THOUGHTS ON MISSOURI’S FIRST SEC GAME VERSUS GEORGIA. “I’ve been over to the stadium a couple times and I’ve seen all the upgrades at Mizzou. They’ve got new turf and new bleachers and all sorts of stuff. I know Gary Pinkel is doing a really good job of keeping everybody’s expectations down and keeping everybody realistic about the fact that we have to go prove ourselves as a team. I consider Gary Pinkel a friend. We’ve talked enough that I can tell you he is one of the most driven, dedicated individuals on Earth and if there’s a coach that can make something happen and shock the world it’s Gary Pinkel.”
MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion – HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE IN THE MIX FOR THIS WILD CARD? “This is the second year my number has been on that wall. Last year, it didn’t work out too well, so I guess from history and looking at last year’s race, you’ve just got to be in contention up to the very end and see how the race goes. We can’t do anything different from what we’ve been doing the whole season. We’ve got a good team. We’ve got a lot of momentum coming into these late races, but we have to have the mindset of putting ourselves in position late in the race and not panicking early on. Last year, I panicked early on and was trying to get a lot of positions and paid the price, so now we really just have to think about being smart and let all of the others get crazy and hopefully we can pick up the pieces.”
ARE YOU HAPPY JUST TO HAVE THIS CHANCE? “I’m happy to be here, no doubt. I’ve got my number on the wall and we’ve got a chance to make the Chase. We had a really rough first half of the season and it’s just hard to make the Chase from that position, so we’ve won a race and got ourselves in position. We’re happy to be here, no doubt. We want to create some history and have some fun while we’re doing it.”
IF YOU WERE SECOND GOING INTO THE LAST LAP WOULD YOU HESITATE TO KNOCK SOMEBODY OUT OF THE WAY TO GET THAT WIN? “Not for a second. I just want to make sure I can get to second-place. The last bit is guaranteed from anyone who has a chance to make it. It’s just making sure that you’ve got a good enough car and you’ve driven well enough throughout the night to get yourself in that position to do that at the end. There’s no point in crashing people out if you’re running 15th all night. You’ve got to be up front."
DO YOU LIKE THE FACT MOST PEOPLE ARE FOCUSING ON KYLE BUSCH AND JEFF GORDON? “Yeah, and quite rightly so. There are some heavy-hitters that are trying to make the Chase and I’m sure that Jeff and Kyle and Carl (Edwards), whoever misses out on making the Chase, is gonna feel like the season was a wipe because of it. They’re under a lot of pressure, a lot more than what I’m under. I’m here just to race and enjoy it and if it goes our way, it’s gonna be fantastic, but, if not, it’s not gonna change our outlook to the season. We’re not a superstar name and a superstar team. We’re a team that’s been getting better, so we’re just gonna enjoy the ride.”
DO YOU HAVE A DEAL IN PLACE FOR NEXT YEAR? “No, I do not.” DOES THAT WORRY YOU? “Yeah, it worries me a little bit. I’ve got unfinished business here in NASCAR. I want to be in NASCAR and I’m working with RPM. Hopefully, we can be with them for a long time to come, but there is no guarantee. Obviously, RPM has been through a lot this year as they have the last few seasons and I’m here to help them get to where they want to go and, hopefully, it works out for me.”
HAVE THEY TOLD YOU WHAT THEY WANT TO DO? RICHARD SEEMS TO THINK HE’S GOING TO BE ABLE TO CARRY TWO CARS NEXT YEAR. “Yeah, they’re telling me they’re good for two cars, so I believe them.”
DID THEY TELL YOU THEY WANT YOU TO BE IN ONE OF THEM? “Yeah, they’d love me to drive, but it’s just a matter of making it all work. We’re gonna get serious here, hopefully, and see how it all stacks up, but, right now, we’re just really focused on the Chase. We’ve all got good intentions to keep it all together, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work out.”
WHY HAVE YOU NOT HAD GREAT SUCCESS AT RICHMOND? “I think I’ve had a couple top 10s here with JTG, but I have not done well in the number 9 car here. I’ve just really struggled at this track and Loudon. Those are my two biggest challenges, but I’ve finished top 10 at both Loudon and Richmond several times with JTG before I came to RPM, so I feel like I can drive around the track, it’s just a matter of getting the car to feel like I need it. We’ve had a lot of trouble around this place to make it feel any good.”
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO CHANGE THAT? “We’ve come with a new package here this weekend. I feel like our team has come a long way since the first race here. We have a lot better understanding of what’s going on and I think we’ll be fine.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS TRACK YOURSELF? “I love this place. It’s a great track. It’s a lot of fun to race on. It’s got the setups like a one-and-a-half mile oval. It feels like that with the banking and the smooth surface, yet it races like a short track. You can get two, three-wide and you can make things happen, and I like it. It’s a fun track. I enjoy running here. I just wish my results were a little better."
HOW ARE YOU FEELING GOING INTO THE WEEKEND? “I’m really relaxed. The big names that have yet to make it in the Chase have more pressure than I have. I’m along for the ride. I’m enjoying it. We’ve got a chance to make some history and we’re gonna give it our best shot. I just go into this race happy to be a contender and we’ll see how it plays out.”
WHAT WOULD IT FEEL LIKE TO BE OUT IN FRONT HERE ON SATURDAY NIGHT? “It would probably feel better than any championship I’ve ever won anywhere in the world. This is the biggest stage in racing. It means a lot to both the team and myself to make the Chase and we’re gonna do everything we can to do it. I haven’t really thought about what it would feel like because I haven’t been in that position before here, I just know what I need to do, which is go out there and put myself in a position at the end of the race to be challenging for the lead, so we’ll try for that and see how it works.”
ON SITUATION FOR NEXT YEAR. “To be honest, I’ve thrown my foot way behind RPM. I think there’s a lot of willing parties there to put it together and I can’t see why if we can keep what we’ve got together, I can’t see why we wouldn’t be doing anything else.”
THEY STILL HAVE TO FIND A MANUFACTURER? “Yeah, RPM has to work out where they’re at before they can lock in their drivers, so I’m looking forward to having that discussion with them and, hopefully, we can all agree to move forward very quickly.”
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT IF YOU’RE STAYING OR GOING? “I’ve had such a great time driving for Richard Petty and Stanley and DeWalt and Ford that I don’t want it to stop. I’ve had a great couple of years. I’ve really enjoyed my time with my whole team and sponsors and there’s no reason why we wouldn’t want to keep that going.”
DO YOU GUYS HAVE A LOT OF MOMENTUM? “We really do. We’ve come so far as a team. I’ve come a long way as a driver. I feel much more complete as a driver sitting here tonight than what I did this time last year and I think the team feels that too. I want to be in NASCAR. I’ve got unfinished business here. I feel like I’m right on the edge of breaking through to being a consistent front-runner and I would love to give myself another shot.”
WHAT’S YOUR STRATEGY THIS WEEKEND? “I don’t have one. I’m just gonna try to be smart and let the other guys get crazy and just put myself in position at the end to be close enough to the front to have a go. It’s been a tough track for me. It’s been a track that I’ve struggled at with the 9 team, so we have to fix ourselves before we can worry about winning a race. We’ve come with a new setup and we feel confident with what we’ve brought here and that we’re gonna be competition and that’s all that counts.”
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THESE TWO WILD CARD SPOTS AND ALL THE GUYS IN CONTENTION? “I was here last year, so I’ve kind of had some experience with it. I just want to plan a smart race and enjoy it. There aren’t many guys that have a chance to be in the Chase right now – less than half the field or even a third of the field are the only guys that really have a shot at it, so we’ve come down to the final stage and we’ve just got to get one more big day and big win for us to get ourselves in there.”
Matt Kenseth, enters Saturday nights race at RIR locked into the 2012 Chase and standing third in points. He is also the only current Ford driver with a NSCS win at Richmond, bringing home the checkered flag in 2002. Kenseth talked about the weekend ahead with media members Friday morning.
MATT KENSETH, No. 17 Ford Fusion – TALK ABOUT BEING HERE AT RICHMOND THIS WEEKEND AND HOW IMPORTANT THIS RACE IS TOMORROW NIGHT. “It has always been one of my favorite tracks. We have really struggled a lot here really since the COT car came along. I think it is an important race for us. We definitely want to get a good finish and have some momentum going into Chicago and maybe you can learn some things that you can use at New Hampshire or that type of thing.”
NOW THAT YOU HAVE ANNOUNCED YOUR DECISION FOR NEXT YEAR, HOW MUCH WILL THAT IMPACT YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES FOR THIS YEAR? IN THE PAST, SOMEONE CHANGING MANUFACTURERS WOULD WATCH THE REST OF THEIR YEAR GO DOWN THE HILL. “I don’t think it is going to make any difference at all to what we are trying to do this year. I really don’t. I don’t know why it would. My team has known that I was going somewhere else for a few months. I don’t think that is going to change things. All your incentives are to try to do good no matter what your plans are for the following year. All our incentives are to win races and try to win the championship.”
CARL EDWARDS SAID YESTERDAY THAT IF HE DOESN’T MAKE THIS CHASE THAT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS HE WANTS TO DO IS HELP YOU OR A TEAMMATE WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP. HOW IMPORTANT WILL HE BE THE REMAINING 10 RACES? “I think the importance is the same all year long. I think we always try to work as hard as we can on our cars and sharing information and trying to make our cars go faster. When your teammates run good or they learn something it helps you and vice versa. I think we always work as hard as we can to try to help each other and help the company run as good as we can.”
WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION OR FEEDBACK FROM FANS TO YOU LEAVING FORD AND MOVING TO TOYOTA? “Most of the feedback, probably 95-percent or more has been really positive. You know how passionate race fans are. There are fans that are super passionate over manufacturers, teams, numbers, all kinds of stuff. I think it has been really positive.”
WILL IT BE WEIRD FOR YOU? “The whole thing will be different. Even just going over there the other day was a lot different. I have walked into the same building at Roush – the same series of buildings for almost 15 years. It will be different to do something different. All of it is different, not just the manufacturer. All the personnel, cars, sponsors, all that stuff is going to be different.”
DO YOU THINK IT IS POSSIBLE FOR SOMEONE TO DO WHAT TONY STEWART DID IN THE CHASE LAST YEAR OR DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE MORE LIKE OTHER YEARS? “I think anything is possible. When the Chase format first came out, they said it was going to be impossible to win it without winning. Tony won a championship without winning a race the first time he won it in the Chase and this last time he won five races and won it. I think anything is possible. All it takes is more points than the other 11 guys. It is pretty much dependant on what happens with the other 11 guys with how many points you need. Anything is possible. That was amazing what Tony did last year to put together all those wins in 10 races. To be able to win half the races was pretty amazing.”
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST SURPRISE TO YOU AMONG THE GUYS FIGHTING TO GET IN? THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD GUYS POTENTIALLY NOT GOING TO MAKE THE CHASE. WHICH IS THE BIGGEST SURPRISE TO YOU? “I don’t know. Today that is a hard question to answer because we have been racing for 25 weeks. You could see all the different things that have happened from broken engines to flat tires to just things that have been dumb luck that got a lot of those guys behind. I don’t know. That is hard to say. Jeff’s performance wasn’t great at the beginning of the year but the last few months he has been really good and had a lot of misfortune. Same with Kyle, he has been running good and had a lot of weird things happen between parts breaking or flat tires or getting punted the last lap leading, all kinds of different things. That is a tough question to answer. All three of those guys are really good and you kind of count on them being in the Chase but anything can happen. It is pretty competitive.”
WITH THE ROUSH PERFORMANCE ON 1.5 MILE TRACKS, HOW BIG AN ADVANTAGE IS THAT IN THE CHASE AND SPECIFICALLY AT HOMESTEAD IF YOU ARE STILL IN CONTENTION? “Everybody likes to group the 1.5 mile tracks together but they really aren’t that similar. If you look at what we did last weekend you would say not very good. None of us ran very good at all. We finished ninth but got fortunate with great pit stops and other things that kept us on the lead lap. Carl was a little better than we were. I think you have to approach every track the same and do the best you can every week and try to get the finishes every week. I don’t feel we can really right now pick out a few tracks except for if nothing changes maybe Talladega where we seem to have an advantage and feel you have your best chance at gaining points or not losing as many or however you want to look at it. I don’t think I could circle more than one or two tracks in the Chase where I feel better than anybody else.”
HOW MANY RACES DO YOU THINK THE CHAMPION WILL HAVE TO WIN IN THE CHASE AND HOW MANY GUYS CAN WIN MORE THAN ONE RACE IN THE CHASE? “I don’t know. There is no way I can predict that. That is just throwing a dart at the board. Like we just got done talking about, Tony didn’t win any last year but won five in the Chase, who would have thought he could do that? He also won his first championship in the Chase without winning a race. Like I was saying, it depends on what the other 11 cars do. I don’t think you have to win any races in the Chase depending on what everyone else does. Carl didn’t win any and tied for the points with a guy that won five. It is hard to predict.”
ARE YOU GUYS THAT ARE LOCKED IN GOING TO BE AWARE OF THE DESPERATION OF GUYS THAT ARE FIGHTING TO GET INTO THE CHASE? “Yes and no. You always try to be – if there is a championship battle or a points battle or something that you aren’t involved in you always try to be aware of that and maybe not give them people extra room but try not to make a mistake that ruins their chances. On the other hand, these races are really hard to win and if you have a chance to win a race you are going to do what you can to win the race no matter where you are in points. You want to win all of them and not give up any. If you have the chance to win the race, no matter where you are in points, you are going to do everything you can to win.”
DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THE RULE CHANCE NASCAR IS MAKING ON THE SIZE OF THE BUSHINGS? “Not really. I don’t know the details except for the little bit I read about a quarter inch. It probably would have been easier to just say you have to run mono-balls every week – that probably would have been easier. It probably won’t change a lot. Everybody was kind of on to what they were doing anyway. For me it might make it better because it didn’t seem like we had it quite nailed down like the other guys did.”
AFTER YOU MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT THIS WEEK AND YOUR TEAM GOT TO SEE YOU IN ANOTHER TEAMS COLORS, DID YOU SENSE THE NEED OR HAVE YOU TALKED TO THEM ABOUT THAT? IS THERE ANY SENSE NOW THAT YOU CAN RE-FOCUS ON THE GOAL AT HAND OR DID YOU HAVE A MEETING AT ROUSH TO TALK ABOUT THAT? “We did that when Roush first announced I was leaving. We talked to the team and that has been a couple months. I think most of that is all past us. One thing they told me is that they didn’t like my horizontal stripes on Tuesday. Other than that they didn’t really say much about it. I went over and hung out with them for awhile the other day and they are fine. They understand. I think they have been over that for awhile and we are all focused on the task at hand.”
DID ANYTHING AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT, LOOKING BACK, SURPRISE YOU OR REALLY INTRIGUE YOU EITHER FROM BEING BACK AT GIBBS FOR A SECOND TIME OR ANY TYPE OF REACTION PEOPLE HAD TO IT? “Not really I guess from anybody else. I think most of the fan feedback and some of my peers and stuff like that has been almost 100-percent positive which makes me feel good. I think the biggest thing was going back there and hanging out and walking through there and making an announcement. I was surprised when I got home and sat there that night and the next night and everything; I was kind of surprised how excited I am honestly. I am excited about that opportunity to go do that next year. I am excited about this year and that is not saying anything about Roush Fenway, I have been there a long time and feel really good about that and the great things we have done there, but I am excited about starting another chapter in my career and a chance to go to another winning team that wins races and wins championships and go see how I can do over there. It is hard because I am really excited about that but I don’t want to slight the team I am at either. I am still working over there until the end of the season and I am 100-percent focused and committed on Roush Fenway racing and trying to win over there. It was nice to finally do the announcement and not have to say I didn’t have to talk about it yet for every single week. To talk about it and get it all out there – I have spent time thinking about it but it felt more real after we made the announcement and got that done. It gave me a day or two to kind of think about how fortunate I have been through my whole career and get a chance to go try something different with a top-notch team. In a way it is kind of scary and in a way it is exciting. I am excited about both.”
AT WHAT POINT DID THE DEAL COME TO YOU FROM JOE GIBBS RACING AND HOW MUCH CONVERSATION OCCURRED BEFORE YOU AGREED TO MOVE. “It was right around the Coke 600 at Charlotte – that was the first time they contacted me and we got together a couple times and talked. It all happened pretty quickly really. It all happened within a month probably, something like that.”
Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, heads into Saturday nights race at RIR locked into the Chase field and standing third in points. Biffle talked with media members after the second practice session Friday afternoon.
GREG BIFFLE, No. 16 3M Ford Fusion – HOW WAS THE PRACTICE SESSION? “You know, it is the same old Richmond. It is slick, hard to get ahold of and we are wondering what the track will be like at night when the sun goes down. It always seems like you get out at the most inopportune time. We got out with three minutes to go with our last set of stickers and that doesn’t do you justice because you can’t get enough laps on them. Right as the car is coming in the black flag is out. I think we are pretty decent and I think we are a little better than we have been here in the past. We will just have to wait and see tomorrow night. I think we will be okay in qualifying trim but we will have to wait and see where we end up.”
HOW GOOD A FEELING IS IT KNOWING YOU ARE IN THE CHASE ALREADY? “It is a great feeling to have. The last four weeks we have been really happy with the way our first part of the season went and focused on the Chase races. Quite frankly, we haven’t had that great of a last few races. It has been a combination of things but the 10 races that are coming up for us in the Chase are very good races for us.”
DO YOU GO FOR THE WIN TOMORROW NIGHT OR TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT THINKING ABOUT DOWN THE ROAD? “This is probably a little out of our realm for a track that we feel strong about a victory at. We feel strong about running in the top-10 or top-five and if we win here tomorrow night it is going to be pit strategy that got us up front and our car took off good. We have led a fair amount of laps here but we have always been mired in about that top-five position at this race track.”
KESELOWSKI SAID THAT THIS RACE WILL FEEL LIKE AN ALL-STAR RACE FOR GUYS THAT ARE LOCKED IN. DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? “Yeah, I totally agree. The last three races for us have been that way. Bristol, Atlanta and now here have all felt that way. Ever since we won at Michigan we have felt like we were locked in so do what you can do. Our results aren’t very good with all hands off and the go for it approach. We finished 19th, 15th and whatever we get here tomorrow night. It hasn’t been all that great with all the pressure off and running as hard as we want.”
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO GET A WIN TO ADD THE EXTRA BONUS POINTS? HOW BIG OF A DEAL IS THAT TO GET THREE MORE POINTS GOING INTO THE CHASE? “It would be really big for us. We would go into the Chase second in points if we win tomorrow night and that would be really neat for us instead of going into the Chase fifth. We know it is only three points but the championship was decided last year by zero. We are going to do everything we can to win, just like we have the last four or five races.”
WITH THE FIVE 1.5 MILE TRACKS IN THE CHASE. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR 1.5 MILE PROGRAM? “I feel very, very good about our 1.5 mile program. It is a solid program. Somebody asked me that after our finish in Atlanta last week but Atlanta you almost have to take it off the 1.5 mile program. It is like a Rockingham, Darlington, it is slick and doesn’t compare to any of the 1.5 mile tracks we run on now. The five in the Chase we run very good at and are really excited about. We feel like we could win any or all of those five.”
WHAT TONY STEWART DID LAST YEAR IN THE CHASE WINNING FIVE RACES. CAN THAT BE DONE AGAIN? “I think somebody could do that. If somebody gets on a roll it could be done. We are super good at 1.5 mile programs and could win two or three 1.5 mile races. We finished third at Phoenix and have won at Loudon and Dover so I think somebody could win five races again. I wouldn’t say it is out of the question. The competition keeps getting tougher and tougher and tougher. You look at how close we are together it just seems unlikely for someone to get on a run to win that many.”
IF YOU HAD TO PUT SOME MONEY DOWN ON IT, HOW MANY WINS WOULD YOU SAY A GUY NEEDS IN THE CHASE TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP? “I would say three wins in the Chase, not total, in the Chase would probably be who is going to win it. I think that is my gut feeling. Denny Hamlin has a really, really strong chance at winning here tomorrow night and he has been really fast here and is the fastest again. If you look at the last three tracks we have had, these slick type of race tracks, they have a great setup on those like we do on the 1.5 mile tracks. He won at Bristol and Atlanta and this race track is no different than those type of race tracks and the type of setup you need to win. He is fast on the lap tracker so I wouldn’t put it past him for a guy like that to go into the Chase with maybe even one more win but then it is a different program. They are good at 1.5 mile tracks but we don’t really have any tracks like that in the Chase per se, except maybe Martinsville.”
BEING THE POINTS LEADER FOR MOST OF THE SEASON, DO YOU PLAN ON RACING ANY DIFFERENTLY DURING THE CHASE? “It seems like it has worked for us so far. We have been the points leader for a decent amount of the regular season and we really don’t want to change anything. We want to be the points leader for a major part of the Chase and hopefully the last part of the Chase going into Homestead. Whatever we have been doing as a team seems to be working for us. We have had good, solid consistent finishes and won a couple races. That is what we need to do in the Chase.”
HOW MUCH PREP HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TOWARD THE CHASE THE LAST FEW WEEKS? “We have been doing a lot of prep in terms of getting cars ready, strategizing on what we need to do and these last few tracks coming up don’t dictate like anything we have in the Chase. Bristol, Atlanta and here are uncharacteristic to anything we have coming up in the next 10. There is not a lot we can learn from the last three weeks that will take us into the Chase.”
THE FACT THAT KENSETH IS LEAVING AT THE END OF THE YEAR, CAN THAT PLAY INTO YOUR HANDS AS FAR AS LEADING ROUSH INTO THE CHASE? “You know, it could at some point when it comes down to it but we will have to wait and see. I don’t really see it making much of a difference though.”
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